Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

Yes kids, today is pete Townshend's 72nd birthday and probably no artist living or dead has had more of a musical impact on Johnny than Mr. Townshend. Yeah, tonight is pretty much a love letter.

Johnny can be moody, certainly you've never noticed that before. Mr. Townshend's music seemed to always be the right remedy, up and ready to fight, deep and reflective, or a few songs for someone really down. They say Townshend spoke for a whole generation of awkward, angry, and mistrusting kids. Johnny was front row center. Johnny could go on and on and you'd get bored. 'I'm One' is a song that perfectly encompasses what Johnny's droning on about.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

To say this album had an impact on Johnny would be an understatement. In a land before CD's he bought it three times. Yes, he wore them down, diamond needle and all, three times. He can sing it front to back and back to front. You better believe a track from Empty Glass is gonna make our Pete Townshend birthday card.

The brilliance of 'Gonna Get Ya' (Last song side 2). That's right, you swing that arm.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

Sure, OK Johnny, Pete Townshend is truly one of the elite songwriters and guitar players of his generation. Some will say a good test of an artist is how they sound outside their own music. Give them someone else's music and see how well they represent.

Gladly, a cover from The English Beat, 'Save it for Later' that'll smash your expectations up all over the stage like a guitar.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

Johnny will try to keep it short in heaping the praise on the guy who wrote the soundtrack to Johnny's angst-ridden teen years, who wrote the best album ever in Quadrophenia and let this song play you off on one of Johnny's twenty favorite albums, Empty Glass. Johnny still has that album and cover just waiting to be autographed one day. Played it down to the vinyl....twice.

Mr. Pete Townshend and 'Gonna Get Ya'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE WHO!

Listening to Pete Townshend and The Who makes Johnny wanna drink Remy Martin cognac and fight. A great combination since Pete and The Who were Johnny's soundtrack and worldview for a young life. A bologna sandwich, an apple and a thermos of cognac and some Who cassettes. That was lunch. And Johnny was happy to have it. Not so happy he wouldn't not take the great advice in this classic song, 'Slip Kid' and not repeating the mistakes of your elders in a lot of things you look up to them for. Got-dam Pete rips it up on this one.

A hot song on a c-c-c-cold night.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

Johnny is a big believer that if you're going to remake a song you should bring your own vision to it with certain different creative ideas than the original. This cover by the great Pete Townshend had eluded Johnny's ears until this week. Townshend's cover of the English Beat's hit 'Save it for Later' is a cut above 99.9% of most covers. The use of those Tommey-esque rapid fire guitar riffs overlayed with piano in lieu of the familiar saxophone on this is fantabulous. Just leave it to the guy who wrote Tommy, Quadrophenia, Who's Next, Who are You, and a Quick One While He's Away could arrange the shit out of an already great song. Wrapping up another Music Series is Pete Townshend with 'Save it for Later'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PETE TOWNSHEND!

The David Gilmour on guitar part we're throwing in for free. Here are two of the most iconic guitarists of our time on Townshend's song, 'Give Blood' wrapping up another Music Series. Great version.