Townshend and Generative Lifehouse

reformhead writes "Just found this article over at Canoe about how The Who's Pete Townshend is planning on releasing 3 box sets of his rock opera "Lifehouse". The third box set will be a limited edition that will include a software key you can use to import personal data about yourself that will in turn be used to generate an individual piece of music for you. " 1. Pete Townshend==God. 2. Generative Music==Cool. 3. The original Lifehouse was based on this same idea, but its pretty cool that its finally gonna happen. And if any of Townshend's PR people stumble on this, I wanna interview Pete for Slashdot.

Comments

Re:Tommy leaves something to be desired??

[LizardKing]

Many people found it through the excellent Broadway production

As opposed to the excruciatingly embarassing film. But seriously, The Who parted with many of their early fans over what was seen as a pretentious folly when Tommy came out. It also didn't endear them to a generation of punks (myself included), despite the fact that `Live in Leeds' can be seen as a seminal influence on both punk and heavy metal.


Chris Wareham

Re:Generative music.

[gad_zuki!]

Meher is pete's guru, considered by some(most?) to be an authentic avatar. He's more famous for saying, 'Don't worry, be happy!'

On the other hand O'Riley is a analog synth pioneer who, last I heard, is still playing shows.

If you're really interested you can do a few web searches, which I'm probably gonna do on O'Riley (of course I dont remember his first name).

Re:Yeah, How the heck does it work?

[gad_zuki!]

I really can't see what else it can be but a system of arbitrary thresholds for someone's personal stats. Not that I'm saying I'm not dying to hear my 'essence' coming out of an old ARP synth.

Height and weight doesn't really fit neatly into music theory. I'm sure after a dropping a hit or two it starts to make sense, "Yeah, if you're fat than you're all bass notes, man."

"Small chested girls, definately B-flat."

Generative music.

[Black Parrot]

You mention that this was part of the original Lifehouse concept. For the curious, it was going to work (I'm pretty sure) by using your vital statistics a parameters to an old-style analog music synthesizer (such as PT's Arp) of early '70s vintage.

I'm fairly sure that the 'continuo' synthesizer part to "Baba O'Riley" (on Who's Next) is an example of how this was supposed to work.

Notice my qualifications in the claims above; further information/confirmation would be appreciated.

--
It's October 6th. Where's W2K? Over the horizon again, eh?

Re:Generative music.

[Mr. Slippery]

I'm fairly sure that the 'continuo' synthesizer part to "Baba O'Riley" (on Who's Next) is an example of how this was supposed to work.

"This was a number I wrote while I was doing these experiments with tapes on the synthesizer. Among my plans was to take a person out of the audience and feed information - hieight, weight, autobiographical details - about the person into the synthesizer. The synthesizer would then select notes from the pattern of that person. It would be like translating a person into music. On this particular track I programmed details about the life of Meher Baba [who the heck is that? -tms] and that provided the backing for the number." - Pete Townshend on "Baba O'Riley", from the liner notes on my handy disk "My Generation - The Very Best of The Who."

Re:Generative music.

[Black Parrot]

> Meher Baba [who the heck is that? -tms]

That was PT's personal guru. (He couldn't go off and chase the same gurus the Beatles and Stones did, now could he?)

I don't know Meher Baba's precise religous stance. I think he was associated with Sufiism. He was most famous for a vow of silence, and spent much (most?) of his adult life without speaking a word. I believe there are some references to this in PT's music, but possibly only in his non-commercial work (i.e., the albums bundled into the Meher Baba set described in the article).

--
It's October 6th. Where's W2K? Over the horizon again, eh?

Re:Generative music.

[Black Parrot]

> that provided the backing for the number

I forgot to mention... prior to the familiar version of "Baba O'Riley" (popularly known as "Teenage Wasteland"), there was an extended, instrumental-only version that PT did in his home studio. The synthesizer part appears to be identical to the published version, albeit substantially longer. PT overdubbed guitar, bass, and drums similar to what appeared on in the published version, but no vocals at all. (Thus the already obscure vocals need not necessarily be relevant to the fact that the music was generated from Meher Baba's vital statistics. PT always recycled his music.)

The version of "Baba O'Riley" described above appeared on various bootlegs, and perhaps even on one of the non-commercial albums dedicated to M.B.

--
It's October 6th. Where's W2K? Over the horizon again, eh?

Privacy!!!

[gad_zuki!]

I'm waiting for the obligatory,

"Who does Townshend think he is?! Using my personal info to make a song! What ever happened to privacy in this country?!"

The article didn't mention that both Tommy and Quadrophenia, more so the latter, were based on each memeber of the who's personality, not just those two songs listed.

Re:Neat-o

[Black Parrot]

This Who fan always liked Styx, but didn't go quite so far as being a Styx fan.

For Styx fans, definitely start with Who's Next. Just listen to the whole thing (or at least the 9 original tracks, if you have the remastered CD with the bonus tracks). Then probably Who are You.

--
It's October 6th. Where's W2K? Over the horizon again, eh?

Rock operas ...

[LizardKing]

I love a lot of The Who's output, but the rock operas like Tommy and Townshend's solo stuff leaves a lot to be desired. Definitely something for the hardcore fans only.

And for the guy who reckons Weller is better songwriter than Townhend - well your wrong. They're both insanely good songwriters. (And that's coming from a Goth ...).


Chris Wareham

/.origin

[Effugas]

Deep within the nestled chroot()'d directories of Rob Malda's Precision Cut Head lies Slashdot...but nobody knew where this ever growing tumor of a side project turned major stock came from from. Nobody knew...until:

And if any of Townshend's PR people stumble on this, I wanna interview Pete for Slashdot.

Slashdot is just a gigantic ploy to let Rob Malda satisfy his lifelong wish to talk to Pete Townshend!

"...and thus it was written in the Book Of Dot, 'O Lord, How May I Speak To Your Musical Prophet', and the Lord replied, 'Yea, ye shall verily speak with thy prophet, but spread far and wide my message of openness and birds that do fail to fly. For that is the way to happiness; the road to bethlehem is with the Geek!"

Yours (Hopefully) Amusingly,

Dan Kaminsky
DoxPara Research
http://www.doxpara.com

Interesting to me...

[Rabbins]

In the song Forgiven, the "Cello Cello Cello Cello Cello Cello.." part was supposed to be played with... you guessed it, a string section. But the record company would not spring for the cost to bring in extra musicians... so Townshend thought it would be funny to mouth the part instead.

Well, it cracks me up at least...

Re:Yeah, How the heck does it work?

[GaspodeTheWonderDog]

I'd imagine it is much like what Douglas Adams described in The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul ( or was it Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency )... so, based on the current project I'm working on I might get to listen to death march music... yeah!

Quadrophenia

[LizardKing]

Quadrophenia is perhaps one of the finest works to come out of The Who

Including the tracks not written or performed by them ... Although it's a soundtrack album more than a rock opera.


Chris Wareham

Re:A bit of WHO triva...

[Tet]

i need to clarify something, CLAPTON is god

Not trying to start a flamewar, but in the words of someone whose name I've forgotten (Charlotte, perhaps?):

``Clapton ain't dead, but Yngwie is God.''