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Super Bowl Sunday: Tilting At Windmills

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 10:21:14 AM EST
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The Super Bowl is tonight. The game itself is of interest and I will do an in depth analysis later today. But right now I want to discuss the key prop bet of the event:

Super Bowl XLIV - How many times will Pete Townshend do his legendary windmill move? Windmill move must be a full 360 degree revolution and be shown on TV to be counted for this wager. Pete Townshend windmill moves during halftime show.

Over 5½ (-270)o,(+210)u

I love the over, even at the price.

This is an Open Thread.

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    Super Bowl Sunday: Tilting At Windmills | 12 comments (12 topical)

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    Little known aside, (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by jondee on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 11:03:55 AM EST
    According to Pete, he saw Keith Richards using that windmill move one time back in the day and gentlemanly asked Keith if he minded if he borrowed it.

    And the rest is legendary stage move history..

    Pete and the windmill, (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by brodie on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 12:38:57 PM EST
    check.  And you've gotta be a good guitar player to bring your arm up that high then bring it down so fast while still being able to hit the strings.

    Except for the times when the backing sound is canned, which I hope won't be the case today.

    Whatever, The Who, even if getting a tad long in the tooth, is still a significant improvement over what passed for SB halftime entertainment some XLIII years ago, when the Corporate Suits running the show offered up acts like Up With People!, Tony Orlando (and Dawn), and the University of Oklahoma Marching Band.

    Definite improvement (none / 0) (#10)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 03:51:27 PM EST
    I have really loved the last two shows, with Tim Petty two years ago and Springsteen last year. Looking forward to this one a lot more than I am the game.

    Parent
    That's Tom Petty, of course (none / 0) (#11)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 03:51:52 PM EST
    though Tim might be good too

    Parent
    New prop bet (none / 0) (#2)
    by magster on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 11:07:04 AM EST
    Can he do the windmill without breaking his hip?

    Pretty safe bet... (none / 0) (#3)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 11:20:25 AM EST
    ...considering that Pete is so hard of hearing that his younger brother (Simon) has taken over the actual guitar playing for the group.  Pete is pretty much a stage prop these days and the windmill is his stock and trade.  

    So funny (none / 0) (#4)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 11:30:23 AM EST
    Is there also a bet for the Roger Daltrey microphone-cord-twirling? Or maybe he is using a headset these days.

    I heard yesterday how they got started doing the guitar smashing. At a club show early on Pete accidentally hit his guitar against a low ceiling and broke the bridge. The audience was laughing at him and he got mad and just smashed the whole thing.  Next show Keith Moon smashed his drum kit on purpose, and pretty soon the people were coming to the show to see if they would break anything,

    Can you tell I've been listening to the Sirius/XM Who station?

    They weren't even The Who... (none / 0) (#5)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 11:51:19 AM EST
    ...when that happened.  They were performing under the name The High Numbers.

    During their summer 1964 residency at the Railway, Pete Townshend broke his guitar against the Railway's low ceiling. A week later Moon started smashing his drumkit when the audience was disappointed when Townshend didn't smash his guitar. Moon stated generally, "When I smashed my drums it's because I was pissed off . . . [W]hen you've worked your balls off and you've given the audience everything you can give and they don't give anything back, that's when the bleep instruments go."

    It wasn't until October '64 that they became The Who.  

    Link

    Parent

    Good name change (none / 0) (#6)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 12:04:38 PM EST
    Though just shortening it to 'The High' would have worked well too.

    Parent
    In the sixties (none / 0) (#8)
    by jondee on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 01:59:02 PM EST
    the decency and morals crowd would've probably accused them of promoting drug use if they had kept that name.

    Though, I do think it would've been better.

    Parent

    With Pete Townsend, always bet on the (none / 0) (#9)
    by steviez314 on Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 03:42:21 PM EST
    under (age).

    Was it just me, (none / 0) (#12)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 12:39:08 PM EST
    or did the Who sound like sh!t?

    And Townsend's gunt hanging out of the bottom of his shirt wasn't much of a treat either.

    Queen Latifah and Carrie Underwood both sounded pretty lame too.

    Tough venue.

    Super Bowl Sunday: Tilting At Windmills | 12 comments (12 topical)

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