He was in Las Vegas? � No wonder the poor soul had a heart attack
June 29, 2002 ~ 6:53 p.m.
Earlier this month, I wrote about classic rock and listed my top fifty favorite classic rock songs and more. Then John Entwistle, long time bassist and original founding member of The Who, died. In terms of recent deaths, there have been several: first came Joey Ramone in April 2001, followed by the Beatles� George Harrison in December, another Ramone � bassist Dee Dee � last month, and now John Entwistle. You know you�ve lived long enough when you witness members of classic rock bands that you grew up listening to, admiring and thought would last forever dying left, right and center. Who�ll be next? (Oops, no pun intended here.)
The Who are experienced at overcoming deaths, as they had to do when drummer Keith Moon died in 1978. It didn�t stop them from coming back big-time in 1982 and selling out concert venues ever since. Entwistle contributed greatly to The Who and will be missed. But Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend will soldier on, people will remember this tour and The Who will live on. As long as Daltry and Townshend are still around, they are far from over.
But I bow my head in respect to Mr. Entwistle. Godspeed.
While we�re on the subject of Entwistle, he died from a heart attack in Las Vegas where The Who were to kick off their tour. My wife wanted to plan a trip there in November, and she wanted to bring the whole family along with her. Well, it�s been more trouble than we ever thought and has caused nervous breakdowns and hurt feelings on the parts of everyone involved (and no, I won�t go into details). But assuming we can work this out and plan it effectively, one fact will still stand in the way � I don�t care a wit about Las Vegas.
I mean, I have absolutely zero interest in seeing the place. I never have, either. It�s not even a real city, is it? It�s just one large amusement park, comprised entirely of flashy casinos and hotels, isn�t it? I�ve already been to Walt Disney World, and a visit to one famous amusement park is enough for me. Does Vegas even possess a genuine central business district where people work in anything other than the gambling or hotel industry? Does it have any suburbs or is it just one big bustle of lights in the middle of a large desert? I don�t even care about seeing the Hoover Dam.
I told my wife one evening on the train home from work, �You know, if I�m gonna go west, there are other places I�d so much rather see � Dallas, Santa Fe, Denver ��
�Well, I�ve never wanted to go to Denver,� my wife replied. �Name one thing in Denver anybody would want to see?�
Well, that�s not the point � Denver is an actual city of hard-working, friendly people who live down-to-earth lives. No flash and artificiality of Las Vegas. It�s the highest city in North America and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. It�s a place I�d pick over Vegas any day of the week. But to answer my wife�s question, I pointed my finger at her and said, �Mile High Stadium!�
My wife shrugged. �Never heard of it.� And the conversation ended there, still a draw � she wants to go, I don�t.
The only thing I would go to Vegas for is the helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. That would make it worth it. But still, anytime spent in Las Vegas would be a waste of my time, at least according to me. Is there something wrong with me, have I completely lost the plot? I don�t know. As far as I�m concerned, it�s just a place where you can blow wads of cash and people have excruciatingly tacky weddings with Elvis impersonators at the altar. Has anyone been there who can correct me and inform me about a reason why I must see Las Vegas during my lifetime? If so, please let me know. (Pokes Eden, Mr. Levski and Yellowducky � OK, you three, I know you all live out that way, so any advice would be appreciated.)
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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