THE WHO
The Who are an English rock band from London, best known for their explosive sound, energetic performances, and pioneering role in rock music. With iconic songs like “My Generation,” “Baba O’Riley,” and “Pinball Wizard,” they fused hard rock, mod sensibilities, and ambitious storytelling into a style that was both rebellious and innovative. Fronted by Roger Daltrey’s powerful vocals and driven by Pete Townshend’s inventive guitar work, The Who helped define the sound and spirit of British rock, leaving a lasting influence on generations of musicians.
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The Who under a Union Jack flag, 1968 by Art Kane
Shot in 1968 in NYC in Morningside Park near Columbia University, Art Kane had plenty of fun with The Who. Kane described them as “cute little ruffians, they made me think of Dickens, of Fagin’s gang from Oliver Twist.” Knowing that Pete Townshend and John Entwistle wore jackets made from the British flag, Art Kane decided to literally enrobe the band in the Union Jack, 2 actually, sewn together specially for the shoot. He wanted to portray them as “lovable in a devilish way”.
Kane instructed them to pretend to be asleep at the base of the Karl Schurz monument. He saw the image as an homage to a Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph of avagrant asleep in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Originally photographed in 1968 for Art Kane’s legendary Life Magazine photo essay ‘The New Rock’, it was later used by The Who for the soundtrack album cover and publicity posters for their 1978 movie ‘The Kids Are Alright’
Signed limited edition print of Keith Moon of The Who, taken by Barrie Wentzell in 1968.
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The Who performed at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York, as part of the New York Rock Festival on August 2, 1968. They were the second act on the bill, following Elephant's Memory (John Lennon ended up producing them later) and preceding The Doors. The show was known for its revolving stage and the intense atmosphere, which included a melee caused by a long wait between the Who and Jim Morrison and the Doors coming onstage. A riot following The Doors' performance. This is the story that Pete told me in London …. Jim was pretty bloated at that stage he had the big bushy beard and was walking around New York without a shirt and people were talking about him as a messiah.
“That tour I was in the middle of writing Tommy and was working on that while we traveled in support of The Doors. Just as The Doors were about to play and Jim appeared on stage a young woman jumped up on stage to touch Jim’s face. A security guard grabbed her and threw her off the stage and she hit something as she fell and gashed her face and head. She was pretty smashed up. We asked them to bring her over the barriers so she could get some first aid. When Jim came off the stage I approached him and asked if he’d seen what happened. He had and wasn’t happy with the way the security had handled it. I told him we had her backstage and it would mean a lot if he could spend some time with her. He said of course and we chatted to her for a while. That image stuck in my mind and became the inspiration for the song Sally Simpson on Tommy” - Pete Townshend.
Co-signed limited edition print, hand signed by Pete Townshend with photographer Tom Wright's estate stamp signature in the border under the image, limited edition of 10 copies only
Digital Silver gelatin archival prints on 100% Cotton Rag Platine 310gsm - paper size 16 x 20”