Latest news with #BabaO'Riley
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Owen Wilson's Stick Sounds Like a Ted Lasso Ripoff. Actually, It's Better
The third episode of the new Apple TV+ golf comedy Stick is called 'Daddy Issues,' but that might as well be the title of the show. Created by Ford v. Ferrari writer Jason Keller, it stars Owen Wilson as a former top golfer, Pryce Cahill, who publicly flamed out 20 years ago. He's been mired in the past ever since, from his job at a sporting goods store to his refusal to finalize the divorce initiated by his long-suffering wife (Judy Greer), move out of their old house, and accept that he's no longer a husband, a father, or a pro athlete. When he spots a surly teen at a driving range, Santi (Peter Dager), who has the makings of a major talent, Pryce sees in this potential protégé a shot at redemption. But Santi, whose now-estranged dad used to push him too hard on the golf course, doesn't exactly relish the prospect of having a new father figure to satisfy. It sounds hackneyed and heartstring-yanking—another comedy that uses sports as a cover to talk about men's feelings and relationships from the platform that brought us Ted Lasso. There are indeed elements of Stick, which premieres on June 4, that come off as pandering; as if a dad-rock soundtrack ('Baba O'Riley,' 'The Boys Are Back in Town') weren't enough, it even rips off Lasso 's earnest folk theme song. While it's a relief that Greer isn't forced to play a harpy, the show can be cringily conspicuous in its efforts to model empathy for women. A self-described 'genderqueer, anticapitalist, postcolonial feminist' character named Zero (Lilli Kay) initially reads as an assemblage of lazy Gen Z clichés that exist mostly in the imaginations of boomers. Yet within the limitations of its formula, Stick works. A trite setup gives way to a looser road-trip vibe after Pryce convinces Santi and his savvy mom (Mariana Treviño) to pile into a RV with him and his cranky ex-caddie (an effectively typecast Marc Maron) for a summer of amateur tournaments. Everyone is low-key lonely, with familial baggage that keeps them from connecting with others. Thankfully, Keller's scripts aren't as twee or didactic about this stuff as Lasso and Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence's tend to be. Nor are his characters cartoons like Ted; most, including Zero, quickly become multifaceted people, courtesy of a cast blessed with unshowy charisma. A game changer it isn't, but Stick still comes out a few strokes ahead of par.
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The Who splits with Zak Starkey, again: Drummer challenges band's justification
For British drummer Zak Starkey, the last few months with rock band the Who have been quite the whirlwind. Starkey, who the band fired in April and reinstated days later after 'some communication issues,' announced Sunday the 'Baba O'Riley' group had fired him again. The veteran drummer, son of Ringo Starr, shared his side of the split on Instagram and disputed the band's separate announcement about his departure. The Who, in a joint Instagram post with guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, said Sunday, 'after many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change.' 'Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best,' the post said, before adding that drummer Scott Devours would fill his seat for the band's remaining farewell shows. Starkey, 59, added his own text atop the band's statement for his post. In his caption, he claimed he 'was asked' to share his own announcement that he would leave the Who to pursue other projects. 'This would be a lie,' he wrote. 'I love The Who and would never had quit.' He added: 'So I didn't make the The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for the weeks of mayhem.' Starkey, who has played with Oasis and the Icicle Works, among other acts, began performing with the Who in the mid-1990s and said he rarely faced conflict juggling his duties with the band and other endeavors. He also noted that the group has, for the most part, 'been sporadic or minimalist in touring.' 'None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them,' he continued in his caption, which offered a timeline of his various musical commitments. 'The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who — I didn't. I love The Who and everyone in it.' A representative for the Who did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment. In a second Instagram post Sunday, the band noted that it is 'heading for retirement' and their now-ex-drummer is younger and must 'devote all his energy into making' new endeavors a success. When the Who announced Starkey's reinstatement, Townshend said in a blog post to the band's website the drummer needed 'to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed' and shared more details about the sound issues that seemingly led up to Starkey's initial firing. 'Maybe we didn't put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with,' Townshend wrote. '[The Who co-founder] Roger [Daltrey] did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised . Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.' He added: 'We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It's over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.' The Who embarks on its Song Is Over North America Farewell tour in August. The group will make two stops at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 17 and 19.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pete Townshend would have been 'happier' without The Who
Pete Townshend thinks he would have been "happier" without The Who. The 79-year-old musician - who co-founded the band in 1964 - has always felt the group were "beneath" him and he believes he'd have preferred to have followed his love of art instead. He told The Daily Mail newspaper's Weekend magazine: "I always feel I wish I'd left before the band got famous and been an artist. I think I would have been happier... "I was deeply into a college course about how art was going to have a revolutionary function. So I felt The Who were a bit silly, maybe a bit beneath me, I'm afraid." Asked how he sees things now, he said: "I feel the same. I think they feel beneath me." And Pete admitted bandmate Roger Daltrey is unimpressed by his stance. He said: "Roger and I have conversations about this. Sometimes he thinks I should be more grateful... "I should have left, I think. That's OK. I don't regret feeling that. It's just that there was a life I could have had that I missed." The 'My Generation' hitmaker never expected The Who to be around for more than a year. He said: "I expected The Who to self-destruct in six months. That's why I threw myself into performing in a bloody manner. I hurt myself on the stage. I smashed guitars I could only just afford. But my personal manifesto was absolute, 'This is a brief moment in music history. It won't turn into...' Well, what it turned into." The 'Pinball Wizard' rocker has moments of feeling he is a "genius" when he's on stage, but admitted performing live "does nothing" for him. He said: "I'll keep going as long as I feel it. We'll be on the stage and I'll be thinking, 'What the **** am I doing here?' "Then the first few tricky bars of 'Baba O'Riley' will begin and I'll think, 'I'm a f****** genius. I should be here, because this is my music.' "People say I get well paid for doing a job I like. I do get well paid but I don't like it. I don't like being on the road. I don't like being on stage. It does nothing for me. It makes me insincere." The guitarist noted there are some perks to his job. He said: "The money is great."
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Pete Townshend would have been 'happier' without The Who
Pete Townshend thinks he would have been "happier" without The Who. The 79-year-old musician - who co-founded the band in 1964 - has always felt the group were "beneath" him and he believes he'd have preferred to have followed his love of art instead. He told The Daily Mail newspaper's Weekend magazine: "I always feel I wish I'd left before the band got famous and been an artist. I think I would have been happier... "I was deeply into a college course about how art was going to have a revolutionary function. So I felt The Who were a bit silly, maybe a bit beneath me, I'm afraid." Asked how he sees things now, he said: "I feel the same. I think they feel beneath me." And Pete admitted bandmate Roger Daltrey is unimpressed by his stance. He said: "Roger and I have conversations about this. Sometimes he thinks I should be more grateful... "I should have left, I think. That's OK. I don't regret feeling that. It's just that there was a life I could have had that I missed." The 'My Generation' hitmaker never expected The Who to be around for more than a year. He said: "I expected The Who to self-destruct in six months. That's why I threw myself into performing in a bloody manner. I hurt myself on the stage. I smashed guitars I could only just afford. But my personal manifesto was absolute, 'This is a brief moment in music history. It won't turn into...' Well, what it turned into." The 'Pinball Wizard' rocker has moments of feeling he is a "genius" when he's on stage, but admitted performing live "does nothing" for him. He said: "I'll keep going as long as I feel it. We'll be on the stage and I'll be thinking, 'What the **** am I doing here?' "Then the first few tricky bars of 'Baba O'Riley' will begin and I'll think, 'I'm a f****** genius. I should be here, because this is my music.' "People say I get well paid for doing a job I like. I do get well paid but I don't like it. I don't like being on the road. I don't like being on stage. It does nothing for me. It makes me insincere." The guitarist noted there are some perks to his job. He said: "The money is great."
The Star
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Legendary rock band The Who to say goodbye after six decades with final tour
Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend of The Who perform at TQL Stadium on May 15, 2022, in Cincinnati. — Photo: AP Legendary rock band The Who announced their final tour of North America on Thursday, saying after six decades of making music, all good things must come to end. Famous for hit songs including Baba O'Riley , My Generation , and Behind Blue Eyes , the band was formed in 1964 and made up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon. Lead singer Daltrey, 81, said it was every musician's dream in the early 1960s to make it big in the U.S. charts. "For The Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever," he said. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. Guitarist and songwriter Townshend, 79, the other surviving member of the original lineup, said: "Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans." He said he hoped some new fans might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. Daltrey said the band would have to play classic hits Won't Get Fooled Again , Baba O'Riley and Behind Blue Eyes , but the rest of the setlist was up for grabs. The tour, scheduled for August and September, is named "The Song Is Over", after a 1971 song they had never played live until a few weeks ago. "Roger always comes up with really great names for tours, but I think that this one is rather poignant," Townshend told reporters. The duo was unable to confirm whether there would be a similar tour in the UK or Europe. After all, even the world's biggest rockers can't escape doctor's orders. "I've been ordered by my voice specialist 'you've got to have a day off after every gig and then after every three gigs you have to have two days off'," said Daltrey. – Reuters
