By Fenrir Lewin
Doctor Jimmy and the Pinball Wizard: An Exploration of Pete Townshend’s Protagonists
Pete Townshend of The Who is considered by many to be a musical genius. Being the sole writer of almost the entirety of The Who’s discography, there’s no disguising his talent. Two albums, however, stand out. Tommy and Quadrophenia, the band’s pair of rock operas, highlight two protagonists that appear to be different but give an inordinate amount of insight as to how Townshend’s mind works.
The 1969 album Tommy follows a young boy, the titular character, as he becomes a sensation worshiped by many. The story is an outlandish one, with Tommy psychosomatically becoming deaf, blind, and mute as well as becoming a celebrity for playing pinball. Although this story is grounded far from reality, there is a realness to the character of Tommy. One lyric comes to mind when characterizing the Pinball Wizard, “see me, feel me, touch me, heal me.” This is where Townshend truly breathes life into the blank canvas of a character. This lyric is a repeating motif throughout the album and reveals much about both Tommy and Pete Townshend. It is Tommy’s cry for help and desire to be seen, which Townshend also clearly chose to express about himself. In this way, Tommy becomes a vessel not only for Townshend, but also for listeners with a shared desire to feel seen.
Following Tommy, Townshend made several attempts to write another rock opera. While the stories ended up getting scrapped, many of their songs would see the light of day. Following this creative difficulty, in 1973 The Who released Quadrophenia. The album follows a young man, Jimmy, as he loses himself to counterculture, drugs, and madness. Though Jimmy chooses to conform for fear of being alone otherwise, he longs to be accepted for his real self. Jimmy rejects the society he lives in for putting down the common working class, yet resents the adults around him for not standing up for themselves. After getting kicked out by his parents and subsequently losing all faith in humanity, he ponders drowning himself. It is evident in The Who’s music that Townshend also resents society and rejects conformity. This becomes even more apparent when it is revealed that Jimmy is written as a fan of The Who, following the messages in their music.
Tommy Walker and Jimmy Cooper are two sides of the same coin, and that coin is none other than Pete Townshend. Tommy is presented as an untouchable idol, yet secretly wishes to be seen and loved within the confines of normality. Townshend, on many occasions, has revealed a disdain for performing, and most likely channeled this into his writing for Tommy. Jimmy’s unfortunate journey and corollary loss of hope also represent how Townshend views the world around him. Both characters simply long to be accepted for their true selves and feel trapped in their unfortunate lives. In this way, Pete Townshend has given some semblance of salvation to a myriad of others who feel the same.