Date Confirmed for My 'Who FAQ' Interview on WFDU

Update: I just received confirmation that my interview about The Who FAQ on WFDU's Vintage Rock & Pop Shop will be airing on Sunday, May 11. Once again, the show airs at 11am and you can either hear it on your radio dial at 89.1 if you live in the NJ area or you can stream it live at www.wfdu.fm here.

A Note on Dave Davies, Jimmy Page, Shel Talmy, and 'The Who FAQ'

Hello, Psychobabble readers. I just want to take a moment to clarify a detail in my new book, The Who FAQ. In my chapter on musicians who guest-starred on Who recordings, I mentioned a much repeated and false claim by producer Shel Talmy that Jimmy Page played rhythm guitar on The Kinks' "You Really Got Me". I indicated that this was merely Talmy's claim and never intended to present it as definitive fact. As the player of the unforgettable riff and astounding lead guitar on that classic song, Dave Davies feels great ownership over it and rightly so. There are few songs in the Rock & Roll pantheon with more iconic guitar playing. 

Nevertheless, I may not have made it sufficiently clear that this was not a fact and that it was merely Talmy's version of what really happened. My source was the producer's interview with Richie Unterberger in his book Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers. In fact, Jimmy Page himself denies playing on the song, which you can in this piece on soundonsound.com here, and in this same piece, Talmy says he does not remember whether or not Page played on the track, further revealing his own shaky grasp on the history of the creation of "You Really Got Me". Once again, the truth is that Page did not play any guitar on "You Really Got Me" whatsoever, nor did he have anything to do with the sound or tone of Dave's guitar. I hope that readers of The Who FAQ will understand that I never intended to indicate otherwise. Talmy's false memory will not appear in future editions of The Who FAQ, including the upcoming Kindle edition.

Obviously, Dave continues to be one of my top Rock & Roll heroes and The Kinks continue to be one of my very favorite bands.

Look Out! 'The Who FAQ' is Officially on the Way!

Just a quick Who FAQ update to let you know that my manuscript has received the official stamp of approval from Backbeat Books, so there's no stopping its June 2014 publication now. I've also been informed that I'm no longer allowed to update the manuscript, so don't blame me if if Pete joins One Direction or Roger gets gender reassignment surgery over the next year and it fails to get a mention in The Who FAQ: 50 Years of Maximum R&B. Perhaps "49 Years of Maximum R&B" would be a more accurate subheading, but it doesn't have the same ring.

'The Who FAQ' is Officially Rough!

Well, after months and months and months of work, I've just completed chapter one of The Who FAQ. Not too impressive, eh? I'm a real procrastinator, you say? Well, smarty, chapter one will be the first chapter in the book (as chapter ones tend to be), but it's the last one I wrote. I now have a complete rough draft of The Who FAQ. 

The work, of course, ain't over, and there is still much trimming, expanding, and shredding to be done before my book is fit for human consumption, but the heavy-writing phase is over, which means that if I can muster the strength, I will soon resume regular posts about non-Who FAQ matters here on Psychobabble. But not right now. Right now I have to go and pass out for a few days.

Long Live Rock!

Another 'Who FAQ' Poll! Vote for the Most Underrated Who Songs!

Once again I am reaching out to my fellow Whooligans for some input as I busily toil away on The Who FAQ. Last month I picked your purple-heart riddled brains about your favorite solo albums (that poll is still open, by the way). Now I'd like to know what you think are The Who's most underrated songs. I'm looking for songs that weren't hits, songs you won't find on The Ultimate Collection, songs that have never been used as a "CSI" theme, songs that if you shouted requests for them at a Who show, Roger would be like, "Huh?" and Pete would hit you with his guitar.

So choose up to five of your favorite odds and sods, and I'll profile the biggest winners in The Who FAQ. Hit me with your selections in the comments section below. Have at it...

Who FAQ Poll! Best Solo Albums...

In my quest to ensure The Who FAQ doesn't merely rest on my own subjective opinions about the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band, I'm relying on you Who fans to help decide the contents of my upcoming book.

First up, I'd like to know about your favorite solo albums by each band member. With only one solo LP to his name, Keith needs no mention, but what do you think is Pete's greatest record? How about Rog and John? Sound off in the comments section below, and I'll feature the best loved discs in The Who FAQ!

'The Who FAQ' and the Future of Psychobabble

Over in the sidebar, you may have noticed a new image leading to a new page on Psychobabble this past week. Well, now that the Halloween season spooktivities have ended, I can announce some news I've been sitting on all month. Late this past August, Robert Rodriguez of Backbeat Books asked me to submit a proposal for a book about The Who for the publisher's FAQ series. Like the good boy I am, I did as I was asked, and on October 5, Robert told me my Who FAQ had gotten the green light.

Now the real work begins. While I launch myself into Who-ville for the next six to twelve months, my posts here on Psychobabble will probably become less regular. There probably won't be too many long features while I devote my time to all things Who, but there will still be the usual reviews and news items. Plus I promise to share updates on my progress with The Who FAQ (which I'll keep collected on the FAQ page). I may even ask your help in putting together what I hope will be the ultimate guide to The Who by a Who freak for Who freaks.

As always, thanks for reading, and Long Live Rock.

-Mike Segretto