I was in a band and on tour on the east coast. Was sick from food poisoning and had to play a gig in a club in Boston, and before the show this was on the bar TV. And the song made me feel better right away. God, I love Pete Townshend.
For those who might not be in the know, The Iron Man album was a musical adaptation of a notable children’s book called The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, a book about a giant robot that seemingly appears out of nowhere, causes havoc in a small English village, until eventually a young kid befriends him to show to the other village folk he means no serious harm, and then proceeds to save the whole world from...and I’m not kidding here...a Space Bat Angel Dragon that will destroy the world...😂 Well this album was based on that kids book, and briefly became a stage musical in London in 1993. Then, of all things, Warner Bros got wind of it, and optioned the story for a movie, albeit changing much of the plot. This became Brad Bird’s first animated movie The Iron Giant, and the rest is history.
In 1975 Pete wrote an angry, despairing song called "How Many Friends Have I Really Got?". It's so great to realize that 14 years later, he could write such a sweet joyous song on the same subject. He's quite sharp and positive in the interview, too. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Don I don’t think they were ever on Letterman but you’d probably know better than me do you know if the group Talk Talk was ever on Late Night just curious and thanks in advance.
