Pete's Autobiography - Beginning thru Ch. 10
Since Pete has taken a large part of his autobiography down, I thought I'd put up at least a precis of what he had published. Here's from the beginning through chapter Ten:
Pitch
Decide to write autobiography in 1995...Deal struck by Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown in 1996...Pays back advance in 1997...Phillips Harrison edits chapters until 2003...Attention shifts to The Boy Who Heard Music...Return to autobio early 2005. Hearing Roger perform "Real Good Looking Boy"...inspires writing of Endless Wire album...Autobio will cover childhood to the launch of Tommy.
Prologue
Fifteen months old watching parents ride horses at a Butlin's Holiday Camp...Six year old tortured by adult with head dunking in bathtub...1969, walk to Ronnie Scott's jazz club to premiere Tommy for the press...Run into "bombastic music journalist" and his drunk friends.
Chapter 1-1 Excerpts
19 May 1945 - Pete is born...End of 1947 - ride on top deck of tram car down Acton High Street...Summer 1947 - sitting on beach watching glamourous parents ride horses...Paternal Grandfather William Townshend, born 1859, tailor's cutter in Chiswick...Third child Horace Arthur Townshend, Pete's grandfather, born 1882...prize-winning window dresser, semi-professional musician and composer...marries Dorothy Blandford (Dot), Pete's grandmother around 1908...they were buskers on Brighton Pier...child Jack (Pete's uncle) born one month after parents' marriage...Dorothy a snob...couple moves to middle-class dwelling in Turnham Green just before World War I.
Chapter 1-2 Excerpts
Pete's father Cliff born 18 January 1917...joins band age 15 in 1932 while at school...he and friend join British Fascists for the glamorous uniforms...by sixteen playing "bottle parties"...gets in trouble for it, may not have finished school...joins Billy Wiltshire and his 'Picadilly Band'...1935 endorsing instruments in ads...plays what could be described as 'Music For Smoking'...enlists in RAF 1940...future mother, 16, falsifies age to join RAF in 1941...father in important RAF orchestra...future mother vocalist...orchestra later redubbed The Squadronaires...first true British swing band...parents lifestyle 'sexy'.
Preceding two chapters compressed into much shorter selection called "One".
Two
Maternal grandmother Emma doesn't like Christian name; settles on 'Denny.'...Pete's mother, named Betty, born 3 Nov. 1923...Denny child of gypsy who stole someone's husband...Denny leaves husband Maurice in 1934...Maurice and child Betty move in with his Irish mother...mother's cousin Michael Collins.
Three
Rehash of elements from Chapter 1-2 above...Cliff and Betty marry 16 April 1944 in Pontypool, South Wales where they were stationed...Pete born Nazareth House, West London...move to Horace and Dot's flat in Ealing Common...Cliff performing in Germany when told of birth.
Four
Move to Acton in war-damaged house when Pete was baby...mother has to stop singing to raise Pete...Pete accompanies parents on Squadronaire's tour bus...Pete makes friends with musicians handing out beers.
Five
Squadronaires get long engagements at Butlin's...happy summers after war...Squadronaires develop secret whistle to recall members from festivities...Pete sides with entertainers; sees audiences as 'customers'.
Six
I am London; I am British; born in West London right after World War II...grandparents and parents shaped by horrors of war...music to counter depression...music center of Pete's universe.
Seven
Sept. 1949 attend Silverdale Nursery in Birch Grove Acton...mother snappy dresser after clothes rationing ends in 1949...Pete joins gang in nursery school; gets into mischief...older children tell young ones about horrors of war-time bombings...war abuse leads to child abuse.
Eight
1950 Pete kept in private school...misses school buddies from neighborhood...hates school
Nine
Summer 1951 mother reunites with grandmother Denny who is acting strangely...Pete sent to live with her to 'level her up'...Denny acts like 'perfect Wicked Witch'...punishes Pete by denying food.
Ten
New school St. Saviours...reading ability test puts Pete at bottom of class; finishes at top...Denny has 'Uncle' with Hitler mustache over all night...Pete has night sweats, terrified because door unlocked; feels exposed and alone...wishes for sibling...Denny traumatizes Pete by pretending to drown him...Pete develops fear of women who can damage him; take control over him.
In note, Pete says unlocked door opened to a landing open to the public.
Pitch
Decide to write autobiography in 1995...Deal struck by Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown in 1996...Pays back advance in 1997...Phillips Harrison edits chapters until 2003...Attention shifts to The Boy Who Heard Music...Return to autobio early 2005. Hearing Roger perform "Real Good Looking Boy"...inspires writing of Endless Wire album...Autobio will cover childhood to the launch of Tommy.
Prologue
Fifteen months old watching parents ride horses at a Butlin's Holiday Camp...Six year old tortured by adult with head dunking in bathtub...1969, walk to Ronnie Scott's jazz club to premiere Tommy for the press...Run into "bombastic music journalist" and his drunk friends.
Chapter 1-1 Excerpts
19 May 1945 - Pete is born...End of 1947 - ride on top deck of tram car down Acton High Street...Summer 1947 - sitting on beach watching glamourous parents ride horses...Paternal Grandfather William Townshend, born 1859, tailor's cutter in Chiswick...Third child Horace Arthur Townshend, Pete's grandfather, born 1882...prize-winning window dresser, semi-professional musician and composer...marries Dorothy Blandford (Dot), Pete's grandmother around 1908...they were buskers on Brighton Pier...child Jack (Pete's uncle) born one month after parents' marriage...Dorothy a snob...couple moves to middle-class dwelling in Turnham Green just before World War I.
Chapter 1-2 Excerpts
Pete's father Cliff born 18 January 1917...joins band age 15 in 1932 while at school...he and friend join British Fascists for the glamorous uniforms...by sixteen playing "bottle parties"...gets in trouble for it, may not have finished school...joins Billy Wiltshire and his 'Picadilly Band'...1935 endorsing instruments in ads...plays what could be described as 'Music For Smoking'...enlists in RAF 1940...future mother, 16, falsifies age to join RAF in 1941...father in important RAF orchestra...future mother vocalist...orchestra later redubbed The Squadronaires...first true British swing band...parents lifestyle 'sexy'.
Preceding two chapters compressed into much shorter selection called "One".
Two
Maternal grandmother Emma doesn't like Christian name; settles on 'Denny.'...Pete's mother, named Betty, born 3 Nov. 1923...Denny child of gypsy who stole someone's husband...Denny leaves husband Maurice in 1934...Maurice and child Betty move in with his Irish mother...mother's cousin Michael Collins.
Three
Rehash of elements from Chapter 1-2 above...Cliff and Betty marry 16 April 1944 in Pontypool, South Wales where they were stationed...Pete born Nazareth House, West London...move to Horace and Dot's flat in Ealing Common...Cliff performing in Germany when told of birth.
Four
Move to Acton in war-damaged house when Pete was baby...mother has to stop singing to raise Pete...Pete accompanies parents on Squadronaire's tour bus...Pete makes friends with musicians handing out beers.
Five
Squadronaires get long engagements at Butlin's...happy summers after war...Squadronaires develop secret whistle to recall members from festivities...Pete sides with entertainers; sees audiences as 'customers'.
Six
I am London; I am British; born in West London right after World War II...grandparents and parents shaped by horrors of war...music to counter depression...music center of Pete's universe.
Seven
Sept. 1949 attend Silverdale Nursery in Birch Grove Acton...mother snappy dresser after clothes rationing ends in 1949...Pete joins gang in nursery school; gets into mischief...older children tell young ones about horrors of war-time bombings...war abuse leads to child abuse.
Eight
1950 Pete kept in private school...misses school buddies from neighborhood...hates school
Nine
Summer 1951 mother reunites with grandmother Denny who is acting strangely...Pete sent to live with her to 'level her up'...Denny acts like 'perfect Wicked Witch'...punishes Pete by denying food.
Ten
New school St. Saviours...reading ability test puts Pete at bottom of class; finishes at top...Denny has 'Uncle' with Hitler mustache over all night...Pete has night sweats, terrified because door unlocked; feels exposed and alone...wishes for sibling...Denny traumatizes Pete by pretending to drown him...Pete develops fear of women who can damage him; take control over him.
In note, Pete says unlocked door opened to a landing open to the public.
posted by Brian in Atlanta at 5/10/2007 06:24:00 AM
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