wmmmmmm March 28, 1983 Page 5 Reality Theater: Heats in the streets by Michael R utter alarmingly. In trying to achieve this goal, I've found that Will this mean that I'll be unable to run this training in the Baltimore area can actually be The night is late, the scene is bright. 1 am year's New York City Marathon, my first mara- pleasant and rewarding despite some obvious running at a brisk pace past the World Trade thon attempt? And will this unexpected trip des- drawbacks. Center in Baltimore's chic new Inner Harbor. troy whatever conditioning I've already The major drawback is the air (or lack the- The brick-paved walkways are well lit bv tall achieved? The prospects seem uncertain as I call reof). Running downtown during either rush tamps oi iaceted glass; just ahead lies the the emergency room for advice. hour, morning or afternoon, is simply a bad idea. National Aquarium. The jutting triangles of steel Two months later, the time is now. Last week, I If the gasoline and diesel fumes don't take your and round concrete walls look pleasant. The soft returned from a journalism convention in New lungs out, remember that frustrated commuters pastel glow of the Rain Forest contrasts nicely York, where I had the extreme pleasure of run- remain an ever-present danger. Crime is not par- with the blue electricity of neon sculpture. 1 feel ticularly a problem as long as you run in well- just fine. travelled areas where cars drive by often. Running alongside the Aquarium, I trot Groaning, dazed, I My own training regimen flaunts this last rule around the seal tank, pausing to enjoy the seals' while embracing the first. If I have to run down- clowning and barking. Taking off around the climb to unsteady feet. town, 1 often do it late at night (thus avoiding back, I begin to accelerate for a brief sprint. monoxide death), yet this is not always ideal. Bending forward slightly to read my watch in the ning 30 hard minutes around Central Park and Witness, for example, my disastrous encounter gloom, 1 squint and suddenly I am airborne in an down 5th Avenue. Aside from a mild hip pain, with the security chain. As of late. I am more ®-*59£^| uncontrolled somersault. Smacking the ground the run went without a stitch. Striding by Saks cautious. flatly with my back, the top of my right thigh is "Department Store (!)," I glanced at myself The hard statistics of my progress are encou- months to train,) entering the New York compe- official number), though I wouldn't get the con- suddenly on fire. Groaning, dazed, 1 climb to reflected in the glass and grinned a smile of relief. raging. In the past two months 1 have been going titon may prove to be difficult. Only the first gragulatory T-shirt for the run. But if nothing unsteady feet. Thousands of people nationwide finish mara- much further comfortably, up to 13 or 14 easy 8,(KM) or so entrants arc registered uncondition- else, my recent trip to the Apple has solved this A thick length of black chain swings casually, thons each year, and to some the notion of miles at an eight minute pace. Last night, ally; all others must prove their merit through last snag; for about seven bucks I can go to a nice stretched across the access road. Along the top of simply completing the course is passe. However, attempting to assess my recovery from the fall, I past races. Fortunately, the Baltimore running little shop and buy an exact replica of the race my leg, I feel a hard welt rising; it seems to be just any amateur runner who hasn't trained consist- ran two miles for time and surprised myself with community will have yt least one driver take a shirt. about the size of the chain. ently for six months probably finds the idea of consecutive 5:45 marks. Certainly nothing spec- pack full of entries by hand to New York. This Of course, I wouldn't do that unless I really Taking a few painful, tentative steps, I manage running 26.2 miles intimidating, if not insane. tacular for most of my running friends, but a should improve my chances of being one of the went the distance. After all, even if thought I to break into a half-steady hobble and jog the Since I am not a particularly experienced racer cause for modest celebration for a "novice." first, unproven entrants. could fool my public, I'd only be fooling myself. mile to my front door. A thought now strikes me, (my times will bear this out) I am one of those Unfortunately, even if I can complete a mara- Yet, even if I fail to register, all is not lost. I Wish me luck. here in my living room as my leg begins to swell who would be delighted to cross the line alive. thon (perhaps respectably, given these six could always run the course as a "bandit" (sans Townshend prescribes moldy oldies by Tony Sclafani half) have been heard on bootlegs in the exact fashion that they are presented here. You'd think Obsessions. that PT, being as much in touch with the music There are many things one can be obsessed world as he is, is aware of this. Regardless, you with. Sex, drugs, sex, money, sex, older women, can argue with your friends over whether this sex. football, sex, nostalgia...hey, how did that double album (that's right—a good hour and a get in there? Well, this is a review of the one and half worth of closet skeletons) is worth your time. only Pete Townshend, a man who has been Giving Birdman the benefit of the doubt, let's obsessed with his own nostalgia since about admit that some of the tunes here—including the 1969. unreleased ones—are first rate. "Cookin',"a later Think back for a second. Every post-'68 Who track, stands out and "Mary,"a ballad fans have release has been steeped in the past. Live at Leeds been hearing for years now, is great. The original "Circles" is kind of funny—especially the ending. came complete with early photos and documents The "Unused Piano" for Quadrophenia proves of the group in its mod prime while Who's Next to be rather interesting in the context of the started out as little more than a reworking of overblown production on that album. An origi- Tommy. Quadrophenia was an entire opera nal "Love Reign O'er Me" is alright; gut versions which centered around the Who circa 1965; Odds of "Squeeze Box" and "Cache Cache" are point- and Sods was old tracks previously unused; By less and worthless. Numbers showed ol' Pete mourning outright to be young again and Who are You was simply Selleck stumbles down the Pete writing songs about writing songs (?). Why the obsession Pete? I've heard that if you ...despite his great hair- didn't live your life the way you wanted to you're "low road to China" forever looking into the past and missing out on cut, the world of new what's happened...until that's become past and by Lance Woods pilot is an immediate dislike for each other, and then you look back and wish you had been there. music may pass him by. that's the fatal flaw of the picture. If anything. It becomes a vicious circle to say the least. So High Road to China sure looks like a good Eve & O'Malley are too similar, and the idea of what do we have now? Scoop. A lot of other songs here have a playful qual- adventure flick. It's got a rugged, handsome hero like magnetic poles repelling just doesn't make This; is the title of the latest release by Peter ity, something not heard from the Who for quite (Tom Selleck), a spunky flower of womanhood them interesting. She flies as well as he, she's Dennis Blanford Townshend. It is composed of a while. Others use a drum machine and are (Bess Armstrong), a chunky sidekick for comedy equally resourceful, and, sadly, she yells just as old demos and unused songs and ideas of days unlistenable. Pete, if you ever happen to read relief (Jack Weston), two nifty biplanes, extras of loudly during their frequent arguments. The gone by. Those include the golden days of'65 and this, tell us why the fantabulous "Early Morning various nationalities, and some scenery from same kind of character pairing worked in African '66 when he had his own little apartment/studio Cold Taxi," a "Sell-Out out-take" (say that ten Europe which might pass for China in the Queen because the main figures knew how for- which former manager Kit Lambert acquired for times quickly!) was not released. Other tunes 1920's... eign they were to each other and the film concen- him. And the golden days of 71 and 72 when which should interest Who fans are an acoustic If only the script were as passable as the scen- trated on how they tried to be comfortable they were known as "the greatest show on earth." "Bargain" and "Behind Blue Eyes." The ery. This alleged adventure tale isn't as wretched around one another. They were total opposites remainder of the album is for the discriminating as some reviewers would have you believe, but and they rarely yelled at the top of their lungs.