Effervescence - June 1st, 2023

While all things are good and its just another week for us, I want to take this weeks introduction to tribute music icon Tina Turner who sadly passed away on May 24th at the age of 83. If you are not familiar with Turner's back catalog, I would urge you to take this opportunity to listen to some of it this week and not let this legend slip by without a little understanding of why she will forever be remembered as one of the art forms greats. Rather than just list stats and facts or try to come up with something poignant myself, I am going to share a Eulogy published by The Who's Pete Townshend. Townshend posted his Eulogy on the band's official website and I'm just going to post it here in its full glory.

Sad to hear we have lost Tina Turner. She had been ill for a long time, and struggling to stay in touch with old friends. She will have some peace now.

An astonishing performer, and astounding singer, she was also an R&B groundbreaker. We don’t want to say too much about Ike Turner – her abusive husband – but her early records with him were simply out of this world. She always took flight when she worked with him, leaving him like a fifth wheel, chipping away at his basic riffs. When she was finally free of him her work ascended to new, even higher heights. It didn’t seem possible.

If you ever had the privilege of seeing Tina perform live you will know how utterly scary she could be. She was an immense presence. A female Little Richard. She seemed like a giant: shaking, sexual, physical, and stunningly beautiful. In the flesh, she was fragile, vulnerable, and a truly sweet and empathetic person.
She was of course my Acid Queen in the Tommy movie, and it is often my job to sing that song with The Who, so she always comes into my mind. It isn’t easy to deal with. The song is about abuse at the hands of an evil woman. How she turned that song on its head! All the anger of her years as a victim exploded into fire and bluster and a magnificent and crazy cameo role that will always stay with me.

She has been in my mind for the last ten years, I kept meaning to track her down and see how she was. I truly thought she would live forever.