“Tommy”: the rock opera originating from the marathon-concert by The Who. Performed with no pauses between songs and recorded on 4 sides of vinyl, this 1969 piece of rock was an absolute hit. But it wasn’t just the high-energy, hard rock music that made Tommy the legendary album that it is today. It was the story.
There’s no denying the plot of “Tommy” has a very evil atmosphere. Tommy Walker witnesses his father murdering his mothers’ lover at the tender age of five. Threatened by his parents, he mentions no word of this event to anyone. Nor does he mention any word of any event for a very long time. He becomes trapped in his own world: blind, deaf, and dumb. No communication goes out, and no communication comes in.
And life gets worse. His cousin beats him, his uncle rapes him, and his father takes him to a prostitute (in a desperate attempt to cure him) who simply injects Tommy with LSD as an alternative to intercourse. Tommys’ life is hell, total darkness and isolation. Until one day he breaks free of his boundaries and can see, hear, and speak. He is beaming with joy and happiness, reacting to the world around him, and glad to be alive. He is a miracle, a sensation, and everyone knows it.
Tommy becomes a star, a role model for all who are discriminated against. Such is the craze created by his awakening that he soon has a following, a religious group of fans that feel the warmth and love being radiated from him, a warmth which soon turns to greed as fame becomes an obsession.