Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, Part 2: “His Disciples Lead Him In”

Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, Part 2: “His Disciples Lead Him In”

From A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs by Andrew Hickey

March 22, 2026 · 2h 4m

About this episode

This episode continues the exploration of 'Pinball Wizard' by The Who, discussing health challenges faced by the host and the structure of upcoming episodes.

Apologies for the delay in posting this episode — health issues have continued to affect me. They *seem* to be improving, but I should also mention here that some of the guitar demonstrations in this episode are not quite the same part as Pete Townshend is playing on the records, because my arthritis is affecting my hands. For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Pinball Wizard” by The Who. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have an forty-eight-minute bonus episode available, on “Time of the Season” by the Zombies. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ (more…)

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Hickey

Topics covered

  • rock music
  • song analysis
  • music history
  • guitar demonstrations
  • health issues
  • podcast production

Keywords

  • Pinball Wizard
  • The Who
  • Pete Townshend
  • rock music history
  • guitar
  • podcast
  • Tilt Araiza
  • Zombies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Who, Zombies

More episodes of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs podcast page.