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We Warned You

The tower speakers blared “My Generation.” “Pinball Wizard” followed. My roommates and I tensed when the staccato harpsichord prelude to “Baba O’Riley” erupted. The party graduated to chaotic. Ted and Rick—as chiseled as high-school wrestlers—moved through the crowd, lifted the coffee table we got for a dollar from the salvage yard, and as nonchalantly as lobbing an apple core into the trash, tossed the table off the balcony onto River Street. The beer-soaked partygoers cheered, “Told you guys! Play three Who songs in a row, you’re losing some furniture. Beyond our control.” Forty-six years later, we’re still laughing.

Native New Yorker Dan Farkas lives just outside the D. His creative outlets include writing, photography, and yelling at his NY sports teams. Bluesky: @dnadan.bsky.social Facebook: dan.farkas.7 Instagram and Threads: @dan.farkas

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