“IN 1967, ONE TV MOMENT BLEW UP CBS — LITERALLY.” It was supposed to be a calm comedy hour. Clean jokes. Gentle sarcasm. Two brothers quietly annoying each other, right on schedule. Then The Who hit the final note — and half the stage exploded. Smoke hung in the air. Ears rang. Keith Moon was laughing on the floor. And right there stood Tom and Dick Smothers, frozen for a second, then completely themselves. No yelling. No panic. Just that familiar look that said, “Well… there it is.” CBS executives were furious. The crew was shaken. But the Smothers Brothers looked oddly vindicated. Like live television had finally caught up with their sense of humor. It wasn’t funny because it was dangerous. It was funny because chaos told the joke for them.
When The Who took the stage to perform “My Generation,” the audience anticipated the usual mayhem: smashed guitars, frenzied energy,…