’s death in a Vegas hotel room in 2002. There have been more farewell tours than new records.
Townshend took on his bass player first. “John’s bass sound was like a Messiaen organ,” he says, waving his angular limbs. “Every note, every harmonic in the sky. When he passed away and I did the first few shows without him, with Pino [Palladino] on bass, he was playing without all that stuff…. I said, ‘Wow, I have a job.’ ”
Townshend is a man who has suffered and has turned that suffering into great art. He was left by his mum to live with a mentally deteriorating grandma for two years. As a young boy, and then at around age 11, he was sexually abused. Seventy years later, he is still staring at the scars. His awakening has been incremental.
Townshend relates her work to his involvement in the 1960s Ban the Bomb movement and how the Cuban missile crisis came and went and London was still there. It left Townshend wondering what the point was. “She says, ‘You stole my childhood.’ Actually, she’s stealing her childhood. That’s the thing, whether or not we steal our own childhoods by worrying too much about things that we can’t control.”
“There’s that moment when you just think you’re young again,” he says. “That fantasy.” He becomes more animated, and his blue eyes light up. “Or embracing darkness. Thinking, ‘God, it would be such fun if I just fucking killed myself now. We’ve got Wembley Stadium tomorrow — God, it would just be so fucking great.’”
Daltrey has also had something that either eluded or did not appeal to the other Who members: a domestic life. Daltrey has been with his wife, Heather, for 50 years, pledging fidelity, when the band was off the road, at least. It’s worked for them while providing more heirs. Almost 50 years ago, they bought Holmhurst Manor, a 400-year-old Jacobean mansion in East Sussex. Daltrey has done a lot of work on the house, and it has kept him sane.
“You might as well talk to the wall,” says Daltrey with a shrug. And then he thought again. Doherty is still with us. “You only need a few words to go in that get thought about later on. You just start the key in the lock.”happily living the undiscovered life, Townshend continues to pick over the bones of his past. And it no longer is only in verse. He has just published an operatic novel, calledThere’s a character in the novel named Louis.
Happy birthday Pete long live rock. Keep rocking on mate
When's the book coming out, Pete?
Happy Birthday Buddies! Fancy a Tommy remake? 💜🐚 TheWho
Does this make Townshend essentially the first Boomer for being born right after WWII in Europe, or among the last of the SilentGeneration for being born before the end of WWII altogether? Because being silent hasn't seemed to be his thing. WhoAreYou? TheWho
Happy Birthday to Pete! Rock ON!!! ♫
Roger Daltrey looks like the Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll
love it
“Townshend acknowledged providing his credit-card information to Landslide Productions, an illicit Texas-based portal run by Thomas and Janice Reedy – both of whom had already been convicted of child-porn trafficking. “ just a thought
Probably the best guitarist/ former registered sex offender for child pornography there is .. Small group I assume 🤔
Where’s the book Pete.......?
Pete kinda looks like Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 🏀
Y’all scared me
kitchen5203 I remember the scissors jump.
Happy 75th Birthday Pete Townsend!
Happy Birthday Pete 🧁
😎
Shame on y'all for giving this nasty bastard press. He was a legend, he did write some great music, yet... He is a CONVICTED PEDO!!!
I think of Quadrophenia. How much I love it to this day, both the film and the album. Some things never grow old. I will play the Who the rest of the day in your honor. And Parvidigar also. I will say the prayer as you sing it. Love you forever. Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday Pete Townsend.
Happy Birthday indeed! One of the best legendary bands live, it’s all about the music. Saw them yet again last summer with Liam Gallagher opening. Great show as always. Thank you.
Happy birthday Pete!!!
Happy Birthday to one of the greatest rock songwriters and guitarists - Pete Townshend!
Roger looks like me. Not a good thing
Great read.
Oh boy another TWho record.
Love The Who but sincerely wish Pete would just shut up and play his guitar. With each interview, he tends to make fans wish they weren’t
I love a solo Pete Townshend.
back in the days of 'beatles vs rolling stones' (i liked both, a lot), i sat on the sidelines knowing 'the who' was 'THE GROUP!!!'
Tl:dr Pete Townshend is an asshole, and if that doesn’t stop you from wanting to see this tour the fact that they are playing with an orchestra should.