Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
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The story ofthe Whohas always been the story of society.
Its simple, really: You didnt turn on the Who if you wanted to dance or seduce.
They were there when it was time to fight.
Ill talk about anything, whatever you like, he tells me.
But you might be offended, I warn you now.
Lets clear that up to start with because I aint going to go with the other crap.
Ive lived and Ive seen too much.
(We also found ourselves on a tangent about the joys ofSeinfeldafter I mentioned my weekend plans.)
If Daltrey gets his way, 2024 would be a big Who year, too.
Best non-album single
I would say Naked Eye.
It kind of completed the song.
It used to always throw us and I thought it was so bloody hokey.
I never could quite get into it.
It really comes alive.
Mind you, these are Townshend songs.
None of them were easy to master.
Thats what I love about Petes writing.
He has the sensibility and the intellect to write from a very different perspective than most music writers.
Of course, his song structures are incredible.
Its not run-of-the-mill rock and roll or rock.
Its very individual music, and its not for everybody.
Ive always understood that idea, and it was never ever going to be the most commercial.
But in some ways it carries the most weight and carries the most importance.
Most transformative album
It would be easy to sayTommy.
That was transformative in a way.
But it was very kind of cobbled together.
Thats 80 minutes of music.
If youve ever studied the lyrics of most of the grand operas, theres hardly any there.
Theyre beautiful melodies.Tommy,in a way, is one of the best operas thats ever been written.
However, if I could only choose one album, itsQuadrophenia.Because it was one consistent idea from Pete.
Musically, I think its fabulous.
I dont know what people may not understand about our rock operas.
I really dont care.
I cant wish to make any judgment in that sense.
When youre inside, its very hard to look on from the outside.
I mean, I love the song and I dont mind singing it.
I dont know why.
Its the only song I have that problem with.
Because with other songs, some nights they breeze out into some other areas and its wonderful.
But Wont Get Fooled Again seems to be stuck in this box.
It was groundbreaking at the time.
But it just seems to be set in aspic.
I now see songs differently, and I explore them more.
Ive just been playing around with Behind Blue Eyes, for instance.
Because once you get into the rhythm, youre limited in a certain way.
But if you just pick it, the melody of the chords is absolutely beautiful on an acoustic guitar.
You have more chances to explore the lyrics and elongate words.
Most overlooked album
Oh, thats a hard one.
It was put out as a filler album while we were makingQuadrophenia.
Its a fabulous album.
I really like it, but I dont thinkOdds & Sodsever achieved any commercial success.
Musically, it holds together great.
At the time, I put the album cover together.
I had this idea.
Him and I had to trade helmets.
It was a great cover a straight photograph.
When I first saw it, I thought, Hey, it doesnt quite make it.
Lets try and liven it up.
Suddenly we may have saved a life or two at times with those helmets.
Best song sinceWho Are You
I really like the next album,Face Dances.
You Better You Bet was a great song that gave us a boost when we needed it most.
There are some interesting songs on that album, but I still think it was overproduced.
We were working with an American producer, Bill Szymczyk, who was great at his job.
But I think, in hindsight, he was possibly the wrong producer for us at that time.
We were never going to be an Atlantic Records band.
Tell me, can you imagine it?
Hes one of my best mates in the Faces.
It wasnt an easy thing to do to get rid of him.
It was a very difficult thing personally and emotionally because I think the world of him.
Youve got to remember, a singer stands out in front and never sees the band.
Maybe in a few glimpses during solos, thats about it.
But you feel them.
You feel the rhythms; you feel the energy.
It was going back to the days before Keith joined the band and how it didnt work for me.
When Keith joined, it was finding the key to the engine.
We started it out and off it went.
Kenney was very good.
He kept climbing, but it was dull compared to Keith.
But there again, Keith in the Faces wouldve been absolute chaos.
Oh God, I loved him.
Song you wish Pete didnt sing lead on
There are some good contenders from our early years.
Id say A Legal Matter because the song is about me.
I was getting divorced at the time.
It wouldve been more personal if I sang it.
I never even thought about what songs Pete and I would sing.
Id wind him up a bit.
We never discussed it and I never challenged it.
Id insisted that he sing However Much I Booze because ofits own personal nature.
Quite a few songs Ive always preferred that he sings the lead.
I prefer his vocals to mine any day of the week.
He prefers mine, which is kind of weird.
Hes got a thinner voice.
It was very difficult.
Looking out at that audience of people who had a hellish time for weeks on end.
There were children in the audience of some of the people that have been killed in 9/11.
It was incredibly poignant.
At the time, I actually didnt think we played very well.
We did discuss what we should play, but we couldnt agree.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circuswas a fun one.
It was a weird day, really.
We turned up in the morning at this studio near the area in London where we grew up.
I remember thinking,What was all this about?
Jethro Tull is here too?They wanted to do this rock-and-roll-circus theme.
I knew the Stones wed been around them for a long time.
But I was mostly friends with Brian Jones, and John Lennon was there with Yoko Ono.
Brian was in a terrible state.
He was one step forward and three steps backward.
He was not good at all.
Lets do something different.
We played it and it was only one take.
There were big, long gaps between every band.
I was stuck in a dressing room for hours, and I got bored on my own.
He died not long after.
I wasnt on the same drugs as everybody else at that time.
I just got fed up with being around it.
I didnt want to be around it.
Song that always reminds you of Keith
Who Are You.
Mainly from the video we did with him for the song.
We were obviously having a lot of trouble with Keith at the time when we made that album.
He wasnt in the best of shape.
He was indulging in quite a lot of naughties.
Theres something about Keith that he … no matter how naughty he was, youd have to love him.
Youd just have to love him.
He was a rascal.
He used to rope his drum kit up.
Im very pleased with the script.
I want people to get an understanding of him and his life, and the complete genius he was.
Mostly for lack of discipline.
But once the drugs kick in, usually that disappears, doesnt it?
Ive got an actor in mind whos a role model.
He might be too old, but then again, Keith looked 50 when he died.
He was 32, but he looked 54.
I think the actor is about 40 now.
I dont want to jinx itand say his name.
Its all to do with the eyes.
The eyes are all important.
You virtually wouldnt need to say any dialogue because you could read it in his eyes.
I mean, thats a bit much, but you know what I mean.
you could read so much in the face of Keith.
He had such an incredible vibrancy.
I got involved when Mike Myers wanted to play him.
We were trying to get the film off the ground.
I think Mike, when he was younger, wouldve made a fabulous Keith.
Its a shame it never happened.
Im driven by this project.
It came to me in a dream 30 years ago.
Song where you found your voice
It was after the period where we recordedTommy.
I thinkTommywas always better live than it was on the record.
My voice can go from really incredibly gentle and quiet to a primal roar.
In those days it was probably over a four-octave range.
I was very blessed.
It can kind of knock your confidence.
Its just that four alpha males.
But when I heard it I thought,No, this is primal.
I did it my way and had the confidence to do so.
Album era that challenged you the most
I would say the last one we recorded,Who.
We found our way around it.
It challenged me because I liked the songs but I didnt think they were groundbreaking.
There was something good in all of them.
Youd have to hear all of the demos I dont think theyve been released yet, but they will.
I think I got under the skin of the songs.
A lot of fans dont like the new songs.
I mean, it provides a toilet break.
When theyre presented with something new, it challenges them.
They go,Well, I might go out for a drink.
As an event it deserves all the accolades it gets.
Youve got to remember the timing.
For me, the stars of Woodstock were the audience and the bands were all crap.
sit up and take notice.
This was becoming a movement that was going to become unstoppable.
Very quickly, within five or so years, that war was over.
It still went on too long, but there it goes.
Wars are quite stupid.
They always end up with a deal.
We got along great with all of the musicians.
It was party time.
But it was uncomfortable.
It was horrible, muddy, and shitty, and there wasnt a good sound from the stage.
I was backstage, but boy did they sound good.
Hes a great guy.
He still can sing like that.
Most underappreciated aspect of your career
Survival.
I survived with three bloody addicts in a group.
But I try not to think of it like that.
Ive had a privileged life.
Ive enjoyed every minute of everything Ive ever done.
Do we attempt to go forward with something at all?
Its how Ive always heard Petes music in my head.
Its always been classical its not rock and roll.
Im 79 in three weeks.
Will I still be able to singQuadrophenianext year when Im 80?
An orchestratedQuadropheniain the format of the band we are now would be phenomenal.
But I cant tell you I could physically handle it.
Its a challenging piece of work and it deserves respect.
But who knows.Weve gone on far longer than I ever thought we would.
I didnt think it would last until the end of the week.
Age is a weird thing.
No one cheats it.
Its such a tiny piece of our body that does so much work.
People have no idea how complex vocal cords are and whats involved in what singers do.
Like I said,Quadropheniais not the easiest piece of work to sing.
Even all those years ago, in our prime, it was never easy.
Ill never match the writing of Pete Townshend and I dont think anyone else ever will.
But if I ever do, it’s possible for you to call and congratulate me.
