And now, to find out what his most googled questions are, you can watch the video below as Pete Townshend answers the internet’s most searched questions about The Who, himself, his book, and the story behind their classic tracks such as My Generation. You’ll be amazed by how interesting a speaker he is, you can even pay to sit just to listen to him talk the whole day.
Keep going below and watch The Who’s Pete Townshend answer the web’s most Googled questions, according to Google:
Pete Townshend revealed that he thought about quitting the band from “day one” saying it “wasn’t a job that I like”.
Since forming The Who in 1964, Pete Townshend has conquered all of his wildest dreams. It’s made Townshend richer than he ever anticipated, seen him win countless awards, and achieved everything he set out to do with the band. However, as is human nature, the guitarist still thinks about what could have been if he chose to follow a different pursuit.
Of course, there were certain aspects of being in a band that Townshend adored. One particular source of fulfilment he got from The Who was the gang-like mentality that bonded the four of them. However, there were drawbacks, too, such as mastering the art of compromisation, which came less easily to Townshend.
Who's guitarist was asked whether he had eve considered leaving the band and if so, when? Townshend replied, “Pretty much day one. I always wanted it to be as brief as possible, and it hasn’t been. … This is not a judgment on them. It’s a judgment on me. … Immediately I started to realize it wasn’t a job that I like. I didn’t like the traveling. I didn’t like being onstage. I didn’t like the fact that it all seemed like all the other guys in the band just wanted to get girls. It didn’t seem like art to me, and I’d been to art school.” (faroutmagazine.co.uk)
“What would I have done differently? I would never have joined a band. Even though I am quite a good gang member and a good trooper on the road, I am bad at creative collaboration,” he said.
Townshend then cited Brian Eno and praised his career arc after leaving Roxy Music in 1973, allowing him to experiment in an avant-garde territory and produce for other artists. “I would have made a much more effective solo performer and producer working the way Brian Eno has worked,” he added.
The Who guitarist added: “I would be less physically damaged today. My ears, right wrist and shoulder would work more efficiently. In all other respects I am in extremely good shape.”
Townshend surmises that The Who’s time was over when the punk movement happened, he said, “I loved the punk movement because that’s what I wanted the Who to be,” he explained. “I remember after seeing Generation X and Siouxsie and the Banshees, just thinking, ‘Wow, this is what we used to do. They aren’t doing it quite as well as we did, but they’re doing it really, really well.’”
