“I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with the Who,” he said. “If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated.”
Asked if he wanted to create new music, he replied in the affirmative, and said The Who want to do a final world tour.“I do and I think I will,” on being asked about creating new music. He continued: “It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die.
Townshend also reflected on how young music fans must feel about watching The Who in its current, aging incarnation, suggesting that they might enjoy a virtual recreation of the band when it was in its heyday.
“The Who isn’t [frontman Roger] Daltrey and Townshend onstage at 80, pretending to be young,” he maintained. “It’s the four of us in 1964, when we were 18 or 19. If you want to see the Who myth, wait for the avatar show. It would be good!”
Meanwhile, Townshend expressed some mixed feelings of his own about aging rock stars continuing to perform.
It’s turned out, surprise, surprise, that rock ‘n’ roll is really good at dealing with the difficulties of aging,” he noted. “Watching Keith Richards onstage, trying to do what he used to do—it’s disturbing, heart-rending, but also delightful.”
With regard to releasing new music, Townshend was reminded by the interviewer that The Who has only put out two studio albums since 1983, and he hasn’t released a solo album since 1993.
“I’ve been immensely creative and productive throughout that period, but I haven’t felt the need to put it out,” he explained. “And if I can make it personal, I don’t care whether you like it or not.”
That being said, Townshend noted, “I’ve got about 500 titles I might release online, mostly unfinished stuff.”
