Pete Townshend took a jab at Rick Rubin for what he believed were contradictory statements about the creative process and noted that creativity isn't reserved only for those who make money with it.
People seem to be enthralled by the idea of creativity itself almost as much as they enjoy the fruits of creativity in the form of art, eagerly reading or listening to artists, tutors, or industry veterans divulging the secrets of the creative process (especially if it's presented in a romantic way). And while such material has found audiences for decades and will undeniably continue to do so, The Who's Pete Townshend — a creative if there ever was one — doesn't seem to be very appreciative of it.
During a recent interview on "Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt" podcast, Townshend singled out Rick Rubin for the perceived sins of sending mixed messages about creativity.
"You see a lot of stuff on YouTube and Instagram, people nagging you about the way that you have to be creative. Somebody needs to occasionally slap Rick Rubin, because, one minute he's telling us that we need to do whatever we like, and then, on the other hand, he's telling us that we mustn't do this, and we mustn't do that.
Townshend isn’t just interested in music. In 2019, Townshend released a book named ‘The Age of Anxiety.’ He had a discussion with music journalist Chris Charlesworth at St George’s Church in Kemp Town, where they talked about his creative process and how writing a novel is different from writing a song or a rock opera.
He explained, “In pop and rock music, it’s really important that the storyteller leaves the ending open because the function of music is to feed in with what is happening in your world.”
“I’m sure there are people here who will have come up with their own endings or after-stories for ‘Quadrophenia.’ But this is not rock and roll,” the guitarist added.
He further reflected on creativity, “I think it’s a dark art because you don’t know how it works. You are all here tonight to hear me talk about something because I’m able to create something which connects with you. It might console you or disturb you, or enable you to make a connection with other people. I often ask myself, how do I pull that off? It’s what I would call craft. You have to sit and wait until the idea comes.”
