Pete interview in Calgary Herald

[Brian Cady]

http://tinyurl.com/p4bh6

Townshend swinging for a new generation
Guitarist riffs on death, TV and getting old
Lynn Saxberg, CanWest News Service
Published: Thursday, October 05, 2006

In a recent e-mail exchange with CanWest News Service, the Who guitarist and chief songwriter Pete Townshend, 61, talks about old fools looking for new music; losing his longtime musical partner, Who bassist John Entwistle; the new frontier of TV themes (all three CSI shows use Townshend songs).

Q: How do you characterize your relationship with Roger Daltrey?

A: We are family. We go back all the way to early high school days.

Q: How did the death of John Entwistle (in 2002) affect you?

A: Only in ways that have turned out to be good. I had to grow up quickly to decide how to go on -- but I also had to accept that I had not saved his life by going out on the road with him, at Roger (Daltrey's) request, to "save him from the tax man." Musically I miss him, but I also find the space he has left a good place to try to fill. He was such a funny and adorable man, he is really missed by us on the road because that is where he was most natural and at ease.

Q: Why did you decide to tour this year? Why make a new album?

A: The new album and the tour were tied together. I would not tour again without new music. Roger desperately wanted to tour again, and I gave working on new music a final shot. Somehow, because of the work I had done on developing the storyline for my proposed musical, The Boy who Heard Music, I found I had something that would provide the right kind of inspiration and backbone needed for an album I would be proud of. Roger came in at the last fence to sing, and has done a great job on my songs and recordings.

Q: You've said you didn't want to embark on a Who tour without new material? How come?

A: I no longer want to do the circus act, mikes swinging, arms swinging, fools not being fooled, young men not dying before they got old etc. I love the old music, and I'm proud of who we used to be, and part of us is still the same -- but I needed new music, new ways of saying the same old, same old.

Q: How have things changed for you and the Who since CSI began?

A: People from the Ukraine know our music. People elsewhere, who are under 40, and hear our music for the first time, think we spent the first part of our career writing music for TV shows.

Q: It's probably safe to say that most people in the audience want to hear the classic hits. How do you balance their wishes with your desire to be fresh?

A: It's not safe to say that. Most people want to see us happy, and to see how we've grown -- we are to some extent their mirror. We do respect our audience, though, and will play a properly balanced mix of new and old music. If we feel that we have the balance wrong, we will fix it.

Q: How do you respond to people who say it's not an accurate representation of the Who because there are only two original members?

A: "Representation?" You have to see it to understand. If you feel you need to see what looks like dead people standing on stage -- go watch another band, you have several excellent options this fall.

Q: In My Generation, you wrote the line, "I hope I die before I get old." Now you're writing about aging in your online diary. How do you feel about the aging process? Is there an expiry date in rock 'n' roll?

A: The first subject is not connected to the second. "I hope I die before I get old" was written by a young man about a state of mind, not age. It was poetry, pop poetry, but still poetry. When I write about getting older in my online diary pages, I'm writing about my reality, not a poetic concept. Aging is real, dreadful and wonderful at once. Expiry date? We shall see.

Q: Are there any young guitarists out there today who thrill you? Who do you listen to in the car?

A: I like a lot of new guitar players. It's hard to listen to guitar players who are better than me and I can hear them free at almost any decent music store. In my car I listen to Yo-Yo Ma (especially with Edgar Meyer), Wilco, Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, Martha Wainwright, Sean Lennon, Sigur Ros, Buddy Guy. I listen to a lot of jazz and orchestral music too. The usual classic stuff. For new jazz I go to BBC Radio 3 in the U.K. For new orchestral writing the same station. There are late-night shows now that play the most incredibly innovative music. My favourite artist of the moment is probably my partner Rachel Fuller. I've been recording her at home using very old fashioned studio techniques. As well as her own songs she's been doing a bunch of covers of Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Eels, Nick Drake -- a varied bunch.

For a blog of the Who's concert immediately after its completion Thursday night, visit CalgaryHerald.com
The Who Tour
Coming Friday: All the sights, sounds from the Who's Calgary concert.

 
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com