Re: Daltrey rides again Montreal Gazette

["Schrade, Scott" <sschrade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Bravo Roger.  Bravo again.

Yeah, what a kick-ass Daltrey interview.  I get all warm & fuzzy when he 
uses the f-word a lot.  ;-)  The power & rage of Daltrey.  Steer clear!

On Pete's "scandal," Roger says:

> The whole thing was a scam.

Well, this statement might be a stretch.  Pete wasn't *framed.*

> If this was the '60s, there'd be 100 or 200 journalists around the 
> world screaming about (Townshend's plight).

Interesting statement.  I can't decide if it's true or not, however.
Maybe.  I guess.  It almost makes it sound like Pete was such a subver-
sive that the cops set out to "bring him down."  And that's not true.
Pete's an ageing rock star who sells his music for commercials & films.
He's not some counterculture figure, feared by the cops & the establish-
ment.

> Now there's nothing. They're all asleep. They're all dead,

Ha!  Daltrey the angry realist.  I love it.

> I've never met anyone in my life who's done anything more for abused 
> people than Pete Townshend - and, mate, I'm so f---in' angry,

Man, sounds like Daltrey's ready to slug the interviewer.

> When I look at the writers in the last century of rock 'n' roll, I have 
> to put Townshend probably No. 1. Not only did he lyrically write rock 'n' 
> roll, he musically moved it.

Absolutely correct.  Daltrey's a bigger Pete fan than any of us.  He's 
always so quick to acknowledge Pete's *lyrics,* too.  I love it.

> While he waits to record a new Who album with Townshend in September,

(!)

> but the driving force of the band was always Pete and I,

Now *there's* a thread topic!  True?  "Driving force" in what way, Mr. Dal-
trey?  I take it he means creatively.  Or does he mean musically?

> He heaped praise on one of the mooted tracks - Good Looking Boy, a 1996 
> Townshend composition about Elvis Presley.

Man, that song title "Good Looking Boy" makes me squirm.  Gotta add that 
disclaimer explaining that the song's about Elvis.  Don't want to leave
*that* out of the article!  

> We only need another 11 and it'll probably be the best album we ever 
> made," he said, again bursting into laughter.

Funny quip, but it makes me feel this supposed new album is farther away 
than just "September."

> I'll fight and fight with him. I'm one of the few people who will stand 
> up to him intellectually and demand that I put my piece on it - and that 
> turns it from a Pete Townshend song into a Who song,

The power of Daltrey!  You can laugh, but everything he says is true.  He's
probably the only person in the world who doesn't kiss Pete's ass (besides
the friendly Operation Ore agents).  Daltrey's no "yes-man."  And as much
as that must frustrate Pete, I bet it's refreshing to him in a way, as well.

> We remained of the people. We've been honest and remained true to our 
> values. I don't think we ever sold out. I really don't.

Another thread topic.  Rock critics, professional & amateur, like keeping
track of how *many* times The Who sold out.  And here's Daltrey saying they
*never* sold out.  Quite a big statement.  Is it true?  I suppose we'd have
to start explicitly defining "sell out," wouldn't we?


- SCHRADE in Akron