Pete Townshend excited to “explore other things” following The Who’s farewell tour
Pete Townshend has been publicly open about his creative unfulfillment in The Who in the past. Now, in a new interview, he has admitted this unhappiness can be traced as far back as 1973, but he is excited to “explore other things.”
In a new interview with The I, the songwriter stated, “I don’t know whether I’ve been up for doing anything with The Who since 1973.” Townshend’s comment comes as he reflected on the upcoming North American farewell tour, which will see Townshend and fellow bandmate Roger Daltrey, beginning in Florida in August.
Of the tour, which they extended due to extreme demand, Townshend admitted that he is “looking forward to it,” but only as it will allow other avenues to open fully. “Not because it’s the end, but because I hope that we can continue to explore other things,” he clarified.
In a previous interview, Townshend commented, “The Who has gone on a bit too long with two of us dying. It does sometimes feel like flogging a dead horse”. The Who frontman reacted against this comment, accusing Townshend of a disinterest in their project: “I won’t do it with someone who is half-hearted about it,” Daltrey said at the time.
Townshend took a bemused, yet honest, approach to his life in The Who, noting that he does “suffer from mood swings.” He continued, “I suffer from manic depression. So sometimes when I wake up, if there was a gun under my pillow, I might blow my brains out. But after a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit, I realise that I’m very, very lucky. I have an amazing life.”
It is not the work, but the rock star image, that keeps Townshend up at night. Reflecting on critics that have called the star “pretentious” on occasion, Townshend turned the comment on its head: ” What’s interesting is the most pretentious thing I’ve ever done is to pretend to be a rock star. Because that’s the bit that I feel most uncomfortable with.”
In the same interview, Townshend admitted that the situation with their previous drummer, Zak Starkey, “has been a mess.” The Who fired Starkey after complications at a gig at the Royal Albert Hall, rehired him, and then fired him once more. Now, Scott Devours will replace Starkey on the upcoming shows.
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