Pete Townshend’s all-time favourite band: “They changed my life”
In the 1960s, as a music lover, there was no better place to be than London, which was a utopia for Pete Townshend, who wouldn’t have swapped it for anywhere in the world.
During that special time, as the world became multi-coloured thanks to the post-war generation, Townshend was there to witness the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll. As much as he initially tried to resist its power, he couldn’t, and found himself gripped.
While Townshend was a teenager, bands that were on the brink of fame and fortune, like The Rolling Stones, were cutting their teeth in sweat-filled rooms, which made him feel whole. As musical educations go, it was the equivalent of graduating from Cambridge University with first-class honours.
Seeing The Stones strut their stuff at The Marquee Club taught Townshend more than anything he was told in a classroom, which he cherishes fondly to this day.
At this point, Townshend had yet to discover the harsh realities of the music industry’s business side or how to operate in a studio environment, but he knew it was what he wanted to do. It spurred him on to form The Detours at 16, a group featuring Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle, his future bandmates in The Who. Although they didn’t reach any significant heights under this alias, it set them in strong stead for what the future held.
For him, The Stones were the benchmark that he wanted to emulate, even if it seemed like a far-flung ambition. While The Rolling Stones were just another band trying to make it at this time, they already had an innate chemistry and a reputation for taking the roof off at every show, which made their rise seem inevitable.
Townshend has always held a sacred place in his heart for The Rolling Stones, who he considers to be his favourite band of all time. Unlike with The Who, where he’s been inside the belly of the beast, Townshend has been able to enjoy the Stones’ ride as a fan, as they climbed the ladder to the top.
From the first time he witnessed their greatness in a live arena, Townshend has placed The Stones on a pedestal in his heart. The love is mutual, too, as was proved in 1989 when Townshend was given the honour of inducting his old friends into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
During his emotional speech, Townshend took those in attendance on a journey through time as he celebrated the band that made him who he is today, stating, “I can’t analyse what I feel about the Stones because I am a really absolute Stones fan, always have.”
Going back to the start, Townshend recalled, “Their early shows were just shocking. Absolutely riveting, stunning, and moving. They changed my life completely. The Beatles were fun, no doubt about that, and I’m talking about their live shows. I’m not demeaning them in any way, but the Stones were really what made me wake up.”
The Who’s lead guitarist then explained why The Stones can’t be beaten, not even by The Beatles, for him, adding, “At The Beatles shows, there were a lot of screaming girls, and I think the Stones were the first to have a screaming boy. The sheer force of the Stones on stage and that perfectly balanced audience, a thousand girls and me, it kind of singled them out. They are the only group that I’ve ever really been unashamed about idolising. Each of them, on their own, has given me something as an artist, a person, and as a fan.”
After jokingly claiming that he was never taught anything “wholesome, practical or useful” thanks to his love of The Rolling Stones, Townshend concluded by showing his serious side, saying from the heart, “No more gags, the Stones are the greatest for me. They epitomise British rock for me, and even though they are now my friends, I’m still a fan.”
No matter who you are, even Pete Townshend, we all have an unbreakable affinity to the first band that opened our eyes to a new way of life.
In his case, Townshend was fortunate enough to be invested from the ground up in The Rolling Stones, which millions would have paid a priceless amount to have witnessed.
He wasn’t just watching a band; Townshend was in attendance to see history unfold before his very eyes and was in the crowd for concerts that have now become legend.
Most importantly, it gave him the fuel and desire to strike his own path, causing countless others to feel precisely the same way as he did with The Stones about The Who’s raucous early shows
