The Who’s Pete Townshend was “triggered” by ‘Adolescence’: “It reminded me of my childhood”
The Who guitarist Pete Townshend praised the hit Netflix show Adolescence. However, he also admitted he was “so triggered” by it, as it reminded him of his painful childhood.
The series, which stars Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham, is a harrowing one-take drama about a schoolboy accused of murdering a fellow student. In addition to exploring the death of the teenage character, Katie, and the circumstances surrounding it, Adolescence also holds a torch up to the wider societal issues that led to her murder.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to make the programme mandatory viewing for teenagers, previously stating, “As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you – it hit home hard. It’s an important initiative to encourage as many pupils as possible to watch the show.”
Now, in a new interview with the Daily Mail, Townshend has shared his opinion on the four-part drama, which made for difficult viewing.
The songwriter said: “I was so triggered by the first episode I couldn’t watch the rest. It reminded me of my childhood.”
Townshend elaborated on his troublesome early years: “My mother sent me to live with my grandmother, who was insane. I suffered abuse, deprivation and bullying for two years, until a neighbour realised I was in trouble and called my dad. He got Mum to bring me home and life settled down. I said to Rachel, ‘Adolescence was brilliant, but I had a bad night after watching it.'”
In his autobiography, Who I Am, Townshend delved into more detail about his traumatic childhood and the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of one of his grandmother’s partners.
Reflecting in an interview with US publication Metro in 2019, he opened up about the lifelong impact of those two years living with his grandmother, admitting, “I really do not want to admit that I am still completely fucked up by shit that happened to me, that shaped and formed me, when I was a kid before the age of seven. But that is a fact. The way we handle being a teenager is then driven by our earlier childhood.”
He continued: “A young violent man holding a machete, and chopping away at someone else, might feel he is being crazily brave, wild and strong, but there might be a frightened kid in there somewhere. I can’t speak for women.”
Townshend then acknowledged that he was fortunate to be “a writer”, which he has been able to use as a tool to navigate his trauma.
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