Why Tina Turner almost refused to play ‘The Acid Queen’ in The Who’s ‘Tommy’
Over the course of her incredible seven-decade career, Tina Turner certainly saw it all. From her early days singing in a Baptist church down in St. Louis, Turner managed to carve out a truly incredible career, stretching from soul and R&B to out-and-out rock. In fact, even Turner’s nickname of ‘the Queen of Rock’ feels a little reductive given the breadth and diversity of her career and discography. For all her experience, however, one particular role, spurred on by The Who, felt like a step too far even for Turner.
Aside from her compelling body of work in the music world, Turner also had a few flurries into the realm of acting. During the early years, these on-screen appearances were mostly limited to concert films or music documentaries, but in 1975, the singer got the opportunity to star in one of rock music’s defining feature films, Tommy. From the moment the mod rockers unleashed their groundbreaking rock opera in 1969, it was clear that the record was destined for a film adaptation.
A stunning concept album telling the story of Tommy Walker from his birth to his rise as a religious and spiritual leader, the album was songwriter Pete Townshend’s magnum opus. Moreover, the release of Tommy also helped to transition the image of The Who from being adolescent rock rebels of the 1960s into mature and profound artists during the 1970s. This reputation only increased with later rock operas, most notably Quadrophenia, which also inspired a film adaptation after the success of Tommy.
Translating a rock album into a narrative film had never really been attempted prior to Tommy, and so the production experienced its fair share of teething problems. For starters, director Ken Russell did not like the original album or rock music. As a result, the director made a few noticeable changes to Pete Townshend’s narrative, which did not go down well with fans of the album. For many viewers, the saving grace of the film came with its impressive cast.
The Who themselves appeared in prominent roles throughout the film, with Roger Daltrey taking on the leading role of Tommy Walker. Although the band’s acting ability did not hold a candle to their musical proficiency, seeing musicians embrace the daunting task of film acting was pretty endearing in ways that hadn’t been seen since The Beatles’ various film appearances. Tommy also featured the talents of Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Arthur Brown and, of course, Tina Turner.
Within the film, Turner plays the role of ‘The Acid Queen’, a prostitute who supplies Tommy with psychedelic substances, and performs sexual favours, in an effort to cure him of his various ailments. The track is a definite standout from the album, making the film scene an incredibly important one. However, the shady nature of the character meant that Turner was somewhat apprehensive to take it on.
Speaking on the role, Turner once revealed, “Tommy was a whole new trip for me, getting into a room and turning into a madwoman.” She went on to explain her initial trepidation over agreeing to appear in the film, saying, “At first, I didn’t want to play the part of a prostitute. But it was a challenge, and it called for drama,” adding, “That’s what acting is all about.”
Reportedly, the role of ‘The Acid Queen’ was initially offered to Mick Jagger, of all people, but that route fell through after The Rolling Stones frontman demanded to play three of his own songs in the film based entirely on an album by The Who. Indeed, upon watching Tommy now, it seems impossible to imagine anybody but Tina Turner taking on that vital role.
