The ultimate models for rock and roll, according to Pete Townshend
It’s difficult to pinpoint any singular defining force of modern rock, especially when so many figures revolutionised the entire current landscape as we know it. But if anyone comes the closest to holding that crown, it has to be the master himself, Pete Townshend.
Townshend’s contributions are so vital, in fact, that it’s difficult to find any discourse on the subject of rock ‘n’ roll pioneers without his name appearing first. What’s more, many of Townshend’s peers who were actually there to witness all of the ways he effectively led and guided the entire future of rock always talk about him like he’s some sort of god.
To his credit, he kind of is. “My playing owes so much to him,” Brian May said a couple of years back. “I’m not talking about the blues-influenced playing which also underpinned the evolution of ’70s and ’80s rock music,” he added, claiming that Townshend “brought to the scene a blistering clang of super-amplified but not over-saturated chords” and “razor-edged monoliths crashing angrily through our brains, biting rhythmic hammer blows which would change the likes of me forever”.
May also said that Townshend effectively “invented” the rock guitar. Recommending ‘I’m A Boy’, ‘Substitute’, ‘I Can’t Explain’, and, of course, ‘My Generation’, the Queen guitarist called attention to all the specific ways Townshend and co set a new standard for modern rock, with timeless records that still very much take the cake when it comes to what modern audiences expect from rock today.
And Townshend himself isn’t exactly modest when it comes to everything that he achieved either. In fact, only last year he said that he believes The Who “invented stadium rock”, but that they effectively paved the way for bands like Queen and U2 to take all of the credit. “But with songs like ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and ‘Baba O’Riley’, I fuckin’ nailed it,” he said. “There’s no question. And I gave that instrument away.”
As he said himself, one of Townshend’s unrivalled achievements was everything he did for live performance. From destroying instruments on stage to reinventing the very concept of the live spectacle, Townshend knew precisely what he was doing when it came to wowing audiences, which is saying a lot, considering he’s never actually been all that bothered about touring anyway.
The rocker once admitted that he didn’t particularly like going on the road but was often pushed to do so because it was what Roger Daltrey wanted to do. However, he also said that with touring, there are many opportunities to meet and connect with other like-minded musicians, which is something he does appreciate. But whenever there’s an excuse for a prolonged break, he’s the first to embrace it.
“I was relieved, in a sense, that I didn’t have to tour,” he told Rolling Stone. “I would have done an OK job, I’m sure. But I felt like I needed a break, but I think everyone else did, too.” On those who pioneered modern rock ‘n’ roll, he added, “You know, if rock & roll had a model, it would probably be AC/DC or ZZ Top.”
He also said that overdoing it on the road was becoming a bit “nightmarish”, discussing how ZZ Top went on tour for so long that their families had to beckon them home for Thanksgiving one year, after missing four in a row. Only, when they got home, they didn’t know where their families lived anymore, and had to check into a Holiday Inn. Despite his position as a rock god, then, Townshend clearly prefers to have boundaries in place instead of giving himself wholly over to the art that gave him his name.
