Why Pete Townshend regrets joining The Who
Since forming The Who in 1964, Pete Townshend has conquered all of his wildest dreams. It’s made Townshend richer than he ever anticipated, seen him win countless awards, and achieved everything he set out to do with the band. However, as is human nature, the guitarist still thinks about what could have been if he chose to follow a different pursuit.
The Who have never been a functional band, and Townshend is full of battle scars from their journey together. Spending 50 years of your life smashing up guitars on stage will undoubtedly lead to repercussions later. Now he’s in his autumnal years, Townshend is facing up to the consequences of a well-lived youth.
With The Who, he’s always been the brains behind the operation. Nobody is more aware of this than the man himself, who also is regretful about not pursuing a solo career earlier.
When Townshend finally went solo with Rough Mix in 1977, it was too late for him to re-brand, and the general public had already made their mind up on him. However, Townshend believes if he’d never formed a band and gone solo at the beginning, he’d have forged a “much more effective” career.
Of course, there were certain aspects of being in a band that Townshend adored. One particular source of fulfilment he got from The Who was the gang-like mentality that bonded the four of them. However, there were drawbacks, too, such as mastering the art of compromisation, which came less easily to Townshend.
In 2011, Townshend reflected on his career in Uncut’s one-off publication, The Who: The Ultimate Music Guide. “What would I have done differently? I would never have joined a band. Even though I am quite a good gang member and a good trooper on the road, I am bad at creative collaboration,” he said.
Townshend then cited Brian Eno and praised his career arc after leaving Roxy Music in 1973, allowing him to experiment in an avant-garde territory and produce for other artists. “I would have made a much more effective solo performer and producer working the way Brian Eno has worked,” he added.
The Who guitarist added: “I would be less physically damaged today. My ears, right wrist and shoulder would work more efficiently. In all other respects I am in extremely good shape.”
Unlike Eno, Townshend didn’t have the courage in his convictions to quit his band and gamble on his career. Instead, he’s left to ponder what could have been if he left the comfort familiarities of The Who behind, but at least the endless zeroes in his bank account offer him a source of solace.
