Pete Townshend Turns 63

On May 19, 1945, less than two weeks after V-E Day and on the threshold of a new era in Western culture, one of the key figures of that era, Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend, was born in the London suburb of Chiswick. His father was a professional musician and his mother was a singer. He got his first guitar at age 12, and at age 16 he formed his first band, the Confederates, with a school friend named John Entwistle. (It was a old-time jazz outfit; Townshend played banjo.) Later, Townshend and Entwistle joined the Detours, which was fronted by another schoolmate, Roger Daltrey. To avoid a conflict with another band called the Detours, the Daltrey-Townshend-Entwistle band changed its name to the Who. Shortly thereafter, they hired a drummer named Keith Moon. A publicist convinced them to change their name one more time, to the High Numbers, but they soon reverted to the Who. And the rest, as the old saying goes, is history. Rather than a further recap of that history, however, here are some things you may not know about Pete Townshend.

--He was married to the same woman for over 30 years. Townshend and Karen Astley were married in 1968, had three children, separated in 1994 and divorced in 2000.

--His idea for a followup to the rock opera Tommy was a science-fiction concept called Lifehouse, which was intended to combine live performances with film. After taking the concept in front of a couple of unimpressed live audiences in early 1971, he scrapped it. Many of the songs ended up on Who's Next, but others appeared on the 1973 compilation album Odds and Sods, and still more came out on Who Are You in 1978.

--Despite being famous for guitar smashing, he is not indiscriminate about it. His most prized guitars are never used on stage.

--He is one of the most prolific writers in rock. He wrote a column for the British magazine Melody Maker as early as 1970, and several essays that appeared in Rolling Stone. He founded a publishing company, Eel Pie Publishing, in 1977, and for a brief time in the '80s was an acquisitions editor for the London publisher Faber and Faber. He's reportedly been working on his autobiography for over 10 years, and blogs at the Who's website.

An authorized biography of Townshend, Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend, by Mark Ian Wilkerson, will be published this fall. Townshend had announced that the Who planned to record and tour in 2008, but he recently changed his mind. "I really do not have a clue what to do next," he e-mailed fans. Whatever he decides to do, we'll be listening.

Comments

[rockandrollguru]

The Godfather of punk, the rock operas, Who's Next, Rough Mix...and the list goes on. Townshend is an absolute genius!

[Sean Kilkelly]

Amazing that Townshend wrote all the stuff for The Who. So many bands have two writers in the band, but he did it all.

Everyone talks about Tommy and Quadrophenia and rightfully so, but The Who Sell Out may be his finest work. Also the album Rough Mix with Ronnie Lane is some great stuff as well!

Long live rock and The Who!