February 26, 2013
Pete Townshend ‘Who I am’: Full 4 part Video Interview
In his acclaimed memoir, WHO I AM (Harper), rock icon Pete Townshend shares the story of his evolution from angry young Mod to one of the defining musicians of his generation.
During his travels in the U.S. these last months, Pete stopped off in notable libraries and book stores in several cities to read from his memoir, be interviewed and sign copies of his book.
Pete kindly gave permission for the video recording of one interview, conducted by musician and songwriter John Wesley Harding (A.K.A author Wesley Stace) at the University of Pennsylvania, to be published.
It’s been serialised in the Huffington Post in four parts.
The Who are just coming to the end of their North American tour of ‘Quadrophenia and More’. They have recently announced the dates of a UK and Ireland tour plus some cities in mainland Europe.
For more information and tickets, CLICK HERE.
21 Responses to Pete Townshend ‘Who I am’: Full 4 part Video Interview
I was expecting with Pete’s autobiography to read only chronicles of guitar smashing and TV chucking. I conversely picked up a book I couldn’t put down. It proved to be an intelligent and introspective look inside the head of a genius!
Thanks for telling it like it is, Pete!
Pete, very cool of you to provide film footage of your book tour appearances. I, along with so many, had wanted to go and to have finally been given a chance to meet you, and given the fact that, for me, a Who fan for over 37 years, whose had the utmost honor of meeting and receiving autographs from both Roger and John (…the closest I’d ever come to Keith Moon was an offer of a ticket to see the Who in 74 or 75, an offer of which came from a boyfriend of a cousin of mine but never materialized anyway due to a postponed/ canceled (?) show courtesy of the artist in mayhem Keith’s “ill” health. Whatever, I didn’t get to go, my older sister be damned, who was in charge of me at the time and wasn’t allowing me to go anyway).
I’m rambling. I love you Pete. And the Who. And all it’s four parts. You. Roger. John. Keith. See you soon in A/C and later in NYC for the bene. Really looking forward to that…
There’s no better experience than to see, hear and feel Pete playing solo.
Can I trust you Pete, and what you wrote in your book? I can reconcile those two distinct parts of your psyche, with the following example of my own personal experience at “Roger Daltrey Performs a Tribute to Pete Townshend” at Carnegie Hall:
of you being happy in the moment, yet claiming in your book, that you were:
filled “with utter dread…an unusual anxiety at the prospect of performing.”
“What I did seemed magical, although I felt very detached from it…”
I was in the audience that night, sitting two seats away from Eddie Vedder. When Eddie got up onstage and started singing “SqueezeBox”, then suddenly stopped, saying: “Nah, I was just joking” (or words similar to that)-
It was I who stood up in the audience and shouted:
“NO, EDDIE — SING THAT SONG — SING IT!!!”
Eddie smiled, looked behind him at you and you were pleased with my disruption and smiled back at us both in return.
SqueezeBox was then performed in its entirety.
You looked so happy during the song.
I know you were happy.
It was magical and magnificent.
The crowd roared with delight.
So, I bossed you all around that night.
The song wasn’t on the set list and didn’t make it into the concert video.
You know it happened. You know you were happy.
P.S.: I would like a director’s cut of that concert video.
Please give it to Russell Schlagbaum.
I’ve told him the story:
“That’s the night I made Pete happy.”
I attended the book signing event at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and it is one of my most treasured memories in life. I sat and listened and watched Pete talk about the book and his life in a very intimate setting and had the pure pleasure to watch from about 20 feet away, him play and sing his songs.
I remember thinking that this was indeed a rare opportunity to see his genius up close and personal as I hung on to every note he sang. To be a part of an event such as this one still seems sureal for me but it was worth the time and effort to go there and attend. Watching this video now brings back a phenomal feeling that I will never forget as as long as I live.
Thank you for putting this video out to the public and for the evening of a lifetime Mr. Townshend!!
Thank you Pete. x