USA/FILE: Lead guitarist for "The Who", Pete Townshend, says his new book "Who I Am" is the most direct thing he has ever done

Record ID: 674840

  • Title: USA/FILE: Lead guitarist for "The Who", Pete Townshend, says his new book "Who I Am" is the most direct thing he has ever done
  • Date: 10th October 2012
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JULY 12, 2008) (ORIGINALLY 4: 3 MATERIAL) (REUTERS) TOWNSHEND POSING FOR PICTURES ON RED CARPET
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2012 13:00
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  • Location: Usa, United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA8J92UOCTT0L5N7RIY4UPO94DG
  • Story Text: Pete Townshend is defining just 'who' he is in a new autobiography he is calling the most truthful thing he has ever done.
    "I think it's the most truthful thing I've ever done. I think that it's the most direct thing that I've ever done. It's a direct book. I don't think I 'gild the lily', I don't think that I pump myself up. A radio journalist in London, said that, 'This is the first autobiography that I've ever read that I would describe as a hatchet job,'" Townshend told Reuters.
    Townshend is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band "The Who" and was named one of the greatest guitar players of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. As the inventor of the 'windmill' and the trend of destroying ones guitar on stage, some fans have dubbed him the ultimate rock star, however he takes issue with that title. As the principal songwriter for the group, the 67-year-old would rather call himself a composer.
    "I'm not an Elvis Presley, I am not a Roger Daltrey, I am not a Robert Plant, I'm not - I am not a front man in a way they are - I am not a glamour boy, I'm not a sex god. None of that stuff applies to me. I am not even a Keith Moon, you know. I don't have a crazy story to tell in terms of my behavior. You know, half of my life I was a good, solid family man with a wife and kids. You know, I wrote my songs at home and then I went out on the road," he said. Among others, Townshend penned the songs "My Generation," "Magic Bus," and "I Can't Explain."
    "I felt very uncomfortable being out on the road a lot of the time. I felt uncomfortable with the rock and roll lifestyle," he added.
    In the book, Townshend gives a candid picture of his youth. Born at the end of World War II, Townshend grew up in West London and dealt with an abusive grandmother in his formative years.
    As the book continues the rocker takes readers inside his battle with alcoholism.
    "Drinking for me was a medicine that really, really worked. When I talk about drugs in the book I almost dismiss it. I wasn't a big drug user. I was a big drinker when it counted and when I needed it. And it got me through a lot of difficulties, but in the end it turned against me. So as somebody who - I don't describe myself as a recovering alcoholic - but I certainly became one," said Townshend.
    In 2003 the musician was arrested on child pornography charges in England. Townshend said he had entered a child porn site for research purposes and had not downloaded any images. After a lengthy investigation no evidence of pornographic images were found on his computers and police issued him a warning. While Townshend addresses the case in the book, he prefers not to discuss the topic and asks readers to form their own opinions based on the facts.
    One of the topics in the books generating the most buzz is his admission of attraction to Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger.
    "Mick was extraordinary, if you look at video of Mick as a young man, you'll know where that came from. We're talking 1963 here. I was a very young boy and he wasn't much older and we first saw them perform and he was this long-haired...he was a very, very beautiful man," said the father of three, who is currently in a long-term relationship with a woman.
    He had this strange shape, very thin hips and I remember looking at him and thinking, 'oh wow,' I had sexual urges looking at him, and it wasn't in a sense a homosexual or gay thing, it was just a - the first time that I ever really felt that - this was a man I was looking at," he explained.
    After the 515 pages Townshend hopes readers will understand the band's music and mission: "It's a celebration of a tough time, the post war years and the years of the Iron Curtain - all of that stuff, those were tough years. And I would like to feel that the music has helped us celebrate the fact that most of us, thank heaven, have survived."
    "Who I Am" was released on October 8th.
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