INTERVIEW
Pete
Townshend
By BOB CIAnCI
On Guitar-Smashing Regrets, Stylistic
Evolution, and Becoming a Gear Aficionado
In the summer of 1965, this writer was an aspiring
teenage drummer with more than a passing interest in
the guitar. Tuning into the ABC television rock show
Shindig! one evening, I witnessed The Who’s American
debut. They lip-synched their first UK hit, “I Can’t
Explain,” as I sat transfixed by drummer Keith Moon,
singer Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and particularly the tall, skinny guitarist with the prominent nose
and the windmilling arm. His name, I later learned, was
Pete. I have been hooked on The Who ever since.
I had belatedly developed a liking for The Beatles’ music,
as well as that of The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds,
www.premierguitar.com
Them, and The Kinks, but The Who was different. Their
music, their attitude and their take-no-prisoners stance
was totally aggressive, and just a bit out of control, and it
spoke to my teenage angst and struck a chord that rings
true to this day. I even managed to get my hands on a big
piece of the mid-’60s Tele (see cover) Townshend demolished at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ, on August
12, 1967. Jim McGlynn, who played guitar in a local band
and wrote for the Newark Evening News, interviewed
Townshend after the show. I guess Townshend was feeling
pretty magnanimous that night because he gave it to him.
A few months later, I bought it from Jim for $10! It’s still
hanging on my wall today.
Photo: © Trinifold Management
