Pete Townshend Says The Who No Longer Exists

Pete Townshend stops by SiriusXM's VOLUME (Ch. 106) to discuss the legacy of The Who.



Connect with SiriusXM Online


#SiriusXM #Sirius #SXM

[bWtaeH]

I saw The Who in the 1970s. I saw "The Who" a few years ago. One was really The Who. The other was Townshend and Daltrey. The latter wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If I want to listed to The Who, I can put on an old album. I wish the two of them success doing what they are doing, and liked Townshend's solo work even when he was with The Who, but it's now Townshend with Daltrey as a vocalist.



Even with Kenny Jones, it still felt like The Who in concert, if not quite the same. But now it doesn't. Moving on isn't a bad thing. In fact it's better than living in the past.

[EType]

For those that haven't heard their 12th studio album "WHO" go listen to it. It's a real throwback to their earlier work.


I respect what Pete is saying here. I do. He is trying to honor the memories of John and Keith. However, I was 18 in 1989 when I saw The Who for the first time. That was "The Reunion Tour". And...I have seen them SIX more times over the ensuing 30+ years now! During that same time, they have released 2 studio albums and 15 live albums.


And yet...I DON'T understand what Pete is saying here. We lost Keith in 1978. We lost John in 2002. Apart from their solo projects and solo performances, Pete, Roger and John and now Pete and Roger have continued to soldier on with The Who's name for over 40 years now. Heck, they've spent more years as NOT The Who, then they did as The Who! And that's not a criticism...The Who is the Coca-Cola of rock bands! They spent a lot of early, hard years building that brand. They have more than earned the right to continue under that name. The fans love them and still turn out for their shows. I saw them last year at a shed show. I had lawn seats and it rained and I stayed for the whole show. There's very few bands left that I would pay to sit in the rain to see them play.


Pete's entitled to his opinion. So are the fans. The Who still exists. Until a band stops creating new music and stops performing...they continue to exist. A band changes as players move in and out of the band or band members die. With rare exception, most bands have more than a few lineup changes during the band's lifetime. That's perfectly fine. In The Who's case, they have picked exceptional replacement players to enable the band to continue. And nobody will mistake Pino Palladino, Zak Starkey or Jon Button and the countless other touring musicians they have employed since 1978 for Keith and John. The Who will never be the same, hasn't been the same since 1978...and we're alright.

[mod]

It may not be the Who but they still sound better than any other live act out there

[scottstambaugh]

I always considered The Who to be dinosaurs that had some cools songs, but otherwise were... meh? Then I watched them at the 2001 Concert For New York after 9/11. They blew my freakin mind, and I dug in. Now I'm a hardcore fan. Their legacy is beyond awesome.

[leehunter]

They got away with carrying on without keith but after john died they should have called it a day it's like queen without freddie credit to them for carrying on for as long as they have

[bedrosnersesyan]

Peter? We've known this for 40 years but we love you and the Who...and the Two... anyways

[radiomindchatter]

Glad he finally acknowledged it..took eaons!

[Metal-Possum]

Clickbait and poor context. Of course The Who as we all loved is not there, you don't have Keith and John making up the full band, but The Who as a name is still active and performing, and it still sounds an awful lot like The Who....

What the title should read is "The Who are not what it once was."

[ronaldyardley]

And That Is Why I Won't Go And See Them On This Years UK Tour! Iv Loved Going To See The Who Through The 60s, 70s and Even 80s But I'll Live The Rest Of My Life With The Great Memories..👍👍

[darrenn]

Lose the shades Pete, your in your 70s ffs.