"When I walk onstage, I'm like a plumber"

Pete Townshend talks in-depth about The Who live and his attitude towards the band’s history of performance. Along with news about an impending Who’s Next reissue and the latest extrapolation of his notorious Lifehouse project, he expands on the idea of The Who as the quintessential purveyors of high-energy rock’n’roll, only to simultaneously debunk it. “I don’t have fun performing,” he tells Rob Hughes

- By Rob Hughes

“The authenticity of the music is still there”: Townshend today, looking suitably thrilled at the prospect of another tour

For much of his 77 years, Pete Townshend has never been too far from a stage. His dad Cliff was a sax player in RAF dance band The Squadronaires, while mum Betty sang with, among others, arranger Sidney Torch and the Les Douglas Orchestra. Growing up, the future Who guitarist/ songwriter would often be present at his parents’ shows. For him, he says, the stage has always represented a safe space, a home of sorts, which in turn seems to have fostered an ambivalent attitude towards the idea of performing. “I’m never going to come off stage and say I had fun,” he maintains. “Some of the boilers that I have to replace in the winter are more difficult than others, but I do a good job. It’s the same as that for me.”

Bandmate Daltrey isn’t quite convinced, though. “Pete has always said he doesn’t like being on the road,” he argues. “He’s been saying it for 40 years and he still says it. But equally, you get him out there and he loves it! In the last 10 years, where The Who have toured extensively, a lot of it’s been driven by Pete. So, it’s a little bit puzzling at times.”