Pete Townshendguitarist of The Whohas revealed that the band failed to make a profit on most of their albums due to theft by their managers, especially during the first eight years of their recording career. In a recent interview with NME, the musician discussed the financial viability of established bands recording new albums. “It was never about the money,” he said with a laugh.
Townshend highlighted the band’s difficult financial situation, attributing it to mismanagement and the criminal acts of their managers. “The Who never made money off the damn records”he expressed. “Our managers were criminals”the British artist stressed.
“I had never seen a royalty statement from The Who before our first audit, which we conducted while recording [el sexto álbum] “Quadrophenia”continued the guitarist. “It emerged that [el mánager] “Kit Lambert had stolen all my Italian publishing royalties to buy a palace in Venice,” he said..
The British musician continued, pointing out the financial challenges in the music industry: “There are black swans in our business, and they are the ones who always take all the money.” This observation led him to share an anecdote about his last meeting with Jimi Hendrix in Los Angeles just weeks before the guitarist’s death in 1970.
“He was happy, he was really nice to me, and he hadn’t always been like that in the past,” Townshend recalled. “I said, ‘How are you?’ and he said, ‘Pete, I’m broke.’ He was huge, and he was broke. But we didn’t give a damn about money.”.
Townshend also reflected on his life during those years, noting that he felt content with what he had. “He lived in a little house in Twickenham next to the Thames, he was happy to be by the water. He had a car. He had a small studio. He was really happy,” the musician confessed.
Townshed continued: “I had a beautiful wife, lovely kids, great friends and I never needed anything, really, except some time to myself and some time to spend with my family. So today I feel like I’m lucky to be here and to be fit enough to walk around the block and work with younger musicians, do some production and mentoring.”
Refering to possibility of a new album of The Who, Townshend was skeptical, although he revealed a clever idea for broaching the subject with his bandmate, Roger Daltreywho has previously stated that he considers his study career practically over.
“If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs in six weeks? Of course I could, it’s a piece of cake.”, he claimed. “For me it would be a pleasure because I love writing songs, I love writing for a commission, I love having a commission, I love having a deadline and I love the feedback,” she added.
The musician expressed satisfaction with the reception of his latest album and continued with a touch of humor: “Right now… I’m thinking I could write the songs and then tell Roger: “Either you sing on them or I’ll put them out as a solo album, and The Who fans will love me for it.”.
Peter Townshend, born 19 May 1945, is an English musician best known as the co-founder, guitarist and principal songwriter of The Who, an influential rock band of the 1960s and 1970s. He has written over 100 songs for 12 studio albums for the group, including the rock operas tommy and Quadrophenia.
Additionally, he has released solo albums and collaborated with other artists. He has received numerous awards, including the Brit Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement. Townshend is also recognized for his instrumental versatility and literary contributions.
