Who guitar player and songwriter Pete Townshend is 59 today.



He was my first musical hero, and I've always admired him for his honesty, his willingness to share in his tumultuous personal life through his songs, his intelligence, his insights into the state of rock music, and the fact that he welcomed change and evolution in music when a lot of people in his generation abhorred it.

I just bought the special edition of The Kids are Alright. It's one of the better rock docs around, but I never realized what a bunch of sociopathic *******s the Who were. It's a good thing they were one of the best live bands in history otherwise no one could stand them.

Also, the slo-mo shot of Townsend sliding on his knees as the lights explode behind him during "Won't Get Fooled Again" may be my favorite rawk moment on film.

wow, 59. that's younger than i'd imagined. he looks young compared to the likes of jimmy page, robert plant, roger daltrey, etc.

[flamesuit on]

Looks like Pete’s party guests have arrived. He’s off getting his camera…

Funny I always found their offstage demeanor to be part of their charm. I'm not sure what you mean by them being sociopaths. They were doing pretty much what rock stars did in the 70's.

yay, i was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a lame threadcrap. i think you should move your post to the thread regarding the issue which you're alluding to.

as a Who fan, that picture is so wrong... but as a human with a sense of humor, i laughed

Yep, same here.

But, I still believe in Pete, it was all a bunch of hogwash!

So, Happy Birthday Pete. Long live rock, long live The Who, be they dead or alive!

Pete Townshend is my favorite musician of all time. And I only need to listen to the opening monologue of 30 Years of Maximum R and B Box to remember that.

Who's Pete Townshend?

Yes, that one.