In a new interview with Spain’s RockFM, THE WHO guitarist Pete Townshend spoke about his love for the creative process, particularly as it relates to being in the recording studio. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”Most musicians are not like me. Most musicians do two things that I don’t really do or don’t enjoy doing. One is they love performing. I don’t love performing. I don’t like being on a stage. I don’t mind being on a stage. I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t fill my soul in the way that you see some performers, [where] just their soul is filled through being on the stage. That’s not me. The other thing is they love to collaborate with other musicians. You imagine, for example, in a flamenco group, without the guitar, without the dancing, without the hand claps, the miracles, the accidents that happen when that is going on, you wouldn’t have and the dancing that are surrounds it in the way that we do in the classic Spanish tradition. On the other hand, you do have musicians, Paco De Lucía, for example, who will pick up the guitar and play it. And I’m quite comfortable listening to them play that on their own because he’s a genius. But I think that, for me, collaboration is something that I find very difficult.”
He continued: “If I was in a studio, like with a really, really great musician, or with a group of really great musicians, I think I would find it very hard. I often do find it very hard. I find it difficult to collaborate. I find it very difficult looking in the eyes of another musician. I find myself looking to my own energy to express myself. So I’m very different to most musicians in that respect. On the other hand, of course, I really, really admire the process of collaboration. I admire the process of dance and music. [THE WHO‘s classic album] ‘Quadrophenia’ is currently being turned into a ballet. We had our first rehearsal on Monday. It’s gonna be fantastic. But I think one of the things about that is that that kind of degree of collaboration is an exploration of the human body, of dancing. With music, I find myself wanting to stay in my box for a while. I’ve always made demos in my studio of songs that I want other people to record.”
Asked which musician, dead or alive, he would like to collaborate with, if he could, Pete said: ”After what I just said about collaboration, it’s not what I would want to do. I’m playing with Roger [Daltrey, THE WHO singer] next week at the [Teenage Cancer Trust] shows at the Royal Albert Hall, and I think that’s gonna be enough for me for this month… I mean, I loved working with David Gilmour on my ‘White City’ album and we co-wrote together some songs, but that was an uneasy collaboration. I actually made it clear I’m not a natural collaborator. And I really enjoyed working with Eric Clapton back in 1973 when we did the ‘Rainbow Concert’ together.”
He added: “I think it’s interesting ’cause so many musicians, so many new musicians that I really respect want to work with me [laughs], and I wish I was more open to it. I could have fun with some of the greatest musicians in the world.”
One of the most recognizable figures in the pantheon of popular music, Townshend has spent more than 50 years at the helm of rock legends THE WHO, primarily as guitarist and principal songwriter. The British band, who rose to fame alongside THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES and THE KINKS in the early 1960s, has sold more than 100 million albums, including the rock operas “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia” and scored 25 U.K. hit singles, among them enduring standards such as “Pinball Wizard”, “My Generation” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. Townshend has also written scripts for stage and screen, novels, short stories and a best-selling autobiography.
Townshend‘s contribution to both THE WHO and the broader music industry has been both strong and far-reaching. His pioneering contribution to conceptual narratives in rock and his innovative usage of technology for amplifying sound have left indelible marks in the music industry. His innovative style and substance continue to inspire musicians even today.
Source: blabbermouth.net
