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Pete Townshend's John Peel lecture - full text


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"I don't give a shit about making money. I think rock music is junk. I am a genius. The Who were OK but without me they would have all ended up working in the flower market, or worse - in Led Zeppelin."

 

I love Pete Townshend. That lecture is actually really good, thanks for posting it.

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Did you read it, its pretty clear.

 

Some of it. Seeemd like a bunch of pseudo-coherent back patting followed by some old fashioned crap about how great record companies are. And a little too much talk about balls.

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Some of it. Seeemd like a bunch of pseudo-coherent back patting followed by some old fashioned crap about how great record companies are. And a little too much talk about balls.

 

im not sure he was saying record companies were great, just that there is an opportunity for apple to fill a void that the labels used to fill as far as nurturing acts.

 

As for back patting, thats Pete, for better or worse. I think he was very coherent, and funny.

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Pete can sometimes come across as such an pretentious ass. There is a video they play at the rock and roll hall of fame of various interviews and Pete is on there. He is talking about all the rock star deaths and says something along the lines of "I know these are your idols and hero's but they were my friends!" Just the way he says it sounds so annoying to me. But I like Pete.

 

I'll take Zeppelin over the who pretty much any day of the week.

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I think he was being sincere as in - those people are posters on the wall to you, but I knew them.

 

For me, it's always been The Who. I like Led Zeppelin, but they are up there in the clouds somewhere - The Who were street level.

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Yeah, I found Townsend's "they may be your fucking icons, but they're my fucking friends" quote pretty moving, liked the speech a lot as well. The answer to Who vs. Zeppelin is "listen to both of them" by the way.

 

--Mike

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I love the Zeppelin comment. To me, The Who are all about Pete.

Hmmm... The more I listen them, the more I hear everything that's going on. Especially the drumming. Definitely more driven by Pete's songwriting and presence than Zep is by Page, but the Who is still a complete band rather than Pete and 3 others.

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For me, it's always been The Who. I like Led Zeppelin, but they are up there in the clouds somewhere - The Who were street level.

 

Me too. The Who were my first love, R.E.M. my second but they are equals in my eyes.

 

I like Led Zeppelin too but there is something that for me is repulsive about them. I think it's when Plant sings (screeches) in that high register. I just can't stand it. When they go acoustic, Thats The Way, Hey Hey What Can I Do?, Going to Cali etc, I like them, but Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, just hate it.

 

Pete was once quoted and referred to Zep as that "Gross disgusting object that is Led Zeppelin." When I saw that quote in the Peel thing, it just cracked me up that he was still taking shots and telling the truth. Entwhistle probably would've preferred being in Zep.

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I think he was being sincere as in - those people are posters on the wall to you, but I knew them.

 

 

I'm sure he was being sincere. Just seemed a little condescending or something. Like you can't feel grief about someones death if you didn't know them. I don't know, can't really explain what bothered me about it. Either way, I love Pete. He has guts. He was the only guy that refused to wear the outfit for the Rockestra theme, when McCartney called him a "poof".

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I'm sure he was being sincere. Just seemed a little condescending or something. Like you can't feel grief about someones death if you didn't know them. I don't know, can't really explain what bothered me about it. Either way, I love Pete. He has guts. He was the only guy that refused to wear the outfit for the Rockestra theme, when McCartney called him a "poof".

 

I think he was pretty tanked during the filming of that number.

 

Led Zeppelin were suppose to play that show - but only Robert, John, and John Paul were there.

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Me too. The Who were my first love, R.E.M. my second but they are equals in my eyes.

 

I like Led Zeppelin too but there is something that for me is repulsive about them. I think it's when Plant sings (screeches) in that high register. I just can't stand it. When they go acoustic, Thats The Way, Hey Hey What Can I Do?, Going to Cali etc, I like them, but Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, just hate it.

 

Pete was once quoted and referred to Zep as that "Gross disgusting object that is Led Zeppelin." When I saw that quote in the Peel thing, it just cracked me up that he was still taking shots and telling the truth. Entwhistle probably would've preferred being in Zep.

 

 

 

Of course, you know the story about John, Keith, and the name Led Zeppelin.

 

It's the devil's music. I still prefer LZ III over all the other albums.

 

Oh - I love the band, it's just they are larger than life and on a whole other trip from The Who.

 

I think the Stones often dismissed them also. Which is odd - as Jimmy has played on some Stones tracks over the years.

 

I have to say - Robert had great hair in those days. I have hair envy.

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I think he was pretty tanked during the filming of that number.

 

Led Zeppelin were suppose to play that show - but only Robert, John, and John Paul were there.

I was going to mention that, he was shit drunk, those were some dark days for pete, glad he got through.

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but Immigrant Song...just hate it.

 

 

I used to be sort of anti-Immigrant Song until I heard the version on the Zeppelin DVD. That version is absolutely monstrous, and now I love that song. I'm not trying to sway your opinion, just throwing that out there.

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I love the Zeppelin comment. To me, The Who are all about Pete.

 

In one sense I agree with this, but I feel that the Who, more than any other band that has ever existed (possible exception being the Beatles), is a band in which every member has a very clear identity and easily identifiable sound, all of which is essential to the whole. Pete was the mastermind of their best work, but there's no way the Who could have existed without Roger, Keith and John.

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