The Who’s Pete Townshend sat down with NME for a new interview. He talked about The Who’s history and said music was never just about money for him. Although it was never about money, the band knew all along that they were not getting paid because their money was ‘stolen.’ He explained:
“The Who never made any money from f*cking records anyway. Our managers were criminals. I’d never seen a Who royalty statement prior to our first audit, which we did while we were making [sixth album] Quadrophenia. It emerged that [manager] Kit Lambert had stolen all of my Italian publishing royalties to buy himself a palace in Venice.”
The Who’s Good Memories
Besides dealing with managers taking advantage of The Who, Townshend remembered some nice moments. He recalled meeting Jimi Hendrix shortly before he passed away:
“He was happy – he was really nice to me, and he hadn’t always been in the past. I said, ‘How you doing?’ and he said, ‘Pete, I’m broke.’ He was huge, and he was broke. [But] we didn’t give a f*ck about the money.”
Is Another Album Coming?
Townshend was also asked about the possibility of another Who album. While he didn’t think it would happen, he did mention an idea he had to persuade bandmate Roger Daltrey, who has said he’s done with studio work. He explained:
“If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I f*cking could – it’s a piece of cake. For me it would be a joy because I love writing songs, I love writing to a brief, I love having a commission, I love having a deadline and I love the feedback.”
Townshend is currently working on the dance version of the 1973 album ‘Quadrophenia.’ He is also scheduled to tour the UK in the summer of 2025.