1965 – The Who play Palais de Dance in Peterbourough, Northamptonshire supported by The Nemkons and Beats Limited
1965 – Chris Stamp tells Record Mirror the new single (“My Generation”) will be out 24 September. This is in an article in which Stamp says fans will now be able to buy shares in The Who.
1966 – The Who play he Pier Ballroom in Hastings, Sussex. The Kingpins were the opening band
1967 – The Who play the Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
1971 – The Who were reportedly going to play a festival in St. Paul, Minnesota, but it’s likely the festival was cancelled or didn’t occur
1971 – Pete is interviewed in the New Musical Express and tells what it feels like to be the ripe old age of 26. He also gives a song-by-song analysis of Who’s Next
1971 – Billboard magazine reports that “Won’t Get Fooled Again” reached #9 in the British charts and was still climbing the Top 100 chart at #30
1972 – The Who play KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark
1974 – Principal photography for Tommy is completed with sequences shot on Hayling Island and Southsea Beach near the Lifeboat Café. Final cost for the movie: $3.5 million
2000 – The Who play the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. After the show, Pete writes an online diary about the terrible food he was served backstage
2000 – A letter from Roger concerning the football team Arsenal appears in the Evening Standard.
2000 – Ron & The Splinters release the mini-album Go Ron Go featuring a cover of the rare Pete song “Things Have Changed.” You can listen to it on YouTube here
You can listen to Pete’s version from Scoop here
2001 – Out Of Phase releases the CD Who’s Next 2002 with their own versions of the Who’s Next album.
2007 – The SXSW Live 2007 DVD is released featuring Pete and Rachel performing “Sunrise”
2010 – The Billy Joel concert movie The Last Play at Shea premieres at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. It features a guest appearance by Roger on “My Generation”
2012 – Pete writes a long blog on a variety of subjects. His big announcement is that he has finalized the release version of his memoirs: “I hope to tell some of the more dodgy stories that my publisher’s legal department have removed from the book. One thousand pages cut to five-hundred. There are a lot of dodgy stories left over.”
You can read it here: https://www.thewho.com/petes-blog/summertime/
Transcription (in case it ever goes offline):
21 AUG 2012
SUMMERTIME
This seems like a good time to catch up here. Last August the Quadrophenia Director’s Cut was done and dusted. I decided then to sign the contract with Harper Collins for my memoirs, picking up a project I put down first in 1998, then again in 2005. I thought I would have an easy ride. I’d already gathered all my archives. That had made it possible to write in a new way about Quadrophenia. I could segue straight into my life story. I had the diaries and papers in front of me. I enjoy writing, I figured for my memoirs all I needed to do was swap a studio for a writing desk, and in six months, I would be finished….
In fact I completed the audiobook recording only yesterday, the 18th August 2012. The book was accepted by my publisher just two weeks ago, the day before I flew back from my studio in Rachel’s house in France, to rehearse and perform at the Olympics Closing Ceremony. It’s been a squeeze.
I’m not complaining. I’ve worked in luxury, and with good weather mainly. I wrote a good bit of it while on a family holiday in Antigua where we were first over the line in the New Years Eve sailing race. I know that is a brag, but sailing is teamwork, and all I did was write cheques and sit on deck looking deck-orative. While working on the book I’ve continued to write music. While in France for a few weeks during June and July I squeezed in seven new demos – I’ve got a lot of music now for Floss. So much music is work-in-progress that I really need to stop composing and start pulling the various elements together.
The Olympics gig nearly didn’t happen for us – Roger and I weren’t certain that two old geezers should be there singing about our generation, but I’d so glad we did it. The day itself was immense fun. Really well organised. Backstage, it felt like being a part of a great circus, with ballet dancers, mime artists, street-party trucks and literally thousands of workers. The Spice Girls were in the dressing room next door and seemed so happy to be there, looking spectacular, practicing their vocals (and really singing by the way) and sharing make up bags. I got a few tips. Liam Gallagher and his mates in Beady Eye were mooching about, as were the guys from Kaiser Chiefs (who played Pinball Wizard and were glad to hear I approved).
I saw old friends Kate Moss, Kate Hudson, Eric Idle, Mike Rutherford, Nick Mason, Roger Taylor, Brian May, Phil Palmer (from the Psycoderelict and Lifehouse Chronicles shows), Jules Bowen who used to programme for me at my studio in its heyday, Georgia Jagger (who was in a fashion parade), Annie Lennox and dozens of others. I met lots of artists for the first time. It was very cool.
I missed seeing Ray Davies and George Michael, but that might be a good thing: they’re probably fed up by now with me exalting them both to high heaven.
Roger is now completely in charge of the new video presentation for the forthcoming Who-Quadrophenia tour that begins in November in Florida. He has some really exciting ideas and we have a good team. I am not going to be much help. I’ve got two weeks of PR on my new book in October, with a lot of lead work to do prior to that time. I’m looking forward to the tour, mixing performing with PR interviews in which I hope to tell some of the more dodgy stories that my publisher’s legal department have removed from the book. One thousand pages cut to five-hundred. There are a lot of dodgy stories left over.
Around me, there are some wonderful things happening. My partner Rachel Fuller is deeply into orchestrating Quadrophenia for large orchestra and choir. The test we did on BBC Radio with Jeff Beck playing ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ was really promising. This is something I’ve wanted for years, and one of the reasons we got together fifteen years ago. Yesterday we met with Hans Zimmer who has graciously commissioned one of his inside team to work with Rachel at his London studio. So before the expensive recording sessions, we will be able to hear top-notch computer demos, and rehearse intensely with the singers we like best. This will probably premiere at some charity event in the future, then tour as part of a touring orchestra subscription programme. Symphony orchestras are keen to bring in new repertoire that will widen their audience.
The other project I am delighted about is Tommy. Des McAnuff is going to be directing a revival of our 1993 Broadway version at Canada’s Stratford Theatre where he is in his last phase as director. I’m so proud that he’s chosen Tommy as his swan song. That will open in May next year.
Between shows, and whenever I can, I will continue to develop Floss. I’m allowing myself as much time as I need to get it right.
My grandson Kester came yesterday. A little more than two-years-old he is very keen on recording studios. Some of the time he was pretending to sing into proper microphones, sometimes he was singing into the washing up brush. He’s very good at mouth organ. That, you may not know, was my first musical instrument. Pretty easy, all you have to do is breathe. I hope I retain that facility for a few more years. Life is very good.
That’s it. It’s Sunday in London, sweltering hot, off to lunch.
2012 – Roger attends a re-launch party for the newly revived Dallas in London. Star and former Keith Moon drinking buddy Larry Hagman also attends
2012 – John Basil publishes his novel Let Me Wear Your Coat about a teen Who fan in 1980