"Oh, my God. I killed a hero." That was singer Gary Glitter's first thought when he turned to see blood splattering in every direction and Roger Daltry passed out cold on the floor.

No one could ever accuse Glitter of being reserved, whether referring to his glam rock persona, spirited dialogue, or animated moves. When he recklessly swung the base of his microphone behind him, Glitter had no clue that the frontman for The Who had moved within striking range.

The incident happened during the rehearsal of "Quadrophenia" for the Prince's Trust charity concert at Wembley Stadium in England, a show The Who and Glitter will reprise at Continental Airlines Arena on Tuesday. Within seconds, road crews for Eric Clapton and Alanis Morissette came running with buckets of ice.

"It sounded like a Mike Tyson punch. No, who's that new guy? I was trembling. Pete Townshend took me in his arms and tried to comfort me. Roger's eye looked like something straight out of Greek mythology, you know like Cyclops," explained the performer, who released the Chicago Bulls’ and New York Knicks’ favorite game anthem, "Rock & Roll Part 2," back in 1972.

"Eventually Roger came around, but all I kept thinking was, 'I'm going to be known in rock history as the guy that knocked out Daltry’s eye.' One thing about The Who is their wonderful sense of humor. Roger called me, using that great cockney accent of his and said, ‘It could’ve been worse. I could have swallowed that quiff in your hair and then I would never have been able to sing again.’ "

To fully appreciate Daltry’s remark, it should be noted that Glitter, long thought to be a toupee wearer, was officially exposed by a former teenage lover to London's News of the World in 1993.

Thanks to a stylish eyepatch, the show went on without hitch. A few days later, Glitter was back to lounging on his yacht when the phone rang. It was pretty much a replay of the first time Townshend dialed his number and asked if Glitter would agree to play the Godfather for The Who’s mounting of "Quadrophenia" at Wembley Stadium in what was supposed to be a one-shot, one-afternoon affair.

This time the horizons were somewhat distant. "How would you like to do ‘Quadrophenia’ at Madison Square Garden?" Townshend inquired. For one split second, Glitter was speechless. Recovering, he laughed, "Quick, get me a life jacket. In case I fall overboard. I felt the tidal waves shaking."

"Townshend explained when he first called me that back in the 1960s, there were See Glitter, Page C2