"Last night a young woman with her mother—who looked like a very sexy young creature to this old bugger—held up a sign asking me for something quite intimate," he said. "The mother indicated she had approved the request."

Flattered as he was, he remembered how certain kinds of socializing with women had derailed U.S. careers for British Invasion bands in the 1960s. "So I watch carefully to see who is the one I should smile at the most. I am happiest when—also last night—a half-drunk guy started heckling me for playing 'You Better You Bet,' which he thought was cheesy. We were screaming at each other angrily, then both started to laugh. The man thing I can understand—must be my Irish blood."

With the new album and new tour, Townshend has found that his often less-than-friendly relationship with singer Roger Daltrey, The Who's only other original member, "just gets better. We've always respected and loved each other, but have often said we don't care that we don't actually always like each other. That is changing now; we do like each other. Maybe this happens because of an increased dependence, but more because we see each other very clearly now."