Saturday, April 30th, 1966

Record Mirror carries an interview with  The Who while Substitute sits at #11 in their "Britain's Top 50"

 

Transcript:

ROGER DECIDES TO TAKE UP MOTOR RACING WHILE PETE TELLS HOW HE CUT HIS HAIR OFF WHEN HE WAS DRUNK: NOW READ ON . . .

If the Who are still the leaders of fashion that they were a few months ago, Henry V hairstyles look like coming back — Pete Townshend version.

His first-ever tonsorial operative attempt took place during a recent trip to Paris as a result of what he describes as “a load of bloomin’ Frogs shouting about me hair.”

It seems that the French teenagers could not readily accept the length of Pete’s hair. Strange, really, when you consider that people like Brian Jones, Dave Davies and Jeff Beck always seem to manage so well out there.

“They all used to yell and point when I walked down the street. They’d go: ‘valla valla wooby wooby’.” (Pete’s vague attempt at a French insult).

“I cut it off when I was drunk one night,” he continued. “I did it with a pair of scissors and a mirror in me hotel. I thought it looked great, but when I woke up the next morning, it was all bits and hanging down everywhere. I don’t usually care about people shouting at me, but they got me down.”

Could his dissatisfaction with his hairstyle, then, be the reason for his renewed Viet Cong-like attacks on his amplifiers during the Who’s recent tour with Spencer Davis? If the Americans ever get desperate, all they need do is stick a bayonet on the end of Pete’s guitar, plus him in and aim him at Hanoi.

Pete wandered off and Roger asked me if I knew where he could borrow a car for a week for twenty quid. He declined my offer of my Volks and actually scoffed at the thought.

“Nah. I’ve got a Volvo sports job,” he pointed out. “I want something that’ll go like that. I’m sending it in for a going over for about five days. I’m having the balance done and everything. It’s going to a racing place. They’re doing a deal with me saying I’m buying one of their new cars, so I reckon I’ll do well out of it.”

Now that Dave Clark has followed Chris Barber’s excellent example and decided to have frequent zooms round race tracks, Roger has decided that the odd burn up or two wouldn’t do him any harm.

“I’m going down to Brands Hatch. You can drive round there for about a tenner,” he said. “I want to go round at about a hundred and forty. Great. When they get the car finished, I’m going down there.”

Talk of cars attracted the radar ears of Pete who swept over wearing a khaki trenchcoat and a scarf pulled over the bottom half of his face.

“It’s me disguise. Trying hard to be recognized here, that’s Pete Townshend from the ‘Oo,” he mimicked. “I’m getting me new car next week, a Lincoln Continental.

“It’s got automatic everything. There’s this dial you set to a certain speed and it just stays at it. I don’t know what to do about cleaning it. These car wash places are unlucky for me, they’ve broken a window and me lights.

“I went in there the other day and all the water was squirting all over the car. I couldn’t see, but the bloke was saying: ‘Come on, come on. All of a sudden — crash. I’d hit the wall and the lights had got smashed.”

Leaving Roger to sympathise with poor Pete, I sorted out Keith who was dressed in white T-shirt, trousers and boots. He looked as though he’d been shoved in detergent until only his black hair had escaped.

“What d’ya think of the show?” he inquired. “We never rehearsed for a stage tour. We just had two minutes at Southampton, that’s all. It was great tonight. All the kids went barmy. It was one of those nights when it just happened.”

About three weeks ago Keith told me that the Who included Barbara Ann in their act, but he’d never mentioned the fact that actually sang on number .

“Oh, yeah. I do well. I call it singing. I don’t profess to have a four octave voice do a four-part harmony, but it’s not bad. I stand up and announce the number, then sit down again so I have to have the others with me or they’d all laugh,” he said modestly.

Actually, having heard the Who perform the number I’m not at all certain that Keith’s voice is all that bad. Their version of the fantastic Beach Boys number certainly raves away. Maybe they'll change to Sloop John B now and help that to No.1

Back in  the artists bar managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp — the Mike and Bernie Winters of the pop world — were discussing the merits of a record.

Seeing me approach, Kit cried "Oh look, he's wearing us out. The hairy man of the pop writiers, I'm going to write a book...Chapter One -- How I met Chris Stamp and became a [???]. Chapter two -- how I met Richard Green and became an alcoholic"

Chris just smiled his East End smile while Kit fell about laughing at his own wit. I’ll take even money that if the Who promote a tour with Kit and Chris topping the bill it'd do a bomb.  if someone doesn’t throw a brick at them.

—RICHARD GREEN

Photo caption: ROGER DALTREY — talking about cars to Richard Green (RM Pic)