1965 – I Can’t Explain falls to #18 in the Melody Maker Pop 50 while The Who thank those who made it a hit
1965 – Pop Weekly features The Who as one of its “Chart Challengers” while “I Can’t Explain” stays at #16 in their “Top Thirty”
1965 – The Who play the College of Art and Technology in Leicester. At the show a film student named Richard Stanley projects films onto The Who as they perform. Pete strikes up a friendship with the young man and will go on to collaborate on several films with Stanley.
1966 – The Who make their only appearance at one of the New Musical Express Poll Winners concerts at the Empire Pool in Wembley. They played two songs, “Substitute” and “My Generation.” The incredible line up for this concert also includes The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Spencer Davis Group, Dusty Springfield, Herman’s Hermits, Cliff Richard, Sounds Incorporated, The Alan Price Set, Crispian St. Peters, The Overlanders, The Seekers, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Shadows, The Walker Brothers, Roy Orbison and, in their last concert appearance in the U.K., The Beatles. According to Alan Smith in New Musical Express‘ review, there was one band that stood out among these great talents: “I don’t know that it was music; it was more like watching violence put to rhythm. But unquestionably, [The Who] stood out as the most remarkable appearance of the second half and I say this even though the Rolling Stones and The Beatles were to follow.” The show is videotaped and broadcast on ITV on the 8th and 15th. Rumors still circulate that a copy of this show exists but it has never gone public since its initial broadcast.
1967 – The May issue of Beat Instrumental features “Sounds I Like By Britain’s Top Drummers”
1967 – During this week the U.S. Army radio program The In Sound broadcasts a short interview with Pete. The program is later mentioned in a “commercial” on The Who Sell Out.
1968 –
THE WHO: SOME REVEALING ANSWERS FROM PETE TOWNSHEND
BY MIKIE ANDREW, 15, Lakeside H.S., Ft. Wayne, Ind.
I’d like to tell you all about interviewing Peter Townshend, lead guitarist of the “Who”. When I heard that they were to appear at “The Swingin’ Gate”, Ft. Wayne, I grabbed up my trusty ole presscard and trudged downtown to make arrangements with the “Gate’s” manager.
The night of the concert, I arrived about an hour early and decided to wait backstage. As I waited, I spoke with a policeman and we single-handedly fought off hordes of door-storming fans and group imposters. Finally, a Greyhound bus pulled up and what I thought was the entire “Who” group were shown up to their dressing room. I decided to wait a while so they could get settled before going up, and busied myself by bringing in a few pieces of their equipment. I was about ready to go up, when there was a knock at the door. I just figured it was another fan, but eventually answered it anyway. Imagine my shock when I discovered I had locked Peter out!
When I finally got to the dressing room, Roger was sitting in a corner, John and Keith were playing ping-pong, and Peter was sitting on a stereo.
We exchanged greetings and Peter grinned, apparently thinking of being locked out. I asked the first question then nearly fell over dead when my pen wouldn’t write. After a minute of frantic scribbling it complied and the interview went like this:
Q: What’s the best thing that could happen to you? A: To be able to concentrate on catching up on the holidays. That’s what we’re going to do after the show.
Q: Is there anything unusual about your recording sessions? A: We don’t concentrate as much as on live performances. We try to put out a good record at a session, but we don’t enjoy it as much.
Q: Some of your songs don’t have a commercial sound. Does it take longer to create a commercial sound for a single release? A: No, we just work with stuff until it’s commercial enough. “I Can See For Miles”, was recorded a year before it was released.
Q: Do you believe in flying saucers? A: Yes! Definitely! I’ve seen them.
Q: Are any of you doing anything in the literary world? A: No, but I write most of the songs.
Q: Have you made much use of studio bands? A: No. No studio bands, orchestras or backup groups.
Q: Can you recall the first music that really impressed you? A: Rhythm and Blues mainly.
Q: Are American young people more conservative than the British, or is it the other way around? A: I find the Americans to be more conservative.
Q: Do you believe in re-incarnation? A: Yes! It’s so much more than just dying and waking up as someone or something else. It’s an entire cycle and it may take thousands of years before a person perceives having this awareness; rapport joining every being. Everyone is composed of molecules and sooner or later their structures will join and become someone or something entirely different. I can look at you, at him, at myself and know that sometime, possibly thousands of years from now, we may all be one thing. It’s so much more complex than just dropping off and returning in another form.
Q: How did the end of your act come about? A: It really began as an accident, then, as the audience began to expect it, it became a part of the act. Sometimes it doesn’t go over too well, like when they think my guitar is a dummy. (Never is.) It all depends on how the audience takes it.
Pete Townshend, lead guitarist, in action.
1968 – The Daily Express features a story titled “Revealed today — The Who family secrets” by Judith Simons
transcript (not reviewed)
TWO GIRLS BEHIND ROMANCES ON THE POP SCENE
Revealed today—The Who family secrets
By JUDITH SIMONS
HERE, pictured for the first time, is the secret family of Keith Moon. The Who pop group drummer.
With 21-year-old Keith is his wife, 19-year-old blonde model Kim Kerrigan, their 21-month-old daughter Mandy, and the family pet, an orphaned fox cub they call Reynard.
Until now Keith has not even admitted to being married.
The secret came out with another The Who secret. Pete Townshend, 23-year-old group leader, said yesterday he is to marry Karen Astley, 20-year-old dress designer, before the group goes off on an American tour at the end of next month.
Until now, Pete has kept quiet about his five-year romance with Karen. And there has been no engagement announcement.
Attacked
Mandy may be one of the bridesmaids at the wedding.
Keith said: “I met Kim at a dance in Bournemouth three years ago.
“We kept our marriage secret because, in the early days, a jealous fan attacked Kim with a club.
“But I think fans today are mature enough to know that pop people lead normal family lives.”
Pete and Karen met when they were students at Ealing Art College.
“I never actually proposed to Karen,” he said. “But we intend to marry before the group goes on tour.”
Pete’s father is Cliff Townshend of the Squadronnaires band. Karen’s father, composer Edwin Astley, wrote the theme music for “Danger Man,” “Gideon’s Way,” and “The Saint.”
PICTURE BY EXPRESS PHOTOGRAPHER LESLIE LEE Family group—Keith, Kim, Mandy and, of course, Reynard
1969 – The Who play Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho, London. Chris Welch of Melody Maker later said the sound was so loud, his ears rang for 20 hours afterwards. Disc magazine headlines the performance: “Who’s Tommy: A Masterpiece”.
1970 – The Who play the Great Hall at the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devonshire. Mighty Baby opened.
1974 – The Who spend two days of rehearsals at Shepperton Studios for their upcoming film appearances.
1981 – The second single from The Who’s Face Dances album is released in Europe. “Don’t Let Go The Coat” backed with “You” peaks at #47 on the British charts
1984 – The press reports that Pete has purchased an eel barge for conversion into a floating studio. Most of White City, The Iron Man and Psychoderelict will be recorded on board.
I’m not finding any press clippings about this. In fact, the only press about Pete and a barge are about his “grand cru” studio, which I BELIEVE was the studio used for those recordings – and it was purchased in the 1970s. and the “Tortus”, a luxury barge Pete apparently owned that was not a studio
1995 – Filming was reportedly going to begins on the movie Bad English 1: Tales Of A Son Of A Brit in London and Baltimore with Roger, Olivia Hussey and Dennis Christopher.
imdm.com says the film is a “Coming-of-age fable about a rebellious American teen who gets himself in and out of trouble with a fake English accent and almost gets duped by rogue family members into participating in a London heist.”
Future news report indicates filming was to begin in June – but there is little to no evidence this was ever released
1997 – The Who play the Stadhalle in Vienna, Austria
2000 – The world premiere of the football biopic Best at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. Roger co-stars as rowdy footballer Rodney Marsh and sings “House of the Rising Sun”.
2002 – Gary Wharton puts out the book Chasing the Wind: A Quadrophenia Anthology, a guide to the film, the cast and the production of the 1979 cult classic.
2004 – Sydow Karl’s picture book Bass Culture: The John Entwistle Collection is published by Sanctuary in the U.K
2006 – Justin Kreuzman’s documentary John Entwistle: An Ox’s Tale is released on DVD in Japan and the U.K. The U.S. DVD release follows on August 22
2006 – Olle Lundin and Kjell Malmberg publish their follow-up to The Who in Sweden, The Who in Denmark & Norway & Finland.
2007 – Tom Wright’s memoir Roadwork: Rock & Roll Turned Inside Out is published giving many details on his involvement with Pete and The Who.
2009 – Ed Roman releases his CD My Roman Empire ROCKS! featuring a cover of “I Can See for Miles”.
2011 – Pete Townshend makes #47 in The Sunday Times Fifty Richest British People in music. They estimate his personal wealth at £40m
2016 – The Who play the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020 – Pete appears on BBC4’s “The Shadows at 60” telling Bruce Welch how much he was influenced by his rhythm playing.
2025 – Roger plays The Glasshouse in Gateshead