Saturday, July 3rd, 1965
Melody Maker interviews Pete under the headline "Well, What Is Pop Art?" Pete declares The Who's next single, "My Generation" will be "anti-middle-age, anti boss-class and anti-young-marrieds."
Transcript:
WELL, WHAT IS POP ART?
What is pop art? For weeks the hit-parading London group The Who have been at the centre of a big storm.
Some say it is a lot of bunk. Others defend pop art as the most exciting musical development since the electrical guitar boom started.
Who guitarist Pete Townshend defined pop art for the MM this week.
“It is re-representing something the public is familiar with, in a different form. Like clothes. Union Jacks are supposed to be flown, we have a jacket made of one. Keith Moon, our drummer, has a jersey with the RAF insignia on it. I have a white jacket, covered in medals.
“We stand for pop art clothes, pop art music and pop art behaviour. This is what everybody seems to forget — we don’t change offstage. We live pop art.”
Trowel-nosed Townshend, aged 20, was sitting in a high-class restaurant wearing a loud check jacket.
The Who are ridiculed for smashing pounds worth of equipment. Why do they do it? Pop art?
Pete, the culprit wrecker, answered:
“I bang my guitar on my speaker because of the visual effect. It is very artistic. And it gets a tremendous sound.
“What annoys me is the person who comes up after a show and says, ‘Why didn’t you smash your guitar tonight?’
“It’s split right down the middle of the neck, but the audience don’t realise.
“If guitars exploded and went up in a puff of smoke, I’d be happy. The visual effect would be complete.
“Roger Daltrey, our singer, smashes his microphone on Keith’s cymbal. He does this every night, because it’s a sound. I use feedback every night.
“That’s a sound. But, if the audience isn’t right I don’t smash guitars. They wouldn’t appreciate the visual effect.”
What is pop art about their music?
“Well, our next single (My Generation) is really pop art. I wrote it with that intention. Not only is the number pop art, the lyrics are young and rebellious. It’s anti middle-age, anti boss-class and anti young marrieds!
“The big social revolution that has taken place in the last five years is that youth, and not age, has become important. I’m important now, but I won’t be when I’m over 21.
“We play,” continued Townshend, “pop art with standard group equipment. I get jet plane sounds, Morse code signals. Mind you, near pop art discs have been produced before: The Shangri-Las, with seagulls and motorbikes, and Twinkle’s Terry.
“Hey! We should have done Trains And Boats And Planes!”
Nick Jones