THE WHO

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2006 | THE PROVINCE | E-TODAY | C5

This is a happy time for me: Townshend

Q&A: Band’s guitarist and chief songwriter confident professionally and personally

In concert The Who Where: GM Place When: Tonight at 7:30 Tickets: $57, $87, $127 and $202 at Ticketmaster

BY LYNN SAXBERG

CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

The Who guitarist and chief songwriter Pete Townshend talks about old fools looking for new music; losing his longtime musical partner, Who bassist John Entwistle; the new frontier of TV themes (all three CSI shows use Townshend songs) and the special woman who’s become his favourite new artist.

Q: How do you characterize your relationship with Roger Daltrey? A: We are family. We go back all the way to early high school days.

Q: How did the death of John Entwistle (in 2002) affect you? A: Only in ways that have turned out to be good. I had to grow up quickly to decide how to go on — but I also had to accept that I had not saved his life by going out on the road with him, at Roger (Daltrey’s) request, to “save him from the tax man.” Musically I miss him, but I also find the space he has left a good place to try to fill. He was such a funny and adorable man, he is really missed by us on the road because that is where he was most natural and at ease.

Q: Why did you decide to tour this year? Why make a new album? A: The new album and the tour were tied together. I would not tour again without new music. Roger desperately wanted to tour again, and I gave working on new music a final shot. Somehow, because of the work I had done on developing the storyline for my proposed musical, The Boy who Heard Music, I found I had something that would provide the right kind of inspiration and backbone needed for an album I would be proud of. Roger came in at the last fence to sing, and has done a great job on my songs and recordings.

Q: You’ve said you didn’t want to embark on a Who tour without new material? How come? A: I no longer want to do the circus act, mikes swinging, arms swinging, fools not being fooled, young men not dying before they got old etc. I love the old music, and I’m proud of who we used to be, and part of us is still the same — but I needed new music, new ways of saying the same old, same old.

Q: Tell us a few details about the new Who album, Endless Wire. Does it rock? A: Who cares? It’s good music. Some of it rocks. But some of it rocks the rocking chair. I really hope you like it, I’m proud of its compass, which is pretty wide.

Q: I understand it contains a mini-opera called Wire & Glass. What is inspiring your songwriting these days? A: The same old, same old. I’m in the same old groove I think. I feel the need to use what I do to expiate the frustration and pain felt by people of my generation (and their children) caused by the denial set up by the trauma of the last two world wars. So the now-familiar Who story (and the one I am known for as a solo artist) is shifted one generation forward: A story about three kids from different religious background, who have gifts, share secrets, form a band, study the Greats, get famous, rich, decadent, have visions, go crazy and end up in a sanatorium. On the way they learn and preach a wonderful message: the audience matters the most.

Q: How have things changed for you and the Who since CSI began? A: People from the Ukraine know our music. People elsewhere, who are under 40, and hear our music for the first time, think we spent the first part of our career writing music for TV shows.

Q: How do you respond to people who say it’s not an accurate representation of the Who because there are only two original members? A: “Representation?” You have to see it to understand. If you feel you need to see what looks like dead people standing on stage — go watch another band, you have several excellent options this fall.

Q: Are there any young guitarists out there today who thrill you? Who do you listen to in the car? A: I like a lot of new guitar players. It’s hard to listen to guitar players who are better than me and I can hear them free at almost any decent music store. In my car I listen to Yo-Yo Ma (especially with Edgar Meyer), Wilco, Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, Martha Wainwright, Sean Lennon, Sigur Ros, Buddy Guy. I listen to a lot of jazz and orchestral music, too. The usual classic stuff. For new jazz I go to BBC Radio 3 in the U.K. For new orchestral writing the same station. There are late-night shows now that play the most incredibly innovative music. My favourite artist of the moment is probably my partner Rachel Fuller. I’ve been recording her at home using very old fashioned studio techniques. As well as her own songs, she’s been doing a bunch of covers of Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Eels, Nick Drake — a varied bunch. Because she can read music on the fly she can download charts and just sit and play and sing them on the spot. It astounds me. She does it in a single take, perfectly. When she comes in and says I’ve made her sound good, I tell her I just pushed up the faders.

I also like listening to my own work in progress, this is a fairly new thing for me. With Rachel as my final editor I can now feel safe to score for orchestras, knowing she will correct any glaring mistakes (like using the wrong clef for the cello, which I do consistently).

My musical life, my life with music, my life as a composer, and my biggest allies in music (Rachel and Roger) make me feel safe, inspired and grateful. This is a happy time for me.

— Ottawa Citizen

[Photo caption] ORIGINAL WHO: The Who’s classic lineup of (from left) Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. AP FILE PHOTO

The Who's Pete Townshend says new album is ‘good music.’ – AP FILE PHOTO