Pete Townshend has discussed his time working with Roger Daltrey, and said that the two of them “don’t communicate very well” and “have different needs as performers”.
The comments come as the two of them have joined forces once again and hit the road in the US for their ‘The Song Is Over Tour’ – which is set to be The Who’s final run of tour dates.
In total, the rock veterans have 16 shows lined-up in the itinerary, and the name of the tour comes as a nod to their song of the same name, released back in 1971.
They have already said that while this run marks the final official tour dates from the band, they will still be coming together in the future for the occasional charity show or one-off event.
Now, guitarist Pete Townshend has shed more light on the dynamic between him and frontman Roger Daltrey, and said that while they are still content working together, they are on two different pages.
Looking at the dynamic of the band now, following the death of drummer Keith Moon in 1978 and bass guitarist John Entwistle in 2002, Townshend told AARP: “It’s a brand rather than a band. Roger and I have a duty to the music and the history.
“The Who [still] sells records — the Moon and Entwistle families have become millionaires. There’s also something more, really: the art, the creative work is when we perform it. We’re celebrating. We’re a Who tribute band.”
Discussing his working relationship with Daltrey, he added: “We don’t communicate very well. He and I are very different and we have different needs as performers.”
He also made reference to how he previously opened up about the strain of being on the road for extensive tours and said that playing live “doesn’t fill my soul” – comments which would prompt a response from Daltrey, who said: “If Pete doesn’t want to tour, I don’t want to be back with The Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn’t want [to] be there.”
“He got upset because he felt I had sometimes given the impression of having left the building,” he said, explaining his stance and making reference to the frontman’s battle with hearing loss. “Roger complained about the fact that he is deaf. He’s a singer, and he has to be 100 percent fit in order to do his job.”
Daltrey has opened up about his health again since sharing details of his hearing loss. At his shows at Royal Albert Hall over the Spring, held for the Teenage Cancer Trust, he spoke briefly of vision impairments, saying: “The problem with this job is that you go deaf… And now I’ve been told that I am going blind.”
He then spoke about his health issues putting a dampener on hopes of a return after the 2025 US dates, saying that he was “nervous” about making it to the end of the current tour, as he has “the potential to get really ill”.
Explaining why they still come together to play live, Townshend told AARP, “Together we represent all aspects of the Who legacy. I’m the songwriter and creator, but Roger’s been the driving force, meaning keeping The Who band and his brand on track. Even with his solo work, we’ll continue to work together, even if we rarely socialize.”
After the band complete their US tour dates, it is looking likely that Townshend will turn his sights to his solo album, ‘The Age Of Anxiety’. The album is something he has been working on since 2007, and is based on a novel he wrote of the same title (which got published in 2019).
He also opened up about his outlook on guitar, and admitted that he doesn’t “have a relationship” with the instrument to the extent that some might think.
Before then, Townshend spoke to NME in 2024 about the possibility of more new music from The Who, following on from 2019’s ‘Who’.
“I don’t think there is. If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could, it’s a piece of cake,” he said. “The problem is, I don’t think Roger wants to do it again.”
