One of the all-time great guitarists, Johnny Marr, had high praise for The Who‘s Pete Townshend and an “inventive” second name.
Marr made a name for himself with The Smiths and has toured as a solo musician for years after the band’s break-up. The This Charming Man riff-maker would heap praise onto Townshend, calling him “the best of the ’60s guitar players by miles.” His praise for The Who guitarist saw him mention songs like Substitute, I’m Free, and Pinball Wizard as a chance to hear Townshend at his very best. But it wasn’t just songs from The Who’s base catalogue which delighted Marr, with the Easy Money songwriter suggesting it was the deep cuts and demo sessions for Tommy and Quadrophenia that made him a bigger fan. Marr would also share the name of another guitarist who had a heavy influence on him, though not as strong a pull as Townshend did.
He said: “He’s [Townshend] the best of the ’60s guitar players by miles. Definitely my favourite. George Harrison was inventive, but I love the wildness in Townshend. His solos are brilliant – I Can See For Miles and Slip Kid – and he was always making progress.
“You can hear him developing his playing. I love that fluid lead playing he was doing in the ’80s, like on Eminence Front. Then there’s his acoustic playing. Listen to the 12-string on Substitute, I’m Free is a great acoustic guitar track. And what he did on Pinball Wizard invented a whole thing. On the demos, too, you hear the incredible acoustic guitar.
“It’s neither the pretty picking nor the proficient strum. His approach to acoustic is fierce and dynamic – completely individual, and you can hear that on Tommy and the Quadrophenia demos.”
Marr would go a little further too, saying it isn’t just Townshend’s abilities on guitar that impress him. His appearance, too, is crucial for The Smiths member, who suggested The Who guitarist is always looking busy in photographs.
Marr explained: “One of the things I like about Pete Townshend is that he always seems very busy. When you used to see pictures of him, he always seemed like he was busy in the studio plugging things in; he was busy as a guitar player and he’s busy as a performer.
“I always found that inspiring. You didn’t get the impression that their music came together from them hanging out for four or five hours waiting for something to happen. Glimpsing them on telly in the in the ’70s, we were aware they were royalty, but they always looked quite bedraggled. You don’t get the same sense of violence from The Beatles or The Rolling Stones.”
Townshend became notorious for smashing his guitar, be it on stage or when performing with John Entwistle when he was just thirteen years old.
