Veteran guitarist Pete Townshend has said he “feels bad” about smashing so many guitars.
The Who member would share as much in an interview with Playboy, where the man behind the riffs of My Generation suggested his famed act of breaking instruments actually feels a bit ridiculous. Not only was it something Townshend was “embarrassed” by, but he actually gets annoyed when asked to do it on command. What was once a show of emotion on stage is now reduced to a party trick expected of the legendary musician, who has been with The Who since its founding in 1964. Speaking to David Sheff about the guitar smashing frequently found in his career, Townshend suggested he was hoping to be finished with the instrumental damage.
He also suggested he now “feels bad” about breaking the guitars as he thinks it’s better that they can be auctioned off for charity when in one piece. Townshend said: “Yeah. I smashed the one on the Letterman show even though I didn’t really want to. They asked me to do it and I told them I would if they sold the guitar for charity.
“They gave me a fabulous guitar–a Gibson J-200 blond, an Elvis Presley-type guitar. I do [feel guilty] at my age. I didn’t when I was 25 and out of my brain. But that’s why it had to be auctioned for charity. And believe it or not, it’s worth more broken than it is in one piece.”
Townshend would also note the guitar smashing was an “embarrassing” feature of shows with The Who. There were valid reasons to smash the guitars though, with Townshend suggesting tech issues would be an issue that left him wanting “to smash” some guitars due, but it was ultimately an embarrassing decision to break the instruments on stage. He said: “Well you have to remember I’m not angry all the time.
“Even now I occasionally get frustrated on the stage with guitars and want to smash them. I tend not to do it, but the opportunity’s always there. I smashed a guitar on the Psycho Derelict tour and it was great fun.”
“It’s also embarrassing, is what it is. It’s like comedians’ being forced to use their catchphrase after they’ve become serious actors.” Townshend would also confirm he is sometimes asked to smash the guitars, rather than letting it be a natural part of the performance.
Even performing is a painful experience for Townshend, who says he plays so hard he ends up with torn fingernails and bloodied hands. He said: “The string gets under the fingernails and rips it off. It’s part of the job. I am playing sometimes and I go does a windmill, ‘Wang, wang, wang, blood’ and then I think, ‘This is it. I’ve arrived.’
“It is the place where I should be, like a boxer in the middle of a fight. It’s difficult to hold the pick because it gets slippery. But that doesn’t matter. It actually energises me.”
