The Who guitarist Pete Townshend once described rock and roll as “toothless” and that the acclaim meant very little.
Speaking to Playboy Magazine a few years after The Who disbanded for the first time, Townshend confirmed the “rock and roll” lifestyle was not as exciting as it was portrayed. Townshend would even describe acts like Nirvana and Bon Jovi as “toothless” acts, suggesting that they were lacking in effectiveness despite the money they made. His quotes came at a time when Townshend had adapted The Who’s Tommy to Broadway. Speaking to David Sheff, Townshend considered the reason Tommy had worked for the general public is that rock and roll music is a toothless listening experience. Audiences were willing to accept Tommy in a new form because it could be adapted to “mainstream culture”.
He said: “And now, as Tommy has shown, the audience for rock and roll is everyone, the mainstream culture, which Mr. Rust may not like. But the mainstream is ready to receive rock and roll with open arms precisely because it is toothless.
“All rock and roll is toothless. It’s a toothless form. Nirvana, Guns n’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Public Enemy–however big, strong and powerful they are, and no matter the megabucks they get, they’re still toothless.
“It’s not that they don’t have the rock-and-roll dream. I hope it’s not a dream frozen in the mid-Seventies. But I have to move on, which is where Broadway and storytelling in music come in. For others, maybe there is some music with teeth, but I haven’t heard it. They are all pretending. The bands out there don’t scare me, and they don’t scare anybody else.”
Townshend would go on to say his time in The Who was initially hindered by both John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey. He said: “Under the so-called democracy of The Who I felt very fettered by Roger, but at the same time it was wonderful to share the weight of a concert with him. I was somewhat held back by John Entwistle’s tendency to play too loud, but equally, I miss his backstage wit and the fact that we have been friends since we were 11 years old. So it’s mixed.”
Townshend would garner a reputation for smashing guitars during his time with The Who, something he says is an “embarrassing” part of his performance. 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. An appearance on the David Letterman talk show would be one such moment.
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