In June of 1982, Pete Townshend released his solo album, All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes; in September, The Who released It's Hard, which was then followed by their first farewell tour. And while these projects are touched upon in this interview with Lisa Robinson, this is not a chat geared towards promoting either of them. Instead, Townshend talks more introspectively about his career and what rock and roll has meant to him. Recorded at a transitional time in his career, there are great psychological insights into the music, lifestyle, and demise of The Who, and Townshend's place at the center of it all.
00:00 - Dying laughing
00:30 - Current status of The Who / sensing the end
01:35 - Not being able to "afford" being in the band
02:58 - Appreciation for the dodgy aspects of rock and roll
03:30 - Dangers presented by the corporate aspect of record making
05:18 - Practical dangers of performances
06:12 - Rock stars vs. movie stars / being oneself
06:58 - The Who creating danger in order to keep it interesting
08:13 - Rock and roll as defiance against real-world dangers
10:49 - The resiliency of rock and roll / knowing what to do with their crazy people
14:04 - Hypocrisy of punk musicians / the stage as a place of privilege
15:12 - The irony of the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Jam disliking each other
15:40 - Mutual feelings between the early British Invasion bands / not a huge fan of the Beatles
16:26 - A big fan of the Rolling Stones and the Kinks
17:04 - The Jann Wenner interview
17:44 - His life not measuring up to his childhood dreams
18:30 - A girl who fell in love with David Sylvian (thanks to the record company)
21:18 - Some dreams came true but bitterness remained
22:15 - Problems as the source of introspective songs
23:45 - Enjoying happiness, but prepared for sadness
24:25 - Intuition about the world's desire to set off a bomb / cause of pacifism
25:40 - The Who's violent image as an expression of impotence
27:35 - The implicit contract between artist and fan
28:35 - Problems with alcohol / Keith not being an alcoholic
30:45 - Stopping drinking as an alternative to sickness and exercise
31:44 - The original intentions for All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
32:36 - Putting a group together for the new album
33:15 - Writing differently for solo work vs. work for The Who
34:03 - Thoughts on "Communication"
35:30 - Thoughts on "Somebody Save Me"
37:41 - Thoughts on "Uniforms (Corp d'Espirit)"