1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:02,320 Speaker 1: Jonesy and Amanda in the morning. 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 2: Well what to read? Our next guess is one of 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 2: the world's greatest rock stars from the band Who, one 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 2: of the most influential rock bands as we know of 5 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 2: the twentieth century, having sold over one hundred million records worldwide. 6 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 2: Our guest is now spreading his creative wings into the 7 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 2: publishing world with his debut novel, The Age of Anxiety. 8 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 2: Pete Townsend, Hello, Hello, how are you doing very well? 9 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 2: Thank you At the age of seventy two, your first novel, 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 2: The Age of Anxiety. How did this come about? 11 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: Well, firstly, I'm certainty four. My apology said it's I 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: wrote the book to support a future ambecious solo project. 13 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: I started about ten years ago talking about writing a 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: big musical piece of some sort, which I figured down. 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: Even ten years ago, I figured it might be my last. 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: I had no idea that I would be drawn back 17 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: into such intense work with Roger Daltrey with Who, and 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: we've got an album coming out next month. So back then, 19 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: this was in two thousand and eight, I just decided 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: I needed a really great story that would inspire me 21 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: to write interest in music and maybe make a film, 22 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: maybe do you have music theater piece based on it? 23 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: That was the general idea. 24 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 3: Well, I love the novel's cast of characters. So you've 25 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 3: got an old rockstar who disappears into the mooras a 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 3: young composer who has hallucinations, and an art dealer taking 27 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 3: hard drugs, and a beautiful killer this Irish girl, like, 28 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 3: is there any of this that rings true in your life? 29 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: Well, they're all characters that are based on people that 30 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: I know, but they're not there's no real connection with 31 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: me other than that. I wanted to make sure my 32 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: characters were authentic, so I stuck pretty close to to 33 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: the rock industry and to the art world, which, of course, 34 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: you know, I was an art school boy and I've 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: always been closely associated with that, always been a bit 36 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: of an arty bugger. So you know, this has been 37 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: in a sense, drawing a line back right the way 38 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: back to when I was about sixteen, seventeen or eighteen. 39 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: I was an art school and I was looking ahead 40 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: at doing ambitious kind of for arty things, and then 41 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: The Who came along and wrecked it. 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: Or well, you were the chief songwriter for The Who. 43 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 2: Is it true that you always look too great writers 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 2: rather than to rock stars for your inspiration. 45 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: You know, I don't know about that. I don't. I 46 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: think songwriting is a craft. Really, it's a knack. It's 47 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: something you can either do or not do. For example, 48 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: Roger Daltrey would love to be a songwriter, but I think, 49 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: you know, and I think he has written a few 50 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: songs in the past, couple of which I've really loved, 51 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: But I don't think has the patience for It's not 52 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: something that necessarily happens quickly. So I've been inspired by 53 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: other writers and other musicians. My dad was in a 54 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: band when I was young, Advance band, and I grew 55 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: up with all that wonderful music from the forties and fifties, 56 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: and you know, a lot of that actually is in 57 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: my blood. 58 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 3: Because you look at it's quite extraordinary the life that 59 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 3: you guys live. Do you ever look back when you're 60 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 3: you know, when you're hanging out with your colleagues, someone 61 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 3: like Mick Jagger or Keith Richards and stuff, and you think, hey, 62 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 3: you know, we made it, we are doing great. 63 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: Well, I'm doing great. I don't know about them, No, 64 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: I am. I am. I always touch wood when I 65 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: say that, you know, I'm pretty healthy and that must 66 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: be genes I suppose, you know, I certainly don't look 67 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: after myself particularly well. I don't exercise, I don't die, 68 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: but I'm in good shape and I'm very grateful to that. 69 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: You know, it's something that we can't take for granted. However, 70 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: you know, the main thing that that we have to 71 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: rely on when as we get older, as our ability 72 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: to remain relevant, our ability to work, our ability to 73 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: keep our brain going. And you know, what's worked for 74 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: me has really been going back to recording and doing 75 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: touring with the Who. I think that that has kept 76 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: me busy, kept me active, and kept me in contact 77 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,239 Speaker 1: with real people. Not all of our fans are old. 78 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: They're not all older than fifty. You know. We now 79 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: have much younger people coming to see us, maybe as 80 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: though we're some living museum, but they certainly come to 81 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: see us. And so it keeps me grounded, you know, 82 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: and it keeps me active and a life and jacked 83 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: into the world as it is today. 84 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 3: And that's the thing, you know, because when you look 85 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 3: at talking about my generation, when you do that song, 86 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,239 Speaker 3: you know, how do I die before I get old 87 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 3: or older? But really it's quite a it's quite a 88 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 3: great story really that you're still doing it. 89 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: You know, that song was written about a generational divide 90 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: that I recognized, and maybe I was even responsible for 91 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: drawing the line. It wasn't about being dead, really, it 92 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: was about the idea that the older generation, the post 93 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: war generation, that we were not going to be the 94 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: same as the generation that actually did fight in the 95 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: war and went through all that stuff that they went through. 96 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: Our journey was one in which we were trying to 97 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: find a role that was equal to theirs, do you 98 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: know what I mean? That meant as much as what 99 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: they'd done, and nobody ever gave us any help to 100 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: do that. So my generation is about drawing a line 101 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: and saying, I hope I never get old the way 102 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: you guys are getting old. So it wasn't age just 103 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: in a sense, and though it did sound that way 104 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: at the time, because we were young, young your bo's. 105 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 3: And so when you guys go on to and now 106 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 3: I know that Keith Moon has long past, do you 107 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:50,679 Speaker 3: ever feel that I'm going to smash up a TV 108 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 3: just in memory of Keith? 109 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 1: You know, I would do exactly the opposite. I would 110 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: get myself a photo of Keith Mole and check it 111 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: out the way and. 112 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 2: Have a nice cup of tea, and have. 113 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: A nice cup of tea. In actual fact, these days 114 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: we get invited to the very nice hotels that we 115 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: stay in, and we were welcomed as though we are 116 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: you know what we are, you know, the venerable old gentleman. 117 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: After probably you know, I think the rage against television 118 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: sets and you know, in the case of Keys, and 119 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: maybe once or twice I helped, but I think, you know, 120 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: and other bands did it as well. You know, you 121 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 1: end up hating hotels in a way when you're on 122 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,280 Speaker 1: the road. I have a good or bad they are 123 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: because you're alone, and I don't know anyway. You know, 124 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:47,239 Speaker 1: I've just come back from a two and a half 125 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: month two of America with Roger, and I have to say, 126 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: I'm so glad to be back home, you know, with 127 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: my little dogs, with my wife, with my family and 128 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: my friends. And you know I did I met a 129 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: lot of just people and we did a lot of 130 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: good work. But there's nothing like home. And if I 131 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:05,919 Speaker 1: do want to throw a television and chat out of 132 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,239 Speaker 1: the window, I can do it without any shame, because 133 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: it belongs to me. 134 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 3: And there's so much light, and the TVs are so 135 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 3: much lighter these days. 136 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: I know a nice smart TV and they fly, they 137 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: fly like stones over and lake, skimming TV's image. 138 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: This is your thing, well, Peter, it's great to talk 139 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 3: to you. The new novel, The Age of Anxieties in 140 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 3: all bookstores now. It's a great read. Pete towns End, 141 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 3: it's been a tree. 142 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: Thanks so much. You know. I'm in London. We're all 143 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: got friends in ours and we're all thinking of you 144 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: with these fires, and were sending out prayers. We really 145 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: really want to reach out and do something, but we're 146 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: too far away as usual, but we love you and 147 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: we're praying for you. 148 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, Peter. 149 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 3: That means a lot. 150 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Joins the and Amanda in the morning.