Pete Townshend: America, Festivals, success and enough drugs

On the occasion of the press conference held at the London Iconic Images Gallery last week during which the Whoho they presented “The song is over“The farewell tour in North America, Pete Townshend He rewinded the ribbon of his American memories reaching when the WHOs played at the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival In 1967 and the subsequent moment in which “he decided not to take no more”.

Speaking of their relationship as a band with the United States, the guitarist stressed that their album and musical “Tommy“And their participation in the iconic Woodstock They really cemented the band in American pop culture “. Before the three days of peace music and love, the Who began to have their place in history with the performance of the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival.

In the Californian event in June 1967 they performed alongside characters of the caliber of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, The Byrds, in a festival that many considered the precursor of the summer of love.

“My memories of Monterey are very conflicting, because Jimi Hendrix was on the bill,” Townshend said at the London press conference. “I had already followed him with a group of other guitarists like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. We had gone to see all Jimi’s first concerts in London; he made about twenty in about three weeks, all spectacular in a certain sense shocking.”

“Then – continued the guitarist – we learned that he would also play in Monterey and it was said that he intended to split the guitar, which he had never done before. I was very, very nervous, but in reality it was a beautiful event. I remember that there was Brian Jones, who launched a coin to decide if Jimi would go on stage before us, which I thought was wrong because Hendrix was a higher artist We still think it was a better guitarist;

The guitarist continued: “He came out that we would stage before Jimi – which he raised me – so I was among the audience, sitting next to Mama Cass when Jimi went on stage. She grabbed me and said to me:” She is doing your thing! “. I wish it was true I told her”.

Townshend’s memories then moved to the return journey home and his subsequent choices.

“The other thing that happened to me was on the way back, a little more spectacular,” he added. “I was given a small pill from the grateful dead chemist, called stp. For the whole return journey I looked at Roger and it seemed like an angel and a hostess that looked like a pig. I went home in the United Kingdom and in the middle of the Hippie era I decided not to take no more”.