Book-Pete Townshend-Who I Am-Harper-October 8, 2012

The Who.com released the photo for the cover of the upcoming autobiography from Pete. The title has been changed from Who He? to Who I Am. It is due out from Harper on October 8th.

 

I'm glad to see this is coming to a completion. He has a hard time finishing things. Maybe now he will return to do some new music, with or without the guy that sings a lot of his songs.

 

This should be interesting. Judging from his past comments, I wonder just how much he'll bash the band that made him famous?

 

He should finish and release the FULL 5.1 mix of Quadrophenia before he does anything else!

 

And I wonder just how much he'll talk about the 2003 police investigation into his online activities.

 

I think a fitting title to his autobiography would be The Real Me. Hopefully an interesting read.

 

This could be really interesting, or really terrible. I wonder if he will take the same "I hated being in the Who" attitude he has taken in interviews for some time now.

 

Good, bad, or ugly (or all three), I expect a lot of honesty.

 

A lot.

 

When he used to post on his now defunct website and then on his now defunct blog, it made it seem like this book was not going to be a direct focus on The Who. He has been working on this for a good decade. Could be a very interesting read.

 

Hope it's an easier read than Horse's Neck. That was a doozy.

 

Horse's Neck at least proved (not that we needed proof) that Pete had great skill and imagination as a writer. I'm sure that whatever the focus, Pete's long laboured-over memoirs will be stimulating and forthright.

He doesn't give people an easy ride, including himself. He doesn't see The Who with the same adulation as its fans.

I for one wish there had been more Horse's Necks along the way. Pete must have more ideas than he can ever find vehicles to bring to fruition these days - he certainly doesn't do much via music anymore.

Originally, this was to be in two volumes I think. 320 pages does not seem enough somehow.

 

Teaser video with Pete: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m1MUUHCYN9M8UB/ref=ent_fb_link

 

Amazon shows it as 608 pages. Maybe it's the book equivalent of a double album?

 

I'll try to get it from the library before I decide to buy, just in case.

 

I remember he blew off Tony Fletcher for the Moon bio saying he no longer had anything to say about Keith that was kind. I wonder what his thoughts are now 15 years later. Stay tuned....

 

I'll buy it. I'm a bit of a sucker for music biographies and autobiographies and I expect an offering from Pete will be above the average.

 

Why be such a ******? He was cleared of any wrongdoing. Throw your stones somewhere else.

This is a great artist we are talking about here. I for one am looking forward to this book in a big way.

 

I wasn't intending to throw any stones; I was just curious to see if Pete was going to write about the subject.

But since you've decided to make a big issue out of it, I think that it's only fair to point out that Townshend was not "cleared of any wrongdoing", as you claimed. In fact, he was "formally cautioned" by police for accessing a child porn website, and was forced to register as a sex offender.

Townshend may have been cleared of possessing child porn, but he wasn't cleared of accessing the website.

(Sorry if this makes me a "******", but I wouldn't have ever posted this if you hadn't called me a "******" in the first place.)

 

This book by Townshend as I understand it, is a first volume, where he has focused
on his childhood, and his life in the 1960's. A future book may cover later periods in
his life. So postwar Britain, the early WHO, through the lens of Pete Townshend himself.
Frankly I'd rather hear this album Floss which is a Quad style rock opera about
a couple who have aged together. Townshend apparently has over two dozen comprehensive demos fully recorded and in the hands of his new music publishers.

But I suppose the book will have to do, because he has been mum on the music, he
did say, he no longer was sure either he or Daltrey should be on the recordings, and
that perhaps it should be recorded with he (Townshend) solely as the MD (musical director) but not a performer. I hope that doesn't turn out to be true.

Perhaps a chapter of the book will be released in advance to give people an idea of
what it reads like.

 

Was there supposed to be some WHO touring activity in 2012?

Are they done?

 

Amazon US does indeed say 608 pages, but...

Amazon UK is now offering 2 versions:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-I-Am-A-Memoir/dp/0062127241/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336729279&sr=8-1

400 page version!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pete-Townsh...603X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1336729279&sr=8-4

320 page version!

Harper Collins website doesn't specify....

 

He changed his mind at the last minute about talking to Fletcher; but by then, it was too late, as Fletcher's book was about to go to press.

 

I wouldn't hold my breath.
I think "The Who" might be over ... finally.

 

Knowing Pete, this could be great ... or it could be unbearably unreadable rambling ... you never know with his writing. HORSE'S NECK was pretentious garbage.

Also, I much preferred his original title: WHO HE?