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

Wow thanks for the link,£6 for this book is A1!.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pete-Townsh...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350074713&sr=1-1

 

Maybe coming in a Deluxe Edition?

 

I don't think we are going to see the other 500 pages.

 

I found it odd that Pete didn’t tell the famous story about how Keith auditioned for The Who by jumping up onstage (in his “ginger” dyed hair), claimed he could play much better than their current drummer and supposedly wrecked their drummer’s drum set while he played. Maybe that was just one of those fake “myth” stories they made up for the press and Pete didn’t want to perpetuate a lie in his book. (Or else maybe he figured that this was his own book and he wanted to let people read about that tale in one of Moon’s or the band’s other bios.)

These are basically the only two lines about Keith Moon joining the band: “We tried a few new drummers, including Mitch Mitchell, who went on to play with Jimi Hendrix. But Keith Moon appeared one day at one of our regular dates at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford, and as soon as he began to play we knew we’d found the missing link.” (End of quote)

It is a very good read so far, though, and Pete is a good writer.

 

I hear what you are saying about certain myths being just myths. The fact that Townshend doesn't bring up that story about Moon suggests that maybe it didn't actually happen.

 

Or that it's been repeated so many times it wasn't worth dragging out one more time

 

Or when they edited it down from the supposedly 1,000 pages to its current length that this was among the stories that they dropped?

 

I was out today and in my local bookseller discovered that they had signed copies of this! I asked if Pete had done an in store signing, but the assistant said that when the books came in from the distributor there were 10 signed copies in with the shipment. They didn't know they were coming.

 

Nice!

 

Did you buy all 10?

 

They had 3 left - a friend of mine bought one of them and we left the last one so someone else could have the pleasure of stumbling across it.

(saying that I bet the last one will be on eBay before the end of the day )

 

Dang! Pete was at Bookends in Ridgewood, N.J. thursday and I didn't find out till the next day!

 

Here is a question: while reading the section about the 1969 tours and Live At Leeds, Townshend once again brings up the story that he had Pridden burn over 30 professionally recorded concerts from 1969 prior to starting over and recording Leeds. Townshend clearly regrets it in the book. That said, how did a professional recording from 1969 end up on VFABSP and where did all the high quality soundboard recordings surface from that are available underground? I thought that over the past few years, fans have concluded that some of the live tapes actually survived. Assuming the tapes of all those concerts Townshend mentions did get destroyed, that is one tragic loss.

 

Yes it would be a tragic loss however they would never likely see the light of day in our lifetime anyway.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Pete just wasn't in the know about some of the shows surviving. In the Scoop liner notes he said he was pretty sure The Who never recorded a version of Melancholia yet a Who version did exist and was on their box set and the '95 Sell Out remaster.

 

Nope, just the opposite.

 

Bob Pridden has admitted he "kept a couple for myself." Though it must have been more than two because more than two shows are in trading circles. I also doubt that they never went through the tapes "as you'd be brainwashed" as Pete has said many times. There is a recording obviously sourced from acetates with multiple takes of the same song titles and others that would end up on Leeds. The problem with these recordings as stated in recent years *(take it for what you will) is they were direct feeds from the board onto a 2 track machine (instant stereo) which means they can't be mixed. Astley said "it'd sound like a bootleg." Years later they did use a song from these tapes on VFABSP, and I wish all bootlegs sounded that good!


Back on topic. Pete's Philly appearance Oct 10 is available on audio podcast and download here:

podcast
http://libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents/podcast.cfm?podcastID=1024

To download the MP3 directly
http://libwww.freelibrary.org/podcast/media/20121010-petetow.mp3

This article includes pro-shot footage (via Eel Pie) of his interview with Jann Wenner inc. him playing WGFA from his Barnes & Noble appearance in NYC Oct 9:
http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/live/pete-townshend-tells-york-city-am-161438729.html

BTW, supposedly last night in Boston Pete played a new unreleased song.

 

Just finished reading the part of the book where he essentially disbands The Who in '83. I was hoping for more information about this period. Sounds like Siege was a solo project, yet he and others have often referred to it as a potential Who project. I would have also like to have heard more of an account about how he broke the news to John and if it was true that he paid back advance money to WB out of his own pocket.

 

Went to his event in Boston last Friday. Upon entering, every ticket holder received a signed copy of the book. He was interviewed on stage, then played Drowned, I'm One, Won't Get Fooled Again, and one other song that has slipped by aging mind. He was in excellent spirits, very funny, very honest.

 

Quick question - I'm curious, I just bought the UK version of WIA from Amazon UK <UK book binding, etc. is usually nicer> and wanted to know if the back cover is the same as the USA. I seem to remember when Pete was on Letterman, he showed the back cover and it was a different pic of Pete on stage. I know the front cover is laid out a little differently, and maybe the inside covers as well. The Pete Townshend and Who I Am lettering on the front cover and spine are also raised/embossed. Here are 4 shots I just took of mine...
Thanks - John

 

The US back cover has a different photo. There are no pictures on the inside covers.

 

True. I've been meaning to shoot my copy to show the difference. Maybe tonight.

 

Sounds like a really great time.

Wonder if that's the direction the Quad tour will take (solo Drowned, I'm One). I admit I will be disappointed if so.

 

I've got the English paperback(Harper& Collins),the pic at the back is identical to the one in post #145.

No pics in the inside cover.

 

It's out in paperback already?