The Who Guitarist Bares All

Pete Townshend, lead guitarist for rock band The Who, confesses his attraction to Mick Jagger in his autobiography 'Who I Am.'

Published

7 months ago

Categories

Entertainment

Topics

Celebrity

People

Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend

Transcript

ROUGH CUT ONLY (NO REPORTER NARRATION). PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL STORY: Pete Townshend is defining just 'who' he is in a new autobiography he is calling the most truthful thing he has ever done. Townshend is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band "The Who" and was named one of the greatest guitar players of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. As the inventor of the 'windmill' and the trend of destroying ones guitar on stage, some fans have dubbed him the ultimate rock star, however he takes issue with that title. As the principal songwriter for the group, the 67-year-old would rather call himself a composer. In the book, Townshend gives a candid picture of his youth. Born at the end of World War II, Townshend grew up in West London and dealt with an abusive grandmother in his formative years. As the book continues, the rocker takes readers inside his battle with alcoholism and his experience with the police when he was arrested on child pornography charges in 2003. One of the topics in the books generating the most buzz is his admission of attraction to Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger. "Mick was extraordinary; if you look at video of Mick as a young man, you'll know where that came from. We're talking 1963 here. I was a very young boy and he wasn't much older and we first saw them perform and he was lush, long-haired. He was a very, very beautiful man," said the father of three, who is currently in a long-term relationship with a woman. "He had this strange shape, very thin hips and I remember looking at him and just thinking, 'Oh wow,' I had sexual urges looking at him, and it wasn't in a sense a homosexual or gay thing, it was just the first time that I ever really felt that - this was a man I was looking at," he explained. After the 515 pages Townshend hopes readers will understand the band's music and mission. "Who I Am" was released on October 8th.