The Interview28 Aug 2025

Pete Townshend, musician: Farewell tour doesn’t mean the end

John Wilson speaks to Pete Townshend, songwriter and guitarist of British rock band The Who about the band’s farewell tour of the US.

Through his powerful stage presence and pioneering use of technology, Townshend transformed The Who from a hobby wedding band to one of the biggest and loudest outfits of the 1960s and 1970s.

His artistic approach created tension with singer Roger Daltrey, the band’s only other surviving member. Sixty years after first coming together, the pair completed their farewell tour of Italy earlier this year and are currently saying goodbye to America.

Townshend says he is proud of his influence, even if his rock and roll generation put his parents out of work, who were both musicians in more traditional wartime dance bands. He also reveals the inspiration behind his infamous smashing of guitars may have just been one big misunderstanding. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Alex Loftus and Edwina Pitman Editor: Nick Holland Thank you to the This Cultural Life team for helping to make this programme.

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Pete Townshend. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Desert Trip)

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