After staying out of the public eye in 2018, Pete Townshend has summed up his sabbatical in a lengthy post on The Who website. Among the highlights:
"I’ve suggested [The Who] might do a special series of shows for our close fans towards the end of 2019..."
"Unlike a lot of people of my age I love a lot of trance as well as hip-hop and rap. So Gareth Emery and Christina Novelli often accompany me on my drive through the English countryside while I pretend to be on the beach in Ibiza. My new crush in hip-hop is the amazing Arin Ray..."
"Not much new heavy rock that woke me up, I’m afraid. It’s pretty hard to beat Billy Idol from any moment in the past 20 years. I don’t think rock is quite ‘dead,’ but it seems to be ailing, in the clinic, waiting for a transfusion. Hope I can help."
"I’m not just using Spotify and iTunes, I also listen to a lot of Internet radio stations. That’s where I make surprising discoveries. Music from all over the world..."
"Politics? Wow. Where to begin? Maybe best to just talk about the good stuff. Last year the Prime Minister Theresa May and Amber Rudd, her Home Secretary at the time, went out of their way to dedicate a very decent sum of money to NAPAC which does so much to help adults (like me) who are trying to live with painful memories of childhood abuse. I’m not exactly a Tory, but as a NAPAC patron myself I was very touched by this..."
"At this time of year I suffer from a fairly mild form of manic depression that in the past has caused me to turn to all kinds of addictions, prescribed and otherwise. I think it’s what we now know as SAD, but almost as soon as the days start to get longer, it gets better for me. I’m feeling much happier already, and it’s still January. I send out heartfelt love and compassion to all those who suffer from depression more seriously, and not just in the deep winter months..."
"Time to be aware, and be as kind as we can to people who suffer from depression that can disable them as surely as a car crash. Medication, very carefully handled and prescribed, can really help so many."
Townshend wraps it up with, "I hope everyone has a great New Year in 2019. Can’t wait to see you."
The Who will be on the road in the spring with dates coming soon.