Pete Townshend has opened up about his unique relationship with live performance and collaboration, revealing that unlike most musicians, he finds greater joy working away from the stage.
The Who guitarist recently discussed his personal challenges with performing and collaborating, explaining that while he respects the collaborative process, he often struggles with it. As The Who’s iconic 1973 album Quadrophenia is being adapted into a “mod ballet,” Townshend has discovered a newfound appreciation for the rehearsal process, particularly its focus on “the exploration of the human body, of dancing.”
Speaking with Spain’s RockFM (via Blabbermouth), Townshend shared, “Most musicians are not like me. Most musicians do two things that I don’t really do or enjoy doing. One is they love performing. I don’t love performing. I don’t like being on a stage. I don’t mind being on a stage. I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t fill my soul in the way that you see some performers, [where] just their soul is filled through being on the stage. That’s not me. The other thing is they love to collaborate with other musicians.”
He continued, “I think that, for me, collaboration is something that I find very difficult. If I was in a studio with a really, really great musician, or with a group of really great musicians, I think I would find it very hard. I often do find it very hard. I find it difficult to collaborate. I find it very difficult looking in the eyes of another musician. I find myself looking to my own energy to express myself. So I’m very different to most musicians in that respect.”
Despite these personal challenges, Townshend emphasized his deep admiration for the creative process shared between artists. Reflecting on Quadrophenia’s ballet adaptation, he noted, “We had our first rehearsal on Monday. It’s gonna be fantastic. But I think one of the things about that is that that kind of degree of collaboration is an exploration of the human body, of dancing. With music, I find myself wanting to stay in my box for a while.”
Townshend also looked back on some rare collaborative experiences that he did enjoy. He recalled, “I loved working with David Gilmour on my White City album and we co-wrote some songs, but that was an uneasy collaboration. I actually made it clear I’m not a natural collaborator. And I really enjoyed working with Eric Clapton back in 1973 when we did the Rainbow Concert together.”
He concluded with a touch of humor and reflection, saying, “I think it’s interesting ‘cause so many musicians, so many new musicians that I really respect want to work with me [laughs], and I wish I was more open to it. I could have fun with some of the greatest musicians in the world.”
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