EP 325: Roger Daltrey on The Who, Woodstock, and his Rock 'n Roll Life

Roger Daltrey, founder/lead singer of The Who, discusses how the hardships experienced by Brits in WWII paved the way for the musical revolution of the 1960s, he recalls what it was like to be the posterboys for the British “mod” movement (and why he never fully embraced that fad), and he remembers the “utter chaos” of performing at Woodstock. He talks about how he and Peter Townsend pushed each other’s creative boundaries during the making of the first rock opera Tommy, how he managed to resist the drug fueled excess the 60s, and how it led to quite a bit of tension with his bandmates - especially The Who’s famously reckless drummer Keith Moon. Roger also reveals how he processed Moon’s tragic death in 1978, how it led to the band’s breakup in the early 80s, and a how it took a Silicon Valley con man to finally reunite the band.

Order Roger Daltrey's wonderful new book Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold, and follow The Who on twitter at @TheWho. Today's episode was sponsored by National Security Agency Career Recruitment, Homecoming on Amazon Prime Video, Loop Jewelry, and Flatiron School.