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The Who‘s Pete Townshend started doing his signature “windmill” guitar move in the ’60s, after seeing The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards move his arm in a similar way before a show. Fifty years later, Townshend says he’s still not sick of doing the move.
“It’s the one thing I can do that makes people cheer,” Townshend tells the New York Post. “Even playing the occasional blinding guitar solo doesn’t do that anymore. There are 10-year old kids on YouTube who can shred better than me. But no one can windmill like me. Is that sad? Do I look silly? Do I give a f***?”
While Townshend, 74, can still pull off his windmill for now, Who frontman Roger Daltrey, who’s slightly older, recently predicted that his voice will go “within the next five years.” But Townshend says that doesn’t mean that he and Daltrey would stop working together.
“If Roger’s voice goes I believe I could still write for him: words, stories, plays, narratives, that he would excel at,” Townshend tells The Post.
Before that happens, though, The Who have a new album, which Pete says is “finished.” They’re expected to debut a couple of new songs when their Moving On! tour starts back up again September 1 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. So far, there’s no title or release date.
Asked about his inspiration for the album, Townshend admits, “No inspiration, just a powerful desire to be seen to be a working songwriter. I suppose it’s a need to be measured by my peers and other younger musicians.”
The Who’s tour wraps up October 23 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Townshend will publish his first novel The Age of Anxiety on November 5.
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