The Who were a mass of contradictions. They brought intellect to rock
but were the darlings of punks. They were the quintessential studio act
yet were also the greatest live attraction in the world. They perfectly
meshed on stage and displayed a complete lack of personal chemistry
offstage.
Along with great live shows and supreme audio experiences, the Who
provided great copy. During the 1960s and '70s, Pete Townshend,
messianic about contemporary popular music and its central importance in
the lives of young people, gave sprawling interviews in which he
alternately celebrated and deplored what he saw in the "scene." Several
of these interviews have come to be considered classic documents of the
age. Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle joined in. Even when
the Who were non-operational or past their peak, their interviews
continued to be compelling: changes in allegiances and social mores left
the band members freer to talk about sex, drug-taking, business, and
in-fighting.
By collecting interviews with Who members from across fi ve decades,
conducted by the greatest rock writers of their generation--Barry Miles,
Jonathan Cott, Charles Shaar Murray, John Swenson, and Greil Marcus
among them--The Who on The Who provides the full, fractious story of a
fascinating band.
