Everyone knows that Pete Townshend is a gifted lyricist and brilliant songwriter. Those talents do not always translate into being a great non-fiction writer, but Townshend has done an excellent job chronicling his life in “Who I Am,” his recently released memoir.
Coming in at 544 pages, one might think that Townshend has included every possible detail of his life, but amazingly, there are so many stories that in some ways the book feel incomplete. Townshend has been around the “who’s who” of the rock world for many years, and his impression of those rock stars is deeply personal and devoid of the star struck element a typical person may view them.
As a longtime fan of The Who, I enjoyed the stories from the era that I remembered, shortly after Keith Moon died. Townshend doesn’t spend a lot of time writing about his feelings after Moon dies, he seems to spend more time discussing initial problems with his replacement, Kenny Jones.
Townshend also discusses his relationship with Roger Daltrey, at one point admitting that the creative tensions between the two of them were sometimes exaggerated for the sake of the press. By the end of the book the reader is left with the feeling that Townshend appreciates the importance of the collaboration between him and Daltrey.
There are many great stories about Townshend’s brushes with greatness, including going to see Pink Floyd with Eric Clapton. The night before Townshend missed a gig with The Who because he was tripping on LSD and went to see Pink Floyd.
While it may not be the best of the rock memoirs, Townshend’s book is an easy read, and he presents his story as a straightforward narrative. Even though there are tales of sex, drugs and rock and roll, the book doesn’t come off as gossipy or self-serving. If you like rock bios or are a fan of The Who, it is a great read.
