The Who Fun Facts, Quotes and Tweets


22nd December 2016

Fact: The site of the legendary Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in New York in 1969 has been nominated for inclusion into America's State and National Registers of Historic Places. The field in Bethel in Sullivan County hosted around 400,000 fans for the three-day rock festival, where performers included Jimi Hendrix, The Who, the Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, and Janis Joplin, among many others.


1st July 2015

Quote: "Part of me is a little snotty-nosed indie f**kwit that wants to tell them all to crawl away and die, and leave room for someone else. But there is room - f**king Ed Sheeran is 22 or something, and he just sold out three days at Wembley Stadium! So does he need The Who or Paul MCCartney to stop touring in order to do that? I don't think so." THE WHO star Pete Townshend is adamant there is room in music for young and older acts.


19th May 2015

Fact: The Who star Pete Townshend celebrated his 70th birthday on Tuesday (19May15) by releasing his politically-charged new track Guantanamo. The tune will feature on his upcoming solo album Truancy: The Very Best of Pete Townshend. The new song is about the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.


14th May 2015

Fact: After thrilling baseball fans with his rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday (12May15), Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder stayed in the city to perform with The Who on Wednesday night (13May15). The rocker hit to stage at the Allstate Arena to sing The Real Me from the band's Quadrophenia album. Vedder is also set to join The Who guitarist Pete Townshend at Chicago's Rosemont Theatre on Thursday night (14May15) for benefit show Celebrating The Who, which will raise funds for Teen Cancer America.


29th March 2015

Quote: "The horrible shock of 9/11 shocked the world. And then (bandmate) John (Entwistle) dying the next year did make us realise, 'We're mortal'. If we believed in anything, it was the power of music bringing people together. If we're touring for anything, that's a good enough reason for me." The Who star Roger Daltrey doesn't need to dig too deep to find inspiration for stepping out onstage.


27th March 2015

Quote: "I maintain my voice to the best of my ability. You just have to hope that your body holds up... My voice is fine... My vocal cords are better now than they've ever been! I'm actually enjoying playing. There's something about looking down the end of a telescope and seeing a potential end. It brings me more joy when I sing the songs because it might be the last time. I've always tried to sing as though I'm singing a song for the first time, now I sing it as though I'm singing the song for what might be the last time." Roger Daltrey on preparing for The Who's final tour.


12th March 2015

Quote: "There's not enough anger out there in the music, and there's not a lot of contemplation in the lyrics; it's all very sweet... but that's the iPhone generation." The Who star Roger Daltrey wishes modern music stars had more to say.


20th January 2015

Fact: Reclusive R&B star D'angelo has snagged The Who's on/off bassist Pino Palladino for his upcoming U.K. tour. The singer will tour England to promote his new album Black Messiah next month (Feb15) and he has booked Palladino as part of his touring band.


18th November 2014

Fact: Veterans rockers The Who are joining previously announced headliner Taylor Swift at next year's (15) British Summer Time Festival in London's Hyde Park. The band will perform on the first day of the event in June (14). Other acts on the bill for the shows include the Kaiser Chiefs, Paul Weller and Johnny Marr.


28th October 2014

Quote: "Why would I need to? It might interfere with our relationship. So, best not to. I've known him for over 50 years." Roger Daltrey has no intention of reading his The Who bandmate Pete Townshend's 2012 memoir.


16th April 2014

Fact: Veteran British rockers The Who are hoping to embark on a 50th anniversary world tour towards the end of this year (14). Guitarist Pete Townshend reveals the group wants to kick off the trek in the U.K around Christmas (14) before crossing the Atlantic to play shows in the U.S.


27th February 2014

Quote: "People don't realise that he was a Shakespearean character. Yes, he was a genius on drums, but he was also a very troubled man. The things we find funny about him weren't really funny at all. But because of the force of his personality everyone ends up laughing, which is a trap we all fell into." Roger Daltrey insists his late The Who bandmate Keith Moon was more than just a party animal.


26th February 2014

Quote: "It was such a rock 'n' roll death, though, wasn't it? Two lines of coke and a bird in the Hard Rock! He was probably eating a hamburger as well, though where he was eating it from, who knows?" The Who singer Roger Daltrey pays tribute to his late bandmate John Entwistle, who died from a cocaine-induced heart attack at his Las Vegas hotel room in 2002.


24th September 2013

Quote: "There's something in the back of my head that tells me, Keith never would have made an old man. He wouldn't have wanted to be an old man. He wanted to be the world's greatest rock drummer, and he died being that." The Who frontman Roger Daltrey insists his tragic bandmate died at the right time.


11th June 2013

Quote: "I can certainly see us in a band like Muse, for instance - they're doing exactly what we did in the '70s but with new technologies. They're great musicians and they perform brilliantly." The Who star Roger Daltrey is a big fan of rock trio Muse.


22nd March 2013

Fact: The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has been appointed patron of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music in his native England.


18th March 2013

Fact: Veteran British rockers The Who have teamed up with designers at U.S. clothing brand Lyric Culture to release a range of men's apparel for popular department store Bloomingdale's. The Who Collection of graphic T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts will hit stores next month (Apr13).


29th January 2013

Quote: "I got hearing aids recently and I was sitting there watching Tv. And I've now realised - you don't listen to Tv any more. You sit there and spend your whole time shouting: 'What a c**t, he's a c**t, she's a c**t, she's useless.'" The Who star Pete Townshend is not a fan of reality Tv.


28th January 2013

Fact: The Who are bringing their Quadrophenia tour to the U.K. in June (13). The band is currently playing its iconic 1973 album in full at shows across North America, and they will now transfer the concerts to Britain after wrapping in Rhode Island in February (13).


13th December 2012

Fact: The Who rocker Pete Townshend turned the air blue at the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief after performing their track Tea & Theatre by telling the crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden, "Have a f**king beer!"


29th November 2012

Fact: Country acts Dierks Bentley and The Band Perry are teaming up for next week's (beg03Dec12) Grammy Nominations Concert in Nashville, Tennessee as part of a tribute to music legend Johnny Cash. The Who and Hunter Hayes will join previously announced performers Luke Bryan, fun., Maroon 5 and Ne-Yo at the big gig, which will be co-hosted by LL Cool J and Taylor Swift


1st August 2012

Fact: Ten fans of The Who have finally cashed in their tickets for a cancelled 1979 show in Rhode Island to see the British rockers next year (13), when they return to the state for the first time since the axed gig. The owners of the Dunkin Donuts Center, where the stars will perform in February (13), promised to exchange new stubs for the old ones for anyone willing to part with the memorabilia. The 1979 tickets will be auctioned off to raise money for charity. The original show was scrapped due to safety concerns.


27th April 2012

Quote: "I've seen it in the lab. To have the range you had a youngster, with all the emotional input that life has given you - that's going to lead to some amazing performances." The Who star Roger Daltrey is a big fan of top voice doctor Steven Zeitels' new vibrating gel technology that allows ageing rockers and crooners to hit the high notes they did in their 20s.


30th March 2012

Fact: Sir Paul McCartney treated fans to an unforgettable show at London's Royal Albert Hall on Thursday (29Mar12) after inviting Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, The Who frontman Roger Daltrey and Paul Weller onstage to jam. The rock legends covered THE BEATLES' GET BACK for the gig, organised by Daltrey in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.


6th April 2011

Quote: "I was on my way to Cannes when Pete came up and said, 'I just have to tell you, I'm a huge fan. I've watched every episode three times!'" Actor/singer John Barrowman was stunned to learn The Who legend Pete Townshend is a fan of his U.K. sci-fi series Torchwood.


14th January 2011

Fact: The Who, Debbie Harry, Richard Ashcroft and Jeff Beck joined forces on Thursday (13Jan11) to rock out at the Killing Cancer charity gig in London. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fund the installation of groundbreaking light therapy laser treatment in British hospitals.


25th November 2010

Quote: "I can paint. I'm not a particularly good painter but it's something I'm turning to more as I get older. But I've never been particularly passionate about art. At least not in the same way I am about music and singing." The Who frontman Roger Daltrey on his artistic hobbies.


31st March 2010

Fact: Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder performed onstage with The Who at a charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday (30Mar10). The gig marked the end of a series of live shows raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.


21st February 2010

Quote: "If my hearing is going to be a problem, we’re not delaying shows. We’re finished. I can’t really see any way around the issue." Pete Townshend confirms The Who's concert future rests on pioneering new live equipment that will help him combat tinnitus while playing live.


20th February 2010

Quote: "It's only a studio and they're kind of not needed any more, really, are they?" The Who frontman Roger Daltrey is indifferent about the future of London's iconic Abbey Road recording studios. The property was put up for sale this week (beg15Feb10) by bosses at music label EMI, sparking fears over the future of the facility.


18th February 2010

Quote: "I've had a lot of emails from people. The word they use most is 'amazing', followed closely by 'nice hat'." Pete Townshend on the feedback he's received from fans about The Who's Super Bowl halftime performance.


11th February 2010

Quote: "I was wearing reading glasses. I like to be able to see the guitar." The Who star Pete Townshend on the spectacles he wore while performing at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday (07Feb10).


8th February 2010

Quote: "You know, you could kind of tell from the stage the crowd is really here for the game." The Who rocker Pete Townshend on playing the half-time show at the Super Bowl on Sunday (07Feb10).


5th February 2010

Fact: The Super Bowl will be The Who star Roger Daltrey's first American football game - the rocker has never been to a match before. He and bandmate Pete Townshend will perform at half-time during the clash between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. The Brit says he's rooting for the Saints because, "New Orleans could use a little bit of luck."


7th January 2010

Fact: The 2010 Brit Awards will have a new category to mark their 30th anniversary - the Most Memorable Brits Performance. Contenders include The Who, Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls and Kanye West. The annual ceremony will take place in London on 16 February.


26th November 2009

Fact: Rockers The Who have been confirmed as the star attraction at the 2010 Super Bowl half-time show in Florida in February. Reports leaked to the media earlier this month (Nov09) and, as promised, the National Football League in America, has served up the official announcement in an online ad on Thanksgiving Day (26Nov09).


9th September 2009

Quote: "The Who was always my band. It's academic who the leader was. But I was the person that started the band in the first place. I was the one who put John Entwistle in it, found Pete Townshend, and I was fronting the band when Keith Moon joined... I was completely consumed by it." Roger Daltrey insists THE WHO are, and always will be, his band.


2nd April 2009

Quote: "He was a mad Beach Boys fan. He would have left The Who at the drop of a hat to join the Beach Boys. Even at our height, when the Beach Boys were on their way down and the Who were at the top of the world, if the Beach Boys had asked him to drum for them, he would have gone." Roger Daltrey reveals late bandmate Keith Moon was a huge Beach Boys fan.


23rd March 2009

Fact: The founder of U.S. music festival Woodstock plans to stage a free concert in New York this summer to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the legendary event. The original gig took place in the city in 1969 and featured sets from music greats including Jimi Hendrix and The Who.


6th March 2009

Fact: The Who star Roger Daltrey joined the ranks of writer Salman Rushdie and funnyman Will Ferrell after he was honoured with the James Joyce Award from University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society on Wednesday (04Mar09).


1st February 2009

Fact: The late Keith Moon, drummer of British rock band The Who, is to be honoured with a plaque in London's Soho.


24th November 2008

Quote: "I don't want to be pejorative about The Who. It's what pays the rent and it's who I am, to a great extent. But The Who format is very rigid, very Groundhog Day." Pete Townshend on the repetitiveness of playing in legendary rock band THE WHO.


13th November 2008

Quote: "I haven't seen it, and I never will. I don't look back. What's done is done. Maybe when I'm old and laying at home with Alzheimer's, I'll go 'Well, this is a very interesting band.'" Roger Daltrey won't be checking out The Who's recently unearthed movie footage of the band's epic 1977 performance in Kilburn, London.


23rd October 2008

Fact: Legendary British rock band The Who will play actor MICHAEL J. Fox's annual Parkinson's disease benefit next month (05Nov08) in front of an audience scheduled to include Hollywood director Martin Scorsese and actors Denis Leary and Julianne Moore.


8th October 2008

Fact: The Who frontman Roger Daltrey wants to turn his band's hit album and movie QUADROPHENIA into a West End musical - and hopes British stars CARL BARAT and Amy Winehouse will star in it.


7th October 2008

Fact: An historic concert featuring one of the last ever performances by The Who drummer Keith Moon is to be released on DVD. The film of the rock band's show at the Gaumont State Theatre in London in December 1977 - just nine months before Moon's death from a drug overdose - will be released in full after a campaign by fans.


23rd September 2008

Fact: The original cast of The Who's musical TOMMY are to reunite on Broadway for one night only to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary. The 15 December (08) event will benefit Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS.


10th September 2008

Fact: Country legend George Jones, Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand, choreographer Twyla Tharp and The Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will receive the Kennedy Center Honors for 2008. The stars will be honoured in Washington, D.C. in December (08).


1st August 2008

Quote: "I was listening to one of their very early records with SUBSTITUTE on, that my son, who's into music more than I am, put on. It was this corrosively cynical, satirical stuff, and (ROGER) DALTREY was adding to it by the nature of his vocals. He really gets it. He helps those songs. They were an unbelievably good rock band." Legendary songwriter Randy Newman is a late convert to The Who.


24th July 2008

Quote: "The show felt clunky to me because I find it hard to mix work and pleasure, and so much of it was about mixing with people and accepting their good wishes... I was rusty on guitar. I felt like I was holding a spade." The Who rocker Pete Townshend wasn't happy with his performance at the recent VH1 Rock Honors show in Los Angeles.


23rd July 2008

Quote: "Electric guitar and arm-swinging is not what I do between dogwalks and arthritis." The Who star Pete Townshend admits he's not the windmill-armed rocker he once was.


8th July 2008

Fact: The Flaming Lips will perform a medley from rock opera TOMMY as part of The Who's VH1 Rock Honours tribute concert in Los Angeles on Saturday (12Jul08). Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam will also perform classic The Who tracks as part of the show.


29th May 2008

Fact: A guitar signed by The Who star Roger Daltrey is set to go under the hammer to raise money for sick teenagers. The Gibson Epiphone guitar will be sold in a charity auction for Teenage Cancer Trust in Chester, England on 31 May (08).


20th March 2008

Fact: U.S. actor Drake Bell took guitar lessons from The Who's Roger Daltrey on the set of 2001 film CHASING DESTINY, in which they both starred.


26th February 2008

Fact: Rockers The Who have asked OH BROTHER! WHERE ART THOU? soundtrack creator T-BONE BURNETT to produce their comeback album ENDLESS WIRE.


21st December 2007

Fact: Lou Reed will follow The Who's Pete Townshend and serve as the keynote speaker at the 2008 South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas in March (08). Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Daryl Hall and Sire Records founder SEYMOUR STEIN will also address music fans at the annual mix of seminars and concerts.


12th December 2007

Quote: "I pulled out of the AHMET ERTEGUN benefit the day I heard LED ZEP were performing. They really don't need me." The Who star Pete Townshend on why he pulled the plug on his performance alongside the reformed Led Zeppelin in London on Monday night (10Dec07).


10th May 2007

Quote: "Keith's main pal in the band was John Entwistle. They were hysterically funny together, and shared an apartment for a while. One got the impression that they did almost everything together, including having sex with girls. It must have been mayhem." The Who guitarist Pete Townshend on late bandmates Moon and Entwistle's hellraising days.


2nd April 2007

Fact: All 137,500 public tickets for the first Glastonbury Festival in two years sold out in a record-breaking one hour and forty five minutes today (1APR07). More than a quarter of a million pre-registered members of the public rose early to jam phone and internet lines in a bid to secure tickets to the June (07) event, which will feature performances from The Who, Arctic Monkeys and DAME Shirley Bassey. The Glastonbury Festival will take place in Somerset, England on the weekend of the 22-24 June.


17th March 2007

Fact: The Who rocker Pete Townshend surprised fans at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas by joining Scottish rockers The Fratellis on stage to perform yesterday (16MAR07).


29th January 2007

Fact: British pop star Lily Allen has signed up to play at England's Glastonbury Festival in June (07). She will join The Who, Bjork and Arctic Monkeys on a star-studded bill.


25th January 2007

Fact: Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis has confirmed The Who are to perform at this year (07)'s Glastonbury festival. Other acts set to appear at the English musical extravaganza include Bjork, Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire.


10th January 2007

Fact: Rockers Pearl Jam have recorded a cover of The Who's LOVE REIGN O'ER ME for the upcoming Adam Sandler movie REIGN OVER ME. The track was also released exclusively to fans as a Christmas (06) gift from the group's fansite.


14th December 2006

Fact: The Who rocker Pete Townshend will give the keynote address at the 2007 South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas in March (07).


5th November 2006

Fact: Former The Small Faces, FACES and The Who drummer KENNEY JONES has detoxed from the rock 'n' roll lifestyle by running Hurtwood Park Polo And Country Club in Surrey, England since 1987.


3rd November 2006

Quote: "I'm a rock god. I'm five foot seven inches. I had my jaw broken and so my chin stuck out. That's how I became tough - I learned to pick up anything and fight back - a rock god!" The Who frontman Roger Daltrey is bemused by his rock legend status.


30th October 2006

Quote: "A band is a very extreme form of co-dependency... It's like a marriage, without the sex, without the ceremony, without the love, without the children, without the golf, without the Sunday lunches, without the in-laws." The Who rocker PETE TOWNSHEND.


29th October 2006

Quote: "I thought he was gay." The Who star Pete Townshend is shocked to hear singer/songwriter James Blunt is dating supermodel PETRA NEMCOVA.


28th October 2006

Quote: "I wouldn't pay money to go see The Who, not even with new songs. I wouldn't pay money to go see CROSBY, STILLS + NASH. They f**king make me sick... I don't want to look at these old guys in their self-congratulatory mode." Outspoken The Who star Pete Townshend isn't fond of old rockers.


6th October 2006

Fact: Up and coming rockers ROSE HILL DRIVE have landed a prestigious support slot on seven dates of The Who's autumn (06) US tour.


20th September 2006

Quote: "He's such an intelligent man. I completely understand, I just understand." The Who star Pete Townshend can relate to the erratic behaviour of Babyshambles frontman PETE DOHERTY.


30th June 2006

Fact: US fans of The Who will be able to check out the group's Sunday night (02JUL06) show in London's Hyde Park live on huge screens at Hard Rock Cafes in New York, Chicago, Orlando and Los Angeles.


4th June 2006

Quote: "It's an exciting sound to my ears. Not old-fashioned at all." Guitarist Pete Townshend insists The Who's new 11-minute single Wire + GLASS - the band's first release in 23 years - is going to be a hit.


26th May 2006

Quote: "JOHN ENTWISTLE and Keith Moon aren't there so it's obviously half the band. They're The Who 50 per cent." PRIMAL SCREAM star Bobby Gillespie insists his favourite rock band just aren't the same, much as he worships surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.


1st May 2006

Fact: Legendary rockers The Who have been told they will not be able to play at a leisure centre in Carlisle, England, in June (06) because the venue will be staging a karate competition.


30th March 2006

Quote: "Looking back, I don't know why we needed it to be quite so loud all the time." The Who's Pete Townshend, a tinnitus sufferer, regrets blasting out the group's hits.


10th January 2006

Quote: <p>"We didn't call him The Ox for nothing. Two hookers, two lines of coke and a heart attack. Better than the slow, smelly alternative." Roger Daltrey on his The Who bandmate JOHN ENTWISTLE's 2002 death. </p>


10th January 2006

Quote: <p>"He was this weird balance of this conservative man and this outrageous guy. Very, very funny and really rock 'n' roll as well. He had this incredibly conservative side. He had creases in his jeans like razors." Roger Daltrey on late The Who bassist JOHN ENTWISTLE. </p>


9th January 2006

Quote: <p>"The Who are lousy to f**k to. But we're great to fight to." ROGER DALTREY sums up the iconic rockers' music. </p>


7th September 2005

Quote: <p>"Watch your money!" The Who frontman Roger Daltrey gives his best piece of showbiz advice to young pop upstarts McFly. </p>


6th September 2005

Quote: <p>"The bits of Live 8 in between the music. I wished they'd shut the f**k up!" The Who frontman Roger Daltrey insists LIVE 8 would have been vastly improved without the charity chat. </p>


5th September 2005

Quote: <p>"My granddaughter is six years old, and she's a huge fan (of McFly). How could I refuse? My life would have been made a misery!" The Who frontman Roger Daltrey admits the real reason why he agreed to re-record My Generation with boy band McFLY. </p>


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