Pete Townshend says that after one final tour The Who Pete Townshend promise to "crawl off and die."
Speaking to the New York Times for the Broadway revival of Tommy, Townshend was asked what was left to do after 60 years of playing with frontman Roger Daltrey.
"It feels to me like there’s one thing the Who can do, and that’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die," he says.
Townshend and Daltrey brought back their legendary band in 2022 for The Who Hits Back!, a North American tour followed by international dates. Their final performance was in July 2023.
Townshend says playing as The Who for him is simply about earning a living. He hopes to release some new music, after spending a lot of his free time writing.
"I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with the Who. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money," he confesses. "My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated. I’ve been immensely creative and productive throughout that period, but I haven’t felt the need to put it out."
The 78-year-old guitarist/songwriter says that at this stage of his life, the music he makes has to make him happy more than his fans, based on a lesson he learned nearly 40 years ago.
"If I can make it personal, I don’t care whether you like it or not," he explains. "When White City came out [in 1985] and the sales were so slow, I thought, 'Screw this'. Nobody wanted me as I was — they wanted the old Pete."
Back in January 2024, Daltrey told The Times he was unsure of The Who's future.
When asked if they'd make new music, he said, "I can’t answer that. I don’t write the songs. I never did. We need to sit down and have a meeting, but at the moment I’m happy saying that part of my life is over.”