Pete Townshend Recently Escaped Painkiller Addition

Pete Townshend says that he recently escaped an addition to prescription painkillers.

The Who guitarist, who’s dealt with drug issues in the past, said his health was not a consideration as he and Roger Daltrey wondered what they might do next.

Their current US tour is billed as a farewell – and although Townshend doesn’t want to stay on the road, that doesn’t mean he’ll stop making music, as he told the New York Times in a recent interview.

“I went through a period of feeling very depressed,” he said of his recent issues. “And when I had the knee operation early this year, I got re-addicted to painkillers. This is the way rock stars die, OxyContin.”

He continued: “I’d gone through severe alcohol addiction for many years, then narcotics. I’d been clean for over 30 years. I called a close friend who’s working for a recovery clinic in Spain, and he got my head sorted out. I’m feeling really good at the moment.”

Asked about the band’s future, he replied: “It’s in Roger’s hands. If we don’t extend [the tour], would we be in breach of contract? Would we be in swindle-land if we came back?

“I’m 80, I don’t like being away from my family, my studios, my dogs and my friends. I’m not looking to spend the next five years of my life waiting to fucking drop dead on the stage.”

Pete Townshend Jokes About Who’s Virtual Future

Townshend accepted that the tour’s end “could give Roger and I permission never to call each other again,” hut he added: “I hope that doesn’t happen.”

Asked if he meant that the longtime colleagues were about to find out if they were really friends, he responded: “That’s what I’m saying.”

Then he joked: “If we stop, the Who brand will continue. We’ll be avatars in a hologram show where guitars get smashed, and people dress in Union Jack jackets and pretend to be rock gods.

“It will all be managed by Giles Martin, because he’s bored with fucking around with the Beatles. And it will be bigger than Jersey Boys!”