Few things are as synonymous with rebellious, strident, no-good rock 'n' roll as ending a performance by smashing a guitar, whether it's Kurt Cobain, Phoebe Bridgers or Pete Townshend. However, when it comes to the latter, his bandmate and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey might not have the same drive to use his ax as… well, an axe. In fact, Daltrey has compared breaking a guitar to breaking the neck of something (or someone) he holds close to his heart: his wife.
During his recent appearance on Shaun Keaveny's show Daily routine In the podcast, Daltrey described the only time he participated in such destruction, as well as the guilt that followed. “The problem is, the guitar was worth 50 gigs,” Daltrey said. “I've only broken one guitar and I'm very sorry for doing so.”
To illustrate how deep his feelings of shame ran, Daltrey turned to a shockingly violent analogy. “I don't know why, this just happened to me,” he continued. “I always regretted it. I thought, 'I shouldn't have done that, it was like killing one's wife.'”
Listen to the full episode below. The discussion about breaking guitars begins around the 17:17 mark.
It's an interesting prospect for Daltrey, as his bandmate Townshend became quite famous for snapping his guitars in half during shows. The Who's drummer Keith Moon also showed a penchant for demolishing instruments. Although it was not a guitar, Moon rigged his drums with gunpowder during a 1967 appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hourwhich leads to what is expected explosive results.
Unfortunately for American fans, whether The Who concerts include any guitar licks is a moot point. Daltrey has been candid about the rising costs of touring, stating that he had “a lot of doubts” when it came to the prospect of a US tour.
English fans, on the other hand, can catch the band at the Teenage Cancer Trust's 2024 concert series, hosted by Daltrey. From March 19 to 24, Noel Gallagher, Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant and other acts complete the event's lineup. (Somewhat ironically, it's worth noting that the concert series' logo features a guitarist mid-smash. To celebrate Daltrey's final year as organizer, you can even purchase a limited edition figurine of the guitar destroyer.)
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