SxSW 2007 is officially open for business and The Who's Pete Townshend was the keynote speaker.
Townshend told stories about how The Who got back together in 1989 "to help John Entwhistle with his money problems, but I think he spent it all on cocaine". He says he is comfortable in The Who these days "because I can get out anytime".He is happy with The Who today but says they could not have recorded the new album with John Entwhistle. "John's death opened up new possibilities for Roger and I," he said. "We have a new chemistry and it enabled us to make a new record. If John were alive today, it would have been much tougher to make a new record".
The rock legend warned of the end of the music industry, at least for the majors. "Before I came to Austin, I spoke to a record company CEO in New York and he said "Rome is burning". He said the CEO's lack of foresight meant he couldn't understand why there are no stars today. "You have to want for that," was Townshend's response. "You just don't wake up and 'bing' you are Christina Aguilera. She worked for Disney since she was 8 years old". He said The Who were an anomaly, like The Stones. It would be almost impossible for a Who or Stones to be created in today's business model.
There were some lighter moments too. In trying to talk about music history, Townshend said "I can tell you what happened with Franz Ferdinand, I mean King Ferdinand. Sorry to malign such a great English band, wait they are Scottish, I've done it again".
Pete Townshend will perform tonight at La Zona Rosa in Austin with his girlfriend Rachel Fuller and special guests. Showtime is 6pm.
