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Pete Townshend: Who I Am Hardcover – 11 Oct. 2012

by Pete Townshend (Author)

4.3 2,166 ratings

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He is one of the greatest musical talents Britain has ever produced. But even as the principle songwriter and lead guitarist for The Who, it would be unjust to define Pete Townshend’s life simply through his achievements with bandmates Daltrey, Moon and Entwistle.

Noting that he has sold over 100 million records over a fifty-year period goes some way to quantifying his accomplishments, but numbers only scratch the surface of his contribution to popular culture.

An avid student of his profession, during his career he has been credited with the creation of the concept album, worked as a literary editor, developed scripts for television and the stage, and written songs that have defined a generation. The thinking man’s rock star with a dedication to his craft unlike any other in the business, he continues to inspire new generations of performers and writers with a continuing commitment to his art.

Now, in one of the most eagerly awaited autobiographies of recent times, this icon tells about his incredible life and elaborates on the turbulences of time spent as one of the world’s most respected musicians – being in one of rock’s greatest ever bands, and wanting to give it all up.

Incredibly, as a man who has achieved so much, this truly unique story of ambition, relentless perfectionism and rock and roll excess will be regarded as one of his greatest achievements.

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‘More honest than any fan would have hoped. Maybe nobody knows what it’s like to be the bad man, to be the sad man, behind blue eyes—but Who I Am is as close as we are likely to get.’ Rolling Stone

‘Astonishingly frank, detailed and heartfelt.’ The Sun

‘Whatever the subject, he writes passionately and eloquently.’ The Times

About the Author

The defining guitarist of a generation, Pete was the powerful creative force behind The Who, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. His musical knowledge and writing ability was and is unparalleled, and his taste for rebellion renowned. The destruction of the very guitars that resounded with the legendary tracks My Generation and I Can’t Explain brought him acclaim and notoriety in equal measure, but his pure passion and talent has guaranteed his status as an icon and authority on rock ‘n’ roll for decades. Pete has widely been cited as an inspiration to countless musicians, celebrated in their own right, and continues to perform to sell-out audiences across the globe with his fellow band members.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; First Edition (11 Oct. 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 000746603X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007466030

Best Sellers Rank: 541,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 2,734 in Popular Music
- 3,476 in Rock & Pop Musician Biographies
- 4,287 in Rock Music

Customer reviews:
4.3 2,166 ratings

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2,166 global ratings

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Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. They appreciate the author's insights and detail into his life. Many describe it as a well-written autobiography. However, some readers found the story boring or repetitive.

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Readability Insight Writing quality Rock legend Value for money Story quality Pacing Boredom

127 customers mention ‘Readability’123 positive4 negative

Customers find the book engaging and honest. They describe it as an intense, enjoyable read with candor and humility. While some readers felt the author abridged the book excessively, most found it captivating and insightful.

"This is a very comprehensive and absorbing book from Pete Townshend, starting from the creation of the Who and continuing on through the band's life..." Read more

"...I found this to be one of the more interesting ones that I have read, as it is reasonably well-written and for me it provided a lot of insight into..." Read more

"...The honesty, humility and self deprecation of this book is breathtaking...." Read more

"An intense read. So much detail in every sentence which some will struggle to comprehend. Found it totally enlightening, honest & informative...." Read more

82 customers mention ‘Insight’72 positive10 negative

Customers find the book provides an insightful look into Pete Townshend's life and career. They find it enlightening, honest, and informative, with interesting facts about his work and influences. The book is described as candid, open, and honest, and readers praise Townshend as intelligent and articulate.

"...is one of England's premier songwriters and this book details that history thoroughly. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...There was a lot of introspection, which might not be that interesting to some people, but which I found fascinating, and I really liked the way it..." Read more

"...being on a tightrope over a bottomless pit in a cross wind - it is captivating, enthralling and can leave you with a sense of vertigo: you become a..." Read more

"...Found it totally enlightening, honest & informative...." Read more

41 customers mention ‘Writing quality’41 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They find the childhood and adolescence parts well-written and interesting. The book is described as an in-depth autobiography with detail in every sentence. While some readers may struggle to comprehend some details, most find it easy to read and enjoy hearing Pete's own version of events.

"This is a very comprehensive and absorbing book from Pete Townshend, starting from the creation of the Who and continuing on through the band's life..." Read more

"...one of the more interesting ones that I have read, as it is reasonably well-written and for me it provided a lot of insight into PT's life and that..." Read more

"An intense read. So much detail in every sentence which some will struggle to comprehend. Found it totally enlightening, honest & informative...." Read more

"...But it may just have been me. The writing is direct and very factual. Sometimes slightly too much so and some more humour would be welcome...." Read more

21 customers mention ‘Rock legend’21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it insightful into the life of a musical legend and lyricist. The book provides an amazing look into the complexities of a musician who has survived from the 1960s to today.

"A great lyricist and musician like Pete Townshend was unlikely to write a bad autobiography, and he doesn't...." Read more

"...An insight to his incredible talent and the hidden meaning of some iconic music...." Read more

"...There are dark moments as well. It emphasises the lifestyle of the rock star who live in a completely different world to the rest of us...." Read more

"...The book has a great cast, although apart from the re-telling of some well known anecdotes I would liked to have learned more about his band mates,..." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Value for money’5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it's a great transaction.

"...Great book telling a fantastic story, and at a very competitive price too." Read more

"Good read. Good value for money. Interesting Who facts would recommend it to any Who fans...." Read more

"the best thing about this book is the price,it is ok but a bit boring to be honest,pete obviously has a brilliant and creative mind but i think he..." Read more

"Great transaction." Read more

30 customers mention ‘Story quality’18 positive12 negative

Customers have different views on the story. Some find it interesting with a good mix of anecdotes, inside information, and personal revelations. Others find it boring, repetitive, and monotonous.

"...genius is Townshend's flair as a comic raconteur and his interweaving of the stories and personal insights that have coloured and textured the..." Read more

"...For instance the way it is written is not consistently interesting throughout, and I found myself skimming over a number of chapters...." Read more

"...Overall, I would say it was a solid, honest and interesting ride with a man not ashamed to open himself up and let everyone see him, warts n' all...." Read more

"...At the end of the day, it is what it is. The rambling life story of one of the few musicians who has earned the right to do things entirely as they..." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Pacing’5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing. Some find it moving and honest, with a real rollercoaster ride. Others feel it's rushed and lacks detail in the last third of the story, making it hard to get into.

"...and after seeing about 700 shows,that remains the most powerful, transcendent and moving show I ever saw...." Read more

"...to 500 and I think it shows in the last third of the story, it feels rushed and lacks detail...." Read more

"...It's a privilege to be taken on such an eventful, tempestuous life journey. Pete comes across as honest and likeable. Buy it!" Read more

"A very moving and honest account of a great guy and rock star. totally recommended to all lovers of proper rock." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Boredom’3 positive14 negative

Customers find the book boring and depressing. They feel the tone is self-pitying and pompous. The book can be described as dull, infuriating, and harrowing at times.

"The book is infuriating in that it jumps about ever so slightly chronologically. You think he's missed something important out...." Read more

"...A fascinating, riveting and at times, slightly harrowing read, too. Check it out." Read more

"...enjoyed hearing about but I found the general tone pretty downbeat and sad. I hope he's happier now that he's written it all down." Read more

"...It is honest, frank and in some places dull...." Read more

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PeteRobbo
A Comprehensive and Absorbing Narrative from Pete Townshend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2024
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This is a very comprehensive and absorbing book from Pete Townshend, starting from the creation of the Who and continuing on through the band's life story and then on to further include Pete's adventures on the West Coast of the US and elsewhere. Pete was and maybe still is one of England's premier songwriters and this book details that history thoroughly.

Highly recommended!

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Tescodirect
A good read, but not perfect.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2015
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I am quite a fan of biographies and autobiographies, and I am quite realistic about what to expect from them. I found this to be one of the more interesting ones that I have read, as it is reasonably well-written and for me it provided a lot of insight into PT's life and that of the Who. What I found refreshing was that it was not just endless voyeuristic tales of excess, as is often the case with tales of the those who lead the rock and roll lifestyle. There was a lot of introspection, which might not be that interesting to some people, but which I found fascinating, and I really liked the way it put the Who into perspective. It is however very much PT telling his own story, and not the story of the Who. In fact, the way that PT describes the other band members is very distant, and I wondered how important he really considered these people to be in his life. Even though the Who have just reached some form of 50 year anniversary, it is quite clear from reading this book that PT considered the band to be pretty well finished after Quadrophenia, which is something I had not appreciated before and made me reconsider the way I saw the group. Something which also comes across is that being part of this band was not necessarily a particularly happy experience: they were four people who played music together, but they clearly were not four friends.

Although I prefer this to many of the other autobiographies I have read, there were still things I found frustrating. For instance the way it is written is not consistently interesting throughout, and I found myself skimming over a number of chapters. However, this is not uncommon in autobiographial works, and not something that this book suffers from to any greater extent than others. PT makes many references to being a follower of Meher Baba, but I still felt very much in the dark as to what this was all about. I am not clear what MB's beliefs were, nor what it was about these that appealed to PT. There are also a lot of references to God, which confused me as I was uncertain if there was some irony intended, or even to which deity this referred. Despite these references throughout the book,there was nothing which made me think that PT was in fact a particularly spiritual person, and I felt completely unenlightened as to what influence MB ultimately had on him. His obsession with Lifehouse, the failed musical project intended as a follow-up to Tommy, also gets a bit much, and he does not seem to have a lot of insight into the possibility that the reason it never got off the ground might be because it was not very good.

Despite my reservations, this was still one of the more interesting autobiographies I have read.

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Mr J Patmore
Simple Brilliance
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2012
Verified Purchase
Sometimes you can anticipate something with such a heightened sense of expectation that the reality of it is a huge let down. This is not the case with Pete Townshend's Who I Am. For someone once rightly described as the only authentic genius in rock, who has only known fame in his adult life, it would be natural to assume that the pages of this superbly researched account would be glued together with generous helpings of self agrandissement and ego. But is it not that either. What you get is an almost dispassionate deconstruction of a lost, abused child finding his way to the top of a cut throat industry and irrevocably changing it, his fans and himself along the way. But like climbing to the top of a large multi furcated tree, there were many wrong turns, cul de sacs and and times of apparently being completely lost. The honesty, humility and self deprecation of this book is breathtaking. The journey through the complex multiplicity of his emotional and creative brain trying to balance the tendency toward rock star excess with his peace-centred spiritual beliefs and desire to be a good family man is like being on a tightrope over a bottomless pit in a cross wind - it is captivating, enthralling and can leave you with a sense of vertigo: you become a participant in the narrative as much as you would a fan in the front row of a Who gig. But the book falls short of indulgent ripped shirt self flagellation; it's real genius is Townshend's flair as a comic raconteur and his interweaving of the stories and personal insights that have coloured and textured the richest of all rock star careers. If you really want to understand the meaning of the phrase No Pain - No Gain buy this book and be amazed.

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P. Jackson
Who is he? He's pretty annoying!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2024
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A great lyricist and musician like Pete Townshend was unlikely to write a bad autobiography, and he doesn't. But I was increasingly annoyed about how this apparently spiritual man just wandered from one screw-up to another.....

In a nutshell, Pete becomes perhaps the best writer and musician of the late 20th century, plays the field a bit to the dismay of his long-suffering wife, Karen. Pete then keeps getting involved in drink and drugs and then quitting them for a time, all the while writing some classic Who and solo albums.

Pete then keeps falling in love with a string of women half his age, whilst having another child with the even more long-suffering Karen.

A frustrating read. No-one's perfect, but Pete Townshend almost seems to revel in the perversity of his life.

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A Customer
If you're a Who or Pete Townshend fan, you'll love it
Reviewed in Canada on 5 March 2022
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Having been a Who and Pete Townshend fan for over 40 years, this book was an excellent read. It certainly provides alot of insight into how some of the greatest classic rock songs and albums came to be. Pete has had a fascinating life both public and private. This book gives you a peak inside the truly unique world, of one of the world's greatest artists. I highly recommend it.

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graham hawley
value for money
Reviewed in Spain on 17 December 2022
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compared to hard back great value

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Birger Tommos
Good read
Reviewed in Sweden on 17 August 2022
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Spännande och utlämnande. En läsupplevelse.

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Arthur Wensleydale
No Substitute
Reviewed in Australia on 13 March 2019
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This is the best autobiography I’ve ever read. Why? Because of the honesty and openness; I’ve never read anything quite like it. Implicitly, probably only a fan will want to read it - a pity, as Pete Townsend has real depth about life (something any non-Who fan would get).

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Raphael Arivar de Lira
Amazing journey
Reviewed in Brazil on 18 February 2015
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Great book, really inspiring and true, can't stop reading. Howeverer, I would prefer more photos and maybe the lyrics of the songs

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive and Absorbing Narrative from Pete Townshend

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but not perfect.

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple Brilliance

3.0 out of 5 stars Who is he? He's pretty annoying!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're a Who or Pete Townshend fan, you'll love it

5.0 out of 5 stars value for money

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read

5.0 out of 5 stars No Substitute

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing journey

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A Comprehensive and Absorbing Narrative from Pete Townshend

A good read, but not perfect.

Simple Brilliance

Who is he? He's pretty annoying!

If you're a Who or Pete Townshend fan, you'll love it

value for money

Good read

No Substitute

Amazing journey