Roger Daltrey Was Never On Board With The Who's Guitar-Smashing Antics
By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta
April 25, 2022
Roger Daltrey's career with The Who might be legendary, but he's not without regrets.
Beyond the unnecessary physical toll The Who's live shows have taken on his hearing, Daltrey tells the Independent that he has misgivings about one of the band's most famous live gimmicks: breaking everything onstage.
Daltrey says he disliked The Who's guitar-smashing sideshow from the first time he saw Pete Townshend do it in the '60s; he knew how much money good guitars cost and the profound impact a good instrument can have on a struggling musician.
"When he broke that first guitar, it actually broke my heart," Daltrey said. "What I would have given for that guitar when I was three years younger than we were then. ... We became more famous for the breaking of guitars than anything else. It became a monkey on our back and extremely expensive."
He notes that despite numerous chart-topping records and sold-out tours in the '60s, The Who were deeply in debt until about 1972. They didn't get many freebies in those days and had to buy back all the guitars, amplifiers and drums that they broke.
Furthermore, Daltrey takes no pride in The Who's title of being the title of the loudest band in the world. The band made the distinction official in 1976 after cranking up its volume to an ear-splitting 136 decibels during an outdoor concert in London. But as live concert volume has been linked to permanent hearing damage, the Guinness World Records organization stopped recording the feat.
Daltrey, who is preparing to return to action with The Who this week, then tour as a solo act in June, added that he's paid a price for The Who's punishing live volume.
Asked about the state of his hearing, he replied that it is "terrible" without his hearing-aids. "Everything's a mumble," he said. "It's a penalty for what we did in our lives. We were too f---ing loud."