Pete Townshend has hit out at fans that are “irritated I won’t just play Who hits till I die” and has mused that AI impressions of his work may satiate their hunger for more music from the band.
The Who are by no means dead and buried, but in 2025, the guitarist has his fingers in various other pies – he opened a teaching and creative centre, the Townshend Studio, at the University of West London in Ealing late last year, and a solo career to keep him occupied. Not to mention that Quadrophenia is now a ballet.
As such, he feels irked that certain factions of his fanbase continue to circle back to his main band.
“It is a tremendous irritation to Who fans that I don’t just stick to the old catalogue and do it until I die,” Townshend tells UK newspaper, The Times, insisting he doesn’t want to succumb to the nostalgic whim of his fans.
Instead, his Times talk turned to artificial intelligence, referencing how Paul McCartney used the technology to turn an old John Lennon demo into one final, Grammy-winning song, Now and Then. That seems to have got him thinking.
“If I told AI, ‘Write a load of Pete Townshend songs like he used to in 1973,’ a lot of Who fans would be really pleased,” he muses.
As ever, it’s hard to tell whether Townshend is being totally sincere – we suspect he may have had his tongue lodged firmly in his cheek as he uttered those words.
AI in music has proven a divisive topic in recent times. The Beatles have, albeit controversially, showed its possibilities.
Alex Van Halen reportedly wants to go down a similar route when it comes to brushing-up old Eddie Van Halen demos. Steve Lukather has even confirmed his involvement in the project, and an infinitely generating AI overdrive pedal plugin has also caught the eye.
Then there’s the applications in things like the Spark 2 amp, which can help users create tones with AI, and it could present a bright future in terms of guitar tuition. However, it is not welcomed across the board, particularly when it comes to songwriters.
Jimmy Page has written an open letter to the UK Government imploring new laws to put artists first, and tech firms second; a sentiment Brian May has echoed.
Either way, those opposed to AI muscling in on the music industry may do well by stopping their requests for Townshend to play My Generation again...
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