Talking About The Who

Tony Fletcher talks about his work with the Rock Academy and the challenge of directing a show dedicated to The Who, recording with his band The Dear Boys, what compelled him to write a Keith Moon biography, trying to separate the myths from the truth, the effect the book had on his well-being, the most surprising thing he learnt while writing the book, his experiences of interviewing Oliver Reed and John Entwistle, and where he ranks Dear Boy/Moon amongst his other work.

Plus: on the 60th anniversary of The Who’s first single ‘I Can’t Explain’ being released in the UK, Paul looks at how the band’s debut immediately established their identity and managed to stay relevant throughout the next six decades.

Episode transcript

Music by The Garage

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RELATED LINKS:

Tony Fletcher’s Substack page

The Dear Boys on Bandcamp

Tony’s website, books, podcasts and more

The Who – ‘I Can’t Explain’ (original version)

The Who – ‘I Can’t Explain’ (London Coliseum, 1969)

The Who – ‘I Can’t Explain’ (Royal Albert Hall, 2000)

Tony’s Substack post about the Rock Academy show, including their version of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’

The Rock Academy website

The Beatles – ‘Doctor Robert’

Keith Moon with champagne bottle in wall image

Chris Charlesworth’s memoir Just Backdated

Tony’s festive recommendations post on Substack

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YouTuber Mr Boulder is more likely to talk about Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Metallica on his channel than he is to talk about The Who. However, after asking Paul for a Who album recommendation beyond the greatest hits he already owned, Paul offered up Who’s Next. Sometime later, the two of them decided to record a track-by-track analysis of the album from their different perspectives – while also going off on various tangents – as part of an experimental cross-channel collaboration, and today we present their conversation as our New Year’s Day offering – Happy New Year to you all!

Episode transcript

Music by The Garage

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RELATED LINKS:

Mr Boulder’s YouTube channel

Classic Albums episode on Who’s Next (Part 1 of 4)

Roger Daltrey – ‘Baba O’Riley’, 2024

John Entwistle – ‘My Wife’ (1973 solo album version)

The Who – ‘My Wife’ (live version from Thirty Years of Maximum R&B box set)

The Who – ‘Pure and Easy’

Roger Daltrey – ‘Going Mobile’, 2009

Limp Bizkit – ‘Behind Blue Eyes’

Nine Inch Nails – ‘Hurt’

Johnny Cash – ‘Hurt’

Bob Dylan – ‘All Along the Watchtower’

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – ‘All Along the Watchtower’

The Vocalyst reaction to ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’

The Charismatic Voice reaction to ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’

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Irish Jack was a nineteen-year-old Mod in Shepherd’s Bush when he first met and became friends with The Who in 1962, and he’s gone on to become an instantly recognisable figure to Who fans everywhere. In this episode, he shares some of his short stories about the band, and these are combined with archive clips to create ‘A Mish Mash of Irish Jack’, a collection of 60 years of Who-related memories. These include: a series of letters between Jack and Pete Townshend which sowed the seeds for Quadrophenia, hearing the album before its release as a way of avoiding watching Coronation Street, meeting the band for the first time when they were called The Detours, interrupting a Roger Daltrey radio interview with a badly timed phone call, broaching the subject of Who manager Kit Lambert’s homosexuality with his mother, and experiencing an evening in the company of Keith Moon and Oliver Reed.

All clips used in this episode provided by Irish Jack

Clip 1: Pete Townshend interview with Ken Stewart on RTE Radio, 1985

Clip 2: Pete on The BP Fallon Orchestra on RTE Radio, 1984

Clip 3: Irish Jack interview on Portsmouth TV, 2002

Clip 4: ‘Jack Lyons: A Moment’ on RTE Radio, hosted by Alf McCarthy

Clip 5: Mastermind on BBC TV, 2008

Clip 6: Roger Daltrey interview with Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live, 2018

Episode transcript

Music by The Garage

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Chris Charlesworth talks about writing his new memoir Just Backdated, being Melody Maker’s man in America during the 70s, giving Debbie Harry her first UK print exposure, an unexpected phone call from Keith Moon after writing a glowing review, getting to know The Who and their families, and his feelings on the band playing with an orchestra.

Plus: after Pete Townshend announces upcoming Who activity in 2025, Paul ponders what that might look like and whether it’s finally time to bring back some obscure early material on stage.

Episode transcript

Music by The Garage

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RELATED LINKS:

Chris Charlesworth's new memoir Just Backdated

Chris’ blog ‘Just Backdated’

Sound desk audio of Roger and Pete banter at the Royal Albert Hall, 2024

Pete’s interview in The Standard, October 2024

Roger Daltrey – ‘Another Tricky Day’, 2024

Matt Kent on The Fisher Protocol

The Who – ‘Bald Headed Woman’

The Who – ‘Young Man Blues’, Ottawa, 1969

The Who – ‘My Generation’ from Live at the Fillmore East 1968

Slade – ‘Get Down and Get With It’ on UK TV, 1971

John Entwistle’s Ox – King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents in Concert, 1975

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Jody Linscott talks about how she inadvertently became a musician, being fired from Dingwalls and joining a band, the inspiration from her parents’ and brother’s record collections, not initially being a fan of The Who, being told, “Pete Townshend is looking for you”, playing with Pete’s Deep End band in the mid-80s, touring with The Who in 1989, the joyful chaos of being part of The Who’s acoustic line-up in 2020, and how Roger Daltrey is singing better than ever.

Plus: host Paul Bearman explains how he became a Who fan at the age of two, and how a major health scare in 2020 led to him wanting to make a podcast about them.

Episode transcript

Music by The Garage

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RELATED LINKS:

Season 3 of Discography

The Fisher Protocol

Mustapha Tettey Addy bio

Kokomo on The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1975

Jeff Linscott – ‘Things to See’

Pete Townshend’s Deep End – 'Slit Skirts’, 1986

Pete Townshend’s Deep End – ‘Rough Boys’, 1986

The Who – ‘Join Together’, 1989

Roger Daltrey – ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, 2024

Roger Daltrey – ‘Boy in the Bubble’, 2024

The Who – ‘Break the News’, 2020

Teenage Cancer Trust

The Who – ‘Baba O’ Riley’, 2022

The Who – ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, 2022

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Irish Jack, close friend of The Who since 1962, will be one of the special guests in Season One of Talking About The Who, a new podcast dedicated to that nice rock and roll band from Shepherd’s Bush, London

Season One begins on 20th November 2024 and will be available on all good podcast apps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Percussionist Jody Linscott will be one of the special guests in Season One of Talking About The Who, a new podcast dedicated to that nice rock and roll band from Shepherd’s Bush, London

Coming very soon to all good podcast apps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new podcast dedicated to that nice rock and roll band from Shepherd's Bush, London

Season One is coming very soon to all good podcast apps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.