Pete Townsend curses out fan at concert
Jeanwah
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http://ultimateclassicrock.com/pete-tow ... urses-fan/
The grandparents aren’t alright. Throughout his career, Pete Townshend‘s famously profane mouth has often caused his admirers to smile, shake their heads and say, “That’s just Pete being Pete.” But now, it seems to have gotten him in trouble with a fan and his daughter.
At the Who‘s concert at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario on Tuesday (Feb. 19), Eric Michael Costello, who brought his seven-year old daughter Janey, got an earful from the guitarist after she waved a sign she made that said, “Smash Your Guitar, Pete!”
Townshend, who hasn’t destroyed an instrument onstage in decades, instead smashed the barrier of printable language. “Don’t wave that sign,” he said. “Just don’t wave it at me. Don’t bring your children [and] use them. I want to tell you two words, but I can’t because you have a child on you.”
He then clearly mouthed “F— off.” The video of the incident, which cannot be embedded, can be found at the Toronto Sun.
Costello, who spent $300 for the two tickets, had turned Janey on to the Who through multiple showings of their 1979 documentary, ‘The Kids Are Alright.’ Although he explained to her that the band doesn’t do that anymore, she still made the sign in hopes that it would cause a return to Townshend’s old stage antics. Instead, he came up with some new ones.
“I’d like him to know in some small way he broke a little girl’s heart,” Costello said. “Both she and I were huge fans of the band and now I’m left trying to explain to her that heroes are not infallible. Instead of being this joyous, momentous occasion, it turned into a sad, regrettable kind of incident.”
The grandparents aren’t alright. Throughout his career, Pete Townshend‘s famously profane mouth has often caused his admirers to smile, shake their heads and say, “That’s just Pete being Pete.” But now, it seems to have gotten him in trouble with a fan and his daughter.
At the Who‘s concert at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario on Tuesday (Feb. 19), Eric Michael Costello, who brought his seven-year old daughter Janey, got an earful from the guitarist after she waved a sign she made that said, “Smash Your Guitar, Pete!”
Townshend, who hasn’t destroyed an instrument onstage in decades, instead smashed the barrier of printable language. “Don’t wave that sign,” he said. “Just don’t wave it at me. Don’t bring your children [and] use them. I want to tell you two words, but I can’t because you have a child on you.”
He then clearly mouthed “F— off.” The video of the incident, which cannot be embedded, can be found at the Toronto Sun.
Costello, who spent $300 for the two tickets, had turned Janey on to the Who through multiple showings of their 1979 documentary, ‘The Kids Are Alright.’ Although he explained to her that the band doesn’t do that anymore, she still made the sign in hopes that it would cause a return to Townshend’s old stage antics. Instead, he came up with some new ones.
“I’d like him to know in some small way he broke a little girl’s heart,” Costello said. “Both she and I were huge fans of the band and now I’m left trying to explain to her that heroes are not infallible. Instead of being this joyous, momentous occasion, it turned into a sad, regrettable kind of incident.”
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Where have I heard of this behavior before?
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
This might be the case... but Pete... come on, man. That sign is enough to send you into a tizzy? You can't appreciate the fact that they paid the price of the ticket... or that they know a 'little' history?
I can see getting ticked off with a front row fan that texts all concert long, or the fan who is physically abusive to those around them... or the knob who tosses shit up on the stage... but if the dad with his daughter and their sign are the 'trigger'... fuck. Quit already.
Doesn't sound like dad put the girl up to it. Sounds like it was her idea. Too bad Pete could have just made a joke out of it. A sad reminder that some of our heroes have character flaws that are not always admirable. On the other hand, I'm sure artists like Townshend get awfully tired of people wanting them to act like they're still in their twenties.
Actually there's nothing totally new about this though. I saw The Who at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in (I believe it was) 1968. Most of us in the crowd expect Pete to dutifully smash his guitar. I guess it didn't occur to some of us that at that time even The Who couldn't afford to buy new gear for every show. He did toss it around a bit and bumped it on the floor a few times but that was it. No complaints though (now or then)-- it was a GREAT show!
I've been on stage before and had people yell out the most fucked up things (requests) and shit.
I always try to make a joke out of it.
My old bands last show before I decided to do the whole "solo" thing, throughout the entire show someone
was yelling out for us to "play some Skynyrd"
i told him early on that that would not be happening. it was a special night for our band, and this tool
was yelling the entire time. we were planning on releasing the final show for charity, but the entire
thing was ruined by this guy because there was only a 100 people or so there, so he can be heard all through
the recording. we tried some creative editing, but .....
looking back i wish i wasn't in such a great mood that night, becuase i would have torn the d-bag up after
a few disturbances and maybe we could have salvaged the recording.
sorry to ramble on and on. This just reminded me that sometimes when on stage, doing the "right thing"
don't always occur to perfomers. If it had been any other night other than a special night for my band,
i would probably have come off like a real prick that night.
"To question your government is not unpatriotic --
to not question your government is unpatriotic."
-- Sen. Chuck Hagel
Yeah, it really is a difficult kind of thing to pin point as far as what is too much. Of course when I saw The Clash in the early 80's at one point Joe Strummer looked at the audience and said- with great anger, I might add- "All of you, FUCK OFF" and flipped us off. Everybody went nuts and just loved it, of course.
But again... some perspective here: a dad with his young daughter can hardly qualify as something 'too much'.
Pete, at least on this night, was a wanker.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... andal.html
He was calling out parents that use their kids to get attention. It's his stage. And it's a Who concert. No where does it say that Pete isn't going to tell you to Fuck Off. Go to shows with caution if bringing the kids.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... andal.html
Performers establish reputations for themselves and sensible people understand what might be appropriate or what might not be. Jim Morrison could go a million directions. So could Cobain. Ian Astbury was a tempermental fellow as well. And countless others.
I'm surprised at Pete's reaction. This seems out of character, but maybe I don't know of his character well enough? Doesn't matter. Without being there... I say snapper move.
Settled. He's a fucking scumbag.
Yeah, good point. After all- it's rock and roll. Any parent bringing a kid to a rock show has to be ready for just about anything language-wise. Especially evening shows. I don't know how it is now, but in the 60's and 70's if you went to a day-time rock festival you had people of all ages, babies to old geezers. In the evening it was strictly adults.
I lost all respect for this diddler a long time ago!!!! Seriously people he is a pedophile, you shouldn't even be going to see this clown.
London, ON - Sep 12, 2005
Toronto, ON - Aug 21, 2009
Toronto, ON- Sep 11 2011
Hamilton, ON- Sep 15 2011
London, ON- Jul 16 2013
Buffalo, NY- Oct 12 2013
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Yes. The it's rock 'n roll stuff doesn't wash with me.
There are concerts where daddys don't take their daughters, but there are plenty of concerts where the bands are reasonable human beings, the fan base is mostly reasonable human beings, and it is safe to take a young kid who you are introducing music to.
The Who, with 95 year old Pete, would have seemed like a good bet to safely watch without being attacked from the stage- even with a... sign :? .
Any other guy with this type of history that includes surfing child pornography sites would be ripped on this forum. Rock stars don't get passes to act any way they want in my books. I mean, for gawds sakes... a nation is disgusted because their president is found to have received a bj from an eager, not-so-great-looking adult woman... and Pete gets a 'cool' label for masturbating while watching children have sex online- and a pardon for acting like an asshole at a concert.
As far as his alleged incident with the police ... apparently nothing was found on any of his computers other than him using a credit card to log in to a site ... his story was he was trying to show how easy it was to log in to those site's with credit cards and by showing the financial link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09 ... 21823.html
The Who Guitarist Pete Townshend Recounts 'Insane' Child Porn Arrest
Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for The Who, has described his decision to investigate the roots of child pornography as "insane".
Following his arrest in 2003, the star insisted insisted he was looking at the website only while conducting "research" for a campaign against internet porn involving children.
The 67-year-old was cautioned and put on the sex offenders' register for five years.
Pete Townshend says his decision to look at child porn was 'insane'
In an interview with The Times, which is serialising his memoir, Who I Am, Townshend described what he had done as a product of "white knight syndrome, an attempt to be seen to be the one that's helping".
Speaking from his home in Richmond, he said: "It's a product of success. I had experienced something creepy as a child, so you imagine, what if I was a girl of nine or 10 and my uncle had raped me every week? I felt I had an understanding, and I could help."
SEE ALSO: 'Pornographic' Photography Project Featuring Children Raises Complaints For London Gallery
He intended to show that child abuse has a financial chain that runs from Russian orphanages to British banks by paying a £7 charge for a child pornography site, which he cancelled immediately, the newspaper said.
Townshend was arrested as part of the FBI-led Operation Ore crackdown. The investigation led to almost 4,000 arrests, including those of judges, teachers, doctors, care workers, soldiers and more than 50 police officers.
When police subsequently confiscated Townshend's computers and files they found nothing incriminating, but the damage to his image had been done.
"What I did was insane," said Townshend.
Asked why he did not speak out sooner, he said: "Because there was no sense of 'the truth will out'.
"I've had the misfortune to read online comments where I'm judged as a paedophile because I've got a big nose."
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Faithful fans from multiple decades show up to a concert including a younger generation that will support the band through another decade or two... and instead of relishing the moment for what it is... their guitar player gets huffy because he's annoyed by a kid with a sign.
It would be different if he was an insolent, naive, and newly spoiled rock star... but this is a guy who should probably have a better perspective.
After all the police are always so credible
Apparently you haven't been to a pearl jam concert or choose to ignore the adult language that eddie vedder chooses to use ... oh by the way thats also a rock concert ... so what if someone cusses ... and so what that Pete told this dude to fuck off ... big deal ... his skin needs to thicken up.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Ya know, everyone knows that a rock show is fair game for inappropriate behavior, it goes with the territory. So when people are upset that the performer isn't displaying G-rated behavior? Well, it just sounds absurd. Pete Townsend owes nothing to the audience, just like any other performer owes nothing to theirs. It's their stage, it's their moment. It's when we place expectations that we get let down, so let go of the god-like, perfect expectations of a gentlemanly, perfectly family-friendly concert, no matter how aged and experienced the band is. Expecting god-like behavior from human beings who are worshipped like gods brings nothing but disappointment.
And besides, the guy used his kid for attention. I may have called him out if I was on stage too.
Celebrities' lame stories as they try to dig themselves out of hot water are definitely more credible than the police
Language is something one would certainly expect at a concert. This guy never had his daughter hold up a sign asking for nice words only. What one doesn't expect at a concert is to be targeted by the performer for holding up a pretty benign sign.
I'm not a big fan of signs. I've never had one or will ever bring one. I'm also not much of a singer- only select tunes will have me belt out the chorus. But if someone beside me has a sign and holds it up without restricting my vision... I couldn't give a shit. If someone beside me is singing off-key without drowning out the act... I couldn't give a shit. Each to their own.
The sign was a minor offence. And the fact that Pete expressed his disdain for these two for a sign pretty much reflects his level of appreciation for the fans. At face value (no pun intended), it sounds as if he'd prefer people pay the price of admission and not show up so that he doesn't have to view the foul masses he shows little patience for or else abhors.
Lastly... I don't think this dad was very responsible: I am not excusing his actions and as a dad, when I brought my kid to shows as a 12, 13, 14 and now 15 year old... we are as unobtrusive as possible- but this is just me though. Pete's actions were far worse in my mind. If you wish to excuse Pete entirely by suggesting the parent and his 7 year old daughter were fully to blame... well... I'm not too sure what else to say?
This is extreme and almost not worthy of responding to.
I don't think anyone is expecting Peter to display G-Rated behaviour and god-like behaviour... get serious. I think what people are expecting Peter to display though is at least a remote level of respect for the support they have been given. Most performers express at least some gratitude for their fans and some gush for their fans: thanking them for affording them the lifestyle they live!
I guess I have a different perspective for how I feel I should be treated at a concert. I'm not paying to get cussed out or spit on or pissed on. I'm paying to show up, enjoy, pay tribute and have a great time. If I was acting like an ass... then I could expect to be addressed. This goofy situation hardly qualifies for a verbal assault in front of 1000s of people.
How YOU should be treated at a concert? Like any performer owes you anything. Good god... It all goes right back to having expectations... And what he did is nothing compared to say a punk concert where the band throws nothing but insults into the crowd. (Yet the crowd loves this and begs for more, because it IS a punk rock show...)
Speaking of which, here's some of the Jeff Ament interview which I posted some of in the PJ and politics thread, which reminds me of this topic now.
(Interviewer): Just because you’re a musician or you stand in front of a camera, it doesn’t mean you give up your citizenship. So, you still should be allowed to have a voice.
JA: It’s crazy. The people that are yelling the loudest are the Rush Limbaughs and guys like that who are… They’re doing that in the worst way. Rush Limbaugh’s a weather man. He has one of the biggest pulpits in the land.
(Interviewer): On the artistic side of it, I remember watching the Pearl Jam Twenty documentary and it showed the reaction to a performance of “Bushleaguer.” Afterwards, some of the band members were against playing it again because they didn’t want to go through that uncomfortable situation where a portion of the crowd turned on you. But, you were defiant and wanted to play it again because you felt that art should be confrontational and you shouldn’t cower, even if everyone isn’t cheering. I just thought that was such a great statement at the time.
JA: I’ve always felt like music can be good in that confrontational way. It goes back to what I was saying earlier about it starting a conversation. I feel like I’ve always been in bands that have been a little bit controversial at different times. And some of the early punk bands, in particular, when I was in Green River and we opened up for the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, those crowds hated us. They would throw shit at us and I kind of ate it up. I was into it. I was like, “Good. There’s something we’re doing up here that is causing a reaction.” Reaction is great. If it makes you feel anything and that to me is better than just numbing people out and being a pure entertainer where you just try to make people happy. Ultimately, I never really cared what people thought. It’s always been about, “Do the guys in the band, the people I’m playing with, are we getting off? Are we creating something that we love? That we totally believe in?” We’ve been lucky in that people have reacted to that and bought our records and they come to our shows. That’s an awesome fringe benefit of being in a creative unit. For me it’s always been more about making great art than it has been about being entertainers.
I never said anything at all about performers owing me anything. I mentioned that many performers respect and appreciate their fan base. They don't view them as simple-minded minions there for their abuse if the mood strikes them. Are you saying that a paying fan can have no baseline expectations? That they are owed nothing?
"Gee. I sure hope they play more than one song!"
"Yeah. And we're in the front row. I sure hope they don't throw their feces at us!"
"Yeah. Remember the last time we were in the front row? Remember when Pete took one of those big boogers from his big nose and flicked it on Johnny?"
If it goes back to expectations... then why compare a Who concert in 2013, when they are 100 years old, to a punk rock show filled with raving lunatics with spiked faces thrashing about madly? This comparison is ridiculous. The dad never took his daughter to a punk rock show. He took her to a show where the average age of the audience was 40+ and the performers are considered legends.
Bottom line:
1. The dad took his daughter to a rock concert and, admittedly it's a little early in her life, is trying to introduce her to one of life's greatest gifts- music. Good move.
2. The dad should have explained to his daughter that the sign was inappropriate because... oh... say... when you hold it up at the concert- it interferes with people's view. Not doing so= poor move.
3. Peter is unable to get past some benign sign that hardly signifies offensiveness. He chooses to berate the father and daughter. What if the father had a terminal illness and was spending the last moments of his life in every capacity he might before he exited the earth? He can hardly be expected to know the circumstances of the two at the show, yet you think he's within his right to shit all over them because he feels like doing so? This was a really really poor move.
You seem to want to give him full marks for being a performer. Fair enough. But being a performer or artist doesn't remove you from acting like a decent human being. In my books... attempting to access child pornography and berating a fan at a concert because his daughter is holding a sign up qualifies you as an asshole.
You think he was justified in attacking the two. I don't. Fair enough. We can agree to disagree on this one.
many years ago i watch a interview w/ roger daltrey & i believe it may have been howard stern although it's not clear. roger was asked about pete & kids. roger was god damn uncomfortable, embarest, & really had not a lot to say. one thing was 100% fact though... roger could not say pete was innocent or guilty all he could say is he hopes its cleared up so they can get back to work...something like this.
bullshit.
your fucking friend & band mates & family members & best fucking life long friends know for a fact if one of their own is a child molester.
i believe fully in my heart that pete townsend is very guilty of some things. white knight saving the children my frickin ass. that is a bullshit fucking fabricated load of horseshit
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
1. Pete overreacted; then again, who hasn't?
2. Not sure why Pedo-Pete was even introduced here
3. I'm also tired of the whole "using children" thing - whether in this instance, or the occupy movement, or anti-abortion protests, or those fucking Subaru commercials, etc. Let children fucking BE children, and not have them be their parents' (or corporations') mouthpieces for purposes of pulling at heartstrings
4. Smashing guitars always seemed to me like wasting a perfectly good instrument
5. I go to a show and am respectful. I wouldn't want the person(s) on stage thinking it's ok to treat me like shit in exchange for my payment. The sign in question didn't strike me as offensive.
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
He misunderstood, and understandably so, and thought that the adult put the child up to making the sign.
Furthermore, a "smash your guitar, Pete" sign isn't exactly a request for your favorite song either.
The headline is also misleading. He didn't curse the fans out. The article said he said "I'd curse you out if you weren't holding a child" and then MOUTHED "F -off".
yeah, Pete's a little grumpy. yeah, it was probably poor taste for the father.
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah