Photo: Roman Konertz / Attribution (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
For me, Pete Townshend is rock's great contradiction: the man who smashed guitars on stage was also the genre's most rigorous intellectual. Anyone can write a hit; Townshend wrote My Generation and then dared to build entire operas like Tommy out of three-chord fury, treating teenage rage as serious literature. The windmill arm gets the photographs, but it is the songwriting brain I keep returning to — anxious, searching, never satisfied even after Kennedy Center Honors and a Tony. That restlessness is the engine of his art. Among the sixties' guitar heroes, he is the one whose ideas still feel unfinished, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Pete Townshend
- Name (Japanese)
- ピート・タウンゼント
- Reading
- ぴーと・たうんぜんと
- Born
- May 19, 1945 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rooster
- Origin
- London, Roman Empire
- Height
- 72 cm
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / guitarist / singer / composer / banjoist
2. Background
- University
- Ealing Art College
Awards & achievements
- Kennedy Center Honors
- 1993 Tony Award for Best Original Score
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Won't Get Fooled Again | — | |
| Notable work | My Generation | — | |
| Notable work | Pinball Wizard | — | |
| Notable work | Tommy | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Pete Townshend born?
Born May 19, 1945 (age 81).
Where is Pete Townshend from?
Pete Townshend is from London, Roman Empire.
What does Pete Townshend do?
Pete Townshend works as singer-songwriter, guitarist, singer, composer, banjoist.
How tall is Pete Townshend?
Pete Townshend is 72 cm.
What is Pete Townshend known for?
Notable works include Won't Get Fooled Again, My Generation, Pinball Wizard.
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Guitarist — see all → · More people from Roman Empire →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.