Pete Townshend Speaks Out
Pete Townshend, publicly silent since he was cleared on child porn
charges earlier this month, shared his plans for the future with
Rolling Stone via email (below).
In January, the fifty-eight-year-old Townshend admitted
accessing illicit photos while doing research for a memoir that
would document his own abuse as a child. After a searching his home
and seizing his computer, British investigators found that he
hadn’t downloaded any images to his computer, and dropped the
charges against him. Townshend’s name will, however, be placed on
the national Sex Offenders Register for five years.
In his e-mail, the Who guitarist stated that he is surprised by
the decision to name him as an offender but that he is ready to get
on with his life, finish his autobiography and get back to playing
music.
From Pete Townshend:
I intend to work my way back to normality. As a result of
all this shit, I’ve decided to greatly formalize the structure of
my charity (Double-O) and the way I work with “survivors” — so
that in future my work is more well-known to everyone. I’ve kept my
profile low in this area out of modesty I suppose, and it has
worked against me. I am going to complete my autobiography, Pete
Townshend (who he?). I put it down and did not plan to finish it
until much later. But now I am going to push ahead until it is
done. People need to read about my entire life to get a real
picture of who I am. I hope to finish it by the end of the year. So
it may come out next year sometime. I am also going to get up and
play just as soon as I can.
Finally, I’m going out onto the street to meet people, to
smile and shake hands with everyone who has been supportive of me
in my hometown. But also to give those people who are “undecided” a
chance to look me in the eye and make their own decision.
Going on TV won’t help me. I’m too wounded, too crazy, too
happy and grateful, too resentful and too busy.
Who fans? I hope that life will go on as usual. Roger has
been a rock.