The Who rock legend, Pete Townshend, opened up recently about falling back into a struggle with painkillers. Thankfully, he also says how he dragged himself out of it.
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Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey sat down with Rob Tannenbaum for an interview for The New York Times on August 24 in light of their Farewell Tour. Together, they spoke about touring and their health, which led to Townshend spilling his guts about his recent addiction.
Tannenbaum asked Townshend if more dates could be added to their Farewell Tour should the pair be in good health. But, it’s not looking likely.
“Not me,” Townshend answered. “I’ll be fine.”
He then spoke about his recent stumble, “I went through a period of feeling very depressed. And when I had the knee operation early this year, I got readdicted to painkillers. This is the way rock stars die, OxyContin.”
How Townshend Battled His Second Bout Of Addiction
“I’d gone through severe alcohol addiction for many years, then narcotics,” he elaborated. “I’d been clean for over 30 years.”
To get the help he needed, Townshend called a friend he had in Spain who worked for a recovery clinic. Thankfully, “he got my head sorted out. I’m feeling really good at the moment.”
Ultimately, however, Townshend left the whole ‘adding more tour dates’ thing to his friend.
Whether in good health or not, however, I wouldn’t wager The Who would want to add more dates to their tour. They just don’t have it in them anymore.
“I’m 80, I don’t like being away from my family, my studios, my dogs and my friends,” he explained. “I’m not looking to spend the next five years of my life waiting to [expletive] drop dead on the stage.”
Considering the recent troubles he faced with re-addiction and his bad knee, it sounds like Townshend doesn’t want to push his body too far, and wants to spend as much time with his family and friends as he can.
With Daltrey also recently joking about going blind and deaf, it looks like this matter is clear.