"I used to be a real tough guy …a right hand nut. I was from the streets and belonged to a street gang. Everybody did then -you had to just to survive. I was totally anti-everything. I thought everything could be solved by beating some bloke over the head."
Roger Daltrey, rock-and-roll super hero of the Sixties, and today's hottest new film star squints into the sun, peacefully surveying the scene around the pool at the posh Beverly Wilshire Hotel where on a clear day you can count more celebrities than stars in the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard. Today, starlets and future starlets circle the pool liked bored extras from on Esther William's epic. They look up quickly, in unison, checking out the attractive man with the long tousled blond curls and the impish grin. Daltrey is wearing blue jeans, a work shirt open to the waist, and very small two-toned saddle shoes.
He does not really fit in here among the bikinied girls in ban de Soliel tans and businessmen in denim leisure suits. Peter(misprint?) Townshend, Daltrey's friend and fellow musician from The Who, once said, "If you're a rock musician, you don't have to put on airs and pretend to be all grown up…or pretend to be normal. Roger Daltrey would probably agree with that. He doesn't even try to fit in, he neverdid."
Daltrey was born in Shepherd's Bush, a rough working class neighborhood in London's West End, which he says was "one big happy family." His own family was poor. His father worked and still works in warehouse. "I've tried to do things for them," he says softly with a touch of pride, "but they don't want anything." His troubles began when his family troubles began when his family moved to Acton, a more middle class district where Roger encountered his first upper class accent.
"In shepherd's Bush, you know, luv, everybody had Cockney accents like mine. And then the next thing I know, I'm in this grammar school and everybody was talking very, very posh. I said 'what's going on here? I can't understand a bloody word of what anybody's saying.' I got into a lot of trouble at Acton Grammer for fighting and stuff. They kicked me out when I was fifteen.
"Ken Ruseell makes an acotor sweat..."
The only good came out of it, I suppose, was meeting Peter (let me put footnote.. I typed out the original article) (Townshend) and John (Entwhistle). Both of them were a lot like me then - always angry, real tear-aways. We got together around then - that was, oh, fifteen years ago, and started The Who…playing in local pubs.
"But I was a total rebel," says the star of Tommy in the soft. Cockney inflected voice, "I was a Teddy Boy, I guess. Do you remember them? They were the first group of English kids to rebel against the older generation. The Teddy boys used to wear these very bawdy clothes - long black jackets with velvet collars, long sideburns. The Rockers and Mods came later. The Rockers were a lot like Hell's Angels - the Mods, were clean out. Underneath it all, I was always a secret rocker." He grins: "The whole thing was a terrible bore, don't you think, all those costumes, all that violence?"
An odd comment from The Who's lead singer who thrilled thousands, singing and stomping , swinging his microphone like a whip high over his head, while the group smashed their instruments to smithereens behind him. (And all this long before Alice Cooper even dreamed of decapitating baby dolls and hanging himself on stage.)
"We used to knock ourselves off the stage in those days," Roger laughs. "That was the aggression and violence coming out in us. I'd start screaming louder and louder into the mike and John and Peter would turn their guitars up. In the end, it was like a huge din. But, I mean that was IT."
"You know, four guys ina group and the groupies and all of it..."
He smashes his fists together and throws his head back laughing this wild abrupt laugh. "The audience used to get off on it, because we were taking all the anger and violence right out of them. We did all the work for them. I mean it was really amazing. The Who never had any bad scenes in the audiences."
Off-stage, however, roger had a few bad scenes of his own." I was still very angry in those days. Once they kicked me out of the group for fighting with the others - slung me out for a day. My heart was broken. I loved and love The Who. So they took me back and then, well, I knew I had to make some changes."
The 31-year-oldstar smiles, a big wide flash of a grin. "I'm a totally different person now. Very passive. I7d rather run from a fight than start now. But, I still got a temper- it just takes a lot more to provoke me."
"What do you think changed you? Are you into any sort of spiritual - "I asked him.
"I didn't want my kids to the illegitimate!"
"Nah, I don't care for any of those and Ali baba gurus and teenie-bopper 'perfect masters.' I just woke up one day and got myself together. I guess I believe in an inner awareness. I understand myself very well these days - too well sometimes, I think. That's why I've always had trouble writing songs. I'm just not neurotic and confused enough. Trouble is, I'm too placid now to work myself up into a good creative snit." He sighs; "Can't have your cake and cat it too."
"You have quite a reputation for giving young song writers thier first break in the business. How did all that come about?"
"Oh, yeah," he tosses his head back, restlessly. "It's hard, alright, getting a break. Do, I always set 'out on my album to find good new song writers. It's tough for newcomers. You go along to these big record companies and say; 'Hey, I've got a song' and they say 'Oh yeah...' and that's it. A lot of kids come up to me and say have a listen to this and have a listen to that..."
"And do you have a listen?"
"Sure, and that's the sort of material record. Leo Sayer in England - he'd had about four singles out and nobody wanted to know him. And he came to my studio and recorded his first album and I asked him to write me some songs 'cause I liked his material so much. So he wrote most of my first solo album. It was really incredible. And then, youknow, everybody sort of began to say 'Who's this geezer Leo Sayer?' And," he snaps his fingers triumphantly. "next thing you know he's made it."
"Are you a perfectionist in your work? Do you push yourself hard?"
He groans. "Absolutely. Too much of a perfectionist. It makes me terribly anxious sometimes. One of the worst times was when I finished Lisztmania. I'd just done Tommy - never acted before that, not even in a school play - and
Then ken Russell asked me to play Liszt and, God, I mean how can you turn something like that down?" he clutches his
head in his hands.
"But, I hated me in Tommy. Hated every minute of it. Everything I did was wrong. But then maybe everybody gets that way watching them-selves on film." Daltrey shrugs, "Anyway, looking it coldly as a brilliant movie, I'm convinced."
"I take it you liked working with Ken Russell… as some others have not."
"Who? Who didn't like him, luv?"
He strikes a belligerent pose, badgering. "Ah, well," he finally concedes, "he and Glenda Jackson might have had a little falling out. He does seem to have this thing about women. But I liked him.
"I like woman to be feminine...to ast like women,"
He's a genius and a really sadistic bugger, very demanding. Makes an actor sweat. It's a shame really. He's the kind of guy who's going to have to die before people say how brilliant he was."
"About Lisztmania - I hear it's very controversial?"
"Ah, AH," a long whoop of laughter. He rocks back dangerously in his chair. You've heard the rumors. It's quite shocking," he says in a loud stage whisper that stops the unshakable waiters dead in their tracks. "Ringo plays the Pope, you know. And Liszt, well the old bloke was quite a nineteenth-century Casanova. It might give your mother the vapors, but the kiddies will love it."
"How do you fell about music about versus film? Is music still your main love?"
"Oh yes, especially The Who. But now I have another outlet. I would like to learn to be a good actor. Also, what's nice is that I've found a great discipline in films that rock world seems to lack."
"Do you miss the excitement of those early days of the Who... the touring, the road life?
"Exciting?" he snakes his head. "God, I don't know. It was really something. Frantic, crazy.
"No, I don't milk the cows!"
For a four-year period, we were on the road every day of our lives. We couldn't afford to fly then… always traveled by train. Gives you claustrophobia, those little smelly coaches. But, it was crazy. We had some pretty intense times. You know, four guys in a group and groupies and all of it. Wouldn't go back to it now, friends in those days." Roger smiles gently. "Let me see, there was Peter and the others in the group, and Mick Jagger. I really like Mick, although I'm not much good at his kind of social thing. I don't go in for hanging out… going to clubs and parties. Guess I'm just anti-social or something. I get to party and first thing I look for is the exit."
Roger Daltrey is married to an American fashion model named Heather, who the 5'7" rock giant fondly refers to as his "Jolly Green Giant" The Daltreys live with their daughter Rosie and small Bitsa dog ("He's a bitsa this, bitsa that!") in a mommoth Tudor farm house outside of London. Heather is retired and spends her time helping Roger renovate the once dilapidated mansion. Roger raises cattle and leads a quiet, domestic life when he isn't on the road.
"We never go out," he says happily. "After all, we have everything we need and want right there."
"Your marriage seems to have had something to do with your new contentment to do with your new contentment and peace of mind. Could you tell us something about it?"
"This is my second marriage. I was married once... oh God, I can't remember, a long time ago. I have an eleven-year-old son. I guess I was pretty immature the first time around. I was I married Heather," he says, a small smile, "I don't know, about four years ago. The reason I got married was because I wanted to have kids. I didn't want my kids to be illegitimate. I know it's very chic right now for people to have kids without being married, but I didn't think I had the right to make that decision - of making my kids illegitimate. Times change. We could always go back to a Victorian standard of suffer from something I thought was cool in 1975."
"I have a great Loyalty to rock!"
Roger wears this look of Harpo Mark innocence as he insists he can not remember just how many children he does have. He silently ticks them off on his fingers, but I love them all. But I'm not a very liberated father, I guess. I just do all the nice Daddy things
- playing with them, buying them things. I'm chauvinist to the core. It's criminal, really. I should try and change. Nah," he shakes his head emphatically. "Nah, I just can7t. Listen, you know, I came up from nowhere and always felt discriminated against, so I'm not exactly unmindful of people's needs. I believe in equal rights for everything. But," he pauses, "I like woman to be feminine… to act like woman. That's the end of me speech."
"Your views on woman must have some effect on your marriage - "
"Yeah," he declares, frowning. "I'd say I have a very traditional marriage. I do as I like and she does what I tell her to do," A short spans of laughter. "I like her a lot. I really do. We've been together for a log time. Eight years. Met her in a club in London and she just snatched me away from the fifty - oh, maybe, sixty - ladies I was with. Nah, actually, it wasn't like that. Heather has been very good to me. She 's quite a strong person and has given me a lot of emotional support when I needed it ... need it."
"What future goals have you set for yourself, Roger?"
A look of great seriousness: "I thought I'd start a chain of men's clothing stores and - "
"You're joking, of course."
"Oh Lord, yes. Look at me, luv.
I haven't bought any clothes for years. You know, I don't carry any money."
"But seriously - "
"Seriously, there are so many things I want to do. Ah, where to begin? I want to make more films. In fact, I'm working on one now. I'll star in it and also help with production. It's a terrific story - a real lofe story anout an English criminal. I don't want to give it all away, but I'll tell you it really moved me. The story is a lot like my own. "This geezer came from the streets like me and when you come out that kind of background, you don't have very many choices.
"I want to stay in England and try to make things better..."
He became a criminal and I was lucky enough to get into rock and roll. We both were really driven by this need for recognition - rock and roll saved me, you know? It really did. And it saved Peter and John and Mick and a whole lot of people. I have a great loyalty to rock. Peter Townshend says it's nonsense, butI say I'll still be singing with the Who when I'm a dottering old fool."
And that was the last thing he said before be abruptly jumped into the pool. Roger Daltrey likes to make waves - and he's master at it.
Even at the Beverly Hills Hotel - where nobody is Impressed by anyone else…except when Tommy speaks!
