Roger Daltrey - Lead singer of the WHO- Talks to TOTALDVD's Phil Manson About The DVD Release of their Classic Documentary, The Kids Are Alright
Has the Kids Are Alright improved with age?
It has for me, I watched it in a big screen in New York, recently, and it was like seeing it for the first time because I could finally be objective about. The main reason I've not watched it up until now is that I don't like seeing myself on film or listening to the sound of my own voice when it's recorded.
What do you like about it?
I just think it7s a great piece of filmmaking. It's total anarchy, but there's style in there at the same time. I tell you what was wonderful about seeing it again - looking at the clips of all those brilliant, live TV shows. That stuff just couldn't happen now because it's all so safe and protected, like Janet Jackson apologizing on the Grammies for showing a nipple. What's the world come to, for f**k's sake!
Was the Smothers Brothers TV footage staged spontaneous?
All the gear-smashing was planned, but the explosion behind us was far bigger than we'd originally intended because [Keith] Moon decided that it would be a good idea to get the pyrotechnic guy pissed on brandy. It nearly killed the lot of us. If you show it down you can see Pete [Townshend] trying to put his hair out.
Why isn't there more original footage in it?
The only things that were specially filmed were the performances of Baba O'lelly and Won't get Fooled Again, because we thought that was enough. Someone had the idea of giving each of us our own individual segment in the film, but only John [Entwistle] and Keith wanted to do it.
Pete and I thought: 'No, the band is the band-not a set of individuals.'
How did you feel about being known as straight one in the group?
I didn't mind it, just because someone had to be. It was like that from day one
- I'd be doing the driving and booking, and all they had to do was get up there and play. As I did more fetching and carrying, they just got more and more out of it.
What happens now?
We've just done some tracks actually - the best stuff that Pete's written for years as a matter of fact, at least in my opinion, I've always hopped that if we live long enough we'll get to see Townshend reach the peak and now it finally seems to be happening. I've heard a couple of the tracks, and they're at least as good as any of those early singles. It's the first time in ages that I've thought that we might have a future. There's one about someone seeing Elvis as a kid, imaging himself as a rock star and his mum telling him he's too ugly. Classic Townshend
