Later the vocalist, who has sold more than 100 million albums, will talk candidly about his recently completed autobiography, his ‘brother’ Pete Townshend, his dear wife Heather, his beloved friend Keith Moon and his near-death experience with meningitis. See me, feel me, indeed.ĭaltrey is here to discuss As Long As I Have You, his first solo album for a quarter of a century, but somewhere between prawn sandwiches becomes sidetracked by pesky politics and bullish Brexit predictions. He invites closer inspection of his bulging biceps (‘They’re like rocks!’).
At 74, he looks fit and strong, compact at 5ft 7in and built like a breezeblock.
#Roger daltrey on that 70s show full#
Now, when anyone asks me to name the greatest broadcasters of our age, I’ll know exactly what to say: Wogan, Peel, Partridge.Daltrey takes a dainty sip of water in the parlour of a quaint Georgian hotel in central London, where the floorboards creak discreetly and the speeches of Winston Churchill play on an invigorating loop in the lavatory.ĭapper in a tailored waistcoat, crisp shirt and slim-cut jeans, Daltrey has just returned from the hairdresser, where his full head of pewter curls has been tamed. Partridge’s questions burrowed straight to the heart of one of rock’s greatest living legends. Yes, the 2005 meeting of Alan Partridge and Roger Daltrey was undoubtedly an illuminating one. Go home and trim your hedge and leave the rocking to the young ones like Lenny Kravitz.’ Does it hurt you mean people say things like that?” To which Daltrey responded, “As long as they turn up on the night and they’re paying good money for your tickets, and you’re still selling out, then I don’t give a toss.” You know, he might say it’s a legitimate business just because he does it at a car-boot sale, but that doesn’t make it legitimate.”Īttempting to move away from the divisive subject, Partridge wrapped up the interview with a couple of questions about the future of Daltrey’s career: “Daltrey”, Partridge began, “You’re an embarrassment. Partridge, however, was more interested in the controversy surrounding McVicar’s release: “I did hear from someone that Mr McVicar is still fencing pirate DVDs. Daltrey also performed in Highlander, as well as several stage musicals. “I had it cut when I played a guy called John McVicar”, Dalrey began, talking about his performance in the 1980 film McVicar, in which he played Britians Public Enemy No.
Make your mind up, Roger!”ĭaltrey, whose concentration had been waning throughout Partridge’s hair comments, took the opportunity to talk about his work as an actor: Then you went all curly in the ‘70s a la Brian May. “You had short hair in the ‘60s when you were a mod. After discussing the potentially discriminatory effect of ‘Pinball Wizard’, which includes the lyric: “That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball”, and establishing that the disabled community never took offence, Partridge settled on the question of Daltrey’s hair. Satisfied, Partridge pushed onward, firing off top-notch question after top-notch question. “We had to erase the horse’s private parts for mothers of America at the time, but that was the only trouble we had with it. But the rocker seemed unphased, stating that drugs were just “a part of the creative process” for musicians throughout that era. Partridge was deliberately nudging Daltrey, trying to get him to admit to excessive drug use.
Partridge then moved on to ask Daltrey about his thrill-seeking antics back in the ‘60s, citing the cover of Daltrey’s solo album Ride A Rock Horse, which features a picture of a white horse with Daltrey’s body sprouting from its neck. Someone once described you as a kind of Kinks for welders.” But at the same time, you didn’t take any nonsense. Partridge went on to detail his lifelong affection for The Who, describing how: “In your day, you had some very clever lyrics, you were very creative. But despite this awkward start, the two personalities continued unabashed. Roger Daltrey was born in Hammersmith in 1944, and his father, disappointingly, came back from the war. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that somebody had given Partridge the wrong notes and that he was reeling off facts about the following week’s guest, Roger Waters.
In classic Desert Island Discs style, Partridge began the interview by giving a rundown of Daltrey’s early life: “Born in 1943 in High Wycombe, life dealt Roger a cruel blow when his father was tragically killed on the battlefield”.