The Who's Pete Townshend: I used to be pansexual

6 June 2021, 16:00

By Radio X

The Who guitarist has reflected about a time when he was "ready to fall into bed with anybody" regardless of their gender.

Pete Townshend believes he was once pansexual.

The Who guitar hero has opened up about the origins of the band's 1966 single I'm A Boy and revealed that at one point in his life he would have slept with anybody, regardless of gender.

The 76-year-old rocker told Rock Cellar Magazine: "With I'm A Boy it's the idea of masculinity and the way that men are seen to be at a time when I often forget, to be homosexual, to be pansexual, as I think I probably was, but not anymore.

"But I think I was ready to fall into bed with anybody that would have me. I think I forget that homosexuality was still illegal, so these adventures had to be couched in vignettes of humour and irony."

The Who were forced to cancel their 2021 UK and Ireland tour dates earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on their website Townshend and frontman Roger Daltrey said: "We are very sorry that we have to cancel our planned March 2021 UK and Ireland shows. Please excuse the delay but we wanted to wait as long as possible to see if we could indeed play them. However, as you can see the current situation makes this impossible. Thanks for all your wonderful support and we hope to see you in the future when conditions allow."

The band have yet to reschedule dates on this side of the pond, but they are still set to head to the United States, with gigs which kickoff on 19 August in San Diego.

Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey is set to embark on his own solo dates on the Live and Kicking Tour, which will see him play "some Who hits, a few rarities and some solo hits" in the States.