The Cult of Eddie Munson, The Metal Side of 'Stranger Things,' and the Real 1980s Satanic Panic Some of that support has come in the form of annual benefit concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the hands-on efforts of Daltrey. The announcement follows more than a decade of support by the Who and other major musicians for England’s Teenage Cancer Trust, which has established 19 cancer units for teenagers across the U.K. It’s very easy - just be there when they ask for you.” “Adolescent care up until now has been a teenage wasteland,” Daltrey said, quoting from the Who’s “ Baba O’Riley.” “Every generation of rock musician will understand that we wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of teenagers buying the records. On Friday, he was joined in Los Angeles by Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin to announce the launch of the UCLA Daltrey/Townshend Teen & Young Adult Cancer Program, in hopes of changing a medical culture that categorizes patients as either adults or children, with few special considerations for teens. It’s also worth noting that Led Zeppelin’s debut was out before Live At Leeds, which further proves that the album wasn’t the catalyst for Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones discovering their style.Īt least, Daltrey can diplomatically enjoy Led Zeppelin’s greatness for what it is and admire the brilliance that they created as a four-piece, which makes for a refreshing change.Roger Daltrey of the Who wants to pay back some of what he owes to teenagers. No, he didn’t, Robert was Robert, and I just wish I could have been as tall,” Daltrey self-depreciatingly added.ĭaltrey’s dismissal of Led Zeppelin copying The Who is a beautifully thinly-veiled dig at Townshend, but, apart from that, the singer’s thoughts are as genuine as it gets.
I know a lot of people say, ‘He copied you, you had long curly hair, then he comes along with long curly hair’. He’s never dull, that’s what I like about Robert. I love the African influences on the music that he does solo. Daltrey then continued his adoration for Plant, “I love his solo stuff too,” he added. I know it was Maryland.”Įven if his recollection of the show’s location is on the foggy side, his memory of Led Zeppelin’s performance is crystal clear as it’s left an imprint on his mind for over half a century. They supported us on one of their first US gigs in Washington or Baltimore. I became very good friends with Robert Plant, and we still are today.
It was Keith (Moon) who came up with the name Led Zeppelin. Explaining his decision, The Who singer said: “Well, I was friends with Jimmy Page in the ’60s, I knew them from the very early years. On Johnnie Walker’s BBC Radio 2 show in 2019, Daltrey went as far as naming Robert Plant as his Rock God. If you thought Daltrey’s appraisal on Led Zeppelin couldn’t get any higher, think again. We were copied by so many bands, principally by Led Zeppelin, you know heavy drums, heavy bass, heavy lead guitar,” said Townshend after unleashing his scathing tongue. We sort of invented heavy metal with (our first live album) Live at Leeds (1970). Instead of answering the question straight, Townshend saw this as the perfect opportunity to squeeze in a jab at Zeppelin: “It doesn’t sound like The Who from those early heavy metal years. In 2019, Townshend was speaking Toronto Sun, and he talked about the growth of his band’s sound over the decades. Townshend has been scathing on multiple occasions about the Zep, whereas Daltrey has nothing but fond memories to share about his time on the road with the group. Whether this is political arguments, opinions about songs by The Who, or even their contrasting views on Led Zeppelin - the pair don’t see eye to eye. There’s no love lost between members of The Who, with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend disagreeing on virtually everything that there is to discuss.