TCG: The 2004 “Then & Now” best of The Who compilation features the first new Who songs in over 20 years. Can you say something about “Real Good Looking Boy”, which I understand is a tribute to Elvis Presley and the song you wrote honoring John Entwistle, “Old Red Wine”.
PT: “Real Good Looking Boy”,there are two strands to the song, one for me, one for Roger. My strand speaks of wanting to look like a friend from my childhood, and being disavowed of the idea that I might compare with him by my mother. Roger’s strand speaks about seeing Elvis for the first time, and being affected by the allure and latent sexuality of his face. There is a third strand, which is about the fact that Roger and I seem to have survived where others have not. Which brings me to “Old Red Wine”. This is about John loving old, dusty wine.
TCG: Could you say something about the Pete Townshend SJ-200 limited guitar that Gibson recently introduced? It¹s not usually electrified, but the Pete Townshend signature model has a pickup and a lighter neck contour. How involved were you in designing the new J-200 signature?

PT: I did a lot of work on the neck. My very first J200 seemed to have a thinner neck. I wanted the guitar to have a Fishman piezo,which I believe sounds best through a Fishman amplifier designed for the job,or very high quality studio stuff like Focusrite, API or Neve when you are recording.
TCG: What originally attracted you to the Gibson Super Jumbo 200? I know that Elvis, Dylan and Ron Wood used it.
PT: It records so well. It has quite a crisp sound for such a large guitar, and my first one (now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum) actually had a metal tunamatic bridge. I may try this on a variant of my signature model.
TCG: There was also a limited edition Pete Townshend Gibson signature SG from the ‘90s as well. Did that one sell out and if so do they have any plans of coming back with it?
PT: Some of these sold for high sums. If it comes back now it will definitely come back with a whammy bar!

TCG: Did Gibson have a Pete Townshend signature Les Paul Deluxe? Is there any other particular signature model guitar that you would like to see reissued by Gibson?
PT: No Les Paul Deluxe as yet, but I’m thinking about it. I am also thinking about Signature guitars by Rickenbacker and Fender. It would be fun to make an indestructible guitar wouldn’t it?
TCG: So much of that great music you were writing and recording after Tommy, including Who¹s Next and Who Came First was directly or indirectly related to the Lifehouse concept, which was never fully completed by The Who. Do you think that Lifehouse is sort of regarded as the Who version of Brian Wilson¹s legendary Smile album, in that like Smile, the Lifehouse songs changed and carried on for years appearing on various Who albums in different versions and incarnations?
PT: I still work on, inspired by Lifehouse, which was a dark vision rather than a spiritual one. It was a fully landed work from the off. The only reason I’ve continued to work with it is because I feel music really does have the potential to reflect the human soul at a very deep level.


TCG: Could you see bringing Lifehouse to Broadway or making a movie of it one day?
PT: Not now. I’ve showed all my various treatments of it to all those I know who produce and evolve Broadway shows and movies. No one has felt it is strong enough to fly. I have written a new screenplay,The Boy Who Heard Music,which is one final evolution of the Lifehouse theme. This could fly, but only as an animation film I think.