Pete Townshend Says Someone Needs to “Slap [Producer] Rick Rubin” in New Interview

The Who’s Pete Townshend has never been one to bite his tongue. And it looks like his newest sharp words are for producer Rick Rubin.

In a recent interview on the Rockonteurs With Gary Kemp And Guy Pratt podcast, accompanied by his wife Rachel Fuller, Pete Townshend took a quick jab at producer Rick Rubin. The comment came about during a conversation about creativity.

“You see a lot of stuff on YouTube and Instagram, people nagging you about the way that you have to be creative,” said Townshend on the podcast. “Somebody needs to occasionally slap Rick Rubin. Because one minute he’s telling us that we need to do whatever we like. And then on the other hand, he’s telling us that we mustn’t do this, and we mustn’t do that.”

With Townshend, it’s hard to tell if a comment is made in jest or malice. Regardless, the comment was a bit strange. It isn’t very clear if Townshend has ever directly worked with the famed producer before. Rubin is known for his work on famous rock albums like Reign In Blood by Slayer and Toxicity by System Of A Down.

With a little digging, it appears that Townshend may be referencing Rubin’s recent author venture, The Creative Act: A Way Of Being. In that 2023 book, Rubin notes that art is at its very best when the artist creates for the sake of themselves, rather than for an audience or mainstream attention.

Peter Townshend Had Some Sound Advice for Musicians

Outside of the jab at Rubin, Townshend did have some wise words to give aspiring musicians in the context of creativity. Specifically, he said that when it comes to the “book of rules” for creativity, he’s tried it all. But nothing is more important than the writing.

“I’ve dabbled with all of those methods,” said Townshend in the interview. “And I’ve carried complete big, recording studios on the road with me sometimes, and then sometimes I’ve used little cassette machines. I’ve recorded in all kinds of different ways. And if I fancy going into a studio with a huge orchestra, I’ve done that too. But what’s most interesting is the paper. The paper, the photograph, the writing.”

He even took the time to say something positive during the podcast as well. Specifically, Pete Townshend noted that creativity has to “be fun” as “Rick Rubin so rightly says.”

Photo by Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

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