Almost every classic rock star that you love looked up to Elvis Presley. When the musicians of the 60s and 70s were coming up, Elvis was the rock ‘n’ roll star, and one of the founding fathers of popular rock ‘n’ roll music. That being said, he influenced the finest musicians in more ways than we could count, and a handful of those finest musicians have outwardly spoken about their admiration for the King, except for one, Pete Townshend, who called Elvis Presley a “chump.”
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Pete Townshend has never been one to mince his words. So, this dislike for Elvis Presley isn’t all that surprising. However, at the same time, it is, because as we just noted, everyone with musical aspirations in the 1950s looked at Elvis as a beacon of hope and possibility. Though not Pete Townshend, because he was not a fan of his whatsoever.
Townshend Thought Elvis Presley was “Corny” and a “Drawling Dope”
In his book, Who I Am: A Memoir, Townshend very clearly explained how he came to dislike Elvis and why he did so. Using a personal anecdote from his childhood, The Who guitarist wrote, “I only liked Bill Haley for a few months, but Jimpy was totally hooked and bought several Haley and Elvis records.”
“While Jimpy was still with me on the Isle of Man, he and a pretty girl named Elaine – with whom we had both fallen in love – started singing Elvis songs together. They lost me there.” “To my ear, Elvis sounded corny, a drawling dope singing about dogs,” added Townshend.
“I just didn’t get it. Unfortunately, I had missed his first masterful releases like ‘That’s Alright Mama’ [sic] and ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ and had come in directly on ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Love Me Tender,’ a song that made me want to vomit, especially when Jimpy and Elaine crooned it at one another. In his movies (apart from Jailhouse Rock), Elvis confirmed my view of him as a chump,” concluded Townshend.
Needless to say, Townshend’s origin story about his disdain for Elvis is a vehement one. However, at the end of the day, it’s music, and anyone can have their opinion, even if they starkly go against the popular point of view. And, well, Pete Townshend goes against the popular point of view quite frequently, but that is part of what makes Pete Townshend, Pete Townshend.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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