During the Who’s early days, Pete Townshend became known for his eccentric stage style, often interrupting concerts with lengthy introductions of songs, swinging his right arm against the guitar strings windmill-style, and sometimes smashing his guitar on stage. The first incident of his legendary guitar-smashing, which occurred in the mid-60s, was brought about because Townshend accidentally smashed his guitar on the low roof of a concert venue. He was so mad about cracking the neck of his guitar that he systematically destroyed the rest of his kit, bringing the already uneasy show to an abrupt end. Although this first incident of guitar-smashing was thought to be an accident, the on-stage destruction of instruments became a regular part of The Who’s performances. Townshend, always a voluble interview subject, would later relate these antics to Austrian painter Gustav Metzger’s theories on auto-destruction, to which he had been exposed at art school. Townshend is also the primary songwriter for the Who, writing over 100 songs on the band’s 11 studio albums, including the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.

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