The Who’s Pete Townshend found Roger Daltrey’s Brexit stance “very problematic”: “I think he was wrong”

nme.com:

The Who‘s Pete Townshend has admitted that he found Roger Daltrey‘s stance on Brexit “very problematic”.Following the referendum in 2016, Daltrey has always taken a very pro-Brexit view, going as far to say that it won’t affect British musicians in 2019.When asked whether he thought Brexit would be “bad for British rock music” at the time he said: “No.

What’s it got to do with the rock business?” before an interviewer replied: “How are you going to tour in Europe?”“Oh dear. As if we didn’t tour Europe before the fucking EU,” he said. “Oh give it up!”A year earlier he also said apart from “a bit more paperwork”, bands shouldn’t face major obstacles when it comes to playing on the continent.“We did it in those days [before the foundation of the EU]”, he added. “It might be a bit more paperwork on this side of the Channel.

I’m sure they can make it hard if they want to but these things work both ways.”Following, Brexit in 2020, bands have continued to struggle to tour Europe after the UK government failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians, crew and artists in Europe post-Brexit, leading to new red tape which saw artists suffering due to “Brexit fuck-ups and a lack of government control”.Now, Townshend, who voted to Remain in the EU, has told The Daily Telegraph he didn’t agree with his bandmate’s stance on Brexit: “[That was] very problematic for me.

I think he was wrong. But we are a nation divided down the middle.”Despite Daltrey’s views on Brexit, the guitarist added: “He’s not a fascist Right-winger, he’s a very decent man.