Who Are You: The Life Of Pete Townshend (Paperback)

~ Mark Wilkerson (Author), Eddie Vedder (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...the most detailed, exacting study of his life and music we'll likely get until Townshend releases his own autobiography - and maybe not even then. The Rocky Mountain --The Rocky Mountain News

Definitive account of a difficult personality When first published three years ago under the title Amazing Journey, Mark Wilkerson s book was hailed as the most comprehensive and well-researched Townshend biography on the market. This updated edition has made it even better, the author having interviewed his subject several more times for further clarification and wisdom. As a no-stone-unturned examination of The Who and their continued relevance it s endlessly revealing and fascinating. Where Wilkerson really hits the bullseye, however, is in his dissection of Townshend s psyche, getting under the skin of a complicated man with more than his share of demons. The author is clearly a huge fan of Townshend, but never lets long-term worship cloud his judgment or persuade him to gloss over the more unsavory aspects. Townshend often comes across as unlikable, although his intelligence, his motives and his candor are a biographer s dream. A weighty and articulate study that such a distinguished and monumental musical figure warrants. --Record Collector, Issue 352, Aug. 2008

This is a revised and updated edition of Wilkerson s Amazing Journey , expanded to include a new interview with Townshend as well as some recent developments in the life and career of The Who s guitarist. It s massive, extremely detailed and always a readable account of Townshend s life. Townshend emerges as you d expect: a troubled man with a phenomenal amount of emotional baggage and issues that have never quite been resolved. And even though we leave him having made a kind of peace with his bandmate Roger Daltrey and his own musical legacy, you suspect that in another 10 years we could be in for yet another update of this book in which Townshend recalls the fights fought in his 60s. --Classic Rock, Issue 120, July 2008 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

An accurate, detailed and fascinating account of the life of a man whose story should have been told in this much detail long ago. Author Mark Wilkerson interviewed Townshend himself and several of Townshend’s friends and associates for this biography.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 642 pages
• Publisher: Music Sales; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847727042
• ISBN-13: 978-1847727046
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New and improved, June 29, 2009

By	Dean Jarvis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In my Amazon.com review of Mark Wilkerson's last version of this book ("Amazing Journey: The Life Of Pete Townshend"), I remarked that it could be improved with new interviews with Pete's family, co-workers and Pete himself. That's exactly what Mark has been able to do to update this new edition.

The book has been organized a bit better, chapters are organized by years, and the new interviews have been woven into the biography. For me, there's still not enough new material from Pete. But new quotes from his brother Simon and his brother-in-law Jon Astley do add insight into Pete's personality.

This is still very much a "just the facts" type of book, and that's ok with me. A lot of hardcore fans may not find much new here, but I consider myself a fan and I learned a lot. Mr. Wilkerson's book is an excellent, clearly written reference, that also holds your attention. It would make an excellent gift for any Townshend/Who fan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, February 13, 2009

By	Andrew G. (Philly) - See all my reviews

The book is a joy to read. The updated version of the story of Pete Townshend's life is fantastic. The writing is superb. Crisp, tight, and done the way a biography SHOULD be done: just give us the facts (and the interesting ones at that).

It is well-worth buying this newer version, especially for the new interview with Pete himself that has been integrated into the story. Lots of behind-the-scenes information, such as input from Pete's brothers on their life growing up with their older brother as one of the biggest rock stars in the world. Fascinating stuff!

Even long-time Who/Pete fans will learn things about THE MAN that they'll appreciate.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book... kind of OK, July 27, 2009

By	Lovblad (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very well written book by someone who is obviously a great Who fan. In difference from most other tomes on The Who it does contain a lot of new information on the group and Townshend in later years and is in that aspect really up-to-date. Indeed, it does in that sense not frustratingly focus on the years surrounding Tommy. In that sense it complements really well the other available books such as the one by Dave Marsh. It also does focus somewhat more on the solo work that Townshend has produced which is really nice. Of course again it suffers from being written by a fan who does not allways have enough perspective. It does however contain data from new interviews conducted by the author. This also gives the book a fresh approach missing from most similar books.
Of course it is not written by a master as Dave Marsh and it does come over slightly amateurisch at times but it is refreshing. However for a subject as complex as Pete Townshend, and this is a book about him, there is very little on his life, especially very little is revealed about his wife and divorce and the only quotations come from other already known sources so in that sense it is frustrating because by being too much of a fan book it treats its subject with too much respect again. here again a new book written by a more biting British rock journalist would be wellcome. I suppose however they would not be interested and have, unfortunately, written Townshend off. this is unfortunate because the man has on and off been able to demonstrate that the can still produce some great music and the recent return to form of the live Who is proof that there is still life in the beast. Also the bok, if it is about a musically important subject as PT should at least try to go into detail about some of the stuff that would interest the nerdier contingent of his fan base such as his gear and songwriting. It is well to describe some stuff how it was conceived but it does fail to go into the more daily routine of the songwriting process.