If earlier this year, you had told me there was going to be a better biography this year than Bruce Dickinson’s What Does this Button Do?, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But as good as Bruce’s book was and is, Roger Daltrey’s book is even better. An ardent Who fan since I was a teen, I have read several books on the band and its members. I have read Pete Townshend’s Who I Am. I have read Dougal Butler’s Full Moon, and Tony Fletcher’s exhaustive Keith Moon bio, Dear Boy. Roger’s book is better than all of them. It’s so straight-forward, honest, and devoid of any and all bullshit, that it’s a breath of fresh air, and pure joy to read.
Roger. He isn’t who I thought he was. He is so much more matter-of-fact and down-to-earth than other rock stars of his stature. Where Pete’s book was artsy, but kind of scattered and meandering, Roger discusses his life -- both in and out of the Who -- with crystal clarity, and a raw honesty seldom seen in books like these. He discusses his life, his motivations, and his feelings about his talented, but often difficult bandmates in real depth and with obvious sincerity. Beyond his own upbringing, he discusses being tossed from the band for flushing their amphetamines in 65, finding his true voice (finally) with Tommy, figuring out the Who were being ripped off by management, the deaths of Moon and Entwhistle, Cincinnati, the post 9/11 NYC gig, and so much more. In the tornado that was the Who, believe it or not Roger — the ultimate, prototypical, chiseled, rock god was also the unlikely (and comparitively sober) voice-of-reason within the band.
This is a magnificent read. I’d give it 6 stars if I could. One of the best bios I've read in years.