The Who's Townshend Mulled Suicide Over Child Porn

Reuters ^ | 12-28-03 | Reuters

[F16Fighter]

LONDON (Reuters) - British rock legend Pete Townshend contemplated suicide during a police inquiry into his use of child pornography, he said in an interview published on Sunday.

The 58-year-old guitarist from the Who was arrested in January during a high-profile crackdown on Internet child porn and was formally cautioned in May after a four-month investigation.

Townshend, who said he was abused as a child, publicly admitted viewing child pornography but said it was purely for research purposes.

"If I had had a gun, I would have shot myself," he told Britain's Observer newspaper. "And if I had shot myself, it would have been awful because it would have confirmed what everybody thought."

The inquiry found he had visited a Web site containing child abuse images in 1999 but did not download any images.

On top of the formal caution, police have taken a DNA sample from Townshend and put his name on the national Sex Offenders Register for five years.

"I'm not sexually attracted to children," he said in the interview. Among the Who's many songs was the track "Fiddle About," which dealt with the issue of child abuse.

Copyright © Reuters 2003.

[F16Fighter]

I'd thought Townshend had gone over the deep end when was quoted a number of years ago of saying, "I am a woman." Then there is this disturbing child pornography charge...

Drummer Keith Moon abused himself early and died; The bass player died this past year during an apparent coked-out sex orgy; Now Townshend, we hear, has contemplated suicide. Being a "Rock Star" isn't exactly great for the ol' mental health, is it?

BTW, anyone know what the mental/physical health status of Roger Daultry is?

[robertpaulsen]

"The inquiry found he had visited a Web site containing child abuse images"

Actually, he paid for that "visit".

[F16Fighter]

"Actually, he paid for that 'visit'."

And we can be sure Townshend can't remember giving up his credit card number either. /sarcasm

[robertpaulsen]

He does remember. Says it was for "research". Uh huh.

Caution: Do not attempt this excuse unless you are a famous, rich, rock superstar. If you're not, be prepared to meet your new roommate, Bubba.

[Consort]

More

[Steely Tom]

I remember a Playboy interview of Townshend in the late '70's or early '80's in which he talked about going through a time in his life in which he was in the grip of "wierd thoughts." When the interviewer pressed him, asking "what kind of wierd thoughts" Townshend said something like "you know: laughing at Christ on the cross, that sort of thing."

No real point to my comment. It's just on my mind reading this Townshend/Child Porn story.

Oh. And also to prove to one and all that I really did read it for the articles.

(steely)

[breakem]

formally cautioned?

[baltodog]

From what I understand, Townshend belongs to some type of radical anti-porn group that illegally gets into to these websites to get peoples account #'s, addresses, information, etc.
They use this knowledge to do physical harm to property and financial harm to individual accounts.
Is this true? I don't know.

[Cicero]

The article says that Townshend was himself abused as a child, which would explain his interest in the matter.

It's well known that childhood sexual abuse can sometimes turn the victims into child abusers when they grow up.

I don't have much interest in The Who, and I know nothing about Townshend, but it's equally possible that he is an enemy of child pornographers because of his own childhood experience. Given that he didn't download pictures, but only websites, the more likely explanation is exactly what he claims: that he is or was trying to be a crusader against child pornography.

It wouldn't be the first time the police refused to use common sense but went by the book first and asked questions afterward. And having thus embarrassed themselves, they would be unlikely to admit their mistake.

[VOA]

I don't have much interest in The Who, and I know nothing about Townshend...

I think that the "Uncle Ernie" abuser-character in "Tommy", mention of pornography
in "Pictures of Lilly" and Townsends "Rough Boys" probably gave out a few hints
that Pete had some lurking demons.
Oh, and the torments of the soul in "Quadropheia" with the main character
seeking help from the clergy and secular counselors.
I loved most of the Who's/Townsends music catalog anyway--maybe because
it "went places" a lot of rock bands didn't go.

Like someone said (Proust?), everything great in the world is created by neurotics.