Daltrey: I had to stay off drugs to save Who

IN the hedonistic Sixties and Seventies, The Who were famed almost as much for their wild antics as for their music.

But singer Roger Daltrey has now admitted he had a relatively ‘boring’ time – avoiding hard drugs because someone had to be clear-minded enough to keep the band together.

Daltrey, 73, says his self-control was necessary to keep his bandmates in check and his voice in shape. He watched as Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon swallowed drugs for months on end as the group toured the world.

Speaking to Rolling Stone about avoiding drugs, he said: ‘I had to, so I could keep the others in line. You try getting three people on acid [LSD] from the Monterey Pop Festival all the way to London.

‘All I ever did was pot. I saw so many people coming out of the bathroom. They went in really good blokes, and they came out complete a**holes.’ Drummer Moon died aged 32 in 1978 from an overdose of sedatives, while bassist Entwistle died aged 57 in 2002 from a heart attack brought on by cocaine use.

Guitarist Townshend, now 73, has suffered with alcohol addiction and substance abuse.

‘Try keeping three guys on acid in line’