Roger Daltrey chats to Yours
Rock legend ROGER DALTREY (74) who has just released a new autobiography, talks about his humble roots, family and avoiding social media
Give your best...
...That’s what I learned from my parents. If you’ve a passion, you’ll find a way to get to what you want. I had the hunger because we had nothing. When I was 12 I wanted a guitar, so I made one. The guy I wanted to emulate was Lonnie Donegan. It looked and sounded like a guitar, but after six weeks it was a better bow for an arrow. The second guitar I made was better. Anything to do the job. I needed to get on stage and play.
Wealth isn’t about money
My parents were fabulous. They were out of the war and shell-shocked and from a generation of make-do-and-mend. My dad taught me how to mend my shoes. We had to appreciate resources as we had absolutely nothing. What’s called poverty now would have been luxury when we were kids. But we were very wealthy because we had family. We all stuck together.
Simple pleasures mean more
The more simple pleasures you can get out of life, the better. I stay off social media. As soon as you put away your phone and start looking up instead of down, you’ll see what life has to offer. Family makes me happiest; I have 15 grandchildren. I took three granddaughters blackberrying recently and they were making up songs. It was absolute heaven. I was in my element.
Loyalty is everything
I don’t find it easy to make friends, but when I do, I’m there for them for the rest of their life. In the pop business, everything is so transient. It becomes hard to stay in touch. Pete [Townshend from The Who] and I used to be friends when we were young. We used to go fishing and play golf. Now, it’s much deeper than friendship. It’s a symbiotic thing – incredible love and incredible respect. It’s family.
Love... really love
You can’t have good relationships unless you really, really love – simple as that. That’s the backbone of it all. I think we’re capable of loving much more than we possibly imagine we can. It’s about making yourself vulnerable. My wife Heather and I have been together for 50 years. We’re equals. People with normal lives don’t understand how any woman would’ve put up with someone like me. The beauty of Heather is I can be totally honest with her. She understood our business and knew I was never going to be the perfect husband. She gave me the rein I needed to provide for our family. I’ll always be by her side – she’s a special woman.
■ Roger Daltrey’s autobiography – Thanks a lot, Mr Kibblewhite: My Story (Blink Publishing, £20) – is out now.
■ Roger was talking to Katherine Hassell