The Who’s Pete Townshend recently spoke about his secret feelings and romantic affairs with men throughout his career, including how he felt about The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.
Townshend, who co-formed The Who with Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon in 1964, has revealed details about his previous endeavours on a number of occasions, including how he identifies as pansexual.
Alongside admitting he “very much enjoyed” the “homosexual affairs” he experienced during the 1960s and 1970s and the friends he remains close with, he added that “it wasn’t what worked for me, sexually speaking – and didn’t fit into my life, somehow”.
Townshend married Karen Astley between 1968 and 1994 and then married Rachel Fuller privately in 2016. However, he recently reflected on his attraction to Jagger, explaining to Record Collector magazine, per the Mail Online: “I was very sexually attracted to [Jagger]. And possibly to a few other people in my life.”
Despite his feelings not being mutual, he added he also likely had “secret feelings” for The Who’s late co-manager Kit Lambert.
Townshend has not shied away from revealing his feelings towards Jagger in the past. He famously defended the musician against Keith Richards after he poked fun at the singer in his memoir Life, after Richards wrote: “Marianne Faithfull had no fun with his tiny todger. I know he’s got an enormous pair of balls, but it doesn’t quite fill the gap.”
During a press conference prior to an upcoming The Who tour, Townshend detailed his own personal recollections, saying, “What I remember of the size of Mick Jagger’s penis – I remember it as being huge and extremely tasty.”
In his autobiography, Who I Am, Townshend also admitted that “Mick is the only man I’ve ever seriously wanted to fuck,” adding, “He was wearing loose pyjama-style pants without underwear; as he leaned back I couldn’t help noticing the outline of his ample cock lying against the inside of his leg. From then on, I encouraged the band to arrange our ‘equipment’ for maximum effect, especially onstage or in photographs.”
Regarding his sexuality, he once explained the inspiration behind The Who’s 1966 single ‘I’m A Boy’, saying, “I think I was ready to fall into bed with anybody that would have me,” admitting to Rock Cellar Magazine that “I think I probably was [homosexual or pansexual], but not anymore.”
Jagger has not commented on Townshend’s latest remarks.