When you are a part of a band like The Who that was pivotal in progressing rock music in the 1960s and '70s, you kind of have credentials to speak on anything music-related. Enter Roger Daltrey. The frontman spoke to Mail on Sunday recently about what today's music landscape is lacking. "Here we are with the world in the state it is in, and we've got One Direction," Daltrey said. "Where are the artists writing with any real sense of angst and purpose?"
"There are no movements at the moment: We had mod and then there was punk, but it's so hard to start a movement now. Unless it's ISIS," he added.
Last year, guitarist Pete Townshend released a statement denying that The Who was seeking legal action over One Direction's "Best Song Ever," which sounds an awful lot like the 1971 classic "Baba O'Riley."
"I like the single. I like One Direction," Townshend said, Rolling Stone noted. "The chords I used and the chords they used are the same three chords we've all been using in basic pop music since Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry made it clear that fancy chords don't mean great music — not always. I'm still writing songs that sound like 'Baba O'Riley' — or I'm trying to!"
Rumors of The Who trying to get "Best Song Ever" removed from YouTube spread and, as a result, One Direction fans freaked out.
"I'm happy to think they may have been influenced a little bit by The Who," Townshend added. "I'm just relieved they're not all wearing boiler suits and Doc Martens, or Union Jack jackets."
The Who start a massive 50th anniversary tour at the end of November.
