Pete Townshend Quotes

Jeff Beck is one of my heroes and has been since I first picked up a guitar.

I really liked Stevie Ray Vaughn, so hey - I tried to look like him.

I wouldn't be windmilling a Fender Telecaster if it weren't for Pete Townshend.

I've always been the first to admit that Jimi was a very big influence on my early stuff.

I think the world of Chuck Berry.

The artist that had the biggest impact on me was Michael Jackson. He was my Elvis and Beatles. When I was 15, I listened to a lot of Sinatra, but my jean jacket didn't have, 'I love Frank' on it, it had, 'I love AC/DC', 'Guns N Roses', 'Pearl Jam'. I thought Eddie Vedder was the second coming.

After The Ventures I dug Johnny Smith quite a bit.

In the early part of the '60s I was influenced by the Ventures.

As far as k. d. lang is concerned, she grew up devouring my music. She sent me a song when she was 8 years old, and she says I never wrote back.

I'm such a huge fan of Steve Howe, I worship him.

Rush and guitarist Alex Lifeson are among my biggest influences.

Jimi Hendrix was the most exciting guitarist I've ever heard.

Every once in awhile I'll call up Eddie (Van Halen) and ask, Found that fourth chord yet?

I think my favorite for music and spirit is Ray Gomez.

I think Clapton is brilliant. He's the only one who moved me. The only one who made me want to play the guitar.

One of my big inspirations was Chuck Berry, and his playing was always about the rhythm and the lyrics. So I've always been that way in my playing, really.

My dad bought me a guitar when I was very young, and I never looked back.

I think, describing Elvis for me would be a very generous king. He was the king of rock and roll, will always be. He's whats made it possible for everyone to be performers and to do the things they do now.

Marvin Gaye is an inspiration to me. He was one of the first Motown musicians that my mom and dad introduced me to, and I always thought it would be a good idea if I was ever an artist, and now I am, to make a record called 'Marvin Gaye.'

I like to sing because my mother was a singer. She sang to me all the time, so I learned to love singing. I did have a career as little 10-year-old George Benson. I made my first record as a vocalist, but I've been playing guitar since I was 9.

As far as rock groups, I really like Stone Temple Pilots. As for classical composers, it's Bach. I love Paganini, too, the Italian composer who would break strings during a performance and finish playing on just one string. Someone I would have loved to play with is Jimi Hendrix.

I've always loved music, but I never really played anything. After 'Walk the Line' and learning to play guitar, and having that sense of performing, I think that certainly opened the door for me, for music.

But KISS inspired me personally to pick up a guitar and go for it.

Bob Dylan is quite a songwriter, and a great singer and musician. I won't bother with comparing myself to him, but I will say that I heard his records at a very young age and I still listen to all his records.

So, my big brother was playing guitar and I figured I'd try it too.