Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, has paid tribute to The Who’s Pete Townshend, calling him the inventor of rock guitar. May took to Instagram to share a past quote he had given about Townshend in which he called him the “master of mood change” and a “master of the suspended chord.” May’s Instagram post included a picture of Townshend and himself, and in the caption, he reiterated his admiration for Townshend, saying he could not imagine rock guitar without him. May described Townshend’s playing as a “blistering clang of super-amplified but not over-saturated chords – razor-edged monoliths crashing angrily through our brains, biting rhythmic hammer blows which would change the likes of me forever.”
May recommended that his followers listen to The Who to understand what he was talking about, specifically urging them to listen to “My Generation” at full volume and “Substitute” for a tour de force of gigantic rhythm playing. He also suggested that people listen to The Who’s first chart smash, “Can’t Explain,” and their version of the classic “Summertime Blues.” May fondly recalled watching Queen live in Shepherds Bush as a teenager with his bandmate Roger Taylor. He said that The Who “wrote the recipe for punk” and that they “ripped out the rulebook.”
In other news, May recently performed live with The Offspring for their song “Gone Away” and a cover of Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy.” May also teamed up with French composer and performer Jean-Michel Jarre at the Starmus Festival. Earlier this year, Townshend said The Who had one “final” thing left to do before they “crawl off to die,” while Frontman Roger Daltrey had reflected on turning 80, saying he had “to be realistic” and that he was “on [his] way out.
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