Talking 'Bout My Generation: The Amazing Journey of Pete Townshend's Woodstock Special

by William J. Wagner

Woodstock was meant to be the pinnacle of the hippie youth movement - a moment when peace, love, and understanding would prevail - but Pete Townshend, the temperamental guitarist for The Who, didn't buy into any of it. Known more for smashing his guitars than preaching free love, he saw Woodstock as a festival of slop that had been marred by rain, LSD, and misguided idealism. Yet at the end of The Who's performance, as a brilliant sunrise broke through thick storm clouds, he couldn't help but be caught up in the moment. Instead of reducing his guitar to splinters, he held it out like a religious offering and gently tossed it into the crowd.

Talking 'Bout My Generation: The Amazing Journey of Pete Townshend's Woodstock Special is an imagining of what happened after that guitar left Townshend's hands. Over the course of three decades, the Gibson SG Special touches the lives of an array of colorful characters. The guitar is a symbol of hope, but will it survive its amazing, sometimes harrowing journey? And will it ever be reunited with Townshend? The only way to find it is to read on.

359 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2022

Reviews

[Ronda Michels · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up in the 1960’s, or are familiar with that time in the US, you will appreciate this fun ride of a read. The writing style is very readable, and you feel as if you’re accompanying the characters along their journey-and yes! You will feel like you’re at Woodstock at times. By the middle of the book, I was most definitely invested in the characters, and was envisioning how their stories would unfold. You will not feel bogged down by this book-so don’t hesitate to give this one a read!

[Jay Rizoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Mr. Wagner’s first novel is a brilliant read, and not just for rock ’n’ roll fans. Townsend’s Special is the MacGuffin that touches an array of lives over several decades, and Mr. Wagner’s knowledge of music and history, combined with a genuine feel for intriguing characters and storytelling, make for a very fun outing.

[Debbi English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable read! Great characters, fun story. If you like classic rock and you like the kind of story that follows characters across the years, this is definitely one you should check out!!

[Michele Ruane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Such a charming story. Very well written and so much fun to read!

[William G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclaimer: I am Boyd Kutz and I was urinated on at Woodstock by Dino Moretti.

I joke obviously but such are the scenes from Woodstock that brought me right back to my beautiful (if not misguided and misspent) youth ❤️

I loved this book. Whether you like The Who, attended Woodstock, experienced a time of living dangerously or simply enjoy good humor, give it a read. It will not disappoint.

Wagner has a knack for character development and I enjoyed getting to know them all while sharing the journey along with Pete’s guitar… and I laughed out loud more than a few times. Good fun!!!

[Lincoln · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting idea for a story. I was impressed by the detail and accuracy of the Who- and Townshend-related aspects of it. The book doesn't focus on The Who or Pete Townshend, and it's in no way a Who biography: it's a novel, which happens to have Townshend's guitar-throwing act at Woodstock as its point of departure, and which covers several decades in the lives of several of fictional characters. There were many compelling scenes, and I'd be interested in reading more from William Wagner.

[Craig Barner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real hoot and a surprisingly deep story. Pete Townshend himself would likely be pleased as the inventor of characters such as Tommy, Happy Jack and Ivor the Engine Driver. Townshend himself appears as a character in Talking 'Bout My Generation.

William Wagner tells a tale of the Woodstock Generation from the point of view of real characters, rather than hippies, rock stars or radicals. And that the story is mostly set in Chicago, rather than London or New York, is a bonus.

The novel centers around The Who -- the rebellious rock band that embodied the hopes and disappointments of the 1960s -- and Townshend, its mercurial guitarist and resident genius. What happened to the guitar that Townshend tossed into the audience after The Who's set at Woodstock? Townshend deplored the 1969 music festival for its misplaced idealism and tawdriness, but he defined the event, too, with his guitar toss, an act of religious fervor. Known for destroying guitars, Townshend instead gave it up like a god surrendering his son as an act of mercy to redeem the masses.

Wagner's invites readers to imagine the fate of the guitar, which acts as a symbol of themselves. Themes about lost youth, fate and love emerge. The hippies thought they could change the world through peace and music, but they faced the same brutish, nasty lives with its disasters, broken relationships and economic realities as their parents did. Rock 'n' roll led them astray, sometimes horrifically, and gave them hope again.

The story is well told as Wagner has a knack for inventing new situations for his characters, the protagonist Dave Weiss, his friend Jimmy Fitzgerald and the enigmatic Jumbo Bauer. The book begins with a bang of energy like Townshend on the guitar, and it settles in the middle pages, much like The Who's career. The next-to-last chapter should have been the finale.

Townshend didn't die before he got old. He kept rocking, losing a bit of status as the years accumulated. Talking 'Bout My Generation doesn't elevate Townshend to the status of a rock 'n' roll god, but his guitar became a kind of crosier for his generation and the ones that followed.