If asked "Who are you?," rocker Pete Townshend might reply, in part, "A neoconservative."
The Who guitarist revealed that he is "a bit of a neocon" during an interview with ABC News. Townshend and Roger Daltrey sat down with ABC to talk about their work for teens with cancer with the Who Cares campaign, and Townshend wasn't afraid to delve into the subject of politics.
“I try and stay away from American politics because I’m a bit of a neocon," Townshend, a British citizen, told ABC. "I’m not that popular with everybody.” Adding, "I like the idea of America as the world's police force. Then we don't have to do it. You guys sort it out."
A "neoconservative" is officially defined as "a conservative who advocates the assertive promotion of democracy and United States national interest in international affairs including through military means," according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It is also "a formal liberal espousing conservatism."
Townshend, who thought Mitt Romney would beat "tired" Barack Obama, said he was never very politically inclined growing up until he found music. "When I found music, and I found a new way to speak and to express myself to particularly those young teenagers that we entertained when we started out, that became my politics--the politics of the spirit, the politics of the heart, the politics of the soul," he told ABC.
In 2004, Townshend refused to let liberal filmmaker Michael Moore use "Won't Get Fooled Again" in his documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," the Guardian previously reported.
"When first approached I knew nothing about the content of his film 'Fahrenheit 9/11,'" Townshend wrote on his website at the time. "I had not really been convinced by Bowling for Columbine [Moore's previous film] and had been worried about its accuracy. Once I had an idea what the film was about, I was 90% certain my song was not right for them."
Townshend, who was arrested in 2003 on suspicion of possessing child pornography, has been disclosing personal details about his life recently. He discusses his childhood -- which he believes included sexual abuse -- substance abuse, infidelity, and the trials and tribulations of the band in his memoir, "Who I Am."
[h/t Politico for the find.]
Editor's Note: Pete Townshend was arrested in 2003 on suspicion of possessing child pornography. He was later cleared of charges, but was still placed on the U.K.'s sex offender register for five years, the Guardian previously reported.
