Townshend Trashes Who Doc

For Pete Townshend, the kids are all right. But a certain film about the kids isn't.

The Who mastermind is distancing himself from an in-the-works documentary about the legendary band by Oscar-winning filmmaker Murray Lerner and Spitfire Films, criticizing the project's creative direction.

A press release issued by Lerner and Spitfire last week hyped My Generation: Who's Still Who as the "definitive and authorized record of one of the most influential and highly regarded rock groups of the 20th century." It also stated that both Townshend and Who frontmant Roger Daltrey agreed to provide archival materials and music from their catalog for the feature film, which is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2006.

"Roger, Pete and all of us are very proud to be working with Murray Lerner," said Bill Curbishley, whose company Trinifold Management manages the Who. "Our ambition is that this film will have all the epic qualities, energies and excitement of a great Who album. We have assembled a great team and look forward to getting to work."

All, that is, except for Townshend.

In a May 28 diary entry on PeteTownshend.com, the 60-year-old guitarist took issue with the press release, denying that he was a producer on the flick and stating that the real "driving force" behind My Generation was Daltrey, the Who's managers and Spitfire honcho Nigel Sinclair.

Townshend also lashed out at Lerner for "trying to create some controversy" after hearing the director lay out his vision for the documentary in a recent interview.

"There will be very unusual stuff, hopefully that never was seen before," Lerner told Reuters last week. "We're looking for material like fights between them, on and off the stage, unruly fans that make it difficult, weird incidents on the stage, interviews with ex-wives and girlfriends."

Lerner even set up a Website, TheWhoMovie.com, where fans can submit their own band memorabilia, including photos and footage.

The filmmaker is no stranger to the Who, having shot the famed concert The Who--Live at the Isle of Wight 1970. He also scored an Oscar nomination for Festival, a documentary chronicling the Newport Folk and Jazz Festival that featured Bob Dylan's historic first electric performance. Lerner eventually won the Oscar for another music-oriented doc, From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China.

"I'm going to try and put you in another world that almost smacks of...science fiction," he added. "I'm doing something like an opera...I'm going to play around with stylizing interview voices that change into music and back."

Apparently worried the Who's history will play out like a soap opera-like production, Townshend threatened to withhold Lerner's access to the band's recordings unless the filmmaker focus more on the music.

"I am the one in the Who family who writes science fiction musicals and operas, and my music--Who music--is not a commodity I will make unconditionally available to filmmakers. My entire mission is to preserve the integrity of Who music, and I'd rather offer it to sell soap than have it turned into a 'soap' by Lerner," said the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

Neither Lerner nor reps for Spitfire could be reached for comment.

Spitfire also has in the pipeline Martin Scorsese's documentary on Dylan titled No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.

Meanwhile, still no word yet when the Who will release that long-promised new album, the British rockers' first batch of original tunes since 1982's It's Hard. The album will be their first without both drummer Keith Moon, who succumbed to an accidental drug overdose in 1978 and was replaced by Kenney Jones on It's Hard, and bassist John Entwistle, who died of a cocaine-fueled heart attack in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2002.