MUSIC HISTORY: Pete Townshend

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Pete Townshend.

Commentary

(February 2003)

In Defense of Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend was arrested last month in connection with an internet child-pornography sting operation. I thought I would note that I am a regular reader of Townshend's site (www.petetownshend.co.uk), which includes Pete's "Diary" entries, a number of which involved Pete's distress over the availability of child pornography on the Internet. In one entry (the link to which can be found below via a site other than Pete's), he discussed a friend -- that he had met through his work as a fund-raiser for a drug and alcohol abuse program -- who had experienced abuse. Other diary entries (from last year) on Townshend's site dealt with Townshend's interest in ridding the internet of child pornography; he specifically posted (as well as having been very vocal, particularly in England) about the availability of images on the net. It appears that what has happened via the news media has largely been a blasphemous misunderstanding.

Townshend mentioned that he came across numerous porn sites simply by typing the word "sex" into the Google search engine -- as he does have a teenage son, this is a valid personal concern and consideration. Townshend also reported through his site diary entries that some search engines were limiting or considering limiting ALL viewing through predetermined filtering, which he appeared to be against based on free speech issues unrelated to pornography.

In addition, it has been reported for some time that Townshend has been working on his autobiography; his admission of various sorts of unusual behavior on the part of a somewhat mentally-ill grandmother he stayed with for an extended time as a child were also previously widely reported (apparently more so in England that the U.S.). What was not known was that Townshend had suffered some form of sexual abuse at the hands of this aforementioned grandmother, which was part of the root of his research concerning his autobiography as well as his tentatively planned campaign against child pornography and abuse.

Townshend was well versed with the research required for a book project, as he worked for a time in the nineteen-eighties as an editor at Faber & Faber, a publishing house in England. While Townshend may have committed a crime under British law simply by way of accessing sites containing child pornography, I would hate to see a complete lack of consideration before judgment among "authorities," fans, and the press until all the surrounding issues are made clear, since much of what relates to Townshend's arrest was discussed openly on his website during the course of last year. There is ample evidence to support all of Townshend's claims of both his research and his innocence.

It largely appears that the witch hunt tactics of the British authorities ignored the issue of context in Townshend's case, and much of the American press specifically did a great disservice to the public by reporting the story in a typically sensationalized and biased fashion. In once instance CNN were reciting the lyrics to “Fiddle About” from Tommy (1969), which was in fact not even written by Townshend but by John Entwistle.

It is difficult to launch a campaign against something like child pornography on the internet if one has no concept of its ease of availability and content. It's obvious that Townshend wouldn't have discussed this topic and his findings so openly during the course of last year if he were also attempting to download and distribute any illicit photos of children. He may have been in error in terms of his approach, but the thought that he should now be viewed or convicted as a pedophile is atrocious.

Below is a link to one of Townshend's (six page) diary entries from last year concerning this issue:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/petetownshend1.html

Addendum: Since this article was written, Pete Townshend has been cleared of all charges. Sadly, under British law, Townshend’s name will remain on the sex offender list for a period of five years despite his innocence.

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MUSIC HISTORY: JAZZ / ROCK / BLUES / ETC. Reviews, News, Commentaries and Music Biographies by *Randy* INDEX

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			Pete Townshend.


		Commentary (February 2003) In Defense of Pete Townshend Pete Townshend was arrested last month in connection with an internet child-pornography sting operation. I thought I would note that I am a regular reader of Townshend's site (www.petetownshend.co.uk), which includes Pete's "Diary" entries, a number of which involved Pete's distress over the availability of child pornography on the Internet. In one entry (the link to which can be found below via a site other than Pete's), he discussed a friend -- that he had met through his work as a fund-raiser for a drug and alcohol abuse program -- who had experienced abuse. Other diary entries (from last year) on Townshend's site dealt with Townshend's interest in ridding the internet of child pornography; he specifically posted (as well as having been very vocal, particularly in England) about the availability of images on the net. It appears that what has happened via the news media has largely been a blasphemous misunderstanding. Townshend mentioned that he came across numerous porn sites simply by typing the word "sex" into the Google search engine -- as he does have a teenage son, this is a valid personal concern and consideration. Townshend also reported through his site diary entries that some search engines were limiting or considering limiting ALL viewing through predetermined filtering, which he appeared to be against based on free speech issues unrelated to pornography. In addition, it has been reported for some time that Townshend has been working on his autobiography; his admission of various sorts of unusual behavior on the part of a somewhat mentally-ill grandmother he stayed with for an extended time as a child were also previously widely reported (apparently more so in England that the U.S.). What was not known was that Townshend had suffered some form of sexual abuse at the hands of this aforementioned grandmother, which was part of the root of his research concerning his autobiography as well as his tentatively planned campaign against child pornography and abuse. Townshend was well versed with the research required for a book project, as he worked for a time in the nineteen-eighties as an editor at Faber & Faber, a publishing house in England. While Townshend may have committed a crime under British law simply by way of accessing sites containing child pornography, I would hate to see a complete lack of consideration before judgment among "authorities," fans, and the press until all the surrounding issues are made clear, since much of what relates to Townshend's arrest was discussed openly on his website during the course of last year. There is ample evidence to support all of Townshend's claims of both his research and his innocence. It largely appears that the witch hunt tactics of the British authorities ignored the issue of context in Townshend's case, and much of the American press specifically did a great disservice to the public by reporting the story in a typically sensationalized and biased fashion. In once instance CNN were reciting the lyrics to “Fiddle About” from Tommy (1969), which was in fact not even written by Townshend but by John Entwistle. It is difficult to launch a campaign against something like child pornography on the internet if one has no concept of its ease of availability and content. It's obvious that Townshend wouldn't have discussed this topic and his findings so openly during the course of last year if he were also attempting to download and distribute any illicit photos of children. He may have been in error in terms of his approach, but the thought that he should now be viewed or convicted as a pedophile is atrocious. Below is a link to one of Townshend's (six page) diary entries from last year concerning this issue: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/petetownshend1.html Addendum: Since this article was written, Pete Townshend has been cleared of all charges. Sadly, under British law, Townshend’s name will remain on the sex offender list for a period of five years despite his innocence. Copyright © 2003 by Lark Publishing (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ INDEX