January 2003
New music releases: "In Da Club" - 50 Cent; "Bring Me to Life" - Evanescence; "Superman" - Eminem; "Get Busy" - Sean Paul
On the 3rd, Pete Townshend is nominated for the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
Also on the 3rd, Playboy (February issue) publishes a fictional short story about The Who by Jim Shepard. It is "told" by John Entwistle and concerns the history of The Who. The story is later published in his Shepard's collection Love and Hydrogen.
On the 11th, the Daily Mail is the first to publish information from a U.S.-led investigation known as "Operation Ore." A list of names of people who had used their credit cards to access a Internet service that contained, in part, child pornography was given to British police for further investigation. However, very shortly after the list arrives, it is sold to the tabloids. The Mail mentions that on the list is the name of a well-known British rock star.
That afternoon, Pete holds a press conference admitting that he is the rock star, says he is not a paedophile, has been a long-time campaigner against child pornography on the Internet, never downloaded any images, and gives the police full access to investigate the charges. The police seize Pete's computers and he is questioned but not charged with a crime.
A "trial by tabloid" ensues. Pete's statement is simplified and falsified into a claim that he downloaded child pornography for "research," and his guilt is widely assumed. Pete's friends and fans who know that Pete had been discussing the dangers of child pornography on the Internet for the past decade begin a fight to clear his name.
On the 14th, .com for Murder, a thriller with Roger Daltrey as an architect, is released straight to video.
On the 20th, a radio ad begins airing in the U.K. with Roger urging pensioners to help young people. It uses a few seconds of "My Generation."
On the 28th, Sotheby's announces that John Entwistle's entire collection of guitars and memorabilia will be sold at auction.
Also on the 28th, Presier Records releases the classical music CD Famous Opera Melodies: Woodwinds Sing Opera featuring a 7-minute Tommy medley performed by Davide Formisano and Phillip Moll.
February 2003
New music releases: Get Rich or Die Tryin' - 50 Cent; "Can't Stop" - Red Hot Chili Peppers; "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes; The Definitive Collection - Lionel Richie
On the 1st, The Scotsman reports that John Entwistle's last steady companion Lisa Pritchett-Johnson has been told she must vacate John's home as the family plans to sell it.
On the 4th, the soundtrack to Shanghai Knights is released with both "Magic Bus" and "My Generation" by The Who.
On the 5th, Roger Daltrey begins radio appearances in Britain discussing the upcoming Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. He makes headlines on the 9th during an interview on Virgin Radio when he describes the investigation into an alleged connection between Pete Townshend and child pornography on the Internet as a "witch hunt" and "the worst thing I have ever had to deal with in my life."
On the 25th, a tribute CD to the late George Harrison, Songs From The Material World, is released with the Steve Luongo band Torque covering "Here Comes The Sun." Using an archival John bass performance, the track is credited to "John Entwistle."
March 2003
New music releases: Fallen - Evanescence; Meteora - Linkin Park; "21 Questions" - 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg; "Fighter" - Christina Aguilera
The third of Nathan Walpow's Joe Portugal detective series, One Last Hit, is published. It is dedicated to John Entwistle and all the chapter titles are Who, Pete Townshend solo, and John solo song titles.
On the 19th, Roger attends the funeral for his friend, the British pop star Adam Faith.
On the 22nd, Roger is interviewed in The Mirror. He speaks about John's death saying, "He should have been a Hard Rock exhibit. In Vegas, mummified in bed. That would have been the ultimate Entwistle ending. Oh God, he'd have loved that!"
On the 24th, the compilation CD 20th Century Masters: The Who is awarded Gold status by the RIAA.
On the 25th, Who's Next Deluxe Edition is released in the U.S. Disc two features the largest yet collection of live recordings from the Young Vic in London April 26, 1971.
On the 26th, Roger, as part of his yearly Teenage Cancer Trust festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London, performs with an assembled band called TRUSS. It features Roger on acoustic guitar and vocals, Paul Weller, Noel and Liam Gallagher, Kelly Jones and Gem Archer. They perform "The Kids Are Alright" and "Magic Bus" among other songs.
On the 27th, Pete writes a diary entry about mixing the Tommy album into 5.1 surround sound for later release on DVD-A and SACD formats.
April 2003
New music releases: Elephant - White Stripes; "Beer for My Horses" - Toby Keith; "What Was I Thinkin'" - Dierks Bentley; "I Hate Everything About You" - Three Days Grace
On the 14th, Who's Next Deluxe Edition and the stereo re-issue of A Quick One are released in the U.K.
Herbert Entwistle, John Entwistle's dad, dies after a long illness.
Mushroom with Gary Floyd releases their album Mad Dogs & San Franciscans featuring a cover of "Water."
On the 21st, Time Magazine Europe declares Roger Daltrey one of its "European Heroes" for his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust.
On the 27th, Pete Townshend makes #976 on The Times of London's Rich List with an estimated income of £30m.
May 2003
New music releases: "Crazy in Love" - Beyoncé featuring Jay Z; "Long Black Train" - John Turner; "Dance with My Father" - Luther Vandross; On and On - Jack Johnson
On the 14th, Who's Next Deluxe Edition and the stereo re-issue of A Quick One are released in the U.K.
On the 6th, Anthrax releases their album We've Come for You All featuring Roger screaming on "Taking the Music Back." On the same day, The History Channel announces a new show for their fall schedule Extreme History with Roger Daltrey.
On the 7th, the results of the police investigation into Pete and his computers by forensic experts are made public. No evidence of downloaded child pornography has been found on any of his computers or in his home and Pete is cleared of all suspicion. However, pressure is put on prosecutors to punish the innocent Pete in some way. They coerce him into voluntarily putting his name on Britain's Sex Offender Registry for five years with threats that his case will be dragged through the courts. Despite the certainty that a trial would prove him innocent, Pete chooses the Registry as he doubts he could remain calm under cross-examination. This morning he goes to Kingston police station where he is fingerprinted, and a DNA sample is taken.
On the 13th, Sotheby's auctions off 386 items from the John Entwistle estate. It is reported on the 14th that the auction raised £1,093,372. His "Frankenstein" bass sells for £62,400.
Roger thanks Time Europe for European Hero award by video at ceremony. Liam Gallagher attends to accept the award for him.
Gay musician Mark Weigle releases the CD Different and The Same featuring a cover of Pete's "And I Moved."
On the 18th, Roger tells the Los Angeles Times, "I am really pleased that Pete has been cleared of all charges...Anyone who thinks he is anything but a deeply thinking, caring, valuable member of society is sadly wrong. His honesty has shone through. Let's get back to work."
On the 20th, RollingStone.com prints an e-mail from Pete: "I intend to work my way back to normality. As a result of all this shit, I've decided to greatly formalize the structure of my charity (Double-O) and the way I work with [child abuse] 'survivors' -- so that in future my work is more well-known to everyone...Finally, I'm going out onto the street to meet people, to smile and shake hands with everyone who has been supportive of me in my hometown. But also to give those people who are 'undecided' a chance to look me in the eye and make their own decision...Roger has been a rock."
On the 21st, Roger is interviewed in Los Angeles for the forthcoming DVD of the restored The Kids Are Alright.
On the 23rd, Rich Bogovich and Cheryl Posner's book The Who: A Who's Who is published by McFarland Press.
June 2003
New music releases: Dangerously in Love - Beyoncé; Elephunk - Black Eyed Peas; "Where is the Love?" - Black Eyed Peas; "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" - Alan Jackson
On the 14th, Roger tells the Montreal Gazette a new Who album will start recording in September. One of the songs scheduled is "Real Good Looking Boy" by Pete.
On the 18th, Roger begins his first stint as a teacher at the Rock 'N Roll Fantasy Camp in New York City climaxing with a live performance with the students at the Bottom Line. He tells the students the camp is "the antidote to American Idol."
Also on the 18th, the CD Witchblade: The Music is released. The collection of songs related to the TNT television show contains "Child of Mine" by Roger featuring his then co-songwriter G Tom Mac a/k/a Gerard McMann.
On the 23rd, Pete Townshend publishes a diary message stating: "Without my help, work is being done today by good people who are fighting hard to combat both the spread of sewage on the internet and the terrible psychological effect that could have on the minds of the children of the future. Every time it occurs to me to say something about what is going on I remember what happened to me: I was arrested, suspected of wallowing in the very shit that most upset me. It sends a clear and loud message. What is clear is that I must learn to keep silent and focus my energies elsewhere."
On the 26th, Roger is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.
The next day he is inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame along with Patti LuPone, The Smothers Brothers, Nathan Lane and the late Leopold Stokowski. Roger sings "Pinball Wizard" and tells the press a new Who album will begin recording that October.
On the 30th, Sheryl Crow releases a CD in Japan, Sheryl Crow: Live at Budokan. On a hidden track is a cover of "I Can't Explain."
July 2003
New music releases: "Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down; Permission to Land - The Darkness; Pure - Hayley Westenra; Jackpot - Chingy
On the 8th, Pete writes a letter to the Daily Mail denying he needs a bodyguard to walk around his Richmond neighborhood.
On the 9th, Roger attends the second day of the TCA Cable Press Tour in Los Angeles to be interviewed about his upcoming History Channel show, Extreme History With Roger Daltrey.
On the 11th, Pete publishes a new fiction piece on his website, The Wave.
On the 18th, Pete goes into Eel Pie studio to record guitar overdubs onto a Rachel Fuller track. Matt Kent, Pete's webmaster, films it and posts it to Pete's website.
On the 22nd, The Who Live at the Royal Albert Hall is released as a 3 CD-set by Steamhammer Records. It peaks at #72 in the U.K. charts.
On the 29th, Chris Von Sneidern releases his CD The Wild Horse featuring a cover of "I Can't Reach You".
August 2003
New music releases: Greatest Hits, Vol. II - Alan Jackson; Final Straw - Snow Patrol; "Hey Ya!" - Outkast; "P.I.M.P." - 50 Cent featuring Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck
On the 3rd, Roger appears in a one-off performance at a Los Angeles staging of My Fair Lady playing Eliza Doolittle's father. The Los Angeles Times writes: "perfectly cast was the Who's Daltrey as Eliza's good-natured drunk of a father. He made his entrance tumbling head over heels as he was thrown from a pub and went on to present a wonderfully earthy, character-filled performance. Gravelly voiced and yowling a convincing Cockney accent, he cavorted gamely through "With a Little Bit of Luck" and "Get Me to the Church on Time," with nothing of the rock star in his performance except the joyful raucousness of it."
Modern Drummer has Keith Moon as the cover story in remembrance and analysis plus interviews with replacements Kenney Jones and Zak Starkey.
Immediately prior to the 9th, Roger is at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia, North Carolina filming an episode of The History Channel's Extreme History concerning life as a caveman. He eats ants dug up with an antelope horn and floats around the museum pool on a bamboo raft. After he climbs out, he heads to Vancouver to shoot the next episode. At the end of the month, he is spotted shooting an episode on the U.S. Brig Niagara, a 19th-century square-rigged, two-masted warship at Erie, Pennsylvania.
On the 11th, Eelpie.com releases the Pete Townshend Live > BAM 1993 CD.
On the 25th, Pete writes an article called "Jimi Hendrix: The Greatest Guitarist of All Time" for Rolling Stone's The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time issue.
September 2003
New music releases: "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers; Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - Outkast; Life for Rent - Dido; "Numb" - Linkin Park
On the 6th, over five hundred Who fans gather for a convention at The Mean Fiddler in London. Pete Townshend sends acknowledgements and Roger Daltrey sends a letter wishing them luck. 'Irish' Jack Lyons gives a reading from his Who memoirs and the tribute band 'The Wholigans' perform.
On the 20th, Limp Bizkit releases their CD Results May Vary featuring a cover of "Behind Blue Eyes." Despite the single going gold, with a video featuring Oscar-winner Halle Berry, it will be critically reviled as one of the worst cover versions of a song ever.
On the 28th, The Times profiles John Entwistle's mansion Quarwood in its property section. His son Chris says he has decided to sell: "Now dad's no longer here, the spark that made me love it has gone. It was always dad's place and without him it's not the same."
On the 30th, the restored The Kids Are Alright is released in the U.S. on DVD by Pioneer in one and two DVD editions. Yours truly supplies notes on the origin of the materials used within the movie both in the booklet and as pop-ups during the film.
October 2003
New music releases: The Very Best of The Eagles - The Eagles; In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 - R.E.M.; "Remember When" - Alan Jackson; The Very Best of Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow
In early October, The Anomoanon releases a limited edition 10" vinyl EP called Portrait of Entwistle with a cover of "Heaven And Hell" and a song called "John Entwistle".
On the 3rd, Roger Daltrey is interviewed on the Howard Stern radio show in New York. That night he attends the world premiere of Clint Eastwood's movie Mystic River at Avery Fisher Hall in New York.
On the 4th, the restored The Kids Are Alright has its theatrical premiere at the Walter Reade Theater in New York as part of the New York Film Festival. Roger Daltrey attends the pre-show party at the Waldorf Astoria then takes the stage at the Walter Reade with director Jeff Stein to introduce the film. The one-time antagonists let bygones be bygones with an impromptu joint microphone twirl but Roger does not stay to watch the film as he cannot stand to see himself onscreen in old footage.
On the 5th, Extreme History With Roger Daltrey premieres on The History Channel.
Wholapalooza II is held in New York Oct. 10-12 at the Hard Rock Cafe featuring appearances by "Irish" Jack Lyons, Dougal Butler and a performance by The Wholigans.
On the 11th, The Sun reports the details of John Entwistle's will. £5,034,954 will be split evenly between Lisa, Queenie and John's son Christopher. A special section denies second wife Maxene any money from the estate.
The Sun also reports in the same issue that the band The Mescaleros have asked Roger to take the recently deceased Joe Strummer's place on some tour dates promoting their new album. Roger declines.
On the 13th, The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 2 DVD is released in the U.K. featuring The Who's Jan. 30, 1973 performance of "Relay" and a new interview with Roger.
On the 17th, Roger appears on Wolf Blitzer Reports on CNN to discuss The Kids Are Alright DVD.
On the 19th, Roger fronts the band RD Crusaders for the first time at Ronnie Scott's in London. The RD stands, not for Roger Daltrey, but for the publisher of the Express Richard Desmond who plays drums for the group. £400,000 is raised for a children's cancer ward and Desmond claims Roger says his drumming on "It's Alright" was "as good as Moon".
On the 20th, Later With Jools Holland - Giants DVD released in the U.K. featuring Pete Townshend performing "Magic Bus" from May 1996.
On the 28th, a double CD Tommy: Deluxe Edition is released mixed by Pete into 5.1 digital surround on SACD and with a disc of bonus tracks. It is later released on DVD-A as well.
On the 29th, That 70's Show begins its sixth season. Originally to be called "The Kids Are Alright," the show finally gets to name this episode by that title. All episodes in the sixth season are named after Who songs.
November 2003
New music releases: Number Ones - Michael Jackson; Greatest Hits - Red Hot Chili Peppers; Closer - Josh Groban; Call Off the Search - Katie Melua
On the 10th, The Vegas Job: The Who Reunion Concert Live In Vegas DVD is released in the U.K.
On the 11th, Roger attends the opening of a Teenage Cancer ward in Liverpool along with Sarah Ferguson.
On the 13th, Pete announces on his website that The Who will be performing 29 March 2004 at the Royal Albert Hall. Also recently finished is the recording of his song "Real Good Looking Boy" that will become the first studio track by The Who to be released in thirteen years. Performing on the song are Pete, Roger, Simon Townshend, Zak Starkey, John Bundrick and, replacing a touring Pino Palladino, Greg Lake. The session is filmed by famed documentarian D. A. Pennebaker and is released on DVD in 2007.
Teen pop singer Hilary Duff is currently on tour. She sings "My Generation" during her shows changing a line of lyric to "hope I don't die before I get old."
On the 22nd, a Pete interview is broadcast on BBC2 Radio as part of a history of Rolling Stone magazine.
On the 24th, Yesspeak, a 2 DVD documentary of Yes' 2003 tour of Europe, is released in the U.K. Roger Daltrey narrates the documentary. The U.S. release follows in February.
On the 25th, Raphael Rudd's The Awakening is re-released in the U.S. on Cleopatra Records. Several tracks are produced by Pete and feature him on backing vocals on the title track.
On the 28th, Ross Halfin takes a portfolio of photos of Pete at The Boathouse.
December 2003
New music releases: The Diary of Alicia Keys - Alicia Keys; Friday's Child - Will Young; Wicked - Original Broadway Cast; Ultimate Dirty Dancing - Original Soundtrack
On the 2nd, Roger Daltrey is a presenter at the DVD Exclusive Awards at the Wiltern LG Theater in Los Angeles.
On the 3rd, a collection of John Entwistle's guns, shotguns and other accessories are auctioned at Bonham's Auction House.
On the 5th, Roger performs with Led Zeppelin tribute band Swan for the Intermedia Films Christmas party at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood.
On the 8th, John's son Chris Entwistle wins a smuggling case that was brought against him prior to his father's death. Chris was charged with illegally bringing in 15,000 cigarettes and 20 bottles of spirits from France. He wins the case by proving that all of it was for John's private use.
On the 10th, the CD Kids Will Rock You is released in Japan. It features "My Generation" sung by children ages 9 to 13.
On the 17th, Classic Boat magazine reports that Pete has recently purchased the 1975 Sandy Balfour-designed classic motor cruiser Balandra from Berthon's Shipyard in the U.K.
On the 19th, an ad for General Motors' Hummer II backed with The Who playing "Happy Jack" is voted by The Wall Street Journal as Ad of the Year.
On the 28th, Pete is interviewed in The Observer. His remark that, during the scandal of the previous January, he would have shot himself if he had owned a gun, is widely reported.
On the 30th, Q magazine, in their just-published Feb. 2004 issue, declare Keith Moon's entire life to be the "Most Insane Moment In Rock."
On the 31st, Pete closes the year by writing the first draft of a poem/song called "More Misery."