Pete Townshend’s Debut Novel Is Finally Available For Pre-Sale

The Age of Anxiety

English guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend, is above all else a writer. It is one of his definite stronger traits. Pete has written over 100 songs for the Who. Among that writing is included the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia. In addition to those 100 songs, he has written another 100 songs for his solo albums, radio jnigles, and television theme songs.

He has published and contributed to countless newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts. Yes, he is one of the world’s greatest guitarists. Pete’s aggressive on-stage guitar smashing and “in your face” playing style comes from an intrinsic part of his soul. While the writer part of him is certainly from an intellectual level.

Pete Townshend’s newest publication will be officially available on November 5th. His book, Age of Anxiety, is now printed and bound and ready for pre-order. According to the website:

The Age of Anxiety is a great rock novel, but that is one of the less important things about it. The narrator is a brilliant creation – cultured, witty and unreliable. The novel captures the craziness of the music business and displays Pete Townshend’s sly sense of humour and sharp ear for dialogue. First conceived as an opera, The Age of Anxiety deals with mythic and operatic themes including a maze, divine madness and long-lost children. Hallucinations and soundscapes haunt this novel, which on one level is an extended meditation on manic genius and the dark art of creativity.

Set in London, the novel’s approach is to narrate the torments of the music business. Pete Townshend even hopes to turn the story into a rock opera and art installation. This is what he has to say about it:

 ‘Ten years ago I decided to create a magnum opus that would combine opera, art installation and novel. Suddenly here I am with a completed novel ready to publish. I am an avid reader and have really enjoyed writing it. I am also happy to say the majority of the music is composed, ready to be polished up for release and performance. It’s tremendously exciting.”

This is certainly exciting news from one of the musicians who helped invent the rock opera. You can pre order The Age of Anxiety through Townshend’s publisher, Hachette Publishing.