{
  "id": 16799166,
  "title": "The Who’s Pete Townshend “Never Really Got Into Led Zeppelin,” But Did Listen to AC/DC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/the-whos-pete-townshend-never-really-got-into-led-zeppelin-but-did",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-27T21:09:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Consequence",
    "slug": "consequence",
    "url": "https://consequence.net/2026/10/the-who-pete-townshend-never-really-got-into-led-zeppelin/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pete Townshend, the guitarist of The Who, recently revealed in an interview that he never really appreciated Led Zeppelin during the band's peak. While discussing whether The Who were early pioneers of heavy metal, Townshend stated, \"No, I don’t necessarily think so.\" He explained that Live At Leeds, their 1970 live album, was as explosive as any heavy metal performance. Townshend did admit to listening to AC/DC, stating, \"The only heavy metal I really listened to was AC/DC.\" He also expressed that he initially didn't like Led Zeppelin's approach to heavy metal, feeling they were trying to steal away their audience. Townshend revealed that he recently sent a message to Jimmy Page, requesting to meet him for lunch, and admitted he had been listening to the Zeppelin albums again. Despite not considering bands like Black Sabbath heavy metal, Townshend eventually came around to acknowledging the band's influence.",
  "summary": "The legendary guitarist discussed The Who's role in the launch of hard rock and heavy metal. The Who’s Pete Townshend “Never Really Got Into Led Zeppelin,” But Did Listen to AC/DC Spencer Kaufman",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}