Pete Townshend discusses heavy metal influences and Led Zeppelin

In a recent interview with Classic Album Review, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend addressed the band's potential influence on the evolution of heavy metal. While noting that many heavy metal musicians cited the 1970 album ‘Live At Leeds’ as permission to experiment with long jams and explosive performances, Townshend does not believe The Who were progenitors of the genre.

Townshend stated that the only heavy metal he truly listened to was AC/DC. He admitted that he never really got into Led Zeppelin during their peak, explaining that he felt they were attempting to ‘pinch’ The Who's audience at the time. However, he noted that he has recently revisited their discography, acknowledging that there is ‘some fucking great stuff there’ and has even reached out to guitarist Jimmy Page to connect.