The entertainment network REELZ will air a one-hour documentary, The Who: Breaking the Band, this Sunday May 16, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Best Classic Bands are pleased to share two exclusive clips from the program.
From the program’s announcement: As they were propelled to fame in the 1960’s, The Who redefined youth culture with their aggressive antics on stage and off. With Pete Townshend’s songwriting and guitar work, Roger Daltrey’s vocals, the frenetic drumming of Keith Moon and phenomenal playing of bassist John Entwistle, they produced a stream of great albums and songs that made them one of the world’s top rock bands.
But with fame came conflict between Townshend and Daltrey, as they tussled for control of the band. And with global superstardom came excess, which ended with Moon’s tragic death in 1978 at just 32. The three surviving members managed to keep going, until they split in 1982.
The Who have since reformed many times and the two remaining members, Townshend, who turns 76 on May 19, and Daltrey, who hit 77 on March 1, continue to record and tour today. Entwistle died in 2002 at age 57.
Watch the teaser trailer
Our exclusive clips are narrated by Dee Snider. “From the start, the band had a reputation… for violent performances on stage, led by Roger who ruled the band with his fists” he says.
“You have to resign yourself to the fact that a large part of the audience is sort of thick,” says Townshend in a 1966 interview with the BBC.
Watch an advance clip from the special
A second clip reveals more mayhem, years later, thanks to a 1973 interview on The Russell Harty Show.
There is much more to see in The Who: Breaking the Band, on May 16.
Watch REELZ on Directv 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at reelz.com.
Related: Our look back at The Who’s last pre-pandemic performance
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1 Comment
I saw them at the Swingin Gate teen club in Ft. Wayne, In. back in Nov. 1967. Loud, hard & of course they destroyed most everything at the end. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.