The exact moment Pete Townshend stopped considering Bob Dylan his “hero”

Pete Townshend said Bob Dylan stopped being his “hero” when he realised an in-depth interview would not reveal the private person behind the songs. The discovery disappointed him, though he continued to love Dylan’s music and songwriting.

Townshend admired Dylan’s shifts between folk, rock, blues and country, and his ability to leave songs open to different interpretations. He also recognised that Dylan’s elusive public persona was part of the music’s appeal, even as he preferred a more direct kind of vulnerability in his own work.