THE WHO's ROGER DALTREY: QUIPS QUOTED FROM AP INTERVIEW; VH1 ROCK HONORS TRIBUTE TO THE WHO AIRS JUL 17 IN 2-HOUR SHOW TAPED AT UCLA's PAULEY PAVILION

Sfgate.com has a fine AP article about The Who, centered around singer Roger Daltrey (see here). The occasion: VH1's recent Rock Honors tribute to The Who, which featured not only musical icons Daltrey and guitar shredmaster extraordinaire Pete Townshend, but also Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, Incubus, Foo Fighters, and that Jack Black - Kyle Gass dynamic duo Tenacious D. VH1 Rock Honors, taped live at UCLA Pauley Pavilion last Saturday, airs this Thursday July 17 in a two-hour special.

The AP story features some choice Daltrey quotes. For example, he offered his opinion that Jack Black "should've been a rock star":

"When you look at Jack Black, whatever he's doing ... it just always reminds me of that first initial feeling I had when I heard Elvis Presley singing 'Heartbreak Hotel,'" Daltrey said, delivering a guttural growl. "Haah! What's that noise! Graaaawr! Yeah, just that enthusiasm."

On Daltrey's late bandmates, drummer Keith Moon and bass player John Entwistle:

"We're left with ... the way they played, the way we reacted to the way they played. So that kind of stays in our subconscious forever ... But the communication on the sublevel between Pete and I is the same as ever. ... And that's the bit that I get off on. Not particularly the formatted stuff that's written. It's just when it flies off at an angle and you're jamming. Because when it comes out of the air, it's wonderful, man."

On how The Who's tunes still hold up:

"You listen to 'Won't Get Fooled Again,' it still could be a new band ... It's almost as old as The Platters. They still sound great, but it sounds dated. There are still young bands making our kinds of music. And our music holds up well with those young bands."

Regarding this year's U.S. election, Barack Obama is the "obvious winner" to Roger:

"Let's just hope to God he wins... Let's be honest, with the standing in the rest of the world of America today, with what George Bush has done to your country, it is inconceivable to me that Americans would vote in another Republican. It would be kind of really, really weird if they win again. You just sometimes wonder, what if, just what if (John) McCain did win. The signals that would send to the rest of the world!"

The singer/actor also discussed (or is it dissed) music listening technology. Daltrey disses digital and misses vinyl's heyday:

"They've destroyed the form, as soon's it went digital. The CD was a confidence trick... It wasn't just music that people used to buy, it was a total art form... I think that's what people like. They like it personal. They like vinyl because if you scratch vinyl, it'll be scratched, but it'll be your scratch. It will only be on your record... Now for people, (music) is just not a big part of their lives. It's like background noise. There's just so much else going on, isn't there?"