The Who’s Roger Daltrey has 'huge' memory gaps due to 'four serious concussions'
Roger Daltrey had difficulty writing parts of his upcoming autobiography due to ‘huge’ gaps in his memory.
Last October it was announced that Roger’s first ever memoir will be released in autumn 2018 via Blink Publishing.
In a fresh interview, The Who singer says he has suffered from serious concussion four times in his life, which have affected his ability to retain information.
74-year-old Roger explains: “The scariest thing about the memoir is that I have had four serious concussions in my life. There are huge gaps and I wonder why. But there is no wonder why.”
He credits the worst case of concussion to being hit by a microphone stand by disgraced glam rocker Gary Glitter in 1996 in rehearsals for The Who’s Quadrophenia concert at London’s Hyde Park. Roger was forced to wear an eye patch at the gig after being knocked out by Glitter.
‘I broke my eye socket,” Roger told the Mail on Sunday. “I was out for 20 minutes. I did the show with a patch holding my eye in. That is a little bit concerning.”
Announcing the memoir last year, Roger said: “It’s great that I’ve found a young enthusiastic publisher, an upstart in the world of books, to publish my story. It feels like the right fit.
“I’ve always resisted the urge to “do the memoir” but now, finally, I feel I’ve enough perspective. When you’ve spent more than half a century at the epicentre of a band like The Who, perspective can be a problem. Everything happened in the moment. One minute, I’m on the factory floor in Shepherd’s Bush, the next, I’m headlining Woodstock.
“It’s taken three years to unpick the events of my life, to remember who did what when and why, to separate the myths from the reality, to unravel what really happened at the Holiday Inn on Keith Moon’s 21st birthday.
“I hope the result is more than just another autobiography. I’ve been lucky enough to live in interesting times. I’ve witnessed society, music and culture change beyond recognition. That I’m still here to tell my tale when so many others around me didn’t make it is nothing short of a miracle.”
Ben Dunn, managing director of Blink Publishing, added: “Roger Daltrey has written a quite brilliant memoir: engaging, funny and filled with amazing anecdotes; it’s one of the last great untold rock legends, and we are so pleased that Roger has chosen Blink Publishing to help tell his fascinating tale.”
Roger released his new solo album ‘As Long As I Have You’ on Friday 1st June.