Pete Townshend says he has suicidal thoughts every morning

Pete Townshend has revealed that he has “suicidal” thoughts when he wakes up every morning.

The rock legend and founding member of The Who has been open about his mental health struggles for a long time, and as he discussed in a new interview with The Sunday Times, his experience with what he describes as “chemical depression” is ongoing.

“When I first wake up I’m suicidal, actually suicidal,” he said.

He spoke about choosing to wake up between 2am and 5am each day to help with his mindset, explaining: “I’m still in the state that I was the day before.”

Pete Townshend. CREDIT: Katja Ogrin/Redferns via Getty Images

He said he has “a couple of cups of tea” and “two digestive biscuits”, which he says is “apparently equal to 17 sugar lumps, and I feel happy”.

Townshend sought help from a professional therapist as a younger man, but did not find it to be useful for him, but he does find value in keeping journals. “If I start my journals before I have my cup of tea, I’ll paint a very bleak picture of my life. Despite the fact that I have everything that I want and everything that I need…And I have had a really extraordinary life.”

He continued that while he did find therapy worked for him, he understands that it does work for others and is hesitant to espouse particular solutions as it depends on the individual.

“I think because of social media in particular, the way that we carelessly share not only our anxieties but also perhaps our solutions,” he said. “We’re a bit careless about that because what works for me won’t necessarily work for you.”

The mental health charity Mind have produced research that shows people working in the music industry are “more prone to mental health problems than the general population”, with “musicians being up to three times more likely to suffer from depression”. Financial pressures, isolation, lifestyle, hectic schedules and addiction are often named as factors.

NME spoke to a number of figures from the industry in 2023 about the “dangerous” impact that touring can have on musicians’ mental health and the “pressure cooker” that “needs addressing”.

One charity that provides mental health services to those working in the music industry is Tonic, which was championed early on by the late Specials frontman Terry Hall. Through a variety of programmes, activities and schemes provided by trained experts and music industry peers, Tonic’s mission is to “promote good mental health through music”, having “helped many isolated and vulnerable people in our community”. For more information on Tonic, visit here.