Pete's childhood was ruled by his shyness and insecurities, especially about his nose, which can clearly be seen in the photo after this paragraph. People would very frequently comment on it, even his parents, to the point that he retreated into a cloud of self-doubt and hate. His friends would kid him about it, even Roger, who used to call him a "nose on a stick." He decided the way he would get revenge on all these people was through music. He thought that if nobody could love him for his looks, then they might love him for his talent. This fueled his ambition over the years, but the pain of the taunts often came back to haunt him. He did marry a lovely lady named Karen in the late 60s, and they went on to have three children: two girls, Aminta and Emma (who is now a recording artist herself), and a boy Joseph (born around 1989).
His trademarks are his wild mannerisms onstage, where he windmills his arm while playing, jumps, and frequently smashes his guitar at the end of a concert. He also frequently wears white coveralls, or what he calls a "boiler suit," and dark boots.
Pete went through two crises periods which involved heavy drug and alcohol abuse. He would very frequently wake up in unfamiliar places. One of these periods occurred in the mid 70s, the other around 1980-1.
Perhaps his most famous endeavor was Tommy, the rock opera about a deaf, mute and blind boy. It started as the album that saved the group, was made into a movie, and is currently touring as a stage show. Pete acknowledged a while ago that the story might have been unwittingly based on his life, and many people who know him say HE IS Tommy, and that just about everything he has even written is about him.
Pete continues to release successful albums.
Last Updated on 30 June 2000 by Brooke