“I was smashing a guitar at every show. I had to use this special glue called Cascamite – it’s a powdered glue and I managed to string them back together. I got very good at putting guitars together”: Pete Townshend remembers The Who’s first US tour

Pete Townshend abusing his electric guitar at Atwood Stadium on August 23, 1967 in Flint, Michigan - the same night that Keith had his 21st (actually his 20th) birthday party and was arrested and banned for life from the Holiday Inn chain of hotels (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer)

Pete Townshend popped in to Stephen Colbert’s show this week to, amongst other things, reminisce about the first time The Who came to the States.

That was in 1967, the height of the hippy era. “The hippy thing didn’t fit in very well for us,” Townshend told the host. “Cream – Eric Clapton’s band – was on the same bill. We were doing four to five shows a day, and I was smashing a guitar at every show. I was just making sure I left my mark.”