“When I first wake up I’m suicidal, actually suicidal.” The Who's Pete Townshend opens up about how he deals with his “chemical depression”, but admits “what works for me won’t necessarily work for you”

Pete Townshend speaks onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City.

Pete Townshend says that he's affected daily by “chemical depression”, but that he has no interest in speaking to “fucking doctors” about it.

In a new [paywalled] interview with The Sunday Times newspaper, The Who's legendary leader admits “When I first wake up I’m suicidal, actually suicidal”, and that it takes him about 30 minutes to shake off his darkest thoughts, aided by some self-prescribed and commonly available mood enhancers.

“I have a couple of cups of tea, two digestive biscuits - apparently equal to 17 sugar lumps - and I feel happy,” he tells journalist Emily Prescott. “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.”