Believe it or not, during the dying days of the Who in the early-'80s, Pete Townshend actually asked Peter Frampton to replace him in the band. Frampton discusses the offer in depth in his upcoming autobiography, Do You Feel Like I Do?, which is set for publication on October 20th.
Frampton recalled the once-in-a-lifetime offer during a new interview with Goldmine and remembered, “Well, as long as he would’ve been there as well, and he wouldn’t have done what he said he was going to do (stay in the band but off the road), it would have been great. But it was obviously a nonstarter idea. When you’ve been offered it, with the possibility of it, by the horse’s mouth (laughs). . . I’ve known Pete since I was 16, 17, so I love Pete, always have. It’s one of those ideas when you say, 'Oh, did I just say that out loud?' (laughs). . . That was just a weird idea. You knew it wasn’t feasible to start with and like I say (in the book), talk about (an enormous) pair of shoes to fill — when they’re on the ground (laughs).”
Although these days, Peter Frampton is more than happy to celebrate his Comes Alive! era, which he covers in the memoir, he recalled a time when it was literally the last thing he wanted to do: “I remember being on one tour in '77 when I did not wanna go on. I had given it my all. I didn't want to play anymore — for the moment. That's when I should've — even before I'm In You was even thought of — I should've taken two, three years off before I even attempted to make another record. But no one knew at that time; no one had an experience with a big seller like that. Now you realize; you reach that many people — you can wait a couple of years, people aren't gonna forget you. But it was like, 'Let's take advantage of the situation financially, y'know?'”
