Roger Daltrey, at 80, readying for life after the Who: 'Every dog has its day, and it was wonderful'

"My career has been ... kind of ridiculous, really, when I think of about it," Daltrey said, speaking from his home in the English countryside. "There's something in me, this identity, that only comes out when I'm singing. I just love singing, it's as simple as that. I love connecting with my voice in a different way than when I'm speaking. I just love it!"

Daltrey discussed music and his ridiculous career with the Union-Tribune for nearly 45 minutes on April 17. Here are highlights from that conversation. His quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

Q: You turned 80 on March 1. So, happy belated birthday. Does music mean something more or different to you at 80 than when you were 20, 40 or 70?

A: No, it doesn't. I've always sang — from the age of 6, when I started in the church choir — until now.

Q: How do you maintain your voice and how often do you practice?

A: I never practice. And I think, at the moment, I'm singing, possibly the best I ever have in my life. I had a very rough period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where I had — it turned out I was OK — but it was a potential vocal cord cancer and I managed to get it sorted. I also managed to hear myself singing for the first time, which was a luxury for me. In the '60, '70s, and '80s, it seemed to be the mission of the rest of the band to drown me out. It felt like it anyway! They were so loud that it became hard work to hear myself.

Q: What happened that enabled you to hear yourself better?

A: In-ear (audio) monitors that let you get the mix you want — like, if the guitar's too loud! — and always hear yourself. That makes an enormous difference to a singer. Also, and I didn't realize it until the '90s, but I'd been deaf for a long time in my life. And I don't think it was caused by the band.

When I think back on it, it was caused by working in a sheet metal factory when I was a teenager, grinding welds down every day, with no hearing protection. I think that's what definitely took the top (range) out of my hearing, rather than the band. It's one of those things I've managed to survive.

Q: How does your wearing hearing aids now factor in?

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