The Who's Roger Daltrey Knighted, Finally. A Personal Congratulations
The great Who frontman Roger Daltrey awarded Knighthood.
Courtesy Teenage Cancer Trust
The great Who front-man/singer Roger Daltrey penned a memoir in 2018 called, "Thanks A Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite." The title refers to a middle school teacher in England who expelled Daltrey over a prank, berating him as someone who would never go anywhere in life. Daltrey says that gesture help straighten him out, and pushed him through life to prove Kibblewhite wrong.
Well, Mr. Kibblewhite, Daltrey has just been awarded Knighthood by the Queen, one of the highest honors that the British Royal Family can bestow. I wonder what Kibblewhite would say to that if he were still alive?
I've known Roger for quite awhile. In 2016, I helped him with a delicate charity situation concerning Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, perhaps the top hospital of its kind in the world. Afterwards, we got to know each other.
I've always been impressed by Roger's humility, grace and self-deprecation, despite his many accomplishments in music. They don't need listing here - everyone is aware of them. The Who, for example, is one of the three major sixties British Invasion bands, the other two being The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, that helped pave the way for other British rock acts to break into America.
Roger Daltrey (right) and Pete Townshend of The Who at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, celebrating the opening of a teen cancer facility there, March 2016.
Stacey Severn
But what many don't know is that Roger has tirelessly and quietly worked, for decades, with band-mate Pete Townshend helping teens with cancer, both with Teen Cancer America in the U.S., and Teenage Cancer Trust in Great Britain. Both organizations have grown into major world charities dedicated to helping teens stricken with cancer (links below) since he helped found them.
As Roger once told me, children have specialized cancer programs, as do adults, but teens are often lumped into one of the two groups. It's not fair, he says, as teens are especially vulnerable at the transitional, awkward stage between childhood and adulthood, and therefore need special treatment, both physically (teen cancers tend to be more aggressive) and psychologically (think Alice Cooper's 'I'm Eighteen').
Roger is loyal, as well. He never forgot that simple Memorial Sloan gesture, and, over the years has offered me passes to concerts at major venues like New York's Madison Square Garden to see The Who and catch up with him backstage.
A few years ago, he recorded a special video as a favor congratulating Farmington Woods Elementary School on its 20 years of International Baccalaureate status. And, most recently, he wrote an amusing cover quote for my classic rock book, "Amplified," which also includes an interview with him.
The Who's Roger Daltrey (right) and Forbes writer Jim Clash backstage at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, September 1, 1999.
Michael JP Oakes
As to Knighthood, he once joked with me about it. "I don't care about things like that, Jim. I've been too political to ever attain that type of position. I'm a human being, and none of us is perfect." Such a class act.
Anyhow, Mr. Daltrey, a very heartfelt congratulations on a title well-deserved - and long overdue - and thank you from all the music fans and sick teens you've inspired and helped over the years. And, as you say, "Be lucky."
(Oh, and to Mr. Kibblewhite, thanks.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest Winner Looks So Much Like The Actor That People Think It Was A "Prank"
The fake Pedro Pascal may be as charming as the real Pedro Pascal. On Tuesday, The Daily Show shared a behind-the-scenes clip to its X account in which Jon Stewart revealed to fans that the winner of a New York-based Pedro Pascal lookalike contest was George Gountas — who happens to be the lighting designer for The Daily Show. After inviting Gountas on stage, who looks like he could be a long-lost member of Pascal's family, Stewart made a confession. 'I've never noticed he looks like Pedro Pascal,' Stewart admitted, before showing a photo of what Gountas typically looks like in the office, which looks less like Pascal, but still very Pascal-esque. 'How did you do this?' Stewart asked Gountas. Gountas then launched into a very funny explanation as to how he went from 'Pedro No. 5' during a silly contest on Sunday to its ultimate winner. Gountas explained that a fellow Daily Show staffer noticed fliers for the contest last week. The contest was held at Son Del North, a Mexican restaurant in the lower east side, and the prize for the winner was $50 and a year's supply of free burritos, according to local news station FOX 5 New York. The co-owner of the eatery, chef Annisha Garcia, told People she was inspired to create the contest after coming across an interview with Pascal in which he said that there isn't any 'good Mexican food in New York City.' Gountas went on to tell Stewart about the contest, who was only mildly interested, and completely forgot about it. That was until he mentioned it to his wife, Jenny, just two days before the contest — and Jenny told Gountas he was absolutely doing it. Related: Shia LaBeouf Just Shared A Screenshot Of His Private Email Exchange With Timothée Chalamet, And It's Certainly Interesting Contesting whether Gountas liked it or not, Jenny enlisted the help of a neighbor, who was a stylist, in order to pin down Pascal's look. 'And I showed up on Father's Day — you were supposed to pre-sign up, I did not sign up,' Gountas said. 'I rolled up, and I was like, 'Yo, I'm here.' And they're like, 'You're going to win.'' And he did. @pascalarchive/X/jameskleinmann / Via Later on in his discussion with Stewart, Gountas eventually revealed that his wife had an ulterior motive in her insistence that he enter the Pedro pageant — and it's that she wanted to use Gountas' 15 minutes of fame to meet the real Pascal. So, Gountas decided to be a good hubby and shared his wife's request on camera in hopes that Pascal would receive the message. Related: This 17-Question IQ Test Will Reveal How Much Celebrity Knowledge You Have 'Hey Pedro, this is Pedro No. 5 from New York,' Gountas began. 'It would be a great, great, great gift if you could meet my wife, Jenny. It would mean the world to her. We need to make this happen.' Although it's currently unclear if Pascal is even aware of this whole fiasco, fans of the Daily Show were blown away by how much Gountas does look like the Last of Us star. See their comments below. @mizztotal/X / Via @lucaslyonsart/X / Via @tonyver45/X / Via @Noteless/X / Via @joansnuggets/X / Via This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Celebrity: Chrissy Teigen Posted The Results Of Her Hairline Lowering Surgery, And Ouch Also in Celebrity: 17 Weird Celebrity Red Carpet Moments That'll Make You Say "Wow, I Can't Believe That Actually Happened" Also in Celebrity: 22 Absolutely Bonkers Things I've Learned About Old Hollywood Celebs That Made My Jaw Hit The Floor
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
Jon Stewart Shocked His Staffer Won A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest
The fake Pedro Pascal may be as charming as the real Pedro Pascal. On Tuesday, The Daily Show shared a behind-the-scenes clip to its X account in which Jon Stewart revealed to fans that the winner of a New York-based Pedro Pascal lookalike contest was George Gountas — who happens to be the lighting designer for The Daily Show. After inviting Gountas on stage, who looks like he could be a long-lost member of Pascal's family, Stewart made a confession. 'I've never noticed he looks like Pedro Pascal,' Stewart admitted, before showing a photo of what Gountas typically looks like in the office, which looks less like Pascal, but still very Pascal-esque. 'How did you do this?' Stewart asked Gountas. Gountas then launched into a very funny explanation as to how he went from 'Pedro No. 5' during a silly contest on Sunday to its ultimate winner. Gountas explained that a fellow Daily Show staffer noticed fliers for the contest last week. The contest was held at Son Del North, a Mexican restaurant in the lower east side, and the prize for the winner was $50 and a year's supply of free burritos, according to local news station FOX 5 New York. The co-owner of the eatery, chef Annisha Garcia, told People she was inspired to create the contest after coming across an interview with Pascal in which he said that there isn't any 'good Mexican food in New York City.' Gountas went on to tell Stewart about the contest, who was only mildly interested, and completely forgot about it. That was until he mentioned it to his wife, Jenny, just two days before the contest — and Jenny told Gountas he was absolutely doing it. Contesting whether Gountas liked it or not, Jenny enlisted the help of a neighbor, who was a stylist, in order to pin down Pascal's look. 'And I showed up on Father's Day — you were supposed to pre-sign up, I did not sign up,' Gountas said. 'I rolled up, and I was like, 'Yo, I'm here.' And they're like, 'You're going to win.'' And he did. The winner of Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in New York City 📹 jameskleinmann | instagram — Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) June 15, 2025 @pascalarchive/X/jameskleinmann / Via Later on in his discussion with Stewart, Gountas eventually revealed that his wife had an ulterior motive in her insistence that he enter the Pedro pageant — and it's that she wanted to use Gountas' 15 minutes of fame to meet the real Pascal. So, Gountas decided to be a good hubby and shared his wife's request on camera in hopes that Pascal would receive the message. 'Hey Pedro, this is Pedro No. 5 from New York,' Gountas began. 'It would be a great, great, great gift if you could meet my wife, Jenny. It would mean the world to her. We need to make this happen.' The winner of the Pedro Pascal lookalike contest is also The Daily Show's lighting designer, George Gountas! #AfterTheCut — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 17, 2025 Although it's currently unclear if Pascal is even aware of this whole fiasco, fans of the Daily Show were blown away by how much Gountas does look like the Last of Us star. See their comments below. I almost feel like that is Pedro Pascal and they're punking us. Anyway Pedro has to meet Jenny he just has to! — Nice4What (@mizztotal) June 18, 2025 @mizztotal/X / Via @dailyshow should change their intro to say "now featuring pedro pascal on camera 2" — Lucas Lyons (@lucaslyonsart) June 18, 2025 @lucaslyonsart/X / Via Pretty amazing!!! He's got the body language dialed in. — Wear your masks (@tonyver45) June 18, 2025 @tonyver45/X / Via He's got the mannerisms down! If that's not him trying to do that, it's even more eerie — j🍥 (@Noteless) June 17, 2025 @Noteless/X / Via
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Explains Why 28 YEARS LATER Is 'More Horrific' Than Most Zombie Movies — GeekTyrant
It turns out the most terrifying thing about 28 Years Later isn't the flesh-eating infected, it's the emotions. In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, star Aaron Taylor-Johnson described the upcoming sequel not as a straight-up horror movie, but as something more intimate and disturbing… a family drama set against the backdrop of a collapsed world. Taylor-Johnson said: 'We played the reality of the family drama, didn't we? We just kind of leant into what our family was sort of feeling and going through in this post-apocalyptic world. 'So the story itself feels very intimate within this big landscape. So you don't really play into the sort of horror theme in a way? You're just playing the reality of the circumstances, and I think that, in itself, is more horrific.' Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, both returning from the original 28 Days Later , this third installment trades the genre tropes for something a little more grounded. Of course, there are going be jumpscares. Yes, the Infected are back. But the emotional core revolves around Jamie (Taylor-Johnson), his wife Isla (Jodie Comer), and their son Spike (Williams), as they venture from the relative safety of Holy Island into the decaying chaos of the mainland. What begins as a coming-of-age journey for Spike quickly turns into something far more dangerous. According to Williams, it's that character shift that gives the movie its emotional bite. 'We really see Spike mature throughout this film, and he has to mature to survive. We see him right at the start where, you know, he holds back a lot and he's still got that childlike curiosity. 'Then we start to see… well, he still keeps that but he pushes it back to defend his mother, who's he trying to protect.' Taylor-Johnson and Williams both avoided watching other zombie films while shooting because 28 Years Later doesn't follow the usual playbook. When asked if he looked to the genre for inspiration: Taylor-Johnson said: 'I didn't because I didn't feel like it correlated or related to this.' Williams added: 'It's just so unique and creative. I just watched 28 Days Later a lot to try and get the vibe of this one.' With Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes also on board, and Boyle and Garland fully back in the creative driver's seat, 28 Years Later is shaping up to be more than just a revival, it might be the most emotionally intense chapter yet. 28 Years Later hits theaters June 20th.
