Pete Townshend reveals that in all of his years smashing guitars, there was really only one instance where he instantly regretted it. While talking to Premier Guitar magazine, Townshend explained that prior to a 1968 Who gig at Detroit's legendary Grande Ballroom, he purchased two inexpensive Fender Stratocasters -- one of which he believes might've actually belonged to the late-great Buddy Holly.

Townshend recalled, "On stage I started with the older of the two guitars. It was almost certainly a guitar that belonged to Buddy Holly. I sounded like Buddy Holly. I felt like Buddy Holly. The sound was superb, off the map, bell-like, silky, just sublime. When the time came to smash the guitar, I switched it for the newer one, and a boy at the end of the stage protested. 'No! Smash the good one, not some fake!' So I switched back, and to my shame smashed the guitar over his hands. I still wait for him to sue me. He would have a perfect right, but I was pretty angry with him."

Townshend says that the modern Who audience, which factors in many younger, less die-hard fans than back in the '60s, '70s and '80s, is more concerned with being entertained than in previous eras: "What's actually changed for us is that our audience has actually become the audience. It's not the Who audience anymore, it is the audience. When you go and play a festival now, you see young people who are willing to sit and watch the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers, you know, the Who, this artist, that artist and so on."

Townshend last smashed a guitar in concert on July 24th, 2004 at Tokyo's Yokohama Stadium.