Horse's Neck is a collection of short stories written by Pete Townshend between 1979 and 1984. It was first published in 1985 by Faber and Faber.
Horse's Neck is a collection of short stories written by Pete Townshend between 1979 and 1984. It was first published in 1985 by Faber and Faber.
Although the stories might be considered semi-autobiographical, Townshend wrote in the preface: "I have never wanted simply to tell my own story. But I have tried here to attend to a wide range of feelings . . . aspects of my struggle to discover what beauty really is."
Reviewer Susan Avallone wrote that the collection of stories was "intriguing experimental writing" and "a strange and compelling collection of poetry and prose," uncovering "family, friends, ambition, addiction, infidelity, obsession, and life on the road." A theme provided by references to horses appeared to be "part obsession and part allegory." She especially pointed out "Champagne on the Terraces" as "a haunting insight into alcoholism and family life." [1]
Kristine McKenna at Spin said, "A thinly disguised autobiography incorporating episodes of surreal fantasy, Horse's Neck sorts through childhood memories and the rubble of an occasionally debauched past." [2]
Along with the preface written by Townshend, the book contains the following stories:
Brian Wilson Aldiss was an English writer, artist and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for occasional pseudonyms during the mid-1960s.
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Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. His aggressive playing style and poetic songwriting techniques, with the Who and in other projects, have earned him critical acclaim.
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Kristine McKenna is an American journalist, critic and art curator best known for her interviews with artists, writers, thinkers, filmmakers and musicians. Many of these have been collected in Book of Changes (2001) and Talk to Her (2004). Among the people she has interviewed and written about most often over the years are Exene Cervenka, Leonard Cohen, David Lynch, Captain Beefheart, Brian Eno and Dan Hicks.
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