“I was once asked by Michael Jackson to play electric guitar on theThrilleralbum,” Townshend tellsRolling Stone.
“I said I couldn’t do it but recommended Eddie who called and we chatted.
His smile was just classic.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
A man in his rightful place, so happy to be doing what he did.”
But he did, and so, Van Halen did the gig for free.
“I listened to the song, and I immediately go, ‘Can I change some parts?’
Took him maybe 10 minutes to put it together.
He added, “I was just finishing the second solo when Michael walked in.
And you know artists are kind of crazy people.
We’re all a little bit strange.
I didn’t know how he would react to what I was doing.
So I warned him before he listened.
I said, ‘Look, I changed the middle section of your song.’
