Why are you?

"When I listen to his solo records since The Who went into semi-retirement," says Daltrey, "I must say there's nothing he couldn't have done better with The Who. There's nothing any of us couldn't have done better with The Who. It was a stupid move to get rid of that brand name, and I think if you take the best of his two or three solo albums released since The Who folded and made one great Who album, it would have been a real classic."

Daltrey says he doesn't know whether he will ever record another solo record; he has a label deal, but not the material. He would, of course, love to do another Who album, especially with Starkey as the drummer--Daltrey never made a secret of his unhappiness when Kenny Jones replaced the late Keith Moon on 1981's Face Dances. But again, he reminds, the decision is not his to make.

"Who knows what Pete will want to do next," Daltrey says. "He's the kind of guy who will ring up and say, 'C'mon, Rog, let's do something new.' But it has to be Pete. He has to be the one who wants to do it. And you never know. That's the problem. I love the group. Pete loves...Pete."

The British Rock Symphony, featuring Roger Daltrey, will perform August 1 at the Bronco Bowl.