When the Rolling Stones Entered the Rock Hall – and Pete Townshend’s Speech

The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, their first year of eligibility. The ceremony took place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York on January 18, and the induction speech was delivered by Pete Townshend of The Who.

Townshend’s speech was famously unfiltered: he called the Stones the “greatest rock and roll band in the world” but also joked about their longevity and the absurdity of the event. He even threw a dig at Mick Jagger’s solo ambitions, saying, “Mick, if you ever leave the Stones, I will personally hunt you down and kill you.” Jagger responded by calling Townshend’s speech “the most obnoxious, arrogant, and insensitive speech I’ve ever heard in my life” – which, for the Rock Hall, was perfect theatre.