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Exquisitely Bored in CA



There has been speculation about PT`s intent behind the lyrics of this song,
one of his best compositions IMO. Clearly he`s using the then-fashionable
conceit of lamenting the mythically fast, empty, jaded LA lifestyle. But he
does this in a typically personal and painful way in order to draw attention
to his own crisis at the time (drug addiction it appears). When I listen to
the song, the main impression I get however is that he`s  spoofing the
classic rock SOUND of that era -  i.e., the Califonia rock of the Eagles.
Listen to those long, "lazy", glistening lines he pulls from his electric
guitar - this is pure Eagles, especially of the Joe Walsh era: there`s an
unmistakable nod to the song Hotel California. So maybe I`ve partly answered
my own question about Byrds influence on the Who, seeing as the Byrds were a
primal influence on the Eagles. On the other hand, PT`s leads in Exquisitely
Bored sound a lot like Joe Walsh, who was playing with the Eagles by then.
By dint of touring with the Who in the early 70`s Walsh (then with the James
Gang) no doubt picked up a few tricks from PT himself. Interesting how
complex even one PT song can get.....Gary M.