No Subject

During the period when most of the London rock aristocracy was being hounded
by Sgt. Robin Constable, Pete tried -desparately- to get busted - but as the
saying goes  - he couldn't get arrested. These were the Acid/Hash days of
'67.

Tho it's not a period of his work to which I listen much,  I assume that
"Cowboys- Chinese Eyes" was a Heroin ref. If so, it was a bit askew. The
Heartbreakers (Johnny's band, not Petty's imposters) had of course been
signed to Track, and released the "Chinese Rocks" single on Track - but the
song referred to the Lower East Side circa 1974 ;  by the time Pete's album
came out, you couldn't find Chinese H. in London for love or Money. Place was
swamped with a wave of cheap Persian junk following the ousting of The Shah
of Iran (the well-to-do exiles converted their assets into something that
would travel, as they fled the Ayatollah)  ; followed by a mass dumping of
Pakistani/Afghan junk, sold to support the US-backed insurrection against the
Russian invasion of Afghanistan. (one can imagine hilarious battles between
the CIA and the DEA, as one agency actively promoted the trade, while the
other supposedly suppressed it.)
    
It's impossible to underestimate the effect of  Drinymal and alchohol on the
performance of the early Who (65/6/7) when they were at their peak as a Live
Band 
- - and effortlessly blew away every other band in the world. (They really
did.)  

Subsequently - say post Pete's Lifehouse Breakdown - the influence of drink &
dope has more to do with Pete's ever changing relationship with himself, than
with the bands performance - I would say .... wouldn't you ?

I just wish the bloke felt more Happy. He deserves to. 

john