PT & Drugs

[David Thirteen <thirteen@the-spa.com>]

>>From at least Jan 5th 1966 onwards (A Whole Scene Going)  Pete has cheerfully
>aligned himself with every possible drug ; both those which he -did- consume
>in bulk - Speed, Alcohol, Coke - and those with which his aquaintance was
>little more than passing,  e.g. Heroin  - tho' being Pete, a few snorts or a
>shot here & there makes him a Full Blown addict in his own eyes. 

I would have to agree with John's latter opinion here. Part of general rock
and roll mythology has it that Pete was (and, if true, may occasionally
lapse back into becoming) a heroin addict. This was what everyone "knew"
about the Who when I was a little tike worshipping KISS and not really into
the Who yet. Pete's acqauintance with heroin is no more than a minor
skirmish, much exaggerated by the press and fueled by him. 

It is well known how Pete (consciously or unconsciously) likes to "use" the
press to help control the spin on his own public image and eventual
mythology. Seventies' rumors of Pete's heroin use -- before the overkill of
heroin-chic we now experience in popular culture -- served to ally him with
the Romantic tradition that included Poe, Coleridge, et al. 

I do believe, however, that Pete may be a personality-type quite prone to
addictions of one kind or another. There's no doubt that booze had gotten
out of control in his life; this is what he sought treatment from Meg
Patterson for. 

>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.

I'd be interested to know on what this conjecture is based -- did it come
from an interview? An anecdote from a friend of Pete's? 

D13