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PT's perceived place in the London Drug Rock hierachy c 1967/8



In reply to David Thirteen, 

>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? 

It's not conjectural. This is from an exciting new book to be published by
Schirmer in autumn (or fall) 1998, putatively titled "The Making of Meaty,
Beaty Big & Bouncy". (In other words The Who, their sensational Singles, and
the Time when they most Interesting). 

The source is Townshend himself - either in a public interview, or in
conversation with the author. I can't remember which. I thought the quote was
as well known as the WSG's "blocked all the time."     

Det. Sgt. Robin Constable, operated out of Chelsea nick  [he was later
expelled from the Met round about 1974 .... or he may have made a diplomatic
"retirement" ... ... I don't recall, either way it takes some doing ; you had
to be -pretty- bent to attract much attention in those circles]  was a species
of starfucker whose preferred mode of meeting his heroes was to arrest them
for drug possession.

If by some oversight they failed to possess any, Robin was always willing to
help things along with a contribution of his own). He was of course aware that
high profile busts - with their attendant Press coverage - were a fast track
career move. Lennon, Hendrix, & various Stones comprised his A-list. Clapton
... possibly Donovan (though -his- bust may have been out West End Central &
therefore not one of Robby-boy's).  
At one point (67 or 68) Clapton was moving from flat to flat on a nightly
basis, to evade our pal Robin.  

The single-mindedness of his pursuit is generally held to be a contributory
factor to Brian Jones (clinical) paranoia - "They're coming thru the window,
Les" - which prob. hastened his demise ; spotting him as the Stones weak link,
Constable simply kept at him, raiding him at least 3 times - that we know of
(other visits may have simply been paid off). 

Jagger knew how to deal with him. When stopped in Royal Hospital Road,
Chelsea, Jagger locked his car, phoned his solictor, and refused to allow a
search until the solicitor arrived. Deprived of the op. to plant anything, Rob
slunk off.  Townshend 
(viz. The Last Time/Under My Thumb) identified closely with all this, and
failiure to gain the desired attention clearly rankled.  

I believe that Robin Constable declined to be interviewed for the book.

John