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Thread: Why Do Musicians Take Drugs and Drink to Excess?

  1. #126
    Quote Originally Posted by jkelman View Post
    While there are musicians who still use drugs, alcohol and other self-prescribed medications (!), I would say, from my own experience with encountering many, many musicians, that this is now a myth with no real basis in fact. Most musicians that used such things in the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s have either stopped...or are dead. Many of the younger musicians i know take better care of themselves than many non-musicians I know: they watch their diet, they may imbibe but not to extreme/excess, they exercise when they're on the road....

    Bottom line: while some musicians continue to abuse, it's no longer as much of a "thing" that musicians so anymore. Most have come to realize that, aside from shortening their time on earth (witness the relative youth of many musicians we've lost in recent times), that abusing substances does not make them play or write better...if anything, the exact opposite.

    Just throwing in the experiences I've encountered with many musicians over the past 15+ years.
    Interesting observation

  2. #127
    Quote Originally Posted by kevin_c_music View Post
    I don't see where this has been mentioned yet, but what well-known musicians (prog or otherwise) never did drugs? The only ones I've read about are:

    Frank Zappa
    Phil Ehart
    Tony Banks (at least in the early days)
    Peter Gabriel (ditto)
    Gene Simmons
    Ian Anderson. Except for cutting off John Evan's fingernails and smoking them.
    "And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."

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  3. #128
    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    Ian Anderson. Except for cutting off John Evan's fingernails and smoking them.
    Lol

  4. #129
    I watched a Y.T. of Rick Wright discussing how some people can smoke pot and perform accurately. He claims that he could never do it. My feeling is that Pink Floyd members didn't indulge in acid as much as a majority of fans would think they did. Syd Barrett surely did.....but it's possible that the rest of the band may have tried it and then left it behind.

  5. #130
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    Quote Originally Posted by jkelman View Post
    While there are musicians who still use drugs, alcohol and other self-prescribed medications (!), I would say, from my own experience with encountering many, many musicians, that this is now a myth with no real basis in fact. Most musicians that used such things in the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s have either stopped...or are dead. Many of the younger musicians i know take better care of themselves than many non-musicians I know: they watch their diet, they may imbibe but not to extreme/excess, they exercise when they're on the road....

    Bottom line: while some musicians continue to abuse, it's no longer as much of a "thing" that musicians so anymore. Most have come to realize that, aside from shortening their time on earth (witness the relative youth of many musicians we've lost in recent times), that abusing substances does not make them play or write better...if anything, the exact opposite.

    Just throwing in the experiences I've encountered with many musicians over the past 15+ years.
    Thanks & agree!.
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  6. #131
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Enid View Post
    I watched a Y.T. of Rick Wright discussing how some people can smoke pot and perform accurately. He claims that he could never do it. My feeling is that Pink Floyd members didn't indulge in acid as much as a majority of fans would think they did. Syd Barrett surely did.....but it's possible that the rest of the band may have tried it and then left it behind.
    Well, the bands I did surround (as a sort of manager >> which meant mostly finding them gigs) all had the same experience when one of them was high but not the rest... The doper thought he was playing great, but the others thought he was besides his boots. Now when they were all high, this "discrepancy" was smoothed out... everything was more approximate, but then again it sounded more "together"

    As for LSD inside Floyd, I guess they were quickly turned off y what happened to Syd.

    Quote Originally Posted by kevin_c_music View Post
    I don't see where this has been mentioned yet, but what well-known musicians (prog or otherwise) never did drugs? The only ones I've read about are:

    Frank Zappa
    Phil Ehart
    Tony Banks (at least in the early days)
    Peter Gabriel (ditto)
    Gene Simmons
    Well Gene's drug of choice was 21% O2 and 79% N2...

    I'd have guessed that the post Dunbar & Rollie Journey would've been a "clean corporate rock" band as well.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  7. #132
    I'm reminded on the man who ran the hotel we spend several vacations. He didn't only run the hotel (a very small one), he also was the cook and the driver of the bus, that showed us the surroundings. He had lots of weird ideas, including that all great composers were on mind altering drugs and that governments didn't like mind altering drugs, because people with altered minds might destroy the governments and the powers that be.

  8. #133
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Enid View Post
    I don't know your friend"s schedule but if he has a lot of time on his hands...
    He's self-employed. He has his own barber shop, but would never cut hair while high, lol. He did at least have enough control to wait until after work or the weekends.

    On the subject of playing music while high on MJ: for me it has to do with the degree of comfort I'm feeling. Having played the same songs in the exact same way many, many times makes it easier. Playing outdoors on a beautiful day helps (a bit less claustrophobic). Playing a church gig or other type of venue with a very polite and super-attentive audience would potentially be too much pressure. I get better as I get older, but I get performance anxiety (without being high) when I feel I'm too much the center of attention. I guess that's why I'm more comfortable being the bass player.

    I'm always extremely aware of any mistakes or inaccuracies in my playing and if anything that is magnified if I'm high, so I don't think it gives me rose-colored glasses to the point where I think I'm Jaco Pastorius or anything, lol. On the contrary, if things get too bad in terms of mistakes I'm more likely to freak out and really train wreck things. But it still never happens as long as I'm really familiar with the music.

    The more time goes on and I gain more experience playing music (this is completely regardless of MJ use) the more I realize that just relaxing and not over-analyzing things is the best way to go. If I start worrying whether I will remember to play the bridge correctly when I get to it, whether I will get lost somewhere in the second verse, etc. then it's actually much more likely I'm going to mess it up. It's almost a zen thing. I just have to let go and trust that I will do the right thing when I get there. And 99% of the time that works.
    <sig out of order>

  9. #134
    25 years or so in all sorts of bands. Knew fair # of folks who used. Never joined in. Never felt any pressure to partake by my peers or associates. For the most part it was a matter of respect: do what you want, just don't be a mess when it comes time to hit the stage/rehearse/record.

    I've never had a beef with drugs despite my non-use...as with drinking or any other vice, some personalities are capable of managing it effectively. Some cannot.

    Only ask I've ever had...if whatever it is someone did involved smoke, I'd ask that it please be done away from the gear. That goes for weed, cigarettes or anything else. We could take as many puff breaks as were needed but I didn't want that stuff around my expensive gear.
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
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    Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com

  10. #135
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    25 years or so in all sorts of bands. Knew fair # of folks who used. Never joined in. Never felt any pressure to partake by my peers or associates. For the most part it was a matter of respect: do what you want, just don't be a mess when it comes time to hit the stage/rehearse/record.

    I've never had a beef with drugs despite my non-use...as with drinking or any other vice, some personalities are capable of managing it effectively. Some cannot.

    Only ask I've ever had...if whatever it is someone did involved smoke, I'd ask that it please be done away from the gear. That goes for weed, cigarettes or anything else. We could take as many puff breaks as were needed but I didn't want that stuff around my expensive gear.
    In my current band there is no one who would drink or smoke and they are all level-headed responsible folks and great musicians (what?! yes, it can happen). I wouldn't dream of being under the influence of anything partly out of respect for them, but also it just isn't something I have a big desire to do these days. The other band I was playing in I quit a few months ago. The main rule with that band was no drinking, period. That was because although some of us could have had one beer, others could not limit themselves. So there was a zero tolerance rule. And even at that, we found certain ones that were being enabled by spouses with tiny bottles of liquor and they'd be super sloppy by the third set.
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  11. #136
    In Ephemeral Sun, there's certainly drinking (beer), and two of the guys are puffies. We just take breaks so they can head outside and smoke during the afternoon.

    I can definitely appreciate having to have a stricter policy though, if someone can't really manage it.
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
    https://battema.bandcamp.com/

    Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com

  12. #137
    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    He's self-employed. He has his own barber shop, but would never cut hair while high, lol. He did at least have enough control to wait until after work or the weekends.

    On the subject of playing music while high on MJ: for me it has to do with the degree of comfort I'm feeling. Having played the same songs in the exact same way many, many times makes it easier. Playing outdoors on a beautiful day helps (a bit less claustrophobic). Playing a church gig or other type of venue with a very polite and super-attentive audience would potentially be too much pressure. I get better as I get older, but I get performance anxiety (without being high) when I feel I'm too much the center of attention. I guess that's why I'm more comfortable being the bass player.

    I'm always extremely aware of any mistakes or inaccuracies in my playing and if anything that is magnified if I'm high, so I don't think it gives me rose-colored glasses to the point where I think I'm Jaco Pastorius or anything, lol. On the contrary, if things get too bad in terms of mistakes I'm more likely to freak out and really train wreck things. But it still never happens as long as I'm really familiar with the music.

    The more time goes on and I gain more experience playing music (this is completely regardless of MJ use) the more I realize that just relaxing and not over-analyzing things is the best way to go. If I start worrying whether I will remember to play the bridge correctly when I get to it, whether I will get lost somewhere in the second verse, etc. then it's actually much more likely I'm going to mess it up. It's almost a zen thing. I just have to let go and trust that I will do the right thing when I get there. And 99% of the time that works.
    I'm pretty much the same way and to not think about anything at all seems to be the most enjoyable happy medium when performing.

  13. #138
    Member BobM's Avatar
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    Summing up this thread it seems like ...

    - some people use drugs and some do not
    - if they do/did use drugs it tended to be in their youth
    - many musicians today use drugs and/or alcohol socially, just like anyone else
    - the potential for abuse is there, but as you age you get wiser
    - the dangers of abuse can ruin your career, and people have gotten smarter now than in the 60's
    - being high while performing can mess with the quality of your playing
    - saying "all musicians use drugs/alcohol" is a false stereotype

    Does that about sum it up? Pretty much what I expected.
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  14. #139
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Good summary I would add: many people learn to moderate their use.

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    Last edited by mozo-pg; 08-10-2016 at 02:28 PM.
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  15. #140
    My beef with the drug world is it's inconsistency to say the hell out of my life. Maybe everyone else's story is the opposite of mine? Maybe they don't see what I see, what I experience every weekend on the east coast? Possibly people here may assume that I exaggerated when truly I'm just being honest? It's certainly not just the music business and I think we've established that ,..and I totally agree...( of course)....it would be moronic not to? I might be one of those selective characters in life who is 75 percent of the time....in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't personally look for freaks, liars, cons,cheaters, users, and whether or not they are on drugs is dimensionally insignificant. No I don't stick my neck out and I am quite introverted at gigs....unlike on the board here. I open my vessel of frustrations, giving examples of stories that are true, and hoping that P.E. members will share their experiences and give me some advice.


    I am open arms for conversationalists to express their opinions and I won't bring an argumentation to the table. I'd rather take the time to think about someone's opinion that I disagree with.....why? Because every opinion can be observed first before reacting on the defense. Some people may feel....." Well....what the hell kind of argumentation is that?" "Stand your ground!" It's funny because you just want to hear their stories/opinions for the sake of education and the cool experience of being introduced to their character. I've read several of the posts on this thread and the stories and viewpoints are very helpful and in particular when comparing their situation to mine.


    An incident that took place last year involved a situation where I was accused of having "Crack" in my possession. First off....Allow me to give a description of myself prior to when I was on trial in this bar. I am 5"11, weigh around 160, hair close to shoulder length, wear a black hat, and stand stage left playing many different styles of guitar throughout the night. So over the last 4 years I have gained the reputation of being this guitarist who wears a black hat and plays great. What the hell am I suppose to do about that? I'm just a musician and not by any means a celebrity. If I walk into a music store.... I'm shopping and I can clearly see hush hush dribble between customers and staff, ....and then comes the question..."Are you the guy that plays for blah, blah, blah? I have a soft heart and I answer ...Yes.


    Then it escalates when a person that is older approaches me in the music store and they come from a different angle. They start reviewing my past ....example...."I remember seeing you play guitar when you opened for Doc Severson Band" I never seem to be able to get away from this shit. I made my bed and have to sleep in it. It's beautiful that they love my playing...but I am a total misfit in society at the age of 60. I have always looked like I was on drugs. I stayed completely away from drugs when I traveled the road for some 30 odd years. I tried drugs as a teenager and probably close to ten times and then disregarded it. But I fit the image for society and I have no intentions of practicing in front of the mirror to please them or attempt to change their view.


    So one night I am invited to play with a band at a bar. I'm getting about 125.00 for this and I figured that was okay for 3 hours and a commute of 15 minutes. I was using the bathroom a lot between breaks to empty my Blatter. I drink Diet Coke at every gig. No booze whatsoever....unless it's a toast to an accomplishment. After our first set....I tuned, used the bathroom, and went outside to be away from the noise. I usually sit in the van and listen to RIO . Now I'm approached by the drummer and he says...."listen..if you wanna do Crack, do it on your own time and not at the gig where your gonna get us all fired."" I looked at him and said..."Can you repeat that..because I can't believe my f- ken ears". Then he starts his story: "Well someone turned in two bags of Crack they confiscated in the men's room and the bouncer saw you going in and out of the bathroom since you arrived" I said...."Well...I don't do drugs...so there's a definite mistake being made". The drummer said: Well...like I said before, do it on your own time and not here".


    So now my blood is boiling right? Ive always appeared to be a druggie to most people because of the way I carry myself, I daydream, and bags under my eyes which my parents have always laid that trip on me about being half Italian and half Shawnee.

    I then walked into the bar to speak with the bouncer. I said..."I understand that I am being accused of leaving two bags of Crack in the men's room" The bouncer replied: "No not you!" "I told your drummer that it was your conga player" Then I approached the Conga player and said..."Do you realise what is going on here?" "The bouncer has two bags of Crack and your being accused of leaving it in the bathroom" The Conga player said: "I have no idea what you're talking about". Then I approached the band leader. The guy who wrote out all the charts for us and was friendly and somewhat of a Mr. America type. I said: The drummer was outside interrogating me over two bags of Crack confiscated in the bathroom." He says: " My drummer would never do anything like that and I find that hard to believe" Then I ask the drummer to come inside and speak with us. The drummer wouldn't talk to the band leader in my presence and so he must have lied about his behavior because the band leader approached me quickly to say...."For some reason you're making up lies about my drummer and I've known him all of my life and he would never, never...talk to anyone like that."

    Now the crowded bar and staff are no longer looking at me in the same light...as they did earlier when I arrived and there was all this stupid talk about the guitar player with the black hat who played with the blah, blah, blah band...ya know? One guy walked over ..he was a trumpet player I knew for years...and he said..."What the F is going on here?" "You don't do drugs ...everyone knows that" I said: "Evidently not" He said: "Well..I traveled the road with you for years and I never saw you do drugs" "You don't even drink do you?"

    Then it dawned on me that if the drugs were turned over to the police, that it appeared to be evident to everyone that they belonged to me. Then throughout the next year...people approached me and asked if I did Crack. I was very angry about this moronic incident So I let it go where it doesn't linger or distract my mind from being creative or productive...but I was spiteful in a very sarcastic way towards people who wanted it to linger or cause it to escalate further.

    The position is moronic. The experience is moronic. The whole entire concept is pointless. Anyone can be accused of Crack? Maybe...and is there a committee somewhere that has decided that a person's appearance can reveal drug use? I can just hear it now...."Are you on drugs?" Answer: No.... "Well, did you used to do a lot of drugs?" Answer: No. And then I get the "deer in the headlight look" or a response like...,"Boy..are you a liar?" From my perspective, people in society really seem sure of themselves. Or let's be fair and rate that as a percentage.



    In a case like this, it doesn't matter how much you personally hate drugs, drugs in the 60's , anytime, any place, . I just walked away with my hundred and twenty five dollars and went home. Nothing became of it. The incident was moronic within itself. It annoyed the crap out of me and for that reason I made myself distant from those people in the business. Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time ?? Is this one of those 21st century drug set ups? The attitudes, the mentality? The personality you have to practice in front of the mirror just to fit in?

  16. #141
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    ^ To be completely honest, this would be water off a duck's back for me. I wouldn't have given it 5 minutes worth of angst. However, it does sound like your band is not at all close knit, and if I was you, I'd make a mental note for the file.

  17. #142
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    In my case I'd have to say that would really piss me off. Obviously I'd be trying to laugh it off initially, but if it persisted and somehow I'd gotten some sort of reputation because of it, yeah, that would piss me off. But I don't have long hair and I even had someone suspect me of being a cop before, so my experiences are probably going to be somewhat different.
    <sig out of order>

  18. #143
    Right I agree with both of you. I should also add that a great many people in the world dislike drugs. Guess what? That theory is beyond being considered by people in the music business and many times the world in general. As if they are dismissive of that realization completely and innocent people are put in a moronic position to actually defend themselves against insulting garbage like this because the drug world rules! The drug world has power. It's that ridiculous attitude again where everything revolved around the environment of drug taking, drug selling, dress code, coolness,....and that environment is not honest.


    From my experiences....that environment has no love for morality because drugs are God. If someone accuses you of drugs ...then you are singled out to be a user and they just won't take no for an answer ....nor do they realize that there is a entire different world of people who ride the same bus, work the same job, have a drink in the same bar, and have absolutely nothing to do with the stupid ignorant drug world. I don't really care how popular drugs are. That is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard.


    It's the environment and the brainwashing of people in the drug world that the non user has to deal with. They all seem to have the same suspicious attitude and they all seem to define drugs as having significance in my life which is dead wrong. I could have friends defend me to prove a point but that won't change anything about the world. This is one reason why I avoid gatherings and remain anti-social. Drug crimes are so important to address that innocent people get harassment. It's a silly world that I have no interest in nor do I have any respect for it....but apparently that within itself is so completely unimportant to these people. More emphasis is on "Who took the drug?", "Who is selling drugs?", Who should we report?", or who can we dump on? They all seem to think that their world with all of its trappings is the most important one to involve everyone with and I don't see that as a intelligent way of thinking . An intelligent way of thinking about life. The position is moronic.
    N

  19. #144
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Renowned British jazz Guitarist John McLaughlin Speaks out on the Place of Drugs in Modern Society

    http://drugabuse.imedpub.com/renowne....php?aid=20680

  20. #145
    Quote Originally Posted by Enid View Post
    I watched a Y.T. of Rick Wright discussing how some people can smoke pot and perform accurately. He claims that he could never do it. My feeling is that Pink Floyd members didn't indulge in acid as much as a majority of fans would think they did. Syd Barrett surely did.....but it's possible that the rest of the band may have tried it and then left it behind.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enzNePWJvI4

  21. #146
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    ^ Lol! Says the man with the glazed eyes.

  22. #147
    Quote Originally Posted by kevin_c_music View Post
    I don't see where this has been mentioned yet, but what well-known musicians (prog or otherwise) never did drugs? The only ones I've read about are:

    Gene Simmons
    Actually, that's not completely true. In his autobiography, Gene details the time he came offstage, back in the 70's apparently, spotted a plate of brownies, and devoured all of them. Alice Cooper once said whenever there was food backstage at a show, you never touched it, because you never knew what was in it. Apparently, Gene hadn't gotten that memo, and had to learn the hard way.

    re: Pink Floyd, my understanding is, beyond Syd, the rest of the band smoked pot and drank, but never to excess. I can't remember which band member it was, it wasn't Syd, I think it might have been Waters, who said he did acid exactly twice. The first time, was somewher ein the English countryside, and it was a very nice experience. The second time, was in the middle of NYC, and he nearly got hit by a car trying to cross the street. So he never did it again after that.

  23. #148
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    For Hank Jr., it was a family tradition.

  24. #149
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Frank Zappa didn't do any drugs.
    And as you could read, McLaughlin 'only' did LSD.

  25. #150
    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    Frank Zappa didn't do any drugs.
    And as you could read, McLaughlin 'only' did LSD.
    Caffeine? Nicotine?
    Forget which book where he says he did in fact smoke pot but it gave him a sore throat so he didn't smoke again..

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