Drug use and great musicians
Discussion
Hey all, I’ve just been listening to my favourite songs this evening and it struck me that nearly all the artists I find to have written/performed the music I like most have one thing in common, they have all taken (and in some cases died from) drugs in copious quantities. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton and more modern artists, so really I want to know if for them drugs enhanced the creative process they went through writing/performing songs? Is it purely co-incidental that most of the greatest musicians have embraced being in a drug induced state?
speedy_thrills said:
Hey all, I’ve just been listening to my favourite songs this evening and it struck me that nearly all the artists I find to have written/performed the music I like most have one thing in common, they have all taken (and in some cases died from) drugs in copious quantities. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton and more modern artists, so really I want to know if for them drugs enhanced the creative process they went through writing/performing songs? Is it purely co-incidental that most of the greatest musicians have embraced being in a drug induced state?
I take it you've never heard of Bill Hicks then? He shares (shared, RIP) your view wholeheartedly;
"See I think drugs have done some good things for us. If you don't think drugs have done good things for us then do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all of your records,tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know all those musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal
high on drugs, man." neil.b said:
Hey all, I’ve just been listening to my favourite songs this evening and it struck me that nearly all the artists I find to have written/performed the music I like most have one thing in common, they have all taken (and in some cases died from) drugs in copious quantities. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton and more modern artists, so really I want to know if for them drugs enhanced the creative process they went through writing/performing songs? Is it purely co-incidental that most of the greatest musicians have embraced being in a drug induced state?
I take it you've never heard of Bill Hicks then? He shares (shared, RIP) your view wholeheartedly;
"See I think drugs have done some good things for us. If you don't think drugs have done good things for us then do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all of your records,tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know all those musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal
Ahh, but he also said:
"So you think druge are good??? Suuuure they are. Think of musicians. Think of what drugs did to them. The Beatles took drugs. Why else would they let Ringo sing....?"
neil.b said:I’m not saying it’s my view that you need to be in a drug induced haze to write/perform a good song, but it seems to help a whole lot. Even actors in the film industry seem to like doing it. Perhaps it has a lot top do with the type of people musicians are and the areas where they spend their lives (bars, clubs, concerts etc.)
Hey all, I’ve just been listening to my favourite songs this evening and it struck me that nearly all the artists I find to have written/performed the music I like most have one thing in common, they have all taken (and in some cases died from) drugs in copious quantities. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton and more modern artists, so really I want to know if for them drugs enhanced the creative process they went through writing/performing songs? Is it purely co-incidental that most of the greatest musicians have embraced being in a drug induced state?
I take it you've never heard of Bill Hicks then? He shares (shared, RIP) your view wholeheartedly;
"See I think drugs have done some good things for us. If you don't think drugs have done good things for us then do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all of your records,tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know all those musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal
It's a question of cause and effect. Most musicians take tonnes of drugs after they produce their seminal albums. Drugs seem to be part of the creative/media 'scene', but that's more about having some freedom to spend time off your trolley and an unpredictable but occasionally large income.
How many musicians and bands have become successful and then promptly gone quiet? How many of those have lost the will or ability to be creative because they're drugged up to their eyeballs?
However, I did like the news that Lemmy has been told he's got to live a healthier lifestyle after collapsing at the end of a gig. He's agreed to put ice cubes in his Jack Daniels.
How many musicians and bands have become successful and then promptly gone quiet? How many of those have lost the will or ability to be creative because they're drugged up to their eyeballs?
However, I did like the news that Lemmy has been told he's got to live a healthier lifestyle after collapsing at the end of a gig. He's agreed to put ice cubes in his Jack Daniels.
If The Beatles had not experimented with psychedlics I think it is completely fair to say that Sgt Peppers would have been a completely different album.
There is without doubt a link between what is regarded as many artists best work and the drugs that they were experimenting with at the time (Motley Crue being the obvious exception).
Mind you, that said, I dont believe for one minute that if you are a mediocre musician and then take drugs that is going to make you great. All these people were true greats before trying drugs its just that the drugs allowed them to make synaptic connections that they were previously unaware which in turn allowed them to place a different and indeed quality sheen on their art.
There is without doubt a link between what is regarded as many artists best work and the drugs that they were experimenting with at the time (Motley Crue being the obvious exception).
Mind you, that said, I dont believe for one minute that if you are a mediocre musician and then take drugs that is going to make you great. All these people were true greats before trying drugs its just that the drugs allowed them to make synaptic connections that they were previously unaware which in turn allowed them to place a different and indeed quality sheen on their art.
titiany said:
Did the drugs come first or the music?
Bit chicken and egg, isn't it?
At about the same time.
Shamanic Indians in the South American Rainforests ritually use psychedlics in their tribal rituals and have been for literally thousands of years.
The beat sits at around 130bpm and they use drugs to raise their heartrates to enter a trance like state in time with the music...
Plotloss said:
Did the drugs come first or the music?
Bit chicken and egg, isn't it?
At about the same time.
Shamanic Indians in the South American Rainforests ritually use psychedlics in their tribal rituals and have been for literally thousands of years.
The beat sits at around 130bpm and they use drugs to raise their heartrates to enter a trance like state in time with the music...
And then they shout "Acccccccciiiiiiedddd" and blow whistles and.....oh, hang on....
I had heard they had stopped recently due to difficulty getting hold of lightsticks and Vicks.
AT makes an interesting point about the type of drug being important.
No one that I can think of has made a decent album whilst going through a cocaine period, look at Be Here Now. Even Gallagher himself admits he was hoofing far too much chozza when penning that particular coaster...
AT makes an interesting point about the type of drug being important.
No one that I can think of has made a decent album whilst going through a cocaine period, look at Be Here Now. Even Gallagher himself admits he was hoofing far too much chozza when penning that particular coaster...
I believe that for some artists drugs provide a release from illnesses such as depression. Others probably just enjoy the experience and the creative trip, so to speak. I imagine that being part of a world where drugs are readily available and are a widely accepted, also plays a key part in its prevalent use.
Plotloss said:
I had heard they had stopped recently due to difficulty getting hold of lightsticks and Vicks.
AT makes an interesting point about the type of drug being important.
No one that I can think of has made a decent album whilst going through a cocaine period, look at Be Here Now. Even Gallagher himself admits he was hoofing far too much chozza when penning that particular coaster...
Bollocks, you can't blame drugs for everything, I'd wager a bet that without the coke it would've still found its way under a million coffee cups.
,hey Drugs never hurt anyone i mean look at Ozzy and his family. 
Drug use and musicians isnt always good. I got my tickets to see Babyshambles, ie. the Pete Doherty show tonight, then read 30 seconds later on www.nme.com that the tour is postponed. The er.
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