sober or not?

[Jeffery Bravo]

Here Is a question.....
Some artists claim that under the influence-whether pot /alcohol/acid/x, whatever, makes them more creative better players. what are your feelings on this.
Do you like playing with sober musicians? Couple beers ok?
Just curious.

[Riff Addict]

I play much better sober. I never got toasted before a gig, maybe a couple beers to loosen up and thats all. I drank bottled water most of the time on stage. The first drummer we had in my last band was an alcoholic and always showed up to practice drunk most everytime. When he wasn't plastered he was a great drummer but we soon got tired of him ruining our practices and fired the bum.

I'm not much of a songwriter sober or drunk so I don't know about the creative side of it.

[HeReSy]

It would have to be definately sober because when im sober i can actually concentrate on what im doing.

but when im drunk...............I think i can play and think that i sound awesome and all.......................................until someone shows mee some footage ta next day! .......... ............ .............. ............

[Mondy]

I tend to find that two pint buzz is best. Just calms the nerves, but you've not had enough to be ****ed.

I played completely sober and **** my pants. I wish I could have had a couple of pints to loosen up, but it wasn't possible.

However, I didn't **** up at all, the playing was spot on, just that my presence was, shall we say, rooted to the spot, so the two pints might have helped me move a little...

[nroberts]

I find I play best when frying on acid, so drunk I can't stand, and baked to boot. Then I snort a line or two of crack so I don't pass out and DAMN!!! I'm THE guitar god, not just A guitar god.

The acid part opens doors...to somewhere or other...gets me closer to like, the real world and stuff.



Of course, only wasted people get my playing...

[KC_ArtRocker]

Uh-oh....here we go again! I am all for a thread of discussion on this topic....and it has been raised once before, which turned into a gazillion-page thread. You will have no shortage of opinions on this topic, but you'd better just hope nroberts doesn't stumble in here or this thread will no longer "belong" to you or anyone else in it. He dominated the last thread on this topic which turned it from a simple list of people's personal opinions on the subject, to his own personal mission to change everyone's minds to match his own (which is that, as Mr. Mackey (from South Park) would say..."Drugs are bad, M'Kay?"). So, I hope that doesn't happen with this one. Therefore, I am going to share my take on this and then leave it at that.

Here it is plain and simple from me:
Weed:
I am a huge advocate of utilizing weed as a RIFF/SONG-WRITING enhancer. Most all of my best Riffs and jams (along with my best artwork I have done) have been composed while under the influence of the Gonja gods. What I usually do is have a few tokes and then hit record. I jam until I start to run out of ideas and then hit stop. I then go back and sort through the cool stuff and toss out the stuff that didn't work out so well. This enables you to explore many ideas without worrying about trying to remember what you played, thus freeing your mind even more. As far as performing live, I stay away from it, as it just confuses me and distorts my standards of what I think sounds good to the audience. It also compromises my ability to play more complex parts.

Alcohol:
I love to drink beer when I am jamming with some buddies on a Friday or Saturday night, but I avoid it when playing live or practicing with any sense of seriousness, as it makes me really sloppy, and I start to get more into having a good time myself than in assuring that i am playing well for an audience. For me, alcohol has no positive enhancement on riff/songwriting like doobie does.

[KC_ArtRocker]

Oh no! Roberts musta slipped in here while I was typing. I'm proud of your brevity, Noah!

[nroberts]

Originally Posted by KC_ArtRocker

Uh-oh....here we go again! I am all for a thread of discussion on this topic....and it has been raised once before, which turned into a gazillion-page thread. You will have no shortage of opinions on this topic, but you'd better just hope nroberts doesn't stumble in here or this thread will no longer "belong" to you or anyone else in it. He dominated the last thread on this topic which turned it from a simple list of people's personal opinions on the subject, to his own personal mission to change everyone's minds to match his own (which is that, as Mr. Mackey (from South Park) would say..."Drugs are bad, M'Kay?"). So, I hope that doesn't happen with this one. Therefore, I am going to share my take on this and then leave it at that.

Dude!!! Stop fingering my *******!!! I've told you before, you're just not my type.

No means no!

Honestly...there is no need for this **** dude...get a life. If you can't keep your finger out of my pie ... well I guess that is your problem...

[KC_ArtRocker]

Sorry, dood, my judgement was impaired, as I am currently under the infuence. Great news though....I just won a bidding on Ebay! I should be receiving my life (the one you told me to get) by Friday!!!

[nroberts]

Originally Posted by KC_ArtRocker

I should be receiving my life (the one you told me to get) by Friday!!!

Good, because you obviously need one. Dredging up old dead **** just to start fights is not something that someone that has a life does. My sphincter will be happier now that you will have something else to do than invade it for no reason.

I think I'll go take a **** now...you should wash your hands.

==

If you're wondering where the hell all of this is comming from (and that is totally reasonable) this is a long dead horse that KC is bringing up. I was told numerous times, by KC himself, to stop beating this dead horse just because they didn't like what I had to say. So I did but I guess he can't stick to it. I call that hypocritical, but that is really par the course for this guy.

[KC_ArtRocker]

Originally Posted by nroberts

If you're wondering where the hell all of this is comming from (and that is totally reasonable) this is a long dead horse that KC is bringing up. I was told numerous times, by KC himself, to stop beating this dead horse just because they didn't like what I had to say. So I did but I guess he can't stick to it. I call that hypocritical, but that is really par the course for this guy.

Well, this will be my last comment on this subject, out of respect for the flow of Flair's topic here. But you might wanna question why you are the only one on this whole site that I interact with in this manner???

[nroberts]

Originally Posted by KC_ArtRocker

Well, this will be my last comment on this subject, out of respect for the flow of Flair's topic here. But you might wanna question why you are the only one on this whole site that I interact with in this manner???

Not really KC, I don't care and it isn't my problem. I didn't attack you in an unprovoked and low handed manner like you did here. You want me to shut up? Don't dredge up old garbage you tell me to shut up about and attack me about it AGAIN. If you really did have respect for flair's thread you wouldn't have done this. You don't. You started something and now you are going to act like it's my doing...just like you do every time. It's an ambush and it's quite a cowardly act you pull.

[Riff Addict]

Originally Posted by KC_ArtRocker

Sorry, dood, my judgement was impaired, as I am currently under the infuence. Great news though....I just won a bidding on Ebay! I should be receiving my life (the one you told me to get) by Friday!!!

I've been trying to get a life off ebay for a long time but I'm always out bid. Oh well, Having a life is over-rated anyway.

KC, I too was into the "herb" on occasion back in the stone age but it pretty much rendered me borderline comatose. It just made me want to sleep all the time so eventually I weened myself off of it and turned to the occasional beer to loosen me up before a gig. I still get drunk on occasion at home and play guitar but it isn't pretty.

[nroberts]

The way I see it:

Drugs don't help your playing. The best way to help your playing is full awareness and practice. Some people will say that getting high helps them play better, but then say they don't need them to play their best. These are mutually exclusive statements. I preffer not to relly on a drug for my playing regardless of its actuall purpoted effect of helping or not.

Getting a little buzzed might help you get up in front of a croud and play without being really nervous. However, if you ever want to be able to play to a croud without getting buzzed first you should seriously consider wether getting buzzed before you play every time is going to help you reach that goal. The best way to get on stage without being nervous is to keep doing it...sober.

You ever hear the statement practice makes permanent? The way you practice something is the way you develop. If you start doing drugs so that you are more imaginative, less nervous, or whatever...pretty soon there will be no other way to do those things. For one, you never learned it the other way, for another you get used to a thing being there.

[KC_ArtRocker]

Originally Posted by Riff Addict

KC, I too was into the "herb" on occasion back in the stone age but it pretty much rendered me borderline comatose. It just made me want to sleep all the time so ....

Yes, it is very wierd that I respresent a small minority of people whose chemical make-up causes the exact opposite reaction for me, especially when it comes to creative efforts. I could be ready to pass out from being tired and take a toke or two and become wide awake. It also awakens and enhances my interest/excitement/motivation towards anything creative. I become like a stimulus magnet. Where most people could utilize weed as an agent to help them fall asleep, me partaking of the herb around bedtime only means that I will be up for at least a few more hours. Go figure. But yes, your description of the effects is congruent with most other people I know.