Drugs And Music - Guitars101

P.J. · 01-16-2005, 07:06 AM

Hello Everyone!

How is everyone today? Just fine I hope!

I have been thinking about this topic for a while now. Anyone familiar with the late comedian Bill Hicks? Anyway Bill did a routine about the use of drugs and music. Very funny stuff - but true?

If you have never heard Bill here is the main question: Have the use of drugs by musicians helped them in any way? Or has it only harmed them in some way?

For example, what would have happend if the Beatles never smoked any weed that Bob Dylan gave them? And never did any LSD, would the White Album have been such a success? Or any of thier music after doing drugs been a huge sucsess? Would thier music have taken a different path if they never touched any drugs? Would the music have been not as interesting? Would it have been any good at all?

Some say certain drugs (Weed, LSD, Mushrooms and even Alcohol) make you more "creative" and "open" to new ideas in music. While others (the squares

say that any drug will only hinder your abilities, and what you feel is really a lie - and that your not any more creative than without any drugs.

Is that really true? Or is that just some government, CIA misinformation campagin to stop drugs?

Drugs have done bad things to our fellow musicians, we all know that. But have the use of drugs done any good at all? Is that question off limits? I don't think it should be.

What do you think? I'd be interested in knowing!

El_jalepeno · 01-16-2005, 07:56 AM

My thought is that mind altering substances don't make you more creative, but allow you to remove barriers that you would have in a state of normalcy. It is unfortunate, but removing those barriers open up a new world of possibilities for piecing together music. It allows one to envision "sitting on a corn flake waiting for the band to play" or "plasticine ties". And us as listeners find the music generally more interesting becuase we are expecting one thing, but get something totally different. Pink Floyd was great at musical surprises! That is my thought on mind altering substances.

P.J. · 01-16-2005, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_jalepeno

My thought is that mind altering substances don't make you more creative, but allow you to remove barriers that you would have in a state of normalcy. It is unfortunate, but removing those barriers open up a new world of possibilities for piecing together music. It allows one to envision "sitting on a corn flake waiting for the band to play" or "plasticine ties". And us as listeners find the music generally more interesting becuase we are expecting one thing, but get something totally different. Pink Floyd was great at musical surprises! That is my thought on mind altering substances.

Yeah but would those bands "suck" if they didn't use drugs?

slimshady842 · 01-16-2005, 09:19 AM

That's hard to say. Then you also had Hendrix, but who knows. He just liked having freedom.

bbkane · 01-16-2005, 09:27 AM

it could be a selection bias
people more likely to do drugs in the first place might be more creative without them relative to people who wouldnt do drugs (haha)

Rythameen · 01-16-2005, 09:31 AM

While drugs may "unleash" creative freedom at first, I personally think that it is ultimately a one way destructive road.

El_jalepeno · 01-16-2005, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rythameen

While drugs may "unleash" creative freedom at first, I personally think that it is ultimately a one way destructive road.

Yea, the trade off is enormous.

The TikiBar · 01-16-2005, 10:47 AM

Black Sabbath say that while drugs fucked up their lives it deffinitly had a major positive effect on there music creation. The drugs "helped" them be creativ.

grant · 01-16-2005, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuitarPlayingPJ

Hello Everyone!

How is everyone today? Just fine I hope!

I have been thinking about this topic for a while now. Anyone familiar with the late comedian Bill Hicks? Anyway Bill did a routine about the use of drugs and music. Very funny stuff - but true?

If you have never heard Bill here is the main question: Have the use of drugs by musicians helped them in any way? Or has it only harmed them in some way?

For example, what would have happend if the Beatles never smoked any weed that Bob Dylan gave them? And never did any LSD, would the White Album have been such a success? Or any of thier music after doing drugs been a huge sucsess? Would thier music have taken a different path if they never touched any drugs? Would the music have been not as interesting? Would it have been any good at all?

Some say certain drugs (Weed, LSD, Mushrooms and even Alcohol) make you more "creative" and "open" to new ideas in music. While others (the squares

say that any drug will only hinder your abilities, and what you feel is really a lie - and that your not any more creative than without any drugs.

Is that really true? Or is that just some government, CIA misinformation campagin to stop drugs?

Drugs have done bad things to our fellow musicians, we all know that. But have the use of drugs done any good at all? Is that question off limits? I don't think it should be.

What do you think? I'd be interested in knowing!

My friend is an amazing Blues Slinger. When he smoked a joint, he had a hard time playing Wild Thing, he was off, his solo was terrible. Even EC said that it hinders your playing.

Stiglar · 01-16-2005, 05:00 PM

The problem with drugs is you get used to playing/writing with them .. look at eddie, all the records we idolise and bow down to he played and wrote whilst being drunk most likely , he was taught from an early age when your nervous or need to relax - drink . i'm sure for a while there he felt he couldn't play a show or write properly without being drunk.

if you take drugs long enough suddenly the artist feels they HAVE to take it in order to write a new single or play a show .

would certain albums have been as whacked out and good without the use of drugs ? it's hard to say there .. it really depends on the person etc ... i'm sureo nly they could tell you that .

mab8485 · 01-16-2005, 06:29 PM

I think something like pot could be helpful (depending on the person of course) during the song writing process. But for live playing, you need to be totally focused and in control. I think someone can smoke weed without having any problems as long as they do it in moderation.

P.J. · 01-16-2005, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rythameen

While drugs may "unleash" creative freedom at first, I personally think that it is ultimately a one way destructive road.

Theres no doubt about that and I'm not debating that issue at all. I've seen good musicians ruin thier lives from drugs - guys that had real potential too.

I'm just wondering - then those cats who did ingest any drugs when they played had a "positive" effect so to speak on what they came up with right?

Consequently, if a musician who never ever touched drugs and played rather dull and uninteresting - maybe drugs would either a: ruin his playing for a long time or b: take him from being a "nothing" guitarist and instead launch him into Hyper Space. .

I don't know why it even matters to me - i'm not trying to promte the use of drugs at all. It's just an interesting thing to think about. If I remember correctly, the Satchmo used to toke on the weed from time to time - and that was wayyyyy back in the day. I don't think one needs to use the stuff to be creative anyway - I feel that it comes from ones own Soul. It's something you either have, or have not. Drugs will never make you better at anything if you have nothing to begin with. Wow, thats heavy man

P.J. · 01-16-2005, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stiglar

would certain albums have been as whacked out and good without the use of drugs ? it's hard to say there .. it really depends on the person etc ... i'm sureo nly they could tell you that .

Yeah thats the question I always think about.

What would those bands/players have been like without the drugs? They couldn't* be the same, no way. Somehow the music would have been different I feel..

MattM · 01-16-2005, 10:16 PM

i guess it mellows you out more and helps your creativity. thats probably why cobain was such a good songwriter.
honestly i dont use them...id rather something come from my own emotion, experience, and creativity than for it to come from some drug.
too bad other musicians chose more harmful stuff. like syd barret...lil too much LSD.

HeReSy · 01-16-2005, 10:32 PM

yes its a shame when u see great musicians take some drugs and then they produce real good music but then in a few years there so drug fucked they cant even scratch there ass. in my opinion if people want to they should only take booze or bongs to enjoy it. but if u can write great music with out drugs you r a real good musician. and if u need them well its like sports athelets taking steroids to get better only its in music. so in a way your cheating. but everyones music should come from them not some white powder in a bag. but if they want to they can but thats just my opinion on the matter we all see it different ways. but its funny when your at a mates house and u r paro and record some music. then when u listen to it the next day u hear how shit u were.

HERESY