Drugs and Music

klaus flouride

Henry Rollins is quite adamant that the only time he did any drugs was when he got drunk twice at the age of 17 and ''didn't really like it'', yes its possible he's lying, but why would he? He also kicked people out of his band for using drugs and former members of black flag have also stated that although they did indulge in some drugs, rollins always remained sober.

Is it not strange that although plenty of these artists do drugs, and enjoy publicising the fact, they never campaign for their legalisation?

Latchy

Quote
klaus flouride Henry Rollins is quite adamant that the only time he did any drugs was when he got drunk twice at the age of 17 and ''didn't really like it'', yes its possible he's lying, but why would he? He also kicked people out of his band for using drugs and former members of black flag have also stated that although they did indulge in some drugs, rollins always remained sober.

Is it not strange that although plenty of these artists do drugs, and enjoy publicising the fact, they never campaign for their legalisation?

You have to go back to the late sixties when Paul Mccartney took out a full page add in the Times requesting that pot be Legalised to answer that one. He had previously admitted (reluctantly ) that he had dropped LSD and smoked hash although of the 4 Beatles , he was the most concerned about the bands image .Elvis also demonised the beatles around the same time claiming that they were a bad influence on Americas youth ,with their long hair and drug use. (leaving aside the fact that his music wasn't charting ,he was taken all kinds of medication ,and was to let his hair grow long himself) .

slipss

klaus flouride wrote:

Heres 5 questions you may like to ask yourself;

Do Drugs make musicians better at what they do?

Would you find an artist more interesting if you knew they did or did not take drugs?

Why are so many young people not interested in abstaining from Drugs (does music have something to do with this)?

Do you think certain musicians have become more popular as a result of their widely publicised drug habits?

Do you think that musicians have a responsibility towards their younger fans not to take drugs or is it the case that their drug use is nobody's business but their own?

1. No I don't think drugs make people better musicians usually, I think years of practice make them better. Jimi Hendrix took a good bit of LSD, he also practiced guitar everyday for 19 years or so, which do you think had more of an influence on him playing Purple Haze? Having said that I do think drugs can influence certain musicians and the music they play significantly. Someone mentioned the dance scene of the eighties and nineties, clearly massively influenced by LSD and then in particular Ecstacy, and without those drugs I don't think that anyone can say the music would have been any way similar to what it was. Anyone thats listened to trance or techno both on and off ecstacy I'm sure knows this to be true.

2. No personally it wouldn't make them any more or less intersesting to me, but I'm sure it does to some people. But I think it is more about image than about the drugs themsleves, it all goes to the whole rock and roll rebel thing, taking lots of drugs, riding anythings that moves, throwing tellys out of windows, driving cars into swimming pools ect. What Irish people would describe as "he doesn't give a sh1t".

3. No I don't think music has anything to do with young people not wanting to abstain from drugs. I think it has a lot more to do with availability and boredom.

4. Yeah I'd say so, but like people have said it has more to do with the media clinging on to the subject and doing it to death resulting in the musicians getting lots and lots of publicity which usually leads ot an increase in popularity.

5. No I don't think they have a responsibility to thier younger fans not to take drugs. What someone does in their own time is nobodies business as far as I'm concerned. I don't buy into the theory that some kid is going to go out and start shooting up because someone buys them a Nirvana album for thier birthday, anymore than I believe some kid is going to save up his pocket money, book a flight to Reno, buy a handgun, and shoot someone to death for a laugh because they listened to Folsom Prison Blues once too often. If I was being cynical I would say that that whole thing stems from parents finding out their kid is a full blown junkie and not wanting to blame themselves and the crappy way they brought them up for that fact, so clearly if it isn't thier fault it has to be Pete Dohertys, or maybe Danny Boyles.

JC 2K3

klaus flouride wrote:

Is it not strange that although plenty of these artists do drugs, and enjoy publicising the fact, they never campaign for their legalisation?

Not really. Musicians are musicians, not politicians.

klaus flouride

This is unlikely but - If all the rock musicians joined together and unanimously made a statement condemning drugs and then set about trying to campaign against drug addiction, do you think there would be any serious reduction in the amount of drugs people take?

JC 2K3

Rock musicians? Siding with The Man? Never!

And tbh, if that did happen, it'd probably decrease by a small amount in the short term before a new movement of pro-drug musicians emerged promoting a new counterculture which embraced drug use.

klaus flouride

JC 2K3 wrote:

Rock musicians? Siding with The Man? Never!

And tbh, if that did happen, it'd probably decrease by a small amount in the short term before a new movement of pro-drug musicians emerged promoting a new counterculture which embraced drug use.

I agree, mainly cos its not just rockers and dance fans that do drugs. Strange how you don't get as many rock stars kicking the bucket in their prime the way it used to be.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

klaus flouride wrote:

I agree, mainly cos its not just rockers and dance fans that do drugs. Strange how you don't get as many rock stars kicking the bucket in their prime the way it used to be.

It's now fashionable to go into rehab...wimps;)

klaus flouride

Its a pity they don't have a sh1t musicians sanctuary - a kind of rehab for people who play bad music.