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Originally Posted by Knox  . . . . as a past drug addict (I have 18 years clean) . . and one who has been recording for well over 30 years, and one who has experienced both sides and seen a lot . . the whole rock and roll / music scene 'cliche' of drugs and drink is ridiculous to me. I fell for it too. Being a cliche is about the dumbest crap in the world. And the music business is full of cliche people more then any other area I have seen. That said, I have done good work both ways . . . BUT my life is a zillion times better without drugs / drink and isn't that the point? There are other things in life then the music business / recording. For any of us who grew up in the 60s . . . . drugs / politics effected music greatly . . . BUT it was a different time. Drugs were a bit more innocent in most circles. Smoking pot / dropping LSD and making music back then is a lot different then smoking crack / meth / heroin etc today. btw . . the heroin use by Hendrix is greatly exaggerated in many circles. AND the fact that he could play / write the shit he did tripping on LSD is mind boggling. I'm sure drugs influenced some of his creativity, but so did the times. I don't regret a lot of my past as it absolutely did open the "Doors of Perception" and yes even creativity at times . . . but I'm talking pot and hallucinogenic drugs during a time when things were totally different. When I got in to cocaine and heroin, even alcoholism . . nothing good came out of it. btw . . I have seen more asshole behavior from the rock and roll cliche of alcohol then I ever did from pot and hallucinogenic drugs. If you want to bring crack / heroin users in your studio to make music . . . lock up your mics. I would say the times / politics effect much over the drugs / drink in many ways. Back in the 80s major labels were damn near figuring in some record budgets the cocaine use for some of the major acts (under the table) . . . though of course they would never admit any of that. That's a lot different then Pink Floyd dropping acid or smoking pot in the studio. It (drugs) took a heavy turn in the 80s throughout today IMV. |
right on. Having lost a mother, several friends and watching my uncle Roky's pioneering career in the mid 60's go to shit over chemicals I can relate...his (Roky's) band was known as the first psychedelic band in the world...but drugs put a stop to all of their lives or careers. I too had to learn the hard way. I have nothing against most of the stuff but as a thinking being I finally had to admit one day that....if it hurts that way, you quit doing it! A close relative used to have two planes and flew stuff out of Mexico into Texas for years, after a bit of federal intervention he cleaned up and has like 14 years sober...however I can tell you that he is not the man he used to be as he fried much of his head and his ability to function in this fast paced world is greatlt diminished. Recently I lost a good friend who tried to clean it up but spent the last 2 years of his life in an assisted living home waiting on meds and smoke breaks outside, we will soon have a ceremony for him and honor his request to spread his ashes into a local river...his family will not attend as they gave up and wrote him off....he was a very talented musician as well. Even things as seemingly benign as smoking hydro can diminish a persons productivity, especially when you do it all day long like one of the guys I fired not long ago, he stayed checked out constantly and was a waste of my money in that regard...talented but half asleep 90% of the time. Cliches are indeed the ruin of many, not to mention most folks appreciate genuine people over some checked out, unproductive, egomaniac asshole...some will say "oh not me man"...my answer to that is keep going and just see what happens. Most addicts end up locked up, sobered up, ****ed up or covered up with 6 feet of dirt...I've seen it firsthand. I did my share of falling for the cliches and have had to work very hard in order to find a place where I could exist peacefully with the world and be a contributor to the world around me as opposed to a checked out unhappy shit. Now in my 40's I have kids and how am I supposed to steer them safely to adulthood if I am not a living example of things...nobody likes a hypocrite.
A good friend who owns a local studio tells a tale of a famous frontman who's band was very popular selling millions of units a few years back. He said that during sessions they took much longer than usual because the guy insisted on shooting herion...at one point they actually had to literally carry him to a car and take him to his hotel for fear of him dying in the studio, when they got him to said hotel and threw the covers back on the bed they nearly got stuck by a syringe that was just laying on the comforter. They made it through the sessions and the band sold several million units and made a huge impact...BUT the guy was dead within a couple years, leaving behind a wife and child.
To each his own struggles I guess but I don't seem to recall ever hearing anyone say "man, drugs are the main reason my life is so successful and wonderful". There are still times when smoking a bowl and cranking up the tunes on the old tube amp stereo set up sounds like a good time, and it used to be....BUT I also know once that door is opened there is a lot of ugly stuff also waiting there...my brain wanted to kill me and still secretly still does...so I have to think it full circle and not fool myself into just seeing the fun parts. I do not consider myself a religious guy and have always taken issue personally with the whole religious thing (just not my bag), but I do believe there is some greater power out there that I cannot define. My life is now a work in progress where I daily seek to grow a bit in that realm and gain a better understanding and try to align myself with the forces of good in the world and that greater power instead of fighting against it, if I focus on good, I reap good things...if I focus on crap, I reap crap. Irony is I used to be on a path of trying to slowly kill myself and my spirit, that has now sent me down another path of trying to find my
true self and trust me it is often a difficult journey but my life today is much more rich and joyous than the hell I went through back then...and I am really alive today where as I could be dead in spirit or covered up with 6 feet of topsoil. This is
my truth and I felt compelled to share it.
Again I do not care to hate on drinking or smoking or whatever as an institution, but only to simply share my experience, strength and hope. BTW my work and guitar playing ect. have all been much improved in the recent years...and people seem to like me better than before!
Did not mean to hijack the thread, just thought it relevant to tell the "other side of the story"