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Are people just intoxicated all the time?
- Thread starter Gopherbassist
- Start date
Fall Out Boy. At least their name is spelled interestingly.
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Back on topic-ish. I starting gigging for cash in the late 80's, primary career through the remainder of the century. Ha, century, now we all feel old.
Mostly west coast, Puerto Vallarto to Vancouver basically. Rock, grunge, and metal by choice, whatever someone would pay me for by necessity. I was the sober guy amongst the drunk country guys, or the coked-up metal guys, or the heroin ghouls.
The guys who lived long enough to move past it describe kind of what I think you are touching on - they sometimes look back at music they *knew* was the greatest thing ever, but now can't even see how it might have fit into what they actually liked. And the reverse. Altered states of perception and all that.
I pretty much feel what I did and didn't like back then still holds true. Because I was sober? Maybe.
I've played with a lot of people (some you've heard of) who insist they play better when imbibing. I don't think I've ever seen anyone who actually does, except that they choose to believe it and so make the effort, reinforced by the other imbibers in their orbit.
I do appreciate that unlike so many people I know (even musicians!) I don't think my ages 15-19 coincided with the only "real" music humanity has ever produced. I'm still discovering cool new vibes today.
Drugs, no drugs. There's always something to hear, if we are willing to listen.
Mostly west coast, Puerto Vallarto to Vancouver basically. Rock, grunge, and metal by choice, whatever someone would pay me for by necessity. I was the sober guy amongst the drunk country guys, or the coked-up metal guys, or the heroin ghouls.
The guys who lived long enough to move past it describe kind of what I think you are touching on - they sometimes look back at music they *knew* was the greatest thing ever, but now can't even see how it might have fit into what they actually liked. And the reverse. Altered states of perception and all that.
I pretty much feel what I did and didn't like back then still holds true. Because I was sober? Maybe.
I've played with a lot of people (some you've heard of) who insist they play better when imbibing. I don't think I've ever seen anyone who actually does, except that they choose to believe it and so make the effort, reinforced by the other imbibers in their orbit.
I do appreciate that unlike so many people I know (even musicians!) I don't think my ages 15-19 coincided with the only "real" music humanity has ever produced. I'm still discovering cool new vibes today.
Drugs, no drugs. There's always something to hear, if we are willing to listen.
Young Girl by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap really makes the case for quality control in the music business.
Fun thing to try: Go to this archive of Billboard Magazine issues and pick one from, say, the peak of classic rock... like the late 1960s. See how many individual song and album titles you remember.
Extremely unlikely to even be half of them.
(Sorry, but for some reason, the title of this thread caused that classic movie scene to immediately pop into my mind.) RIP Ray Walston.
As for alcohol, I was raised by an alcoholic step father. I won't go into detail as to what that was like, but suffice it to say that I have a particular disdain for that insidious drug. That might be why I don't *EVER* take that drug. Beer, wine, hard liquor.....I'll have exactly none of it, thank you very much.
Back in the 70's when I was in high school and college, I dabbled a little bit in pot. Nothing ever stronger than that, and I didn't toke very often. I remember getting baked with a buddy of mine, and then reeeeeeally enjoying listening to music ("In the Light" by Led Zeppelin always sounded good to me when I was high.....that keyboard intro was heavenly!.....still is!) My buddy and I also laughed a lot about silly things when we were high, and we absolutely *LOVED* devouring a hot fudge cake at the local ice cream parlor when we were baked. But I will say this. I've always liked the same music whether I was high or not. To my ears, the good stuff sounded even better when high, and the trash music still sounded like trash, regardless of my state of mind.
I agree with the other posters in saying that although there were many excellent classic songs created back in the day that are still loved today, there were also a lot of forgettable trash songs created back then as well (although in my humble opinion, it seems that the ratio of good stuff to trash stuff was higher back then).
Back then, when you walked into a recording studio, you would see amps, guitars, basses, a set of drums, some keyboards, microphones all over the place, a huge mixing board, etc. Ready for real musicians with musical talent to play real instruments and create songs with singers who could really sing. Nowadays, many studios have nothing but a bunch of laptops and drum machines, and the vocals are auto-tuned to death. Perhaps that has something to do with the "then vs now" ratio I mentioned.
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You weren't high when you wrote this question?
"is there as much less than great music around because people are intoxicated a lot?"
"is there as much less than great music around because people are intoxicated a lot?"
"is there as much less than great music around "
kind of reads like "is there less great music around..."
rather than "is there less-than-great music around (because of intoxication) ?"
in which case, certainly some of it. Most of it is bad because I dislike it.
My brother is 18 months older than me. Starting in 1970 he would come home from college with new LPs he had bought. He hipped me to Pink Floyd, J. Geils Band, Al Green, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Winter and Blue Oyster Cult among others.
Now and then where he would drop the needle on the LP and in about 30 seconds say something like “That’s funny, it sounded GREAT last night while I was tripping."
This is at the top of the list.
Now and then where he would drop the needle on the LP and in about 30 seconds say something like “That’s funny, it sounded GREAT last night while I was tripping."
This is at the top of the list.
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Some music only hits in certain situations. Like, I usually don't have a lot of patience for bluegrass and Appalachian folk over radio or loudspeakers, but when I'm at a live picking session, it's an absolute blast, I always have a great time. And I don't imbibe at those things.
One time during a roadtrip I stopped at a brewpub at random with a friend and a three-man polka band had just set up in a corner. They were fantastic and they had the place rocking... and then a wedding party dropped in after their own private wedding reception and the whole place just blew up, everybody was dancing to old-timey Polish polkas.
Don't worry too much about it. A lot of music you have to be in the right mood to enjoy - Most of it you can be really flexible about so, like, whether your day was terrific or it sucked you can still put on one of you favorite tracks and it's fine. Some music you'll only like when you're angry, or when you need to get pumped up, or when you're high. You don't see many people listening to Christmas music in May.
Brings to mind this stone cold early '90s classic
There are a lot of unauthorized albums of Coltrane strung out while playing in clubs. I'm sure they've turned more than one unwitting potential jazz fan off of his stuff when they were expecting something closer to his official records. Or just left wondering if something was going on that was so deep they had no chance of understanding it.
I could never drink; I don't know if I'm allergic to alcohol or exactly what, but I get real drunk real fast on not much, and tomorrow I'll have an all-day hangover and be sick as a dog for most of it. So, I just don't. I don't preach, I don't shake my finger at folks, I just can't.
I was also scared to death of dope, seen too many cases of what happens buying who-knows-what from criminals who could care less what happens to you, much less the other end of it with busts, dope-sniffing dogs, etc. I lived in Florida in the MIAMI VICE/Cocaine Cowboy days, there was enough white powder in The Sunshine State you could snow-ski on it. And there's nothing more fun than ducking automatic weapons fire in the parking lot at the grocery store !
Over many years of many gigs stone-cold sober for the above reasons, I finally had to realize that people were going to do things, often egged on by being in clubs night after night with all these occupational hazards so readily and easily available. Life can be instantly brutal and cruel and is often hard, and people will do what they can to mitigate the misery.I
n my time, I lost 4 friends to OD's or epic DUI crashes. Know a few on their second or third stint in rehab and/or marriage counseling/divorce court, and so many children on the outside looking in.
Yet it goes right on happening.
I finally made up my mind that IF I could find JUST ONE cat that really was cooler, sexier, played way better, and had the world by the tail BECAUSE of his recipe of drinks and drugs, like Robert Johnson, I'd have sold my soul to have it revealed to me.
Know what? 30+ years into this, that guy has never been found.
Drink and drugs that are running you will wreck your life. They always have and they always will. The fortunate find a reprieve in 12-steps or other disciplines, but a lot never do.
Just be sure you don't become the Featured Performer . . . . at your funeral. It happens a lot.
I was also scared to death of dope, seen too many cases of what happens buying who-knows-what from criminals who could care less what happens to you, much less the other end of it with busts, dope-sniffing dogs, etc. I lived in Florida in the MIAMI VICE/Cocaine Cowboy days, there was enough white powder in The Sunshine State you could snow-ski on it. And there's nothing more fun than ducking automatic weapons fire in the parking lot at the grocery store !
Over many years of many gigs stone-cold sober for the above reasons, I finally had to realize that people were going to do things, often egged on by being in clubs night after night with all these occupational hazards so readily and easily available. Life can be instantly brutal and cruel and is often hard, and people will do what they can to mitigate the misery.I
n my time, I lost 4 friends to OD's or epic DUI crashes. Know a few on their second or third stint in rehab and/or marriage counseling/divorce court, and so many children on the outside looking in.
Yet it goes right on happening.
I finally made up my mind that IF I could find JUST ONE cat that really was cooler, sexier, played way better, and had the world by the tail BECAUSE of his recipe of drinks and drugs, like Robert Johnson, I'd have sold my soul to have it revealed to me.
Know what? 30+ years into this, that guy has never been found.
Drink and drugs that are running you will wreck your life. They always have and they always will. The fortunate find a reprieve in 12-steps or other disciplines, but a lot never do.
Just be sure you don't become the Featured Performer . . . . at your funeral. It happens a lot.
I've known a number of Mormons.
I thought Mormons were all straight laced and Pepsi or coffee was a hard drug in their eyes.
I learned from them that meth is big in the Mormon community because it makes them busy workers
I've known lawyer who shoot up H, doctors who party, I've had several dentists offer me large bottle of nitrous.
I used to have a dealer who supplied cops and the D.A. office
Muslims say it's against their religion to use drugs, but chew khat.
Yes, everyone gets intoxicated. It's just a matter of what they use.
I thought Mormons were all straight laced and Pepsi or coffee was a hard drug in their eyes.
I learned from them that meth is big in the Mormon community because it makes them busy workers
I've known lawyer who shoot up H, doctors who party, I've had several dentists offer me large bottle of nitrous.
I used to have a dealer who supplied cops and the D.A. office
Muslims say it's against their religion to use drugs, but chew khat.
Yes, everyone gets intoxicated. It's just a matter of what they use.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
That reminds me of one of Layne Staley's lines off of AIC's 'Dirt': 'What's my drug of choice? Well, what have you got?'
Yeah, make sure you call out guys specifically. Nice work!
In my local music scene yep everyone is drunk and/or stoned. Not gonna say who so I’ll just say everyone. I know 3 people including myself who don’t indulge on stage. I myself am 30 days clean off pot! Huzzah, lol. Smoked weed every day for 6 years, and honestly now I don’t think I’ll EVER go back to it. You know what, now that I’m not stoned all the time I don’t think I can stand musicians for too long! Just being honest, but the whole “maybe they’ll show up, maybe they won’t” thing is just getting a little old.
Everyone in the local scene is just so f’d up whether drunk, stoned, or on other things I can’t stand the lack of timing and poor vocal harmonies. Nice guys, but jeez everyone is sloshed. Not trying to put anyone down but I feel like I’m past it.
So recently I’ve bought a strat and a drum set and have been recording my own music, top to bottom. It’s just easier that way. No dealing with absurd guitar solos or drum fills from someone trying to be the “next thing”. Just pure vision, all of the time. I can now write and record a song in 2 hours instead of 2 months.
Edit: with all that said I still love the Dead hah.
Everyone in the local scene is just so f’d up whether drunk, stoned, or on other things I can’t stand the lack of timing and poor vocal harmonies. Nice guys, but jeez everyone is sloshed. Not trying to put anyone down but I feel like I’m past it.
So recently I’ve bought a strat and a drum set and have been recording my own music, top to bottom. It’s just easier that way. No dealing with absurd guitar solos or drum fills from someone trying to be the “next thing”. Just pure vision, all of the time. I can now write and record a song in 2 hours instead of 2 months.
Edit: with all that said I still love the Dead hah.
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I do not think there is a correlation. to great music and drug use I think as humans we have an innate need to be in oblivion maybe even a Zen state. You can get there naturally or you can get there through substances. In some cultures, it is a serious ritual for them where it is intentional and plants are used to achieve that state. Alcohol is also a drug and should not get a free pass. Classical musicians and their composers have been using drugs even on those Golden eras of classical composition, Ganja throughout the old Indian continent and the middle east, it is everywhere since human started to be gatherers and farmers.
So yeah if you like your brews or have a Xanax or Ambien prescription or your half a gallon energy drink intake , there is no need to judge the guy who lights a bowl. Of course he will probably not get that federal job but that is his choice and no different from you sleeping on your right or left side.
For the music and musicians I love -- yes they had their heroin phases but when they got clean their music went too far out for most people. For example John Coltrane. Most of jazz listeners cannot dig Coltrane beyond Love Supreme
So yeah if you like your brews or have a Xanax or Ambien prescription or your half a gallon energy drink intake , there is no need to judge the guy who lights a bowl. Of course he will probably not get that federal job but that is his choice and no different from you sleeping on your right or left side.
For the music and musicians I love -- yes they had their heroin phases but when they got clean their music went too far out for most people. For example John Coltrane. Most of jazz listeners cannot dig Coltrane beyond Love Supreme
