The singer-guitarist in my punk-indie trio is a pretty heavy drinker, while I’m sober. (We’ve been friends for more than a decade and the two of us used to get wasted quite a bit together back when I was drinking.) He still has four or five beers every time we rehearse, and generally, I'm cool with it. But it can be a problem at gigs. He starts as soon as show up for soundcheck — say, at 6. By the time we go on at 8:30 or 9, he’s had three or four, as well as some shots with his friends, and he’s drunk. I’ve found that his playing and singing really start to suffer after the third drink or so. Alcohol being what it is, he has no awareness of that. In fact, quite the opposite. His hero is Paul Westerberg, circa 1985, and even though he’s old enough to know better (mid-50s), he still buys into the whole sloppy, rock-and-roll-excess myth.
FWIW, audiences seem to respond well enough. But I know that we could be so much tighter and leaner and meaner if he could control his intake. I’ve tried to bring it up, and his response tends to be a sarcastic, “Ok, dad.”
I try hard not to judge other peoples’ choices when it comes to substances. And he so clearly loves to drink when he plays. Plus, this is a hobby-band, not a moneymaking situation, so the stakes are low. So I’ve kind of made peace with the idea that he is who he is, and if I want to keep playing with him – which I do – I gotta accept that. But it's a shame because I know the drinking is holding us back.
Anyway, I’m curious how you-all handle similar issues with players who drink.
I'm going to out myself, here, but I don't care all that much.
My mother and step-father were both worthless drunks. It's why I was raised by my grandparents and my uncles.
I'm not going to say I've never been drunk on a gig. That would be a lie.
I am going to say this: I never had anyone at a gig, any bar/club/theater owner, anyone at the record company, anyone in my band (you'd think they would know) tell me that alcohol was affecting my playing performance. Now, I can't imagine this is true, but I promise you: I am telling you the truth.
The fact is, for me it wasn't just alcohol. I won't go into too much detail, but I found that other things would help me drink longer and more successfully.
I only drink two days a year, now. My eldest son's birthday and the anniversary of his death.
As much of a dichotomy as this may seem, I also have a Big Book, a "12 & 12", and a "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" on my nightstand and I read a little bit every day and every night.
That said, whether or not I ever had a "problem" with alcohol or not, I've seen what it does to people, family, careers ... bands.
I won't have it in any band I'm in.
If you want to have a drink before the last set. I have no issue with that. If you show up late, walk in the door, and head to the bar before you get your gear in the building I'm done.
If everyone in the band sees it's affecting you job performance, then it can't just be me, being over-sensitive.
. Anyhow, you know the answer to this.
