• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Drinking Before Playing?

#141
Haysoochreesto said:
:rolleyes:

You can count 12 or you can count 6. Or somewhere in between over about a 5-6 hour period. I think you need to take your abacus to your local mathematics tool repair shop and have them fix it because it doesn't seem to be an effective counting tool for you.

Oh, and I am over 200 pounds... with about 17 percent body fat. You seem to consider yourself a mathematician of sorts so go ahead and figure out my lean mass. And I'm almost 40. Did you know that puts me in about the 10 percentile range for muscle to fat ratio in my age group? The fact is I am almost certainly in better shape than you are.

I've never lost my license either, so it looks your batting about .000 so far.

Presumptive, assumptive, mischaracterizing, condescending, arrogant, insufferable, and of poor wit and humor. I'm guessing you're not the life of any party.

But at least you don't drink before you gig. Good for you.
Click to expand...


And this is the definition of 'owned'.

:hyper:
 
#143
Hay-soochreesto

You forgot bitter and angry.
I bet you've started some pretty good bar fights in your time.
Drink up.
Denail is more than just a river in Egypt.

PS: The original poster admitted to 3 or 4 beers before hitting the stage and having 2 beers during each set. Now some bands to 2 sets, some do 3 sets and some bands do 4 sets. So if he did 4 sets and had 2 beers per set, that's 8, plus the 4 before the sets and that makes 12.
But I'm sure you know better.
PSS: And no it is not normal to be nervous before playing on stage. Just because people get nervous and suffer from nervous energy brought on by their own making and fear of rejection does not make it 'normal'. People don't make you nervous, you make yourself nervous being around people. Then masking your fear and insecurities in alcohol or drugs does not make it right or normal.
This is the reason people become alcoholics. They don't do it cause the love to spend all their money on booze destroying their friends and families relationships and end up waking in a pool of their own urine. But that happens everyday because we justify the false state of reality drugs and alcohol provide.
Personally I don't care what you do. Get pissed everyday. Drive drunk feeling secure you won't get caught or kill some innocent on the way.
Party, party, party dude!
You deserve it.
 
#145
"Do you drink coffee or soda?" Sure do. Drink wine and beer also but rarely to excess.
"Take over the counter pain meds?" No, not really.
"Don't get a lot of sleep?" I sleep pretty well, thanks for asking.
"Believe in god?" No, not really. Religion is just a different type of drug.
"Talk about a false state of reality." Really? I think I'm being quite real and honest here.
"It's easy to stand on a soapbox and call others out." I'm not calling anybody out. I said do what you want just be in a real state of mind in your decisions. Most people do it until the crap hits the fan then they're reaching for the bible and going on Dr. Phil for his reality pill.
We all know what we're doing that is unless the person is in a psychotic state and the chemicals in their brain are having a direct influence on their decision.
I know what and why I'm doing what I'm doing every second of the day. Music gave me that. I feel I am at my peak physically and mentally when I am performing on my instrument (why would I want to be drunk to mess with that) so I put that into everything I do when I'm not on my instrument.
I don't have to believe in something else to believe in myself.

If you want to drink or do drugs I said "go ahead" just don't be miserable about it. The world is full of enough unhappy drunks.
 
#147
Bassmickeyd said:
I'm not calling anybody out. I said do what you want just be in a real state of mind in your decisions.
Click to expand...

You pointed soochreesto's post twice, going to the pain of working through all the math to figure out exactly how much beer he drinks per gig and then proceeded to accuse him of being a bitter angry fat drunk with no future. I fail to see how you're "not calling anybody out" and saying to "do what you want".

It seems that soochreesto is happy with his lifestyle and that you're happy with yours. There's not one lifestyle that's perfect for everyone- different strokes for different folks. Why spend the effort to try to force your own values on others, especially in such a confrontational manner? First, it's not going to work, and second, you're not really doing anything more than starting fights and generally making an ass of yourself.

My two cents
 
#149
Disraeli Gears;
"You pointed soochreesto's post twice, going to the pain of working through all the math to figure out exactly how much beer he drinks per gig and then proceeded to accuse him of being a bitter angry fat drunk with no future. I fail to see how you're "not calling anybody out" and saying to "do what you want".

No sir you are wrong. ......
If you would start at the beginning of this post and follow along like everyone else you would see that yourself. But, you've decided to start at the end of the post and read only the last page. So, 2-cents is all you and we got out of your comment.

This post has been a about younger players justifying why they drink so much when they play their instrument. The fellow who started this post drank near a dozen beer a night and wanted to know if that was right. ..... Some guys said yea that's cool, some guy's said they don't like to drink that much and abstainers seemed to just abstain from this post completely.
I said to the original poster that he drinks a lot and at that rate his future is going to be big around the waist line. ...... I didn't call anyone a fat drunk.
Haysoochreesto reacted to my post saying that I couldn't add and that he was over 200-pounds, but still a lean, mean fighting machine and that pretty much he eats guys like me for breakfast. He is what you call an enabler.

When drugs and alcohol are involved you are guarantied two things.
1) Denial about the amount you drink and rage against someone who calls you on it.
2) Enablers that will keep the party going and booze flowing, that is as long as your buying.

A lot of amateur players associate booze/drugs with drinking. They get together in someone's basement or garage or jam night and drink and play music. ..... I said it's a party go ahead.
But one day the party will come to an end. Either they'll get thrown out of the basement, (after their parents die), the garage burns down (after someone leaves a joint burning on their amp) or the Jam night changes formats to disco.
Accept change, it's inevitable.
Then what happens?
You put your gear away stay home and drink without the music.
Or you end up having to stop drinking, (new job, wife, family, you get sick) and then have to stop playing music because you've always associated music with drinking/parting and once you remove the booze/drugs there's no reason to play music.
I've been playing over 40-years and I've seen this scenario played out more times than I've wished. Great players who think they're feeding their musical fire with booze and drugs but in the end are really just putting that fire out. ..... And if you don't believe me you're either too young to know the difference or living in denial. Which is more than just a long river in Egypt.

Music is a language.
But, not a language you slur and stumble around speaking.

If no one believes me on this go to the library and pick up some real musicians biographies Jaco's or Stevie Ray's, there are plenty out there and they all pretty well end up with denial then regret then death.
 
#150
Bassmickeyd said:
Disraeli Gears;
"You pointed soochreesto's post twice, going to the pain of working through all the math to figure out exactly how much beer he drinks per gig and then proceeded to accuse him of being a bitter angry fat drunk with no future. I fail to see how you're "not calling anybody out" and saying to "do what you want".

No sir you are wrong. ......
If you would start at the beginning of this post and follow along like everyone else you would see that yourself. But, you've decided to start at the end of the post and read only the last page. So, 2-cents is all you and we got out of your comment.

This post has been a about younger players justifying why they drink so much when they play their instrument. The fellow who started this post drank near a dozen beer a night and wanted to know if that was right. ..... Some guys said yea that's cool, some guy's said they don't like to drink that much and abstainers seemed to just abstain from this post completely.
I said to the original poster that he drinks a lot and at that rate his future is going to be big around the waist line. ...... I didn't call anyone a fat drunk.
Haysoochreesto reacted to my post saying that I couldn't add and that he was over 200-pounds, but still a lean, mean fighting machine and that pretty much he eats guys like me for breakfast. He is what you call an enabler.

When drugs and alcohol are involved you are guarantied two things.
1) Denial about the amount you drink and rage against someone who calls you on it.
2) Enablers that will keep the party going and booze flowing, that is as long as your buying.

A lot of amateur players associate booze/drugs with drinking. They get together in someone's basement or garage or jam night and drink and play music. ..... I said it's a party go ahead.
But one day the party will come to an end. Either they'll get thrown out of the basement, (after their parents die), the garage burns down (after someone leaves a joint burning on their amp) or the Jam night changes formats to disco.
Accept change, it's inevitable.
Then what happens?
You put your gear away stay home and drink without the music.
Or you end up having to stop drinking, (new job, wife, family, you get sick) and then have to stop playing music because you've always associated music with drinking/parting and once you remove the booze/drugs there's no reason to play music.
I've been playing over 40-years and I've seen this scenario played out more times than I've wished. Great players who think they're feeding their musical fire with booze and drugs but in the end are really just putting that fire out. ..... And if you don't believe me you're either too young to know the difference or living in denial. Which is more than just a long river in Egypt.

Music is a language.
But, not a language you slur and stumble around speaking.

If no one believes me on this go to the library and pick up some real musicians biographies Jaco's or Stevie Ray's, there are plenty out there and they all pretty well end up with denial then regret then death.
Click to expand...

wow, where are you coming from? Did someone take away your jam room?? I'm sorry!
 
#151
Bassmickeyd said:
Disraeli Gears;
"You pointed soochreesto's post twice, going to the pain of working through all the math to figure out exactly how much beer he drinks per gig and then proceeded to accuse him of being a bitter angry fat drunk with no future. I fail to see how you're "not calling anybody out" and saying to "do what you want".

No sir you are wrong. ......
If you would start at the beginning of this post and follow along like everyone else you would see that yourself. But, you've decided to start at the end of the post and read only the last page. So, 2-cents is all you and we got out of your comment.

This post has been a about younger players justifying why they drink so much when they play their instrument. The fellow who started this post drank near a dozen beer a night and wanted to know if that was right. ..... Some guys said yea that's cool, some guy's said they don't like to drink that much and abstainers seemed to just abstain from this post completely.
I said to the original poster that he drinks a lot and at that rate his future is going to be big around the waist line. ...... I didn't call anyone a fat drunk.
Haysoochreesto reacted to my post saying that I couldn't add and that he was over 200-pounds, but still a lean, mean fighting machine and that pretty much he eats guys like me for breakfast. He is what you call an enabler.

When drugs and alcohol are involved you are guarantied two things.
1) Denial about the amount you drink and rage against someone who calls you on it.
2) Enablers that will keep the party going and booze flowing, that is as long as your buying.

A lot of amateur players associate booze/drugs with drinking. They get together in someone's basement or garage or jam night and drink and play music. ..... I said it's a party go ahead.
But one day the party will come to an end. Either they'll get thrown out of the basement, (after their parents die), the garage burns down (after someone leaves a joint burning on their amp) or the Jam night changes formats to disco.
Accept change, it's inevitable.
Then what happens?
You put your gear away stay home and drink without the music.
Or you end up having to stop drinking, (new job, wife, family, you get sick) and then have to stop playing music because you've always associated music with drinking/parting and once you remove the booze/drugs there's no reason to play music.
I've been playing over 40-years and I've seen this scenario played out more times than I've wished. Great players who think they're feeding their musical fire with booze and drugs but in the end are really just putting that fire out. ..... And if you don't believe me you're either too young to know the difference or living in denial. Which is more than just a long river in Egypt.

Music is a language.
But, not a language you slur and stumble around speaking.

If no one believes me on this go to the library and pick up some real musicians biographies Jaco's or Stevie Ray's, there are plenty out there and they all pretty well end up with denial then regret then death.
Click to expand...

PRO TIP: Not everyone responds to alcohol the same way. Furthermore, not everyone is going to be the worst-case outcome.
 
#152
I'm still experimenting with what is right for me.

I sing and play, often new songs we've recently written, so I have a lot to think about when we play.

It seems when I relax I can remember the words a bit more easily, so that's a plus for a drink or two.

But, I've found that when I start playing the first few songs, the adrenalin and blood are pumping, somehow makes me feel really drunk, fast!

I guess if I were just standing at the back without the frontman pressure I'd be able to drink a bit more, so every situation is different. I'd imagine that ideally you want to be a bit more sober than your audience is, if they are hammered then you can probably have another beer..

The trouble with beer is it can make you want to pee halfway thru your set.

I might try an experiment with a shot of something before I go on, then beer during the set, for the throat. Maybe that would work.

:bassist:
 
#153
BritPicker said:
I'm still experimenting with what is right for me.

I sing and play, often new songs we've recently written, so I have a lot to think about when we play.

It seems when I relax I can remember the words a bit more easily, so that's a plus for a drink or two.

But, I've found that when I start playing the first few songs, the adrenalin and blood are pumping, somehow makes me feel really drunk, fast!

I guess if I were just standing at the back without the frontman pressure I'd be able to drink a bit more, so every situation is different. I'd imagine that ideally you want to be a bit more sober than your audience is, if they are hammered then you can probably have another beer..

The trouble with beer is it can make you want to pee halfway thru your set.

I might try an experiment with a shot of something before I go on, then beer during the set, for the throat. Maybe that would work.

:bassist:
Click to expand...

I would hope the beer would go into the throat and not through any place else. But if it's suppose to help your voice so you can sing better it won't. Alcohol dries out your throat making it more difficult to sing. Might make it easier for you to get up there but not to stand up there for any length of time.
P.S. If you are in the urge of experimenting try Patrone Silver!
 
#154
For me:
One beer before the show (on prescription by my bandmembers) so I cool down and stop hassling about the tech guy, the sound guy, all the other bands and won't start controlling every single plug in the whole room :D

Not reeeeally a sign ov nervousity just a case of "Hell, this soundguys a MESS, he doesn't even know how to.... AAAHH no, don't touch the Bassdrum mic!!!"
:hiding:
 
#155
Haysoochreesto said:
...Anyone else imbibe a little bit before playing?
Click to expand...
Nope. Don't need it.
To each his own, though--cause to me 2 - 4 beers before downbeat and 1 or 2 between sets sounds excessive TO ME. To you, that's probably "the party ain't even started yet!" quantities.
When I gig, I usually only drink water. I know that sounds pretty weak but I don't want to the sugary soda pop when I'm going to sing. Coffee's too hot for me to drink before singing, and I just don't drink alcohol "on the job" (unless a fan buys me a shot--I don't want to offend them).

Lotta posts on here about anxiety and stage fright. That's never been a problem for me. If you prepare yourself for what you have to do, you can have the confidence to get up there--enthusiastically--without stage fright. But hey, that's just me. I grew up as a show off and a class-clown (yeah...I'm THAT GUY!). I've worked in theater, radio, bands, etc. Public performances just don't bother me. If they did, I don't think I would make a hobby/living out of performing arts (like playing in a band). Makes no sense to me. I'm just saying...
 
#157
RobertPaulson said:
Do you drink coffee or soda?
Click to expand...
You see, I could totally claim I was all drug-free until you had to bring that up ;)

I've been drinking coffee for so long that I don't think the caffeine does anything much for me anymore. Still, I get a sort of "placebo effect" from the taste of it that sets me at ease in a way.

Some folks on this thread have brought up the fact that a beer helps them relax. One beer doesn't equal blotto, and I can see what they mean about getting "settled," so to speak.

Everybody's tolerances, tastes and morals will dictate what they do and don't do.
 
#158
Haysoochreesto said:
What I meant was that I have been recorded both at rehearsal and live and there was no distinguishable difference. I've only been really drunk once and that was at backyard party for our keyboardist/sax player and even that went just fine. And that little gig was recorded too.
Click to expand...
So what you're saying is that your playing sucks so bad that no one even notices if you're drunk or not cuz you ALWAYS sound like your drunk? :eyebrow:

I'm just trying to be funny! :D

Anyway....wow, gents! (and ladies)
I remember when I was a kid, I used to go to a private school with a dress code. Boys' hair had to be cut short (like the military style). We ALL had short hair; but inevitably when one boy got his hair cut...he had to come to school and tell the rest of us that we needed to go get haircuts.
I'm reading some of these posts and you know what I smell? I smell a RECOVERED alcoholic/drug addict who is a bit hypersensitive about the subject pointing fingers at some folks. I mean, c'mon gang...is this what we're really here for? To count each others drinks and tell each other we're gonna be fat losers? Personally, I doubt 12 beers a day & 17% body fat...but honestly, I DON'T CARE! At the same time, I'm not sure there's a real benefit to counting someone else's drinks and laying into them about it. I mean, hey, the dude's almost 40...I think he pretty much already has his future dialed in! Let's all just try to remember the music and not worry about other people's states of "loaded" or "recovered". Holy buckets, dudes...everybody just breathe a little bit. We're gonna be alright! Some people drink; some people don't. That will never change until the end of time. Let's all just relax a little bit and get back to having fun.
shhh.gif
 
#160
i don't drink at all, never have, but the other guys in my band do. we have one main rule, no drinking before playing. only because we want to put on the best show we can, and we don't want to be that band that got to drunk to play. but when we're done drink what you want.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back