I've been known to accidentally leave the drink somewhere. And on some occasions, surreptitiously dump it out in a convenient place.
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Playing bass on the clock vs having a drink during gigs?
- Thread starter Rabidhamster
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edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
Same. I even had a green room situation where some guy thought he was going to impress us with cocaine. The mirror got passed around and no one touched it. These days I don't even drink at gigs. It never makes the music better.
But, I'm curious what kinds of gigs people are playing. It seems like the overwhelming consensus is that people are dead set against drinks, etc., at gigs, but I spent a lot of time touring, including with some heavy partiers, and interacting with bands high up in the touring echelons, in many kinds of genres, and partying seemed to be a big part of it. Maybe it's an older generation thing.
I learned something about 30 years ago. My band was playing at a fraternity in upstate NY and they plied us with psychedelics. We had a great time, but when I listened back to the tape, it sounded like all of our other gigs. We had a quite a bit of improvisation in the band, but clearly, it was coming from what was already inside us. On the other hand, after we were done playing, our keyboard player did a deep dive into air-keyboarding Bernie Worrell's parts in Talking Head's Speaking in Tongues and forever after, he was one with the clavinet. A true breakthrough.
In my view, chemicals, from alcohol on up, just create distractions.
I turn down drinks often. I just say thanks, but not my thing.
If someone wants to take that as inhospitable, that's on them, but really, no one seems to give it that much thought.
Anyway, what they think's not my thing either.
That's what I would but let them know I can't drink alcohol, but a soft drink woud be fine. Do any of these military and political types expect one to drink alcohol at the events?
I'm self-employed and have a very nice drink cart and have dozens of bottles of very decent scotch, whiskey and bourbon, mostly gifts from clients, and I'll have 1-2 fingers in my office when it's nearing the end of the day, so mostly just replying to emails or efiling tax returns, doing A/R or my internal Quickbooks, etc. I don't drink if I know I have appointments or returns to still prepare the rest of the day, but this has slowed down over time so I've had to take bottles home so I actually drink them lol.
I keep my cabinet in my office because it's easier to transport to rehearsals and I practice via my computer at home, but I keep a bass here just because, however it's been a while since I've played during a lunch break or something. I'll probably change that during this upcoming tax season, just to give my mind a break.
In my industry after 'professional' 8-5 hours, they pretty much encourage having a beverage or two while you're getting the last few hours of the day finished up so not a big deal.
In my younger days, especially in college/young adult cover bands, I'd drink way to excess and don't remember all that stuff fondly, but it was in college towns for college kids and private parties, so eh.
Nowadays I'll maybe have a beer a set, which with sweat, is basically canceling that out, and then have a few waters while loading out to get it out of my system. I definitely am a lot more careful, as I'm sure many of us are, about how intoxicated I am before leaving a gig compared to my younger years. Meaning, I'm not at all anymore before driving lol. I'm 42 now and would prefer half a bottle of cab anyway but that's not all too refreshing, sweating it out on stage lol.
I keep my cabinet in my office because it's easier to transport to rehearsals and I practice via my computer at home, but I keep a bass here just because, however it's been a while since I've played during a lunch break or something. I'll probably change that during this upcoming tax season, just to give my mind a break.
In my industry after 'professional' 8-5 hours, they pretty much encourage having a beverage or two while you're getting the last few hours of the day finished up so not a big deal.
In my younger days, especially in college/young adult cover bands, I'd drink way to excess and don't remember all that stuff fondly, but it was in college towns for college kids and private parties, so eh.
Nowadays I'll maybe have a beer a set, which with sweat, is basically canceling that out, and then have a few waters while loading out to get it out of my system. I definitely am a lot more careful, as I'm sure many of us are, about how intoxicated I am before leaving a gig compared to my younger years. Meaning, I'm not at all anymore before driving lol. I'm 42 now and would prefer half a bottle of cab anyway but that's not all too refreshing, sweating it out on stage lol.
Yes that is another role we play.Learned that early on when my geetar player heard me turn down the offer for a drink since I already had one. He said always accept the drink and keep that cash register humming.
We all know what "Professional" is, and drinking/smoking is not part of it -full stop.
Most people pick and choose what ratio of Professional:Schmuck they want be.
Some of us are planless & visionless and just live. Smoke when we feel like it, drink when we feel like it.
I'd be lying if I said smoking & drinking never did anything good for me. While living like a schmuck, smoking & drinking helped me network with lots of other schmucks which got me many great paying & fun gigs. My liver, lungs, and gums have paid for it, though.
Most people pick and choose what ratio of Professional:Schmuck they want be.
Some of us are planless & visionless and just live. Smoke when we feel like it, drink when we feel like it.
I'd be lying if I said smoking & drinking never did anything good for me. While living like a schmuck, smoking & drinking helped me network with lots of other schmucks which got me many great paying & fun gigs. My liver, lungs, and gums have paid for it, though.
I've done that many times. Do it in a way that shows your appreciation and they'll be fine with it. If not, they're jerkweasels and that's on them.
PSA Time for those with whom this might resonate. If not, please scroll on.
If you think you might have a problem with alcohol and you'd like to stop, but find you can't:
Find A.A. Near You | Alcoholics Anonymous
If you think you might have a problem with alcohol and you'd like to stop, but find you can't:
Find A.A. Near You | Alcoholics Anonymous
More than 6 percent of adults in the U.S. have an alcohol use disorder, about 1 in 12 men and 1 in 25 women. An additional 623,000 people between the ages of 12 and 17 have alcohol use disorders.
About 88,000 people die of alcohol-related causes every year in the United States. It's the third-leading cause of preventable death in the country after tobacco and poor diet and exercise choices. Unfortunately, less than 7 percent of those suffering from an alcohol use disorder seek treatment for the disease.
First band I played with, I was under the legal drinking age. Figured out that Sweet Tea in a short tumbler looked like a glass of whiskey. Years later I worked with a band where certain member drank heavily, especially the lead singer. Now, my drink of choice on stage is water.
As for smoking ... funny story. We were playing (I ran the sound and light boards at that time) a dive bar on the SC/NC state line. When the first set ended, I stepped out the back door behind the stage to smoke a cigar. Two guys asked me for a lite and lit up a joint. They were immediately tackled by police. I stuck my head in the door and yelled at the Bass Player not to come out.... his between set routine was to smoke a joint, often with the lead singer.
As for playing at work... since I work from a home office, its not unusual to pick up my bass and play a song while waiting for a program to finish its run.
As for smoking ... funny story. We were playing (I ran the sound and light boards at that time) a dive bar on the SC/NC state line. When the first set ended, I stepped out the back door behind the stage to smoke a cigar. Two guys asked me for a lite and lit up a joint. They were immediately tackled by police. I stuck my head in the door and yelled at the Bass Player not to come out.... his between set routine was to smoke a joint, often with the lead singer.
As for playing at work... since I work from a home office, its not unusual to pick up my bass and play a song while waiting for a program to finish its run.
My first gigs I was underage too. Maybe it was our more "remote" corner of the world, but at that time in the late 80's things were much different. The drinking age was 18 so most people looked too young anyway and checking ID's was pretty lax to non-existent in most places. I just kept sober when I had to drive. I was never asked for an ID until years after the legal age was 21 and I was long past 21.
When I was a kid I remember my dad loading up to go to his gigs and he always took this one empty case with him. I asked him once what it was for. Back in those days "buying a beer" for the band was very common, and the bars didn't open them like they do now. So he would thank the person and just put the ones he couldn't drink in that case. That was when I finally made the connection on why we had about 10 different kinds of beer in the basement rec-room fridge.
edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
Thank you for posting this. As a criminal defense attorney, if it weren't for alcohol, I'd have a much lighter case load. I had a case which stretched over the last 14 months where my client got his 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th DUI in quick succession. I was able to keep him from being deported but now he's starting a 15 year sentence in the Department of Corrections. It's really tough to see how alcohol ruins people's lives and destroys families.
@James Flowers
"Now, my drink of choice on stage is water." Same. And I also bring a reusable water bottle. I still don't get why my bandmates prefer disposable ones provided by the venue. Not only does that leave plastic for our kids (they don't recycle them), the water has leached various chemicals out of the plastic.
When I was in my early 20s I was hit my a drunk driver on my way to work (3rd shift in the Bowater paper mill). I was the driver's 8th DUI. He had lost his license on either 3 or 4. 6 and 7 where still "pending verdict". When we finally made it to court, they wheeled him in a wheelchair and said he would never walk again and always need a bag as he went through the windshield and tore up his guts. He was sentenced to 6 months suspended. I watched as he got up out of the wheelchair and walked to the car laughing to drive home.
edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
I bet that caught up with him. When people get away with that, it's seen as permission to continue the bad behavior.
His attorney should be disbarred for violating RPC 3.3.
