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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
Yes, I am. No one should ever let me buy anyone's used P-bass. Because it won't be one for long.
Ever notice those that are most emphatic in their disapproval for recreational substances (usually cannabis) always end up giving the impression in their posts that they have little to no first hand experience with the effects of such, and a very dubious grasp on the actual chemical effects on the brain?
But have no issue with sinking a couple of pints before playing
It's the new outrage culture taking over. Facts and logic are scary and rude, you need to respect feelings and emotions no matter how imbalanced or illogical.
One time, at a show, I was super ripped and my singer was talking to me and asked me if I was going to be alright to play. I said, "Jon, I've been playing with you for a year now and you've seen me sober maybe twice. I'll be alright."
He said "Oh, well ok then," and walked away reassured.
Yeah those guys were tools. I'd love to start a band and hire them only to fire them if I ever see them lift a glass or smoke a cigarette.
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I was never very good at playing music while intoxicated. I've played one show after smoking just a little weed, because I was really nervous. Which is really unusual, on all counts. I have played some punk shows where I got kind of drunk in the middle of the set (because people were sending up shots), but I was so well rehearsed on those songs I could have played them asleep. The reason I don't play well high is the reason I stopped smoking in the first place. I just get very mellow and silly, want to sit or lay down and watch a movie or listen to music. When I used to smoke all the time I had friends that always wanted to go on adventures when they got high, go for a 2 hour walks across town and things like that. I was having none of that. I wanted to eat chocolate ice cream, listen to High On Fire and watch Office Space. That's already my general inclination, so I really had to stop smoking, as I already have enough problems with depression and motivation issues without it ha. So more power to you guys who can get high and jam out. I suppose it's a skill and I never really TRIED to develop it, but it's not really on my to-do list now.
I have no interest in the stuff. Went to Amsterdam once, thought it all smelled horrible and didn't want it near me. I have a few drinks here and there, get a slight buzz, and that's about it these days. Played with some guys that would do it, and made sure they didn't do it on my property (I work at a public school) and then proceeded to not care that they did it, so long as it didn't cause trouble or make practices pointless or something.
I'm pretty Libertarian in my views: as long as what you do doesn't harm someone else, then go for it. I feel the same way about this as any other mind altering substance. And like any other, doing any of this to excess is no good. Moderation is your friend. (Except when talking about pedals...)
I'm pretty Libertarian in my views: as long as what you do doesn't harm someone else, then go for it. I feel the same way about this as any other mind altering substance. And like any other, doing any of this to excess is no good. Moderation is your friend. (Except when talking about pedals...)
I only read like 4 posts of that before i had to dip...you tell me to get a life because I smoke and play? I say get a life outside of the internet and play some songs you wrote, not the same 4 hour set you already hear on the radio everyday anyway...
People able to actually see how ****** other people have been acting forever = outrage culture.
Just like how "we have so many autistic kids now!" or "everyone is so depressed/anxious because of our modern culture!". Erm, no...we just actually diagnose those things and give a crap now.
People aren't all the sudden more outraged about things now, it's just before the only way you ever heard anyone's opinion was from a news paper, over the radio, on tv or in person face to face. Now everyone can broadcast their opinions/life experiences straight to a screen you look at all the time. So "all the sudden" a lot of stuff that has been going on forever, but no one gave a sh*t, because the people it was happening to had no means of mass broadcast. So you get some crappy people complaining about really stupid stuff, along with the realization about really important issues that have only been widely known among the group they directly affect. America didn't suddenly get more racist and cops suddenly start disproportionately targeting and abusing minority communities/individuals, gay people didn't suddenly want the right to get married, trans people didn't start to exist 4 years ago, politicians didn't suddenly get all sexually devious and racist, mental problems aren't increasing out of nowhere. Our previous views on these things were a sampling error, we never saw them happening because of the very limited and curated methods of getting news (which have always had an agenda, though we pretended was just objective news). EVERYONE can see these things happening now, instead of it getting stuffed into a box while rich white people go "SHHHHH!".
Just like how "we have so many autistic kids now!" or "everyone is so depressed/anxious because of our modern culture!". Erm, no...we just actually diagnose those things and give a crap now.
People aren't all the sudden more outraged about things now, it's just before the only way you ever heard anyone's opinion was from a news paper, over the radio, on tv or in person face to face. Now everyone can broadcast their opinions/life experiences straight to a screen you look at all the time. So "all the sudden" a lot of stuff that has been going on forever, but no one gave a sh*t, because the people it was happening to had no means of mass broadcast. So you get some crappy people complaining about really stupid stuff, along with the realization about really important issues that have only been widely known among the group they directly affect. America didn't suddenly get more racist and cops suddenly start disproportionately targeting and abusing minority communities/individuals, gay people didn't suddenly want the right to get married, trans people didn't start to exist 4 years ago, politicians didn't suddenly get all sexually devious and racist, mental problems aren't increasing out of nowhere. Our previous views on these things were a sampling error, we never saw them happening because of the very limited and curated methods of getting news (which have always had an agenda, though we pretended was just objective news). EVERYONE can see these things happening now, instead of it getting stuffed into a box while rich white people go "SHHHHH!".
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I might steal "our precious views were a sampling error" for a song title
I've turned a corner on this type of thing lately. I realized the other night that I devote a significant portion of my mental/emotional energy into getting pissed off about how stupid, hypocritical and willfully ignorant people can be about a lot of things. Reading news constantly on all the little (and not so little) injustices, instances of corruption, racism, hatefulness, outright lying for an agenda and that sort of thing. I had to take a step back and realize that while these things might be "important", me getting all wound up, angry and frustrated about them doesn't actually help at all. If I want to devote my energy to things like that, it should be directly, in person, locally, about things I can actually make an impact on. Not just twisting myself up in knots about how systems I don't have any direct influence over are broken, police departments in states I don't live in are corrupt or people I've never met and don't have any interaction with think/act. It's really hard to do when you feel very empathetic towards people and have a tendency towards codependency (adult child of an alcoholic over here!) and you confuse taking responsibility for other people's feelings and situations with DOING SOMETHING. It's the "don't you understand how important this is?!" syndrome. Yes, it is important, but me getting upset about it isn't accomplishing ANYTHING to make it better. It's really easy to get into arguments with people over that kind of thing, because checking out emotionally over an issue can be construed as endorsing it or not caring, but the person getting mad at you (which was probably me, hi) isn't actually directly affecting or changing anything, they thing instinctively that getting people upset over an issue does something. Which it doesn't. People who want to help should put energy towards doing something that helps, not getting upset.
Sorry for blogging all over this thread lol.
It may be surprising to you but I would consider myself in the same boat with more time on that road to go still. I actually do not like smoking right before a performance at all. I don't smoke plant matter but once in a blue moon. I have been smoking concentrates almost exclusively for the past 8 years or so... about 2-3 years longer than 95% of people in my state have even been aware of the existence of concentrates. I have been smoking daily for the past 10 years. I could digress into a broken record tangent about how exactly it helps my day to day life but I'll spare you because it doesn't really matter. It levels me out and it's my choice. My employer can make assumptions based on my appearance or other recreational interests but I give them no reason whatsoever to think that I am actually stoned. I do not advertise it nor do I talk about it with anyone. Dabs tend to be effective for hours after consuming versus ~90 minutes from your average bowl/doobie. In addition the rush the takes hold in the first 10-30 minutes I find to be ideal for creative exploration but terrible for my nerves and focused performance. My M.O. for most things in life is to get ripped and then leave my house. I carry nothing illegal on my person, no odor to cling on my clothes and the drive and following gear haul is usually enough to mellow the rush out.
Regarding the impact on my personality, our experiences are very similar. At some point I will quit all together save the occasional puff, but I am not at that point.
Booze is another story. I cannot play worth a poopie if I have had more than ~3ish drinks. I try to just nurse a single beer and shot before I get on stage. Afterword I may have another deuce, but in all honesty I drink less than 10 drinks per month. Booze just makes me want to sleep, though I LOVE whiskey.
@Sartori
Wow, that escalated quickly. I just meant things have changed, science will tell you that marijuana has much less negative effects than alcohol on a physically mature person and some actual benefit. That kind of research had not been done or at least not as easily available as it is today. These people think they know it all because they've been living through the war on drugs, if you've been told for 30 years that something is bad and the root to hard drug abuse you start to accept it as truth on an emotional level though you've never seen any evidence. As you've illustrated, many of these people entertain questionable morals...so is it really morals? Maybe they try to pass it off as such or use the concept to feel righteous and virtuous about their view or as a weapon to paint someone in a negative light. In my opinion, their reaction is just an emotional and irrational response that doesn't take fact into consideration and their inability to have civil discourse about something because it is so offensive or outrageous that they can't bear to discuss it.
It's okay to disagree but I get the feeling you misunderstood what I was implying.
Wow, that escalated quickly. I just meant things have changed, science will tell you that marijuana has much less negative effects than alcohol on a physically mature person and some actual benefit. That kind of research had not been done or at least not as easily available as it is today. These people think they know it all because they've been living through the war on drugs, if you've been told for 30 years that something is bad and the root to hard drug abuse you start to accept it as truth on an emotional level though you've never seen any evidence. As you've illustrated, many of these people entertain questionable morals...so is it really morals? Maybe they try to pass it off as such or use the concept to feel righteous and virtuous about their view or as a weapon to paint someone in a negative light. In my opinion, their reaction is just an emotional and irrational response that doesn't take fact into consideration and their inability to have civil discourse about something because it is so offensive or outrageous that they can't bear to discuss it.
It's okay to disagree but I get the feeling you misunderstood what I was implying.
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I used to be a whiskey and beer guy. Cheap or fancy, I enjoyed both. Never been a drunk, never had any addiction issues at all. The only reason I don't drink now is because all my old bandmates, friends and mutual friends (people in other bands we played with, et.c) moved away and I never hang out with anyone who drinks or get invited to any adult parties anymore. I don't care about beer or whiskey enough to just drink by myself. I can muse over the quality or attributes of beer or liquor in a mellow setting with people, but I don't care about booze by itself to treat it like a hobby outside a social setting. It was just an accessory to hanging out with cool people and having (usually responsible and lighthearted) fun time together. When I hang out with my best friend, who lives a few hours away, I usually have a craft beer or two since he's really into that and always wants me to try stuff. So I maybe drink a few times a year at most. I have gone years without having a drink and not cared at all.
I used to smoke a lot in the times when I wasn't playing bass. Now it's like a few times every few months when I score something and never on practices. I love improvising stoned, but I have a feeling I get sloppy on practices. I usually drift off and forget what were we playing.
We used to drink and smoke when we were starting to play 3 years ago, then we used to down two or three beers each. Then the guys stopped drinking on practices so I did too.
I still love a few beers or a bottle of wine once or twice a week, but I rarely get drunk.
We used to drink and smoke when we were starting to play 3 years ago, then we used to down two or three beers each. Then the guys stopped drinking on practices so I did too.
I still love a few beers or a bottle of wine once or twice a week, but I rarely get drunk.
I've cut way back on the drinking in the last several months. Having practice 40 some miles away makes the 2-3 beers per practice thing a lot less appealing. Hitting the interstate at night for a 35 minute drive after having a few is not the best idea. So I just drink water or gatorade at practice. I never smoke before a practice or a show, I miss changes if I do.
After our set, all bets are off. Especially if it's a hometown show - I'm gonna drink.
After our set, all bets are off. Especially if it's a hometown show - I'm gonna drink.
