Drugs in music

[Jackroadkill]

1 hour ago, SteveXFR said:

 

Sadly it'll never happen again. Josh and the rest of the band don't get on. I was lucky enough to see Kyuss, Kyuss Lives and Vista Chino and all were incredible. 

 

Yeah, I might as well wish to see the Beatles, really.

[Cato]

I went to a Snoop Dogg gig in Nottingham just before the smoking ban.

 

That was like stepping inside a bong.

 

No way did anyone leave that venue unaffected by at least passive intake. 

Edited yesterday at 13:48 by Cato

[Leonard Smalls]

28 minutes ago, Cato said:

That was like stepping inside a bong.

Same with the Ozrics!

Excellent gigs...

[Cato]

29 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Same with the Ozrics!

Excellent gigs...

 

That brings back some memories, or fragments anyway.

 

Never really got around to listening to any albums (maybe I shohld rectify that) but an absolute must see at any festival in the 90s 

Edited yesterday at 09:28 by Cato

[SteveXFR]

1 hour ago, Jackroadkill said:

 

Yeah, I might as well wish to see the Beatles, really.

 

Mondo Generator are worth seeing if you get the chance. They play a load of their own stuff plus the Kyuss songs he recorded and they're really good. Nick and the band are pretty cool as well, they hang out with the fans before and after and watch support bands from the crowd as well. 

[Lozz196]

4 hours ago, Cato said:

I went to Snoop Dogg gig in Nottingham just before the smoking ban.

 

That was like stepping inside a bong.

 

No way did anyone leave that venue unaffected by at least passive intake. 

I bet the local pizza place was grateful 🤣

[Cat Burrito]

Only just seen this thread. I've definitely noticed with bands being more in control of their careers, new artists tend to be pretty clean living compared to when I first started. Even down to diet, exercise and not smoking. I always felt the drug side of things was very romanticised and there will always be examples of acts both clean or high that make good and bad music. I remember even back in the 90s there was the start of a push for acts to be much more savvy on the business front and that's hard to do if everyone is wasted. 

 

I don't doubt that there are still huge pockets of the industry where drugs are rife but it's nice to see artists looking after themselves a little more. 

[Bassassin]

The great Bill Hicks said this:

 

Quote

“You see, I think drugs have done some good things for us. I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight. Take all your albums, all your tapes and all your CDs and burn them. 'Cause you know what, the musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years were rrrrrrreal f***ing high on drugs.”

 

That may or may not be factually correct, but if so, it may account for why statistically no-one on Planet Earth has ever heard or cared about a single note I've ever played, not to mention the hundreds of songs & pieces of music I've created! And that's because the smallest amount of tangible intoxication - whether from restricted substances or alcohol - utterly severs whatever connection exists between my brain & hands, and I literally cannot play. Muscle memory vanishes, the flow of learned song structure evaporates, my knowledge of the fretboard fades into the noise and it's all replaced by uncoordinated, stumbling, incoherent, atonal, unmusical nonsense. And giggling. Lots of giggling.

 

Some may say that's just my perception, and my playing's actually better if I'm wasted (and they may have a point), but it has meant I've actively avoided mixing drugs/alcohol with music since my late teens/early 20s - and have been able to coldly (and sometimes furiously) observe other people, including former bandmates, spectacularly f*cking things up onstage, while plainly having the times of their lives, thinking everyone else was too, and that the garbage they were churning out was being channeled from some higher astral plane. Man.

 

So I dunno if you're right, Bill.

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 13:52 by Bassassin

[Rosie C]

It has occurred to me that there are famous musicians who are associated with drinking, drug use, etc. who still manage to be healthy enough to be touring musicians in their 80s and I can't quite tally the 'rock and roll lifestyle' with reaching old age in good health. I am suspicious that there's not as much riotous behaviour as we'd be led to think.

 

We went to a small rock festival of cover bands back around 2011 and quite a few of the musicians on stage were drinking straight from 70cl bottles of Jack Daniels in between songs. Call me dubious, but I strongly suspected they were full of Irn Bru, or similar as they were all playing extremely well, not at all inebriated. 

[SteveXFR]

13 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

Call me dubious, but I strongly suspected they were full of Irn Bru, or similar as they were all playing extremely well, not at all inebriated. 

 

Back when I used to race downhill mountain bikes, I "borrowed" a couple cans of redbull from a team who were sponsored by redbull. The cans were marked "For Athletes Only" I excitedly took a swig of the special energy drink and the cans were filled with water. 

I guess it's entirely possible that alcohol manufacturers make special bottles for musicians filled with something non alcoholic. 

[Lozz196]

Many years back a mate of mine downed a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage for maximum rock n roll effect - it actually contained apple juice.

 

 

[Chienmortbb]

On 05/01/2026 at 20:36, TheLowDown said:

I don't even have a paracetamol on the rare occasion when I've had a headache. A

The pain and discomfort of the headache will do more harm than a few paracetamols.

[Chienmortbb]

3 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Many years back a mate of mine downed a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage for maximum rock n roll effect - it actually contained apple juice.

 

 

It is arguable that Apple Juice is more potent than a JD, especially when diluted with cola.

[Chienmortbb]

I don't think I have ever taken anything that Mr Plod would object to on a Gig day. I do often have a beer after setup and soundcheck, as those are the most stressful times. As I have to drive home, that beer is not strong and as I am driving home around 5 hours later, probably not currently illegal. If they change in the law, as looks likely, then Guinness Zero or Ginger Beer. 

 

Can I play when stoned or drunk, no! Can I create when not stone-cold sober? No. 

[Lozz196]

Back in the day I`d often go on stage having had at least 6 or 7 pints. In fairness to myself I was a very big drinker at that point so although my playing wouldn`t have been spot on it wouldn`t have been atrocious either. The problem was that we were all like this, so although we weren`t bad individually, collectively we were dreadful when we were all on it. 

[TeresaFR]

I see drug use an awful lot, because I work in a day centre for drug users - none of whom I'd class as remotely capable of being creative when they're f***ed out of their minds, especially on that artificial opioid shit! It's impossible to creative an artistic masterpiece when your face is at risk of getting mashed into the floor and when you come around you can't remember anything from your "journey". I'm very glad to never have experimented with drugs and that I don't even like even a small amount of inebriation from drinking.