Musicians and Drugs

I made a comment during my entry yesterday, about how I left my physics studies to do drugs and play music, and how I would talk about it later. Coincidentally, one of my personal heroes and one of the most iconic rock front men of the past several decades, Scott Weiland, died in his sleep last night while on his tour bus, touring with his band The Wildabouts. Scott Weiland was also the original lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, and the rock super group Velvet Revolver. While it is technically only speculation that he died of drugs, with no other known causes, and the fact that he did drugs on and off again since the early nineties, it is hard to not speculate.

I say "did drugs on and off again" instead of "struggled with", because starting to use drugs is usually self imposed, though the struggle can come eventually. They are known to either take the edge off, or put the edge on, whichever is needed for a given circumstance. That, and they can be fun as fuck to do. Problem being, long enough use can actually change the chemical make up in your brain, to where it is a constant nagging, in a way that becomes an actual disease. It is a disease, by the way. Just caused by unhealthy habits. Same as with a lot of cases of diabetes.

Scott Weiland, 10-27-1967 to 12-03-2015

There seem to be a couple different tie ins to drugs coming from musicians. So I figured I would elaborate on the ones I am familiar with.



CREATIVITY

Now, by no means do I think that doing drugs can ever make you creative, otherwise every feckless stoner and junkie would be a genius musician. However, drugs do alter your perception in one way or another, which gives alternative viewpoints and ideas to those who are already musically inclined, opening new approaches to otherwise plain ideas. Now while I would say a large number  musicians are known to be occasional drinkers and smokers of the sweet jungle,  some of the most prominent innovators of most genres used harder substances to push themselves to create something new, and altering your perception of reality can certainly assist with that.

POPULARITY

Many people love to make music, but some use it purposely find popularity for money, sex, respect, or whatever the case might be. Not all these people, however, are very outgoing. Music, and the arts in general, are known to be heavily pursued hobbies and careers of those who have very introverted personalities, though it is by no means exclusive. Though, contrary to extroverts, introverts gain their energy by being alone, and being within themselves. However, when you become a rockstar, privacy becomes secondary, and you are not only constantly admired, but also chastised. Both take heavy tolls on your energy levels. However, hard drugs and heavy drinking nullifies the negative effect of being sociable when your personality doesn't warrant it.

EMULATION

Probably the simplest of reasons to understand. Some of the biggest and best of all time, were heavy drug users, and even have glorified it in their creation. A young, impressionable mind is likely to follow suite with that whom he or she sees as successful within the thing they strive for the most. Often, these impressionable people then understand its use, and continue.

FUN

Either being on the road, or playing shows in their locality, music ties into a partying lifestyle, usually for those observing it, but the musicians themselves are often wanting into that fray. The high of playing a show for a good crowd of people can be enough for many, but often many musicians want to further that high, and thus dig themselves deeper into debauchery.

If drugs didn't have a heavily positive physical or mental effect, people just would never do them, because even the most hapless individual knows that they are dangerous. However, trying to show them to people who haven't ever used as being only destructive with no pleasure is not only dangerous, but I think wrong, because once they learn to the contrary, the lessons learned about negativity become of little to no consequence. Instead, people should be taught immediately that they do feel pleasurable, but the negatives are so powerful its just not worth it. Because Drugs are fun. They are really fucking fun. Some make you calm, some make you feel like a superhero, while others make your blood and brain feel like one giant mushy orgasm. Mix that with the high of creating music, and its an easy path of enjoyable destruction. One could be easily swayed to continue using because of how fun they were if they were only yelled at about them, instead of sat down and talked to.

And while I would never get on someones case for tokin' that herbage or enjoying the occasional cocktail, as I myself enjoy a nice tumbler of whiskey, but just remember some of these awesome cats;

Frankie Lymon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Tim Buckley, Elvis Presley, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, Bon Scott, Darby Crash, John Bonham, Phil Lynott, Hillel Slovak, Andrew Wood, Steve Clark, Kristen Pfaff, Shannon Hoon, Bradley Nowell, John Baker Saunders, Layne Staley, Dee Dee Ramone, John Entwistle, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Jay Reatard, Paul Gray, Amy Winehouse, and even Whitney Houston. Some of the greatest musicians to have ever lived.

Real fucking dead from drugs.

~Xavier R.

p.s.

I feel people have the right to do as they please, as long as it doesn't outwardly effect others in an immediate way. I just feel some of those things are really, really stupid.

Playlist 12-4-2015 (R.I.P. Scott)

Modzilla - Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts 

Between The Lines - Stone Temple Pilots

Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots

Big Machine - Velvet Revolver

Headspace - Velvet Revolver

In your private time, tell yourself you were born to control affairs. In your public time, control affairs.

Sometimes too many ideas are floating around at once. Too many, because not enough dedication can be given to a single one idea to complete or master that idea. There is no need to feel down because you can't be any sort of unrealistic renaissance man or woman. Do something, or write something, or make something, then move on. Once you achieve it, achieve something else. There is no need to expend so much energy on so many things if you know deep inside you will not complete them. Lets be realistic.

There are many who all at once are brilliant writers, musicians, athletes, and thespians. However, they mastered each thing individually. Once they have each thing mastered, simultaneous improvement for each can then happen. Because they are masters.

Get it?

My father, who was a great man but plagued with many flaws, would completely disagree with me. He also is someone who would ignore my ideas on how to travel the cosmos (a whole theory involving quantum mechanics for particle disbursement and rearrangement, of which I spent many years of study, and was developing a proper thesis on until I discovered music and drugs...another entry) and say that these things can be done with pure will power and brain waves. He was also a man who died from his inability to go out and actively improve himself. It was a sad day when he died, but it was very motivating, as I was following a similar path, despite obvious talents.

I tried too much to do too many things. Then I became good at a few. Then I would focus on them, but do too many things with each talent and end up waking up drunk Sunday morning mad at myself, declaring to the universe for the next week not to be the same, only for it to all reoccur. Its so silly.
However feeling this way, one could only fear that one would be destined for a mediocre existence.
Not true.

There is nothing wrong with living a modest life. It is being humble, that gets people in trouble. If a guy would rather be a mechanic or a baker instead of a rockstar or an astronaut, good for them. As long as they appreciate what is happening and how. When someone is humble, they dismiss their own greatness to let others feel big? Even if they know on the inside, others will not, then not accept it when those cries of acknowledgement are shouted out. That is their own fault. Then scheming to do this and that, but not accepting to do great to be great. That doesn't work.

Now over saturation of popularity can bog even a modest persons mind, feeling they have to strive to be famous. Most don't want that, and will judge a false pretense of greatness, thus, wanting to do so much all at once. Whichever way you get there, it is full circle. So sit and focus.

Sit and focus.

Or stand and focus. Depending on what you are trying to do.

This is the cog. We all fit. Or we do not. Do we want to do either?

That also gets me thinking about the additional media coverage and absortion that exists that didn't a generation ago. If one could succeed at what they wish, despite all the extra distraction, would that make one even greater then one set out to achieve?

Hmm...

~Xavier R.

Playlist 12-3-2015

My Generation - The Who

Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes (a new favorite. If you try any, try this one.)

Elite - The Deftones

Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Saturday Night's Alright - Elton John