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.
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
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
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