Has anyone had long term success as a rock musician (possibly a vaguely defined term, true) and lived a life with no drug use or other troubles with the law, long term stable family situation etc.?
This thread focuses more on drug use but it’s a start.
Are there any rock stars who’ve never used recreational drugs?
The term “rock star” can perhaps be used loosely here when mentioning Dot Wiggins.
Glen Benton, Deicide vocalist
Prince was a Jehovah’s Witness and took only prescription drugs and even those he took reluctantly. Sure, it’s what killed him but I think he’d still be with us today if he had been a recreational drug user.
What’s the point of being a rock-star if you can’t revel in wanton debauchery?
“I want to be like Pat Boone when I grow up!” - Said by no one EVER, probably even Pat Boone, Jr. if there is such.
And don’t forget even Pat Boone tried his hand at heavy metal. Came out more like tinfoil but he tried.
It depends on what counts as drug use but Neil Young has had a pretty clean nose.
But there is the whole “straight edge” movement, if you look at recent pictures of James Hetfield I think he was “reborn” but even has the “X” tattoo in reference to it (I think that symbol in reference to the black X all-age clubs would put on underage attendees)
You can see it on his wrist here.
I had to add artists who people assume are drug users but who are reportable not. But I think fame and touring don’t really work well with family life so I am ignoring that.
J Mascis
Frank Zappa
Henry Rollins
Morrissey
And if you remember Adam Ant’s - Goody two Shoes; that song was written about people giving him flack for not drinking or using drugs.
“Don’t drink, don’t smoke…what do ya do?”
“Fuck like a rabbit…what do you do?”
Alice Cooper is very much into healthy living. Has been for at least 20 plus years.
He drank heavily early in his career.
Gene Simmons has always said that his refusal to use drugs or drink heavily was because “someone told me your dick stays limp when you’re drunk. I thought, ‘What a horrible thing!!’”
Religion can be a drug.
Pat Boone doesn’t have any sons, but his daughter Debby became famous for about 15 minutes with her song “You Light My Life.”
In Bruce Springsteen’s case, it seems that the answer is that he really, really, *really *loves performing, and he avoids anything that could get in the way of making music in front of a crowd.
A co-worker, who is a fan, says one of Iron Maiden’s members flies the band’s jet. He’s probably pretty clean.
Weird Al Yankovic is pretty cross-genre.
SDMB thread from 2013: Famous rock musicians who do not use alcohol or drugs.
ETA: Oops, saw that this was posted in Post #2.
It’s probably already mentioned in one of the linked threads, but isn’t Charlie Watts the poster child for this?
Bruce Dickinson.
Isn’t Sting the poster child for this sort of thing?