It often seems that musicians who are hardcore drug addicts and/or alcoholics can keep playing and getting jobs until they die of an overdose or are kicked out of the band. I rarely seem them dinged for poor musicianship while on drugs or intoxicated. I always thought playing music was among the most demanding skills. How can musicians who are are hardcore drug and alcohol addicts manage this?
I often wonder the same thing. I know if I drink more than a little bit, my ability to sing goes way down. Maybe it’s just that the real stars stick to stimulants.
The reason is due to what is known as state dependant memory. Here is a link for more information: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110291/science/factors/state.php
Basically, what this says is that if you learn a skill while whacked out on drugs, or if you regularly preform a task while intoxicated, you will preform that task better while in that state. This is why some hard core alcoholics can drive reasonably well. For the same reason, the high school kid who get high before band practice will continue to play well so long as he stays high.
I heard that meth/speed actually improves performance and musical staying power.
I asked my Doc if I got off the drugs and the alcohol, could I play the piano like a virtuoso? He said ‘absolutely!’.
I said…cool…because I never could play it when I was high. 
Don’t forget that many addicts are so hooked on the stuff that they need a fix just to be able to function in everyday life. So the performer who’s addicted to something may take just enough to get them functioning most of the time, and then have “blow out parties” where they up the dose to an amount which begins to affect their performance levels only periodically.
Drummer: Hey, Zoot…how do you play so good, so drunk?
Zoot Sims, famous tenor saxophonist: Easy…I practice drunk.
It’s been too long and I can’t find the book (“Billion Dollar Babies”?). The guitar player in Alice Cooper (name is lost from memory also) was totally trashed every single day. They kept him on because they didn’t want to make any changes in the band, but they kept his sound out of the mix and they had hired-on studio guys to cover the parts.
Sure, if you can get them to stop tuning the goddamned guitar long enough to actually play.
I can’t begin to name all the bands that have kicked people out, cancelled shows or brought in other musicians for studio work as a result of drug use. Kiss, Guns n Roses, STP, Creed, I could go on. I think Keith Richards is in a definite minority.
Didn’t Ray Charles do some of his best work during the Heroine Years of his life?
Oooh, look at the google ads for Detox Colon Cleansing Treatments!
Two words: Brian Wilson
BTW, all stage contracts have a clause that if you’re even suspected of doing drugs, you are out on your ass.
They might keep playing but it isn’t’ always a good thing.
I’ve seen Ozzy pulled off the stage after 4-5 songs where he was obviously plastered.
I’ve seen a lot of other shows that sucked because somebody was seemingly wasted.
I’ve been in bands where the guitar player is so high that only he had any idea what he was playing.
Somebody mentioned drunk drivers and I think it’s the same thing. You can keep playing but you will be impaired.
I was a professional musician for 8 years. Was a member of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps. I can’t speak for other musicians, but when we learn music, we learn it. We have a few seconds from the time the section leader calls out the tune name to the time we need to start playing, and we need to hit the intro perfectly. The result of this is that Corps members embed the music very deeply in our brains. We need to play music in freezing rain, in hundred-degree-heat while wearing three layers of wool clothing, in total darkness, while staring into the sun, when we haven’t had a drink of water all day, in pouring rain, while tourists are poking us with sharp sticks. Even now, four years after I retired from the Corps, you can thrust a pennywhistle into my hand, open the book of music to a random page, call out the name of the piece, and have me play it if not perfectly then at least recognizably.
Music is a very demanding, labor-intensive profession. Much of the labor comes from the hours of practice needed to make it look easier than it is.
Also, just a note: one of the most difficult things about playing music you know in front of a crowd is the stress. Presumably, there exists some magic level of self-medication, where you are de-stressed about the thousands of listening people but still retain your skills and ability.
heh heh heh.
I saw Johnny Thunders live twice. Often, the answer is, “they can’t.” Sometimes their fans fetishize this fact, and are not the least bit disappointed they take a knee after 6 mangled songs, and then stumble off the stage and don’t return. They may say something equivalent to, “Hey, that’s Johnny.”
This may leave you saying, “Hey, that’s 15 bucks. WTF?” You will probably still come back the next time they’re in town, though.
Jay Kay performed in Hong Kong once and was so wasted that he had sit him on a stool with the mike in front of his face. I saw Jamiroquoi in concert a few weeks ago and he said he was clean for one year eleven months. It made an amazing difference to his performance, suffice it to say.
Of course, grass is a whole 'nother story. It enhances musical performance sometimes. I have fond memories of sharing a doobie with the mandolin player of my favorite bar band in Alaska, then going back inside after break and watching her rip off some runs that made my jaw drop, especially since the same dope zonked me to the point that I couldn’t even find my own ass with both hands.
I used to work as a stage hand for a lot of concerts and events on campus. I can tell you that some musicians ARE too wasted to play. We did a Ratt concert in the late 80’s during which one of the guitar players (Robbin Crosby) was too drunk to play. They hung a guitar on him but turned off his amp and substituted taped tracks through the PA for his guitar parts. I’m not sure he ever even realized that he wasn’t really playing.
The important question is: Were you able to find her ass with both your hands? ('Cause if you couldn’t then you were too stoned.)
I found that pot certainly enhanced my enjoyment of music, and also seemed to improve my ear while playing (you hear every little thing the band is doing). It was also pretty helpful for creativity and songwriting. The major drawback for me was the short-term memory thing. On many more occasions than I’d like to remember, I would forget what the hell song I was playing while I was playing it. This tended to happen especially frequently when I was coming out of a solo. Pot made me feel especially creative and expansive when it came to improvising solos, so I would take some extended lead breaks end it with some kind of neatly executed lick, and then, when it was time to resume the rhythm part, I would have completely forgotten what song we were playing and I’d have to glance over at my rhythm player to see what chords he was playing. It was kind of embarrassing in front of an audience. Since I was often times also the singer, beiing too baked could cause me to forget lyrics as well. I eventually had to stop getting high before shows because I just couldn’t perform with my head up my ass all the time. It was awesome for songwriting, though.