[Harp-L] Drinking/drugs and playing

[Jessica Lauren <jlauren@xxxxxxx>]

[Please excuse the long post]

Overall, I haven't drunk much in my 30 years playing music (harmonica  
only recently I hasten to add); however, I have smoked a lot of weed.  
In fact, I used to get stoned before every gig or session habitually,  
even if it was in the morning, and I genuinely felt that it got me  
closer to that magic, imaginative creative place, loosened me up,  
etc. I used to smoke pure less-strong weed (what I called 'daywear')  
so I wouldn't get too wrecked, although I still got pretty out of it,  
it has to be said. I come from a line of drinkers and I think that  
influenced me going elsewhere for my high even though it was still  
undoubtedly a dependency. I never drank as I always had the THC in my  
system and I followed the Freewheelin' Franklin adage "Smoking grass  
and drinking beer is like pissing into the wind".

However, about 5 years ago intimations of mortality and health  
concerns (all those tars! All that wasted time sitting around! All  
those lost brain cells/memories!) as well as the fact it didn't work  
the same any more - no more laughs and inspiration, just fatigue and  
a wish I hadn't just had that smoke - led to me giving up completely  
during a severe bout of flu and I haven't touched it since.

My playing? Much better, so much sharper, more on it, funkier, in  
control. Creativity fine despite my worries. I'm not very disciplined  
so I sit down and play/practise less often I'm afraid. Listening to  
my dub records not the same I have to say...

Drink? I enjoy good champagne and tequila, don't drink to excess and  
do have an occasional relaxer at gigs. I can really see how it could  
creep up on you and become a problem so I'm aware of it.

One last point of interest: producer Joe Boyd says the following at  
the end of 'White Bicycles', his fascinating account of making music  
in the '60s:

'I listened in the studio control room as musicians' modes of  
consciousness-alteration proceeded from grass, hash and acid to  
heroin and cocaine by the 1970s. All but the latter could, on  
occasion, provide benefits, at least to the music. I never knew  
cocaine to improve anything. When the white lines came out, it was  
time to call it a night: the music could only get worse... I suspect  
that the surge in cocaine's popularity explains - at least in part -  
why so many great sixties artists made such bad records in the  
following decade'.

Jessica

PS: I recently realised to my horror I now waste as much time messing  
around online as I used to taking drugs!

On 7 Jan 2010, at 04:30, michael rubin wrote:

> In my opinion:
> I do not drink or do drugs, but I have played under the influence.  I
> think there are certain levels that a person can take and still put on
> a great performance.  On the flip side, I have recntly experienced a
> way too drunk band leader doing things I did not like...