Alcohol and Songwriting

[grimtraveller]

If you need to take something to enhance your creativity, then you have no business creating - you're a hack. That's my opinion.

Ah, but maybe a creative hack that comes up with stunning stuff that lasts the test of time that many many people love and keep listening to.
Although the likes of Keith Richards can say that there was nothing written under the influence of drugs that wouldn't've been written without it and John Lennon could say that 'the acid didn't write the music', the simple reality is that there is a body of poetry, popular music, film, writing and drawn art going back many many centuries in some cases, that would never have existed without "the 'fluence" and many a time, people deliberately gave themselves to drink or drugs in order to be able to create what they did. That's not a recommendation, just a fact.

 

[Lt. Bob]

If you need to take something to enhance your creativity, then you have no business creating - you're a hack. That's my opinion.

absurd ..... the number of artists that used one thing or another to enhance their creativity is huge and almost surely as large or larger than the ones who didn't.
Hendrix wasn't a hack ....... neither were Led Zeppelin .... or Miles Davis etc. etc.

 

[RAMI]

Too bad that Lennon dude did drugs. He never came up with anything good. What a hack.

 

[grimtraveller]

An interesting task would be to come up with people in music that are/were writers over the last 50 years that didn't at some point take drugs or drink booze to excess. Out of that number {because some did so because of the pressure, some because they were hopelessly addicted, some because they simply liked it etc....} you'll find a huge amount that did so because they felt it creatively helped them.

 

[palmanus]

The problem is when you over-do anything.

That is true, when over-done, it's just a bunch of garbage

If you need to take something to enhance your creativity, then you have no business creating - you're a hack. That's my opinion.

Think of it this way - you can't think straight if you are very hungry and very thirsty. So you take food and water in order to feel good and get all of the necessary predispositions for thinking straight and writing. Of course, it's not obligatory, but it would be nice to be well rested too. Then comes the inspiration - you can do nothing without it. And that's where weed/beer comes in: they relax you, let you think wide & open-minded, enhance your creativity, dig out and unlock the inspiration from you... But if you're not creative, it will just enhance your non-creativity, if you're stupid, it will enhance your stupidity, etc. If that's a hack, then food&water are hack, 'cause they make you feel better then before consuming them, and they enhance your thinking capabilities too.

 

[DogmaticVox]

Ah, but maybe a creative hack that comes up with stunning stuff that lasts the test of time that many many people love and keep listening to.
Although the likes of Keith Richards can say that there was nothing written under the influence of drugs that wouldn't've been written without it and John Lennon could say that 'the acid didn't write the music', the simple reality is that there is a body of poetry, popular music, film, writing and drawn art going back many many centuries in some cases, that would never have existed without "the 'fluence" and many a time, people deliberately gave themselves to drink or drugs in order to be able to create what they did. That's not a recommendation, just a fact.

absurd ..... the number of artists that used one thing or another to enhance their creativity is huge and almost surely as large or larger than the ones who didn't.
Hendrix wasn't a hack ....... neither were Led Zeppelin .... or Miles Davis etc. etc.

That is true, when over-done, it's just a bunch of garbage


Think of it this way - you can't think straight if you are very hungry and very thirsty. So you take food and water in order to feel good and get all of the necessary predispositions for thinking straight and writing. Of course, it's not obligatory, but it would be nice to be well rested too. Then comes the inspiration - you can do nothing without it. And that's where weed/beer comes in: they relax you, let you think wide & open-minded, enhance your creativity, dig out and unlock the inspiration from you... But if you're not creative, it will just enhance your non-creativity, if you're stupid, it will enhance your stupidity, etc. If that's a hack, then food&water are hack, 'cause they make you feel better then before consuming them, and they enhance your thinking capabilities too.

Don't get confused with an already creative and talented artist who is also a drug addict with someone who needs it in order to create. The guys you mentioned are great and I'm sure they would've been fine without the drink. But if I was diabetic and needed my diabetes medication so I could focus on writing - that doesn't mean my diabetes medication enhances my creativity.

 

[saads]

There are two problems with the whole drugs/music relationship. First of all, drugs don't necessarily enhance creativity to the effect that people believe they do. It has a lot to do with the stereotype. I'm not saying it's all crap; they do work, but not as much as most people think. It's not like you HAVE to be high to make good music.Secondly, the effects of different drugs vary on different people. It'll make some people feel more creative, and give pretty bad trips to others. So you can't say acid will make you more creative, or weed will make you write better songs. It varies from person to person.

 

[Big Izzy]

He does have a point, imo i think alcohol really does have a better impact. When i go to parties, and get drunk.. i cant stop throwing down spits, lol. When im high its like yeah... i wanna write music, stare at the pad for a while. Then go smoke another joint lol It depends really.

 

[grimtraveller]

Don't get confused with an already creative and talented artist who is also a drug addict with someone who needs it in order to create.

But the ultimate result will be the same. If someone needs drugs or drink in order to create, you could argue that they've got problems, without a doubt. But that's not the point. The point is, are they creating ? The answer is 'yes, yes they are'. Whether they are hacks because of this is irrelevant, almost. Well, OK, maybe not irrelevant, but subjective opinion. The need to take various substances to create has destroyed many sensitive and fine artists down the years. Hacks some of them may have been. But either way it doesn't matter because even if they needed their stash to create, they did create.

First of all, drugs don't necessarily enhance creativity to the effect that people believe they do. It has a lot to do with the stereotype. I'm not saying it's all crap; they do work, but not as much as most people think. It's not like you HAVE to be high to make good music.Secondly, the effects of different drugs vary on different people. It'll make some people feel more creative, and give pretty bad trips to others. So you can't say acid will make you more creative, or weed will make you write better songs. It varies from person to person.

True. But the argument about substances enhancing creativity isn't one of "you have to be high to make music". It's more subtle than that. When drugs and drink are part of one's life, you are tuned to that particular frequency and much of what you think and feel is connected to that.
Also, there's no guarantee that one will come up with stuff just because they're 'in that zone'. Syd Barrett was a legend in that regard.

 

[Prunepicker]

Does anyone else come up with great sounding songs/parts of
songs while under the influence? Do you think it just sounds better
because you are intoxicated or if you're actually coming up with
better sounding stuff. I find that when I drink, my songs are more
complex and original sounding I guess. Like some of the chords
that I create/find are really cool sounding. I know I'm not the only
one that drinks here

True story, I had a Health instructor in college tell us that
small amounts of alcohol does work on creativity and motor
skills. The key is small amounts.

What does it sound like when you're sober?

 

[PDP]

An interesting task would be to come up with people in music that are/were writers over the last 50 years that didn't at some point take drugs or drink booze to excess..

Frank Zappa

True story, I had a Health instructor in college tell us that
small amounts of alcohol does work on creativity and motor
skills. The key is small amounts.

What does it sound like when you're sober?

Right, it may help to come up with new ideas, creativity, improvisation, but I've never believed drugs or alcohol, makes things actually sound better. Other than that speed may make you play faster, your skill is your skill.

 

[Prunepicker]

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa didn't use drugs or alcohol. It certainly sounded like he did
but he didn't.

 

[Captain Ego]

This gets into another realm when you start looking for case-in-point examples. As there are many ways to interpret what constitutes an "artist" as opposed to a "performer" or "composer" and so on. It isn't just a musical thing, many of the most renowned poets, painters, authors, sculptors and musicians had some kind of substance issue, and not just modern 'rock' oriented music either. Mozart, Michaelangelo, Oscar Wild, Arthur Rimbaud, Bukowski, Burroughs, and probably many more that just aren't as public known for debaucherous lifestyles. While I agree with a formula-pop studi tool "artist" wouldn't need that kind of crutch... but I have always thought it is a certain type of personality, way of seeing the world - that leads people to powerful emotional releases in artistic forms - that same sensitivity to life and the world around them also leads to an enjoyment of escape, or maybe a percieved needfor escape, sometimes through reckless 'live now for now' activities like partying hard.

Physically I do feel a lot looser playing if I've had a couple beers before I take a stage, and mic banter is always more fun when I'm somewhere between sober and drunk - spontenaiety screams when I have less inhibitions and my mind just flows wherever instead of overanalyzing everything. I used to like smoking pot before doing guitar work because the stuff makes me very very inward with racing thoughts, instead of extroverted and boisterous I got really quiet and stared into space a lot while thinking about wierd stuff. but my dumb ass would always do something dumb like zone into a part for ten minutes before realizing that I had forgot to press record, or forget to arm a new track and oops record something over something I didn't want to.

 

[PDP]

Frank Zappa didn't use drugs or alcohol. It certainly sounded like he did
but he didn't.

Isnt that what I said ???

 

[Lt. Bob]

Isnt that what I said ???

yes it is what you said. And more than that, I believe you may have come up with a complete list!

 

[PDP]

yes it is what you said. And more than that, I believe you may have come up with a complete list!

Lol, I was gonna say Prince, but I'm not sure, he may have used in his early days, other than that I'm stumped!

 

[RAMI]

Zappa, Prince, Gene Simmons......I'm sure there are way more than people think.

 

[Prunepicker]

Isnt that what I said?

Yes, I misread your post.

 

[AlecBeretz]

substances will make you approach things differently. under the influence song writing works best with being mildly high, or buzzed. too much of a substance tends to kill your will to do stuff...

also don't use it as a crutch. led zeppelin wrote some kick ass songs under some powerful drugs (mostly acid) and now they're gonna be dying probably 20 years before they should. or maybe not. that dude from the rolling stones is still alive and im pretty sure he STILL does heroin.

also, write drunk edit sober. then try writing sober and editing drunk. you will get a WAY different product.

 

[captions87]

Ernest Hemingway said, "Write drunk; edit sober." That works for music if you have a method for recalling what you wrote, such as notation and/or sound recording. My experience has been that performances, as opposed to writing, are better done sober.

Great Hemingway quote. But I digress...

I've been indulging in the chronic for about five years or so, usually smoke a joint every couple days. I'm not really sure on protocol so I dunno if that classifies me under "stoner." But of those five years of weed smoking, the last three have been spent in a band. Within a band structure, I find that weed has benefitted me in a myriad of ways, such as:

-Performances: a few puffs definitely helps me get over any and all stagefright/nervousness, while still preserving the excitement of playing a show. Being that I am the singer and a guitarist in the band though, this is where moderation is definitely key, because if I space out too much, there will be some sloppy melodies goin around.

-Rehearsals/jamming: This is probably where it is the funnest to be high in a band. I've seriously lost count of the amount of amazing jam sessions and rehearsals that I've been at where myself and a few other bandmembers were stoney, and it produced some fun times. And in case you're wondering, I have been able to retain my memory over the years, and some of those jams have lived to become actual songs. Which brings me to my next point:

-Songwriting: Whether I am alone or writing with my bandmates, herb has played a role in the writing process. Again, moderation being the key, I do find that i prefer to smoke more when I'm writing solo, than when together. There's a reason I now refer to smoking as "getting inspired."