Have drugs ever enhanced your creativity as a songwriter or player ?

[jahey]

I agree with Jimmys69 statement.....have seen plenty of drunks,stoners,straights......the straights almost always play cleaner and sound better...the occasional stoner will pull off some great riffs and the drunks get worse as the session goes on.......Our singer had a "friend" along with him last tuesday evening and the guy was drinking moonshine.....he was a mess when he got there and I had to cut things short as he was falling off the stools in the studio......just wanted the whole mess to go away.....I told the singer never again.....he was embarrassed.......everyone has their vice.....just keep it under control !!!

 

[namnibor]

As a synth player and the particular brain that was installed at birth on this Earth, I simply have too many different synth user interfaces, midi crap to make sure that's spot-on, that what works for me is my drug of choice, caffeine. Yep, am a coffee head and know my limits even with that. Now, am certainly no prude in that having had a LOT of fun particularly in the 80's, still though to this day, even a little toke simply kills my motivation and I prefer to listen to music rather than play it. That's just me and would never judge nor project what works for me onto another.

With that said though, in one band I was in with other military guys and we indeed played the hell out of the local and surrounding areas, we had a drummer whom was a *great* drummer as well as a versatile male vocalist whom both would usually begin at practice or playing out with intentions of just a beer or two. Well, that limit with these two was never a limit and often the drummer would start to be off on his timing, even though he thought he was the cat's meow. Meanwhile, after several more beers our lead singer would very often start to forget lyrics here and then and even his clever attempt to ad lib to unfortunately, well-known tunes, being mostly a cover band then, ended-up not so much a pretty picture. When you are in a situation where you have to lug your gear to a practice place that is not permanent, i.e. not your own, that repeat/rinse scenario becomes tiring and can create those thorny tensions that kills the needed cohesion and synergy needed. It ended-up being the end of our endeavors, even though we were at a point then of writing own material and were in a good position to play a set chain of owned clubs from this company in upper half of State of Maine, USA. That was a lesson observed and taken to heart for rest of life.
Does this mean all intoxicated or otherwise players would have same affects on their playing...hell no and I remain open-minded. However, like a lot of creative people, I awake in middle of night and get up and play, experiment with those incoming stream of creative ideas or write, and for me at least, absolutely do not need anything other than coffee to stimulate my brain or energy drinks. If I went with my desire to actually enjoy a good toke as a daily thing, at least personally, I would not certainly be very motivated...but 'comfortably numb' at a concert is an entirely different thing.
I like what Jimmys69 wrote as it makes a whole lot of sense. We all have to know our own limits and respect the choices of others.
Having said all this, am seriously considering moving to Colorado with their new laws on the book for that freedom as there's way too many uptight and conservative States in USA that can never see them near future even supporting medical use of a good toke or edible.

 

[K Road]

Notwithstanding any harmful effects, do you feel any drug ever has ?
And would you ever actually recommend drugs of any description ?

A definitive and resounding: yes - absolutely. Recommend? Never!

 

[xcracer]

Leave the weed, shrooms and other minds bending stuff to the listener. You cab use the money you saved on gear...We will wait and see if Colorado will be the next place for musical talent now that everyone has a joint.....

 

[JimmyS1969]

I can really only judge my creativity by the path that I have followed.

Short story:

Wake n bake with weed from 10-14 years of age. Many a hallucinogenic drugs from then to 18. Much too much smoking of coke til 19. Then I found a band that had possibilities. Even with what seemed like perfect management for my band, it inevitably fell apart. That was 25 years ago.

In between then and now, years of alcohol and twisted cocktails of broken dreams occurred.

To the point of whether drugs enhanced creativity or songwriting? I don't fucking know really. It didn't work out like I had planned though.

I feel more comfortable now recording others projects with perspective of 'not' being as high as I was when I was expecting to be a rock star of sort.

I suppose I never did enough nor became popular enough to be an icon of drug use?


We all learn from our mistakes. Drug use was a big one that fucked me. Whatever anyone uses as inspiration is up to them. I make no judgements there.

That being said, I know many that still use, and are making a living playing and recording. Every person has their own level of usage that makes them feel comfortable. Whether the drugs make them more creative or not, is not up to others to decide. Each individual makes that decision themselves. If it don't work, well we are there to judge them and tell them they suck right? lol!

I can say that I have recorded failed attempts of tracks in my studio due to drunk players. The stoned ones tend to be more on top of things, but the ones who actually show up to play, without medication are the ones who shine always.

Bumping because this is what I found to be reality.

 

[John Smiff]

Alcohol? No. Never helped anything, creativity, playing, etc....

Drugs? Hell Yes. But only when it's new. What I mean is, when I haven't smoked in a while, and then get high and it's new again, I'm really creative and come up with riffs melodies, and ideas that I would have never come up with straight....and they sound awesome the next morning and months later.

But, if I start doing drugs every day, it starts numbing my creativity. So, I stop for a while. After a few months, I start again, and the creativity comes back.

So, basically, drugs help me when they're "new" and hurt me when they're routine.

 

[jamusic]

Alcohol? No. Never helped anything, creativity, playing, etc....

Drugs? Hell Yes. But only when it's new. What I mean is, when I haven't smoked in a while, and then get high and it's new again, I'm really creative and come up with riffs melodies, and ideas that I would have never come up with straight....and they sound awesome the next morning and months later.

But, if I start doing drugs every day, it starts numbing my creativity. So, I stop for a while. After a few months, I start again, and the creativity comes back.

So, basically, drugs help me when they're "new" and hurt me when they're routine.

+1

Well written.
My sentiments exactly.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Notwithstanding any harmful effects, do you feel any drug ever has ? I don't mean this as a general question initially, I mean it specifically to you.
And would you ever actually recommend drugs of any description ?

Absolutely. The ones that keep me alive, particularly Metformin, Lantus, and Humalog. Do I recommend them? Yes sir- if you're diabetic. Oh-*recreational drugs*! Only good if music is your recreation. If you just want to have a good time, you'll probably suck, but have a good time playing wasted. If it's your job, probably not. Much better for watching ski jumping than for doing it.

 

[JG96]

I think only Keith Richards can say successfully that heroin has made him the multi millionaire that he is today.

Keith Richards and a whole lot of mob bosses. Drugs can be a commodity which can in effect enhance creativity. Money=more gear/more lessons. More gear/more lessons=Better sounding music.

 

[muttley600]

Keith Richards is a living (just) example of why not to do dugs. Never mind what he looks like his playing has gone from mediocre to down right abysmal.

 

[Armistice]

Keith Richards is a living (just) example of why not to do dugs. Never mind what he looks like his playing has gone from mediocre to down right abysmal.

Does he still actually play live, or do they have someone behind the scenes playing his bits..or some of them?

 

[muttley600]

Does he still actually play live, or do they have someone behind the scenes playing his bits..or some of them?

Honestly the whole Stones thing leaves me cold like many other ageing reputation trading bands. I get beaten about this all the time especially when I point out that the Beatles were also over rated. Like most bands they were OK for one maybe two albums but thats enough for anyone. McCartney was cringe worthy when he did that Olympic gig and he still went on to do that Jubilee gig. What a numbnut...