Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. It’s the endless cliché used to describe many a “Big nights out” in your local boozer, that inevitably ends in nothing but bad decisions, a sick headache and kebab laden breath. The relationship between Drugs and Rock Music however runs much deeper, and it’s effects have always been always monumental in shaping the landscape of not just bands, but entire Genre’s. Whilst in the world of pop, many acts will go out of their way to distance themselves from the debauched lifestyles of their rock cousins, in so many other walks of music it is positively encouraged. Genre’s such as Stoner Rock, and Acid house are not tongue in cheek, they are very literal in their interpretation of how the music chooses to exist, but is this relationship between Drugs and Music something to be celebrated as many would have us believe, or is it something that should be lambasted as childish?

The 60’s may be the decade that brought us The Beatles, a World Cup Win, Impossibly cool fashion and Flower Power, but it is also the first occasion in which drugs became a natural part of our culture. It’s synonymous with the swinging 60’s, and no one person sums up this time of patent Hippy-ism more than Jimi Hendrix. He was the Poster Boy for the free love era, and rightly so. His infectious riffs coupled with his iconic dress sense and his philosophy on life all come together to create the perfect flag bearer for a scary yet revolutionary time in modern human history. Hendrixs relationship with drugs was as varied as it was intense. No song better summarises this icons ideals than Purple Haze.

Ironically Hendrix always maintained this song was not about drugs, and was in fact about a dream he had in which he was walking underwater engulfed in, funnily enough, A Purple Haze. The dream was a traumatic experience and only his faith was able to save him. It is beautiful and very well thought out, but does sound like something that someone on LSD would say. The lyrics very vividly describe what many would interpret as an Acid trip. “Don’t know if i’m coming up or down” That says it all really.

Hendrix never openly took the time to glorify drugs, but it was always very prevalent in everything he did. From his fashion choices to the southern drawl that always appeared to be a step slower than everyone around him. The man was like a bad trip with incredible musical prowess. Kathy Etchingham, A friend of Hendrix, may of best summed up why Jimi relied on drugs to the degree he did, she claims that through his music he tried to interpret the things he would experience whilst in the most intense drug induced hallucinations, but as they had no base in the real world, they became almost impossible to understand. A beautiful sentiment that one could argue goes some of the way to explaining how someone could so easily play fast and loose with their life. It comes as no surprise to many that his demons eventually caught up to him, and on September 18th, 1970 he died with a mixture of drugs and alcohol in his system. It was an incredibly sad, yet fitting end for such an icon. Prolific in so many ways, but most importantly for the music he created. Would a tee total Hendrix ever of made it as far as he did? We’ll never know, his genius however is unquestionable, and no one can deny that what he did with a guitar still influences many people today, and possibly forever.

As the 60’s gave way to the 70’s peace and love fell out of favor, and the birth of heavy metal was brought along by four men from the grim north. Black Sabbath moved the goalposts for what a band could do. Using horror and darkness in their arsenal, they spoke to the alienated youth and gave them a voice. Unsurprisingly to anyone who knows the first thing about Sabbath, they also have a storied existence with narcotics, hell the first story that most people think of when they hear the name Ozzy Osbourne is the time he bit the head off of a Bat, subsequently having to go to the hospital to be treated for Rabies, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that those are not the actions of a sober man. Opposed to Hendrix, who at times found it difficult and perhaps didn’t chose to glorify them, Sabbath bloody loved them. Point in case, Sweet Leaf.

From the men who many argue created Heavy Metal comes the song that just as many claim created Stoner Rock, the opening of the song is a loop of Tony Iommi coughing from a joint he was smoking. The song is a love letter to the worlds most readily available (currently) illegal drug. The slow sludgy riff was less sinister than a lot of their previous work, and much more rosy. Sweet leaf T-Shirts, with a massive Cannabis leaf and the famous Sabbath logo have been available as late as 2012, showing testament to the staying power of the song and what it represents.

Black Sabbath are a band with enough stories that involve being high as a kite to fill a lifetime, and it’s a wonder that 40 years later, all the members are here to tell the tale. In recent years Ozzy Osbourne has done his best to try and sober up, but in the world of Metal where temptation greets you at every corner, it is never that easy, Osbourne relapsed in the early part of 2013, which is staggering when you consider he is a 65 year old man, and not just a kid from Birmingham trying to find his voice. In his own words – Alcoholism and Drug addiction are a sickness that should be feared. What would 1970 Osbourne would make of this is anyone’s guess, however it is undeniable that the pastime he so graciously loved in his youth eventually came back to be his biggest enemy in later life.

The all encompassing live fast, die young, come whatever may, ho hum, we are really rock and roll attitude of the previous decades was polarized in the 80’s with the beginning of the Hardcore Punk movement. Suddenly madness ensued and bands like Minor Threat were encouraging their fans to not only abstain from drugs, but alcohol and sex. Surely this was blasphemy in the church of Satan? Well fortunately a group of young upstarts from Los Angeles under the name of Motley Crue came to save the day. Suddenly there was a rift in the world of Rock. On one side you had the ultra glam, in your face and brightly coloured party bands going toe to toe with the Politically infused, visceral realists with the faithful X’s emblazoned across their hands, not just as a sign of membership, but as a badge of honour.

The hedonistic lifestyles of Crue are well documented. Every night was just another party, another faceless woman, and another hit. One such night put the band on the edge of tragedy, when bassist Nikki Sixx was pronounced dead in Hospital having overdosed on enough Cocaine to sink Colombia. It turns out however, much like Fawkes from Harry Potter but with a bit of a blow, he was revived, his life saved by an EMT with two shots of adrenaline injected directly into his heart. A life changing experience like dying would of course change your perspective on life and you would immediately give up the narcotics right? Nah, not Nikki, he left the hospital, got a cab and went straight back to another party. No time like the present right?

In recent years it seems that Crue have for the most part given up their crazy lifestyles. Sure there was that Tommy Lee sex tape with Pam Anderson, before she did all the plastic surgery, but that’s forgivable. The toll that these men have put on there lives must be substantial, but the message they leave behind is one of rebellion, one which encourages everyone to have a great time, and one which teaches us to live every moment because life is too short (Yolo). Isn’t it ironic?

Whilst this all sounds incredibly fun and equally dangerous, it had its detractors. On the other side stood Ian MacKaye and Minor Threat who took a completely different approach to the Rock and Roll lifestyle. Being around so much decadence has its down sides, and after seeing one too many friends crumble before his eyes from addiction, he chose to abstain from any substances that could control him. At first this personal conquest was nothing more than a way to broaden his own mind, but it started to catch on. Suddenly there was an uprising of disengaged youth whose ideals matched perfectly what Minor Threat were preaching. This worked perfectly in tandem with bands such as Black Flag, who’s enemies were not substance abuse, but in fact the abuse of authority. The anti-establishment roots of the Sex Pistols mixed with the self betterment movement of straight edge punk combined perfectly to create a subculture that knew what it wanted, and was willing to fight to get it.

The most obvious example of a song putting forth MacKayes ideals is strangely enough named “Straight Edge”

“I’m a person just like you,

but i’ve got better things to do,

then sit around and fuck my head,

hang out with the living dead”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OSnAPxyMzo

Admittedly it does come across as a tad preachy, but that’s what the people want, a fearless leader who’s not afraid to say what so many before them have been unable to. The straight edge society had been born, and it’s a testament to the strength of it’s roots that it still exists today, some 20 years later. Celebrities from Odd Futures perennial leader – and full time trouble maker – Tyler The Creator, all the way through to Metallica overlord and all round top guy – James Hetfield – are proudly flying the flag.

In music there seems to be two schools of thought. One is the ‘let’s not talk about drugs, but we will take shit loads of them and just hope no one notices’ and then there is the, ‘lets take shit loads and talk about them all the time and have lots of great fun’. System Of A Down are a band that quite comfortable fit into the second category. Cast your mind back to the scene in Wolf Of Wall Street, where after being sober for a few years, Jordin Belfort goes a bit doo-lalli and pulls a pillow case of Cocaine out of his couch, then proceeds to motorboat it. That scene is a beautiful visual representation of the early days of SOAD. Daron Malakian is possibly the best example of this, when stood next to him, its hard to tell if Serj or Shavo are sober, or just not on quite as much Acid.

They’re a difficult band to try and really nail down their views, whilst frequently mentioning drugs in all their songs, they are only ever used as a means to an end for their wider agenda. War. This makes it difficult to truly dictate what their opinions are, as a band they have appeared in High Times more than once, but when you’re System Of A Down, its pretty much a given that you have hung out with some trees at some point in your life.

Now if I could take off my amateur blogger hat for a moment, and put on my detective hat, I’ll break down some SOAD lyrics, in an effort to work out the Armenians thoughts on narcotics. The obvious song to look at would have to be “This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I’m On This Song”

“Gonorrhea gorgonzola

Gonorrhea gorgonzola

Single files of clean feedings”

Alright, that’s not really helped at all, but it is worth mentioning as frankly it’s hilarious. Now to get things back on track, the SOAD of 2013, whilst still incredibly capable of putting on a mind blowing show, are not as energetic, or frankly as balmy as the SOAD of the 90’s. Can this be attributed purely to drugs? Only they can truly answer that, but considering the often convoluted nature of their stance, that’s not likely to happen. Could it purely be down to the fact that they are now family men, or a lot older? All possibilities, but the signs seem to point towards a more sober, and less Wolf Of Wall Street, System Of A Down. Except Daron, he fucking loves Cocaine.

Another band that came along in the 90’s, riding in to the music scene inside of a trojan horse made entirely from Valium is NoFx. True punk in it’s most sincere form, they have made clear from a very early stage, they love drugs and take a lot of them too. Lead singer, Bassist and Punk king ‘Fat Mike’ was recently asked in a Reddit AMA how he decides his setlists. A good question when you consider the almost random nature of a NoFx show, his answer? “I usually take a valium and have a few vodka drinks and I write a setlist about an hour before the show. Then Hefe and Melvin come look at it and practice the songs that we haven’t played in a while. The drunker I get the more obscure songs I put in.” It’s this kind of unwavering honesty that people appreciate in modern punk.

The thing about NoFx that should be admired is, despite their very frank depictions of everything drug related, they advocate ‘handling your high’. Sure snort loads of Cocaine, snort it every day if you must, but as soon as it starts to effect your life for in a negative manner, you give it up. My first NoFx show was in 2012, and I will always remember how strange it was. The reason being that they had only been awake for about 30 minutes before coming on. “Hey guys, we only just got up, we haven’t even had any drugs yet”, Fat Mike proudly proclaimed to the Donnington faithfuls. It was a brief and insightful glimpse into what it means to be a modern day rockstar.

Despite this irreverent, almost irresponsible behaviour, it’s not like they don’t realise how badly things can spiral out of control. Doornails is a tender song in a sea of songs about ruddy politicians and other punk things. It’s a eulogy for their many friends who have all died, sadly, because of drugs. It’s a true testament to the power of great musicians when they can so beautifully give thanks to people who have done so much for them, in such a respectful and delicate manner. It’s songs like these that prove that not all people who choose to take drugs are self destructive and emotionally unstable.

Whilst it’s nice to talk about the seemingly consequence free antics of some bands, it’s never that simple. Case in point: Kurt Cobain. Without a doubt one of the most documented and discussed cases of drug abuse in music. Cobain suffered from a crippling Heroin addiction for the entire time he was in Nirvana. The man has whole books dedicated to his short but incredibly meaningful life, and rightly so. He was the spearhead of Grunge, an incredibly popular genre of music that took over the world for much of the 90’s. Metallica summed up Grunge perfectly when they admitted that it killed off Metal at the time. All of a sudden the leather studded jackets and codpieces of the late 80’s were being traded in, and everyone was shopping for flannel shirts at their local charity shop. Bands like Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden traded in flashy guitar solo’s for a raw, guttural distorted sound. It was real, it was angry and it was good.

Suffering from chronic pains brought on by bronchitis, and an underlying stomach condition that was never diagnosed. Drugs were Cobain’s escape, the effects they would have on his life were always transcribed eloquently into every song he would write. Whilst none of his music really deals with drug abuse in a frank nature, it is obvious that it took a massive toll on him. The early days of Nirvana were at times very tongue in cheek, and at the height of their popularity its hard to deny that on the face of things, Cobain struggled with the wave of popularity he was forced to surf on.

“I’m on warm milk and laxatives

Cherry-flavored antacids”

– Penny Royal Tea

These lyrics can be interpreted a number of ways, but one of the most popular theories is that they are the feelings of someone on massive Heroin withdraws, the debilitating stomach pains settling in and making it impossible to eat, or enjoy anything around you. Pennyroyal Tea as a song is devilishly macabre. Which doesn’t seem so strange when viewed through the prism of hindsight, it was one of the last songs written before Cobain died, and the tone of the whole album it came from shifted to a more gritty, realistic and grounded view when compared to the anthemic and anarchic ‘Nevermind’ before it.

Cobain’s life will always be the antithesis of true talent being ripped apart and destroyed by uncontrollable addiction. Along with Amy Winehouse, it’s hard to try and think of artists who had more potential and were idolized by so many, to then lose it all. Had Cobain been clean, would he of maintained the edgy and sophisticated style that he developed in his time on earth? It’s impossible to say, he had an ability to perfectly vocalise the feelings felt by the outsiders, the punk, goths and emo’s that were always left on the fringes of society. Would this have been possible had he been a completely together, normal 20 year old with a shitty job at a fast food restaurant? It’s hard to say. All that we can take away from his incredible life is that sometimes the sentiment ‘The beautiful ones are always taken early’ rings true in this scenario.

Whilst it’s important to remember that drugs are of course, by their very nature, bad for your health, it is with good reason so many people today choose to take them. There are people that would argue that Coffee, Fast food, Cigarettes and Alcohol are all just as bad, and it’s really quite subjective. Whats important to know, whether it be alcohol, or anything else in life is that you should always keep it together. Not knowing when to stop is what differentiates a super successful but borderline addict from becoming another tombstone in the graveyard of Rock and Roll.

@c_spearman