DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!! And the rockers who loved them (and some who still do)!!!

[ABlairican Pie]

Yeah, that's a pretty provocative thread title, but sex, drugs, and rock and roll seem to go along as part of this unholy trinity (but we won't discuss the first one). But which artists were or are associated with a certain drug of choice, and often not with pleasant results?

Let us take a look. Of course, none of this is an endorsement in any way.

Heroin:

For the past several decades, this particular vile opioid was the bane of many rockers' existence, many of whom had died from it. Others went through severe addictions from which they successfully conquered. Here is a list of many who became slave to the Devil's needle:

Layne Staley: The original lead singer of Alice In Chains, one of the bands which put Seattle "grunge" on the map (though they began as a rather dark glam band in the late 80's) made a career out of documenting his harrowing addictions on the band's albums, particularly 1992's "Dirt". After the band's final album with him in 1995, the band went on an indefinite hiatus while Staley languished from his habit. His health deteriorated before he was found dead in April 2002 in his University District in Seattle. He had been missing for weeks, and coroners determined he may have had died on the anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide earlier that month.

Kurt Cobain: It is no secret that Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was addicted to heroin, which he began taking to treat his upset stomach which made it hard for him to eat. Tragically, he took an exceptionally lethal dose when he used the shotgun which ended his life. Was the dose used to soften the blow? In any case, the death of Nirvana's frontman underscored the grim reality of Seattle's affinity with heroin. And he was not alone in this.

Andrew Wood: The first (near) star of the rising Seattle scene in the late 1980's was the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood, a flamboyant frontman whose death from an overdose in early 1990 coincided with the release of the band's first album. Mother Love Bone was slated to put Seattle on the map, but unfortunately, tragedy took place instead. However, the surviving members eventually regrouped, with a new lead singer under the name which would rival Nirvana's success in the coming year: Pearl Jam.

Phil Anselmo: The lead singer of Texas' own "Cowboys From Hell" Pantera fronted a rising band with an intense performance. They were the lone holdouts of the thrash metal/"power groove" genre in the early/mid 90's when Anselmo then complained of back injuries sustained from his extreme energetic live show. His doctors urged him to take time off to recover. Anselmo, seeking a "second opinion", decided to take heroin during the tour for the band's "Far Beyond Driven" tour. His bandmates were unaware of his activities until the day of the band's homecoming show in 1996 when they found out he was dying of a potentially lethal dose to where his body turned blue. He was fortunately revived, but his addiction eventually led to the breakup of Pantera, and according to some members of the band and insiders, was to blame for the tragic shooting and death of Dimebag Darrell at a DamagePlan by a deranged fan.

Eric Clapton: "Slowhand"'s love for George Harrison's wife Patty Boyd affected Clapton so severely that he took heroin to cope with it. He eventually overcame his addiction.

Boy George: Culture Club's lead singer was embroiled in controversy when some persons close to him had either died or were found addicted to heroin at his premises during the 80's. For years, Boy George battled his addiction to heroin, often being seen nodding off inexplicably during filmed interviews. As of last note, he appears to have overcome his addictions.

There are many other users and victims of heroin, but this is a list of a few major figures.

[ABlairican Pie]

Cocaine:

This has been a favorite of many rockers due to its effects of increased energy and euphoria, often a sense of "invincibility" and intense pleasure.

Black Sabbath: In 1972, while recording their "Black Sabbath Vol. 4" album in Los Angeles, the band became extremely engrossed in rampant cocaine abuse during and after the sessions. This affected the quality of the music, which yielded one major song "Snowblind", based on their fascination for the drug ("Snow" = cocaine). On the album's liner notes, the band thanked the "COKE-Cola Company of Los Angeles". But, as drummer Bill Ward eventually noted, their massive experimentation in many ways the beginning of the end for the band. The band would face creative block and frustration, as well as money problems, during the coming year until the next album.

David Bowie: During the mid-70's, during the recording of "Station To Station", David Bowie was so addicted to the powdery drug that he in fact did bowls of it, according to friends and insiders such a Mick Jagger. His cocaine use was so prevalent that it affected his recording and performance.

[Fleet]

Why do rich and famous musicians turn to drugs? (Celebrities, too.)

I would be satisfied being rich and famous!

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally Posted by Fleet

Why do rich and famous musicians turn to drugs? (Celebrities, too.)

I would be satisfied being rich and famous!

Fortunately, Ted Nugent, a proud conservative, has never used drugs, and has a low opinion of those who do.

I think sometimes that people who are rich and famous feel they have to use drugs to deal with their fame and wealth, or are just bored and looking for things to entertain themselves.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

Fortunately, Ted Nugent, a proud conservative, has never used drugs, and has a low opinion of those who do.

Ted Nugent sucks hard core and he's also a weirdo koo koo bird. I don't care what he has to say about anything.

[ABlairican Pie]

More rockers who turned to cocaine:

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Elton John

Eric Clapton (his hit "Cocaine" was in fact written by blues rocker JJ Cale)

This is a very partial list, but who HASN'T touched in rock and roll?

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

Ted Nugent sucks hard core and he's also a weirdo koo koo bird. I don't care what he has to say about anything.

But we all listened to him in the 70's and thought he was great. Let's just say he is outspoken. For Ted Nugent to say what he does in his online commentaries is pretty tame compared to what a lot of people in rock and roll say due to drugs and the like.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

But we all listened to him in the 70's and thought he was great. Let's just say he is outspoken. For Ted Nugent to say what he does in his online commentaries is pretty tame compared to what a lot of people in rock and roll say due to drugs and the like.

I never thought he was great. I always thought his music sucked, so I didn't like him then, but once I found out that he would kill innocent animals with a bow and arrow, I hated him.

So I never liked him anyway.

[ABlairican Pie]

LSD:

LSD, the German acronym for lysergic acid diethlamide, is one of the most powerful and potent psychedelics ever created. Formed from ergot fungus, the short term for the drug, acid, lent its name to a subgenre of rock and roll in the '60's, "acid rock", where music was created to replicate the effects of its use. Many rockers and fans claimed to experience God by using it.

Many artists were credited with popularizing it:

The Beatles --changed rock and roll from "innocent" bubblegum pop-rock in the mid-60's when they began to discover that the drug's psychedelic properties gave them the ability to think deeper than before and experience more.. The song "Tomorrow Never Knows" is thought of as being one of the first acid-rock songs.

Syd Barrett --Pink Floyd's original guitarist was an eccentric, gifted type who was ejected from the band after the release of their first album, "Piper At the Gates Of Dawn", in 1968, due to his unstable behavior from LSD. The drug made him practically insane and unable to focus. After he left the band, he attempted a failed attempt at a solo music career and eventually became a recluse until his death in 2006. Many believed he had already died years before. Pink Floyd wrote many songs in tribute to him, including "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

Barrett's performances were so hampered by his excessive use of LSD that he would slather a huge handful of Brylcreme into his hair, and under the hot lights onstage, it would melt into his face and create a bizarre, glazed look, making him appear unearthly. Often while under the influence of the drug, he would simply play one chord over and over, completely disconnected from the rest of the band, who became exasperated with him.

[ABlairican Pie]

LSD (continued):

Events such as Woodstock were a complete heyday for the use of drugs such as LSD. It was reported that Roger Daltrey of The Who was "tripping balls" heavily while the band performed their late night performance. Carlos Santana insisted on playing while completely stoned during his set. Rumors abounded that water and backstage beverages were spiked with LSD.

[Wawwie]

Did Bon Scott (ACDC) die of drugs or alcohol?

[ABlairican Pie]

Marijuana

As opposed to the other illicit pharmaceuticals above, pot has been lauded as a more organic psychedelic substance. Many persons applauded the legalization, and pending legalization in some states, citing that it is "safer" than alcohol.

Here is a list of a few bands and performers who testify to its importance:

Black Sabbath --The band's third album "Master Of Reality" opens with guitarist Tony Iommi coughing loudly while smoking a joint in the beginning song "Sweet Leaf". The track has been a sort of "stoner anthem" for decades, with a heavy, sluggish, drone-y feel. The song's title was in fact taken from a British cigarette brand called Sweet Afton.

Interestingly, there is a brand of tea on the market now named Sweet Leaf. Intentional?

Dimebag Darrel --the late guitarist of Pantera, whose name was originally Darrel Abbott, was nicknamed Dimebag after his tendency to purchase a ten-dollar bag of marijuana locally (a "dimebag"). After the band was signed to a major label, in the press, Dime was always referred to the more "family-friendly" moniker "Diamond Darrell", until he insisted on changing it to Dimebag. He championed weed as being a safer, more organic substance and was completely opposed to the use of harder drugs. He said he had seen too many casualties from harder drug use, including his own bandmate Phil Anselmo with his use of heroin.

[ABlairican Pie]

On a related note to a previous category:

Ants

As a matter of fact, in one instance live insects were the drug of choice for one famous rock and roll libertine: Ozzy Osbourne. In 1984, during his tour where Motley Crue opened for him, while bassist Nikki Sixx of the Crue was drinking and snorting cocaine, Ozzy, clearly intoxicated, reportedly got off the tour bus and proceeded to snort up a line of ants by the roadside.

It was the best of times, it was the best of times.

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

Did Bon Scott (ACDC) die of drugs or alcohol?

Alcohol

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

Fortunately, Ted Nugent, a proud conservative, has never used drugs, and has a low opinion of those who do.

I think sometimes that people who are rich and famous feel they have to use drugs to deal with their fame and wealth, or are just bored and looking for things to entertain themselves.

Yes, that's true. Some (wisely) avoid drugs.

Right, many used drugs due to being bored and maybe thinking that they can't be harmed.