Which is the best for having a great band?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

[gmoney]

1. Good songs and talent?

Nah, forget about it

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. What are you smoking (notice that wasn't an option)

:)

[sendero]

3. Over the years.....

.... I've noticed that artists I really like did their best work when they were using heroin. Clapton, Richards, Cornwell, Nowell, various jazz greats, I could go on and on.

I am NOT ADVOCATING the use of ANY drug. I am not necessarily suggesting that the heroin heightened the creativity of these artists. Perhaps it is merely the misery involved. Any recovered junkie will tell you how miserable the whole experience is, and many artists will tell you that psychic pain is one of the best motivators to create a great piece of music, lyric or prose.

Just an observation. Most of my favorite artists don't admit to using anything :)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

4. Bird, Miles and a thousand others made great music on smack BUT Trane

made much better music after he quit cold turkey (Miles did too)

[NNadir]

6. Absolutely true.

[miss_kitty]

5. Gotta ride that horse baby

I of course voted for Jesus-ah!

No! Wait! It was heroin...:eyes:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. THE ANSWER IS SATAN YOU FOOLS! He's the sweetest drug there is!

:evilgrin:

[JimmyJazz]

8. according to Joe, smack was great for jazz artists because it

allowed them to "float" over the music, but really, really bad for drummers. That's all I know. Why are you even asking such a question. Drugs are bad, except perhaps those that are found in nature and just happen to have hallucinagenic qualities...

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

10. 101er - welcome to me - the devil's advocate. Just as señor Strummer is

your man - Coltrane is mine (Avatar and Sig line :) ) He made his best music after quitting cold turkey. In fact he split the universe in half and channeled God/Brahma/the Great Spirit/Satan/Nothing - what ever you call the universe with his pure playing. I just love to fuck around love - see what happens when I "stay up" :P

ps - I think that is a demeaning quote. Charlie Parker did more than "float" over the music. I'll send you dozens of cds to prove it. Plus Art Blakey, "philly" Joe Jones and many many other drummers killed it stoned to the gills on junk.

[JimmyJazz]

15. He was speaking more in terms of the negative impact the drug

was having on his drummer at the time. As a drummer you have to be able to hit the drums like hammering a nail and one cannot do that when high on herion. It's a brief quote from a brief interview, so please don't be too upset with the guy.

[On the Road]

9. I'm the Only Vote for LSD?

Think of all the acid-inspired musicians of the 60's. None of those other chemicals will broaden your artistic palette like that.

[Mr. Blonde]

11. Seems like weed should be on the list

Most bands become famous when all they can afford is weed. Notice Led Zeppelin's best work comes before Heroin.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. Incorrect - weed and booze are not choices - why?

I don't know

[YellowRubberDuckie]

12. Yep. Some bands have no talent without the heroin.

Case in point? The post heroin Stone Temple Pilots.
Duckie

[bloodyjack]

14. Jesus, obviously

Haven't you heard any late 70s Dylan? DUH

Really, though, I voted Jesus because some of the best music (lyrics-wise) has those perennial themes of benediction/damnation/redemption, though it doesn't necessarily have to be overtly Christian like Jars of Clay or crap like that

I refer you to Will Oldham and Johnny Cash

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

16. I love Cash's christian stufff - but Black Sabbath made the most out of

Satan :evilgrin:

[Squeech]

17. It's well known that the Sabs didn't mean it

There's a wonderful story that, after a gig, they came back to their hotel (considerably drunk) and found a coven holding some sort of ceremony in the corridor outside their rooms. There was a big black candle burning in the midst of their ritual. The guys in the band just waddled up, sang "Happy Birthday," blew out the candle, and retired to their rooms.

My actual vote is for acid, but they'll all work if you're wired that way. My feeling is that musicians (all artists, really) have an easier time getting their feelings out when they can shut off the superego, the internal critic, and many feel that drugs will do that. There are side effects, of course :-(

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

18. Yeah - see Brian Wilson or Syd Barrett

I know about Sabbath - it always cracks me up!

[asthmaticeog]

19. Pabst Blue Ribbon in cans.

Indispensable rehearsal accoutrement -- I owe it my career, such as it is.