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Rock and Roll on Drugs

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Submitted By axon22
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Abstract
Throughout all of history people have been using and experimenting with drugs especially artists and musicians. Numerious musician have reluctantly admitted to or actually proclaimed their use of drugs. The general conscious of these “artists” is that their drug use has unlocked a higher level of creativity. As trendsetters and role models this use of drugs was emulated by audiences across the United States and Great Britain. To such a point as references to mind altering drugs were appearing in Beats poems and essays and even protest songs of the middle 1950s. As music progressed through the year’s drug use (by artists and fans) and references became more mainstream. This paper will look at two specific band, The Beatles and the Grateful Dead.

Rock and Roll on Drugs
Drug use and music have been intertwined for many years. This use whether illegal or legal has had both positive and negative impacts on the artists and their success. While the creative juices may be flowing while under the influence of drugs the final outcome (maybe years down the road) almost always ends on a negative note.
Even dating back to 1830 when Hector Berlioz wrote his most famous work “Symphonie Fantastique” he detailed the effects of an opium induced dream, specifically in the fourth movement. In an interview on June 16, 1967, Paul McCartney was asked if he ever took drugs, he said “After I took it (LSD), it opened my eyes. We only use one-tenth of our brain. Just think what we could accomplish if we could only tap that hidden part. It would mean a whole new world." (Spangler, 1967) During the late 1960s there was a counterculture, teens of the day were disillusioned with society, the Vietnam War and the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert F Kennedy. To deal with these realities they turned to drugs that got progressively stronger. This was all intertwined with the Psychedelic era of rock and roll. Two bands in particular were at the apex of this era, The Beatles and The Grateful Dead.
The Beatles
One of the clearest examples of music influenced by drugs would have to be the Beatles. As stated earlier Paul McCartney admitted to using LSD, but this was not the only drug that the band experimented with. It is documented that their drug use started with Benzedrine, before they were famous. Royston Ellis, a Beat poet showed them that the drug could be found in a disassembled Vick’s inhaler. According to Lennon, "everyone thought, 'Wow! What's this?' and talked their mouths off for a night." (Beatles Bible) While playing in the all night bars of Hamburg they were then introduced to Preludin an Amphetamine based German diet pill. John Lennon is quoted as saying “You'd take the pill, you'd be talking, you'd sober up, you could work almost endlessly - until the pill wore off, then you'd have to have another.”
The band also tried Cannabis or Marijuana several time in the early sixties but they really got turned on to it by Bob Dylan on August 28, 1964. When Dylan met the Beatles in their room his was shocked when they told him that they had never smoked marijuana before. Dylan went on to misquote the lyrics to “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” as “when I touch you I get high, I get high..." instead of 'I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide...”. (Beatles Bible) After smoking several joints Paul McCartney exclaimed, I am “thinking for the first time, really thinking” and instructed their road manger to follow him and write down all of his ideas. The use of Cannabis was evident in several early songs, like “Got to get you into my life” (ode to cannabis), “With a little help from my Friends” and “She’s a Woman”
In the spring of 1965, John Riley slipped LSD to John, his wife, George and his girlfriend for their first experience. Riley’s plans failed and the group left his flat after they ingested the drug in their coffee. They ended up traveling to several London nightclub and tripped all night long. Their second encounter was in August 1965 were Ringo also tried it but Paul declined until much later on. It wasn’t until March 21, 1967 when Paul took his first dose, only to join John who mistakenly took it himself during the recording of “Getting Better”. Their use of LSD declined during the 1967 “Summer of Love” and on August 26th of that year they renounced the use of drugs, this proclamation was short lived. The group also experimented with Cocaine and Heroin. John’s heroin addiction is evident in several of the song on the “White” album.
LSD was the most influential drug on their songwriting. The song “Day Tripper” is about someone who failed to fully embrace the hippy lifestyle. Also “Tomorrow Never Knows” is adapted from the Leary and Alpert’s 1964 book “The Psychedelic Experience”.
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead is another example, but the influence of drugs is more on their audience then the music. Yes their songs are about drug use, specifically LSD and “tripping”, but that was always the same from the beginning. The band got its start as the Warlocks, playing as the house band for the Kesley Acid tests in late 1964. (Dahl, 2012) These “tests” were actually LSD or Acid parties thrown by The Merry Pranksters, a group of individuals from the Beat generation. As the Warlocks transitioned into the Grateful Dead they continued to be connected with the LSD scene and draw these audiences well past the sixties. Going to a Grateful Dead show was an experience in itself, to goal was for the whole audience to share a psychedelic journey into the mind. This journey was an acid induced hallucinogenic trip. As you listen to the music of Jerry Garcia and the band you will notice a distinct difference between what was recorded in the studio and what was played live. The live music was filled with improvising, some songs were 20-30 minutes long when heard live and they were always different but the same in a weird way. When compared with other “psychedelic” bands of the 60’s they sound conventional, they just sound like the blues-country influenced rock band. But if you listen closely there are subtle hints of being psychedelic, they are just more complex. A live version of “Dark Star” or “Space” are fine example of this. “Only a band with experience from altered states of consciousness can sound that way” (Dahl, 2012)
Their fans were called Deadheads and they were almost fanatical about their love for the Dead. They would follow the band from city to city living out of cars and busses, living communally as their own subculture. The life revolved around a sense of community and the quest for the collective ecstasy of the group. There are many similarities between Deadheads and the Rave culture in Britain during the 1980’s, known as Acid House. (Dahl, 2012)
Jerry Garcia, the front man for the band really saw the dark side of drugs and addiction. He struggled with a heroin addiction that landed him in the hospital several times. One time he was actually in a diabetic comatose for four days, brought on by his heroin use. On August 9, 1995 Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack while in rehab. This no was doubted related to years of drug abuse. The band has even been known to take LSD during their live shows to bring them to an altered state. After Jerry’s death the band attempted to continue is several variations, but never really captured the same feel.
Final Cut
The Beatles and the Grateful Dead were both heavily influenced by drugs but differently. The Beatle on one hand used drugs more for their pleasure and their use didn’t impact the music till the later days. While the Grateful Dead was involved with drugs from the beginning specifically LSD and psychogenic drugs and did it to cater to their subculture of Deadheads. Lennon’s heroin use in the later days is what lead to him creatively withdrawing from the Beatles and possibly leading to their split. Garcia’s heroin use lead to his death and the downward spiral of the Dead. On either side of the coin both bands produced some spectacular music while under the influence of drugs.
References
Lombardi, M. (2011, January 1). History of Music on Drugs. Rock World Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from http://www.rockworldmagazine.com/history-of-music-on-drugs/
Spangler, J. (1967, June 19). Paul McCartney Interview: LSD and Journalism 6/19/1967 - Beatles Interviews Database. Retrieved August 13, 2014, from http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1967.0619.beatles.html
The Beatles and drugs | The Beatles Bible. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/drugs/
Dahl, H. (2012, January 1). The Continuous Trip. An Essay on Deadheads. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.theoaktreereview.com/deadheads.html

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