The Ongoing History of New Music Encore Presentation: Rock’n’Roll Drugs
There are many ways to clear or expand your mind to allow the free-flow of creativity: exercise, meditation and prayer are but three. But that takes exertion, practice and devotion. What if there was a simpler way?
Well, there is: drugs. It’s not the smartest choice, but for centuries drugs have worked for artists.
We can go all the way back to cave paintings made in France, Spain, Italy, Southern Africa and the Americas 50,000 years ago. Some anthropologists claim that these paintings were made after these ancient artists took drugs, probably some kind of hallucinogenic mushrooms or plant extract. Why? Because many of these paintings all feature specific geometric shapes and images that researchers say are common visions resulting from the ingestion of certain mind-altering chemicals. In other words, some of humankind’s first artists were junkies.
Art, genius and drugs have gone together ever since. Not always, but more than you may realize. Which brings me to the world of rock’n’roll. Rock stars often use drugs for recreation, inspiration and escape, just like those cave people 500 centuries ago.
But which rock stars, which drugs and why? That’s what we’re going to investigate in a show that’s part chemistry, part psychiatry and part warning. Welcome to a primer on rock’n’roll drugs.
Songs from this episode:
Queens of the Stone Age, Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Velvet Revolver, Slither
Bob Marley, Jammin’
Oasis, D’Ya Know What I Mean?
RHCP, Under the Bridge
Happy Mondays, Step On
Third Eye Blind, Step On
Hole, Asking for It
Eric Wilhite, who takes it upon himself to create playlists for the show, provided this.
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