Jump to content

Why did Zep do drugs?


McSeven

Recommended Posts

it's a sad fact, but drug use and *life* go hand in hand!

it's not just something that affects musicians and stars

they are more prone because they have easy access and money

don't feel sorry for/or question them, as they are the weakest of the bunch

i'm sure it must be hard living with millions in the bank

the pressure must be awful, so escape is obviously needed

How can you say drug use and life go hand in hand? I live my life without drugs as do many people. Not sure what you mean by that.

Addictions aren't just about people being weak. Yes we all know the dangers of using drugs and that they can be addictive. Many people can use them recreationally without any issue but some people have that, I'm not sure if it's some sort of addictive "gene" or what but whatever it is, the situation becomes beyond the point of being able to control it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all,,

I know that we all have different reasons for doing drugs and what not. Any speculation on why they did them?

For anyone not having lived thru the 60's/70's,they were there, and they were cheap,and people gave this to you.Robert smoked pot before he joined Zep!

Back then we were warned,but when you 19 years old,nothing can harm you.

Did Zep do drugs to help them with their creativity, and if so if they never did them, would we have never heard the greatness of thier music. I have a co-worker said that they did drugs to help their creativity.

Let's get this straight people,some great music has been made/recorded when artist have been drunk/high/snorting/shooting.That is the truth.I'm not condoning it that is what happened.Ask Lou Reed,...

I would like to believe that it was there,not just the 'influence'

I say that it was the culture of what they were sorunded by. They just went over board sometimes.

That 'culture' is still around today.

KB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you had read my post, I said that I DON'T condone drug use. I don't use them, never have; and I wouldn't suggest them to anyone. They can potentially do more harm than they can good. It's a person's one choice for them to do drugs, I'm not going to preach to them the harm that drugs can bring, they know it. I won't be the one to get on a person unless they really are killing themselves. I don't encourage drug use, I don't agree with it. Just next time, please read my post.

Also, McSeven:

ITTOD was mostly created by an undrugged Zep. JPJ and Robert were the main creators of the albums. JPJ wasn't ever really into drugs, and this was after Robert gave drugs up because of Karac's death. Bonzo and Jimmy were rarely around to help because they were off on escapes with drugs. I don't know much about the drug usage during Presence. I know the album was being worked on with Robert in a wheelchair because of the accident.

You said "It's just if everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't they? "

I said "Because it is a stupid thing to do, in my opinion."

Hi 'lzfan715'

This is the part of your post I was refering to, so you see I did read your post, did you?

Regards, Danny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi 'eternal light'

You might have missed my point there. The first ten examples are if you self administer. The next part are if are told to take them by a doctor. If you are level headed and you dont have an addictive nature (includes chockolate and sweets) or mental problems then I would say you can take drugs administered by yourself, but keep it real as even canabis can get a hold of you and before long the pleasure has gone and you are only taking them to become "normal" again.

Find something else to do, in the long run you know it makes sence, unless you want to die young or seriously damage your health. I know I dont, never did, then i'm lucky, I have that special gift, i'm clever. ;)

Regards, Danny

Even clever people must watch for side effects. Having a competent doctor to 'proofread' self-medication every so often helps to keep the wheels balanced. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You said "It's just if everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't they? "

I said "Because it is a stupid thing to do, in my opinion."

Hi 'lzfan715'

This is the part of your post I was refering to, so you see I did read your post, did you?

Regards, Danny

I also said it was part of the surrounding culture.

Is this argument really worth it? It isn't to me, feel free to argue with yourself.

I know what I meant, you know what you mean. Can we agree to disagree?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why did they use..... :blink:

Drugs have been used for ages. Many artists, writers, musicians, etc. used them.

So what.

We all know what can happen with excess. IMHO alcohol is by far the WORST drug there is.

Jimmy has been quoted about his drug use many times. And as you all know, he doesn't regret it.

:wizard:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe it was the culture. And if you think it still isn't in the rock world culture, then I guess you think there are no more groupies. :o

I'm just really glad Page's excessive indulgence didn't take his life. The world would have lost a brilliant musician/artist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why did they use..... :blink:

Drugs have been used for ages. Many artists, writers, musicians, etc. used them.

So what.

We all know what can happen with excess. IMHO alcohol is by far the WORST drug there is.

Jimmy has been quoted about his drug use many times. And as you all know, he doesn't regret it.

:wizard:

I completely agree. I know that many other drugs do horrible things but there are more alcohol related deaths than all the hard drugs combined. It tears up family, ruins lives, kills, poisons, it's just a terrible drug. It's completely legal, that is what gets me. It's socially acceptable. It's just like anything else, in moderation it's fine. I really don't care if people drink I just wish there was a better way to control it. My grandpa drinks all the time and I hate being around him when he is drunk. He is so mean and rude. One or two drinks is one thing, drinking to get trashed out of your mind is another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was always under the impression that Jimmy was a little more cultured and refined when it came to drug taking in the 1960's. I'm sure it was Pamela Des Barres who said he preferred a nice glass of wine than getting high - that's not to say he never did, though. The Warhol/Yardbird picture proves he liked the occasional joint.

Again, just my impression, but he seemed a lot more clean cut until about '73 when they toured with the infamous 'coke lady'. I know he started to use coke heavily around then. And, I may get some stick for this, but it's always been my belief that Jimmy took heroin (aside from Cole introducing it to him) because he was emulating, so to speak, Aleister Crowley - an addict himself. William Burroughs was also an addict, and he at least respected him enough to be interviewed for Creem. These were the kind of people that Jimmy admired and I don't think he saw heroin as something dirty and a bit dodgy, but perhaps, something that would enhance his mystique, give him some of their 'sophistication' and further open his 'doors of perception'.

Entirely my own thinking, mind you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was always under the impression that Jimmy was a little more cultured and refined when it came to drug taking in the 1960's. I'm sure it was Pamela Des Barres who said he preferred a nice glass of wine than getting high - that's not to say he never did, though. The Warhol/Yardbird picture proves he liked the occasional joint.

Again, just my impression, but he seemed a lot more clean cut until about '73 when they toured with the infamous 'coke lady'. I know he started to use coke heavily around then. And, I may get some stick for this, but it's always been my belief that Jimmy took heroin (aside from Cole introducing it to him) because he was emulating, so to speak, Aleister Crowley - an addict himself. William Burroughs was also an addict, and he at least respected him enough to be interviewed for Creem. These were the kind of people that Jimmy admired and I don't think he saw heroin as something dirty and a bit dodgy, but perhaps, something that would enhance his mystique, give him some of their 'sophistication' and further open his 'doors of perception'.

Entirely my own thinking, mind you.

Alas only Jimmy would know for sure of course, but it could have been in part that, the pressures, the time in history, the lifestyle of a musician etc. Any number of reasons. Whatever they are, I'm just so glad he is sober and healthy now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is actually a great deal we don't really know about all this. It seems safe to assume that all members of Led Zeppelin had individually tried at least pot before joining the band, and there are some indications that some of the members had also tried some stronger drugs.

But more generally, drug use was an integral part of the youth culture that they saw themselves as participating in. That youth culture was really a counterculture, and it was chaotically heterogeneous, inasmuch as people's inspiration was drawn from such vastly different sources - the one thing they all had in common was that in all cases the attempt was made to affirm a non-belonging, a distinction from a society that was seen as conformist and boring, etc. There were some things that initially could be seen as uniting this chaotic youth movement, although these also soon proved illusory - one of them being drug use.

The members of Led Zeppelin were only a part of all this. Some of them came to see the drugs as an integral part of what they were doing (especially Jimmy), and the thing is, you can't really dispute it: If your music comes from your life as lived, and your life does indeed include drugs, then in a certain sense at least they will be an essential part of the whole thing. The reverse side of the same coin though is that there is no actual proof that people's creativity is dependent in any way on drug use - and there are obviously enough counter-examples to make such a claim seem unconvincing, to say the least. Many people don't need them for their indisputably creative output.

Drugs also in the long run often tend to obstruct people's creativity, as they become a habit, or because an addiction is formed. I think there are indications that this last thing applies to some of the members of Led Zeppelin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For Crawdaddy (Jun '75 issue...feature titled 'Rock Magic'). The interview with Page at Burrough's flat in New York was arranged by Danny Goldberg. It remains one of the

most interesting Page interviews ever published.

Steve,

Do you have a copy of it or can you post a link so we can read it? Or can you give us a summary? You make it sound so intriguing.

Thanks for all your knowledge and info and insight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's pretty safe to say that the band members were just as much a part of everyday life as anyone else was, at the time. The real difference was the quality of pot, hash , orange sunshine, MDA, cocaine, and heroin that they had access to. They were doing the good stuff all the time while the rest of us were getting lucky ,once in a while. Just a fact

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve,

Do you have a copy of it or can you post a link so we can read it? Or can you give us a summary? You make it sound so intriguing.

Thanks for all your knowledge and info and insight.

I posted scans of the original some time ago, and you can find them RIGHT HERE

I also posted scans of several other original interviews from the 1970's at the time - but never did finish that project. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Adi,

Thats the point, where do you draw the line?

I cant comment on what drugs did for me as I havent taken them, but i can comment on what they did to family and friends. And i would say this, you can only say you are in control when you dont take them, if you take them then the drug is in control.

Dont take drugs if,

1. You are greedy.

2. If you have even a slight mental health problem.

3. You are an addictive natured person.

4. If you are an alcoholic.

5. If you smoke.

6. If you eat chocolate or sweets.

7. To experiment.

8. To be part of a scene.

9. To impress your so called friends.

10. To block out what you are feeling.

Only take drugs if.

1. Prescribed by a doctor.

2. To keep healthy.

3. To help with pain relif.

4. If you dont fill any criteria in the first part.

Feel free to add more, Regards, Danny

I must agree in points 2 and 3. I have sometimes depressions and somebody told me, that drugs enhance your current feelings. That´s why I wouldn´t be a funny jolly person after a line of coke, but only more depressed! And I´m affraid that I could maybe do suicide or something like that. That´s why I say NO to drugs for me!

My only drug is music! :elvis2::standup_bass::piano::stereo::drumz:

And I have read that Jimmy took drugs bcause he was under pressure- he had to finish the album, finish this and that and he always was such a frail sensitive man, that´s why I´m not wondering that he needed some support. But he didn´t master it and became quickly addict. I always feel so sorry for him, I could cry and hug him and tell him that everything will be OK! I´m glad that he is so healthy and happy again. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's pretty safe to say that the band members were just as much a part of everyday life as anyone else was, at the time. The real difference was the quality of pot, hash , orange sunshine, MDA, cocaine, and heroin that they had access to. They were doing the good stuff all the time while the rest of us were getting lucky ,once in a while. Just a fact

I am not really sure whether that's entirely a good thing, Ally, because with all the money it also gets a lot easier to maintain a bad habit or addiction over a prolonged period of time. Because of the context I should add that I'm making a general statement here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not really sure whether that's entirely a good thing, Ally, because with all the money it also gets a lot easier to maintain a bad habit or addiction over a prolonged period of time. Because of the context I should add that I'm making a general statement here.

Oh, I know you were Otto and so was I in a sense. It was the way of things though and yes, having the money in all cases is the key to maintaining an addiction. My point was more geared to the fact that most who experimented usually ended up having some pretty bad experiences with say ...acid

and stopped. Most of the crap that was available was cut with rat poison and you needed to be in a circle or know people who were, to get better quality. I'm not defending the guy's. I'm just suggesting that most of the time, they were doing quality stuff and thus the road to addiction may not have been as easily averted. Sadly though, when someones shelf life expires for making hangers on money, most are left to deal with the addiction on their own and not all can

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also said it was part of the surrounding culture.

Is this argument really worth it? It isn't to me, feel free to argue with yourself.

I know what I meant, you know what you mean. Can we agree to disagree?

Hi 'lzfan715'

Yes of course we can disagree, but when you are wrong, you are wrong, say sorry and move on.

So I'll say sorry, and we can both move on, no attack on your good self was intended.

Regards, Danny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I know you were Otto and so was I in a sense. It was the way of things though and yes, having the money in all cases is the key to maintaining an addiction. My point was more geared to the fact that most who experimented usually ended up having some pretty bad experiences with say ...acid

and stopped. Most of the crap that was available was cut with rat poison and you needed to be in a circle or know people who were, to get better quality. I'm not defending the guy's. I'm just suggesting that most of the time, they were doing quality stuff and thus the road to addiction may not have been as easily averted. Sadly though, when someones shelf life expires for making hangers on money, most are left to deal with the addiction on their own and not all can

That's true as well, and I've seen it happen... Just awful. I am speaking in my own name here, though, so talking about it in any detail wouldn't be wise. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...