Rock n’ Roll
Self-destruction and creativity are not always in the same package, and I want young kids to understand this. You can’t just wear leather pants and drink and make it. Picasso lived to ninety and he was a genius. And I’m sixty-two and I like being an example in the same band, of a longer road. In his case they came together – creativity and self-destruction.
John Densmore (percussionist for The Doors) on Jim Morrison
Much of my life I’ve heard people (particularly musicians) describe drug and alcohol use in the creative process as contributing to the creative process, and they’ve got a long list of musicians to use as examples.
And when it concerns writing lyrics, maybe that’s true to some extent. But the simple fact is this: you either have talent, or you don’t. Popping a pill or smoking a joint isn’t going to change that. It’s not like chugging a bottle of Jack will suddenly give you the ability to play guitar like Slash – just like eating a can of spinach won’t give you superhuman strength.
Case in point: Jim Morrison is viewed by most as the creative center of The Doors. And it’s understandable; he was the frontman. But in reality, guitarist Robby Krieger wrote the majority of their songs, including some of their biggest hits (“Light My Fire”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Touch Me” and “Love Her Madly”).
Here’s a more recent example: Zakk Wylde is famous, not only for being a guitar virtuoso, but also for his love of alcohol. Except that he’s been sober for over a year now, and his latest album with Black Label Society, Order of the Black, is, in my opinion, his best work to date, and I’m including his years with Ozzy Osbourne!!
And many other fans seem to agree – Order of the Black debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hard Rock Chart, #2 on the Billboard Rock Chart, #4 on the Billboard 200 and #6 on the Billboard Digital Albums Chart.
That’s the highest BLS has ever charted and they did it with a sober Zakk Wylde leading them. Prior to Order of the Black they’d never even cracked the top 20 in the Billboard 200.
Just some food for thought.
