Do drugs make you a better player?

[chriswareham]

On 10/09/2024 at 18:19, BigRedX said:

 

As I said before are there actually any performance enhancing drugs that will make you a better player form a technical PoV?

 

Amphetamines maybe. A fair bit of research has gone into using them for military applications, ever since they were first produced in laboratory conditions just over a hundred years ago. They were used extensively in World War II, particularly for air force personnel by the Axis and Allied forces, as they increased endurance and attentiveness. Studies show they can improve reflex responses and awareness of stimuli, although at the cost of increasing levels of paranoia and eventual fatigue when usage increases beyond certain thresholds. An interesting case is the Finnish soldier Aimo Koivunen who accidentally took a massive dose of German supplied Pervitin while on a mission behind Soviet lines - it resulted in a week long period where he evaded capture while frankly off his tits. Didn't seem to do any serious damage as he went on to live into his seventies, but he did father nine children so I guess it may have impacted his libido 🙂

[Bluewine]

I got into this because I like being in control. For me, if I'm impaired I've lost that control.

 

Daryl

[MrDaveTheBass]

11 hours ago, chriswareham said:

 

Amphetamines maybe.

Ask Lemmy. 😉

[rwillett]

12 hours ago, chriswareham said:

An interesting case is the Finnish soldier Aimo Koivunen who accidentally took a massive dose of German supplied Pervitin while on a mission behind Soviet lines - it resulted in a week long period where he evaded capture while frankly off his tits. Didn't seem to do any serious damage as he went on to live into his seventies, but he did father nine children so I guess it may have impacted his libido 🙂

I read about this as well, the Germans used it to help with Blitzkrieg and I think he had a platoons worth (approx 10 men) and took the lot by mistake and spent a week skiing non-stop as he was as you say "off his tits". I shouldn't laugh as this was serious, but I've had friends who've done this for a weekend at Wigan Pier in the last 70's. They were trashed at the end of the weekend, doing this for a week seems beyond comprehension. The people tracking him must have thought he was super human. I've never touched speed as 1) I never had the money when I was younger 2) As I've got older, my drug of choice is a rather nice bottle of Chateau Montrachet (which is probably significantly more expensive than speed is now)

 

Rob

[Beedster]

IMO the simple answer to this comes in two parts....

 

1. Depends on the drug

2. Depends on the player

 

Just like everything else in life really 🤔

[Paul S]

I have a low grade neurological condition called 'Essential Tremor' (shaky hands, basically) and would have most likely have had to stop playing a year or so ago were it not for certain drugs that keep it pegged back. 

[Woodinblack]

Well, combined effects really, when I was young drugs made my playing absolutely fantastic, I mean it sounded brilliant, it was so good. Sadly it also made all local tape recorders malfunction so listening back to recordings made at the time made me sound like I was playing really badly! I mean, I know I wasn't, it sounded great to me, so I don't know what was going on there.

[rwillett]

1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

Well, combined effects really, when I was young drugs made my playing absolutely fantastic, I mean it sounded brilliant, it was so good. Sadly it also made all local tape recorders malfunction so listening back to recordings made at the time made me sound like I was playing really badly! I mean, I know I wasn't, it sounded great to me, so I don't know what was going on there.

I know what you mean, I had the same effect on cameras, my fabulous body and good looks always seemed to make cameras malfunction and I also appeared as a nerdy overweight schoolboy with bad taste in tank tops and brown ties....

[NancyJohnson]

Many moons ago, I witnessed a headline band in a small club drink through their rider (which, as the venue refused to provide more alcohol, resulted in me walking into town with their frontman to Oddbins for more spirits).  Frontman of said band (according to another guy present in venue), did 'two massive lines of coke and slumped into a big chair, his eyes were rolling in their sockets.'

 

He'd recovered sufficiently and was smoking a huge doobie on the way to the stage.

 

I can testify they played an absolute blinder.  They ran out of songs and played a couple twice.

 

I would also cite the many times I saw Motley Crue early on.  Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee were clearly under the influence and seemed to pull it together for showtime.

 

Over the years I've been around an awful lot of drugs, but I've never been interested in the slightest, I've never even tried smoking, I just knew from my parents that it was just horrible.  In the main, all these guys using were great players.  Maybe drug usage just made things flow better.

 

In answer to the OP, I suppose yes, sometimes.

[AndyTravis]

probably about 2001…

 

I found some tapes of extended jamming when mum and dad sold the family home a good few years ago.

 

Just. Shit. All of it. No amazing moments. Just intertwining noodly shite.

 

Drugs nor drink make me play better.

 

i don’t go past 2 pints if anything when playing now - nothing if im driving.

Edited Saturday at 08:45 by AndyTravis

[SteveXFR]

I used to play with a heavy weed smoking guitarist. He could play a solo that lasted an hour and went nowhere 

[Norris]

I tried speed a couple of times in my youth but can't say I really enjoyed the experience. I did smoke weed for many years and can't say it really had much effect on my playing either way. The most detrimental "drug" for playing was actually alcohol, which was imbibed frequently and copiously back when we had a band van (that I never drove)

 

These days I live a pretty clean life. I gave up all forms of smoking a few years ago. I also drive most of the time now, so have 1 or 2 lager shandies at most or a lime and soda. I do miss the weed on rare occasions, but certainly not the smoking, or the coughing! Of course I've put 2 stone on... 😂

[KingBollock]

9 hours ago, Norris said:

I tried speed a couple of times in my youth but can't say I really enjoyed the experience. I did smoke weed for many years and can't say it really had much effect on my playing either way. The most detrimental "drug" for playing was actually alcohol, which was imbibed frequently and copiously back when we had a band van (that I never drove)

 

These days I live a pretty clean life. I gave up all forms of smoking a few years ago. I also drive most of the time now, so have 1 or 2 lager shandies at most or a lime and soda. I do miss the weed on rare occasions, but certainly not the smoking, or the coughing! Of course I've put 2 stone on... 😂

I once took some speed and picked up a guitar (skinny stringer). Over the next twelve hours, without a break, I learned to play the first two Pearl Jam albums.

 

I eventually got to sleep but when I woke up my fingers were in agony. I’m not a guitarist, so didn’t have the appropriate calluses… I couldn’t touch anything with my left hand, never mind a guitar, for over two weeks! By the time I could pick up an instrument, I had completely forgotten everything I had learned that night.

 

I miss weed. It is one of the few things that can help when my mental health takes one of its regular dives into despair. But, when the only person you know, that could conceivably get you some, is your wife, and she works for the police…

[SteveXFR]

Lemmy did alright playing on speed but he wasn't a normal human. He was on speed for so many years that I wonder whether it actually had much effect on him.

[steantval]

On 31/01/2025 at 14:03, Paul S said:

I have a low grade neurological condition called 'Essential Tremor' (shaky hands, basically) and would have most likely have had to stop playing a year or so ago were it not for certain drugs that keep it pegged back. 

Propranolol ?

[Bass4real]

Really ?

I couldn't tell ya from personal experience but

I don't believe recreational drugs could make anyone or anything better . that includes alcohol .

 

 

 

[Paul S]

7 hours ago, steantval said:

Propranolol ?

 

Yes.  It was like a magic trick, 3 days after I started taking it the tremor all but vanished.

[Woodinblack]

On 31/01/2025 at 14:03, Paul S said:

I have a low grade neurological condition called 'Essential Tremor' (shaky hands, basically) and would have most likely have had to stop playing a year or so ago were it not for certain drugs that keep it pegged back. 

I have a neurology appt next week for something like that

[MacDaddy]

"I take drugs like a f-ing champion, but we can’t, can we? Because Sarah took drugs and she stabbed her f-ing kids. Oh! 'Oh, thanks, Sarah. You f***ed it up for everyone.'"

 

Jim Jeffries 

[steantval]

7 hours ago, Paul S said:

 

Yes.  It was like a magic trick, 3 days after I started taking it the tremor all but vanished.

2 x 40mg tablets per day keeps mine under control but not completely like yourself, I stopped taking them for a few days a while back thinking they were not doing much good, that soon proved me wrong.

Unfortunately ET is progressive and will get worse as the years pass, it will come to a point where playing my bass will be too difficult. ☹️

Edited yesterday at 15:31 by steantval

[Paul S]

1 hour ago, steantval said:

2 x 40mg tablets per day keeps mine under control but not completely like yourself, I stopped taking them for a few days a while back thinking they were not doing much good, that soon proved me wrong.

Unfortunately ET is progressive and will get worse as the years pass, it will come to a point where playing my bass will be too difficult. ☹️

Yeah, same here.  I stopped for other reasons for about a month and it was really noticable how much worse it had become.  Still, it is good that the propranolol can extend our shelf life!🙂