There are guys who can do it. I am not one of them. I feel like I am someone who had to
work so feverishly just to be mediocre, and had nothing left in the tank to squander.
I had friends who could be 12 beers and a few lines of blow in and still kill it. Even if they
also killed their lives and relationships in the process.
It just makes me more anxious, rather than loosening me up. Guess we are all different.
The 3 other guys in the band I play in all do it different. Singer and drummer drink like
fish at practice and gigs. Other guitarist smokes but never drinks. I don't smoke or
drink. Maybe on the last break before the final set, or half way through practice I will
have a beer or two.
I do like drinking and smoking at home and listening to music, though. I. Hear. Things.
When I played with one band. We were going to do Airbases and other venues, and there was potential to get a friend in on vocals, with a view to original material, and an album deal.
Drummer was from Tigertailz, bassist from Tokyo Blade, possibly the singer from Blue Blud.
So we already had strong interest from Music for Nations - for a Vinnie Vincent type thing.
2nd weekend rehearsal without a vocalist, this other singer arrives. He’s a bodybuilder, and larger than life, carrying a huge drinks cooler full of beer and cokes - with two large drinking bottles with straw. He’s constantly supping from the straw. I’d heard his demo, and wasn’t keen. A bit whiny on tape for my liking, but he could hit the notes. Sounded over-confident to me.
Anyway, we learnt and worked up two sets of covers, and booked a Halloween party at an airbase - inviting Blue Blud to come and check us out.
Then the cracks started appearing. Now I didn’t like the guy much, but the bassist hated the singer instantly, and they had several fights, rolling around on the floor mid-rehearsal. So I decided he would be leaving us after the Halloween gig, and we’d go for the pro guy, and be a serious project.
That was when everyone’s habits became exposed fully.
The first sign of commitment, and it began to fall apart.
Now, I was travelling up on the bus every weekend, with shitloads of weed, and drinking quite heavily in the evenings with the bassist. All under control. But I took a week off my job at the time, prior to the gig.
Now, the bass player was waking me up in the morning with half a pint of frozen vodka in a frozen glass!
I was getting to rehearsals at midday, after a pint of vodka, 6 Bud-lights, and probably 4 spliffs.
Fuck knows what the bassist was chucking down his neck.
We discovered those drinking bottles the singer had, actually contained 2 pints of Jack Daniels, and he was clearly on anti-depressant medication and other shit.
The drummer was heavily on anti-depressants, and pain-killers. Fucking hell.
At the gig, the singer was throwing up before with nerves, made racist comments during the set, and was an embarrassment. So drunk we had to carry him to the van.
Then it transpired the bassist had been involved in stealing lead off church roofs, and would be deported back to the states pretty soon. The drummer kept whining on that Tigertailz were maybe going to reform and tour.
I realised that the whole thing was fucking ridiculous, and I packed my gear and split a week after the gig.
We never got to try out the good singer, and all that potential down the toilet.
I must admit, even when stoned I was performing very well throughout rehearsals. But that week before the gig - I couldn’t live like that.
We would have died on tour.
