Drunken/Doped-up band members................

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 8 Nov 2014 3:43 pm

Way back when I started playing, one of the biggest handicaps was attempting to play a four hour gig with one or more of the band members being totally swacked at the start of the gig.

Is that much of problem for you folks at this point in time or, has it pretty much ceased to be an issue or problem?

Carl Kilmer · Post by **Carl Kilmer** » 8 Nov 2014 4:10 pm

Well, back in the so called "Good ole Days" almost every bar
always had a band, 2 or 3 nights a week, some every night.
Now because of regulations and high costs, you hardly ever
see a band in any bar. If you do, it's the young rockers, and
most of them will consume more than they can legally handle.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 8 Nov 2014 4:13 pm

True. And the drunk driving laws today are much stricter than they were back in the day. Even musicians are careful about how much they drink today.

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 9 Nov 2014 4:33 am

Ray Montee wrote:Way back when I started playing, one of the biggest handicaps was attempting to play a four hour gig with one or more of the band members being totally swacked at the start of the gig.

Is that much of problem for you folks at this point in time or, has it pretty much ceased to be an issue or problem?

Same as ever.

Roual Ranes · Post by **Roual Ranes** » 9 Nov 2014 5:11 am

The older you get, the more you "weed out" the guys you will work with. If the money is good enough, you might try to work with some but soon it becomes unbearable. I really don't think it has changed all that much.

Tommy Minniear · Post by **Tommy Minniear** » 9 Nov 2014 5:46 am

Doug Beaumier wrote:True. And the drunk driving laws today are much stricter than they were back in the day. Even musicians are careful about how much they drink today.

Very true Doug!

Myself and most working musician I know today seldom indulge the way we did "back in the day". I still occasionally get stopped coming home from a gig - traffic isn't as heavy as it used to be in the wee hours and I believe cops figure that anyone out that time of night/morning is probably drinking. I guess that's where the "probable cause" comes in. It is very gratifying when they ask; "Have you been drinking tonight, Sir?" to be able to reply: "Nope". A few "doubting Tom type cops" have insisted I take the sobriety test and I've seen the look of disappoint in their eyes when I passed the test. At that point I find it very rewarding to know I played my gig as good as I am capable of and that I have proven I have the right to get back in my car and continue my trip home. (where I can sit down and drink myself into oblivion if I choose too.)

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 9 Nov 2014 9:08 am

I'm very careful about how much I drink at gigs now. Times have changed and the drunk driving laws have changed. My limit is two drinks on a gig now... unlike the old daze!

Tom Snook · Post by **Tom Snook** » 9 Nov 2014 2:54 pm

Actually,I THINK I play better after I wash down a couple of Percocets with a TallBoy of RedBull.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 9 Nov 2014 4:28 pm

Statistics show that 30% of all road accidents are caused by overindulgence in alcohol. That means, of course that 70% are caused by people who are stone cold sober. Maybe drinking while driving should be mandatory.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 9 Nov 2014 5:08 pm

I like to drink a few, and used to smoke too. But never on a gig! I wanted to be 100%. I worked with guys who indulged though. Once I made a tape, and embarrassed the cr@p outa them. That did help,,,, a little. But some guys can't be helped.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 9 Nov 2014 10:04 pm

People play better straight,although those "drifter's days" [of six nights a week and a beer followed by a toke on every break]are far behind us now".We've got so much more to think about.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 11 Nov 2014 9:12 am

This topic bring memories of some of Jimmy Day's comments to me about "the good ole days",,,,LOL.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 11 Nov 2014 10:07 am

I never drank or did partake in any substance and my band members were all part of the local clergy.

John Booth · Post by **John Booth** » 11 Nov 2014 1:29 pm

This is exactly why I can't remember the 70's
JB

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 12 Nov 2014 6:21 am

And the 30% that are alcohol related, does not necessarily mean that it REALLY was a factor... Only that alcohol was present...even in an accident where you were not at fault, if you get tested, and youre positive, you ARE at fault...

Lyle Dent · Post by **Lyle Dent** » 12 Nov 2014 12:15 pm

Makes those 1st and 2nd class medicals complicated!

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 12 Nov 2014 3:35 pm

I always thought I played much better when I was half hammered. T.L.

Alan Tanner · Post by **Alan Tanner** » 29 Oct 2015 4:56 am

I realize this is an old thread but I don't get on here much any more. Anyhow, I just wanted to comment that I think a lot of the older pickers have given up the bad habits that were so common back when. Most have lost a lot because of booze and drugs and many even their lives. I am currently working with some of the best musicians I have ever worked with, both in our band and out of it, and EVERYONE of them shares horror stories of drinking and doping and are thankful to be alive and not having killed someone else or themselves. When I DO see a drunk on stage I am reminded of my own past and the old adage "there but for the grace of God" comes to mind. I have been clean and sober for almost thirty years and am grateful for it. On the humorous side, the state likker store near me closed not long after I quit. I can listen to old recordings we made back when and realize that everyone in the band was under the influence and we were absolutely not as accomplished as we thought. I will no longer play with known boozers or guys who use to the point that it will effect their performance. At least not more than once.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 29 Oct 2015 6:58 am

the reason why isn't as important as the question of whether or not you can perform well. you either do or you don't. just ask lance armstrong.
i limit myself to two drinks at a time.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 29 Oct 2015 7:16 am

I can remember one gig I did in the late-'60s when I acted pretty stupidly - I had far too much to drink and I still got in my car to drive home. I was stopped by a police officer who cut me the biggest break of my life (I now believe). He took me to an UndergrounD station and 'suggested' that I return for my car the next day. Clutching my precious Gibson Super 400 I took the Northern Line home.

In the cold light of morning I realised how lucky I'd been and I've never repeated such foolhardiness.

This thread made me think; all my work is professional in nature (theatrical pit-jobs, mostly) and I don't think I've ever seen another member of the band 'the worse for wear'. Of course, I've yet to see an open-bar in an orchestra-pit so maybe that's been a factor!

Ron Page · Post by **Ron Page** » 29 Oct 2015 8:22 am

I'd draw the line at drinking alone. If your dog is home, you're not alone.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 29 Oct 2015 8:28 am

I played a sub gig some time back and on the first night the guitar player made it through two sets and on the second night he didn't even make up to the stage at the start.

We found him slumped over in his truck out back. We woke him up and asked what was wrong and he sits up and in this Foster Brooks kinda voice he says.."Isn't it obvious,I'm a drunk".

I've played in many situations where guys passed out or just left early. It's very frustrating but very good for practicing.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 29 Oct 2015 9:29 am

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... =band+gets

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 29 Oct 2015 6:58 pm

It's a big problem in Florida, but over the years I've learned to weed out the drunks & stoners, & don't play with them anymore.
For me, the limit is 1 or 2 drinks, and never after the second set. Only time I drink more is when the band is so bad it's an embarassment. Fortunately, those gigs are few & far between now, as I've also learned to avoid the bad musicians, too.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 30 Oct 2015 4:58 am

I remember the paradigm shift in the 80's, away from trying to be more entertaining by imbibing or reaching the limit of over-indulgence.
The term 'weed out' took on a whole other meaning.

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Drunken/Doped-up band members................

Drunken/Doped-up band members................

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