[AugustWest]

I agree about the new thread would be a bad idead TS. Thanks again for the information. I guess the reason I'm sounding defensive is because of my feelings of guilt; for assuming the worst of the guy (without truely knowing him or the situation)

However you are right that the assumption is natural. Which is sad. Sorry if I upset anyone who knew the man by bringing the subject up. But I'm glad you were able to shed some light on the situation. The whole situation is pretty awful.

[big_river_bum]

with the band being around the circus that followed them it lent to acid being taken periodically after the 60's.

i just read an article in rollingstone following some shows on europe '72. it was in france and cops were very afraid when young people gathered being that it was only a few years after the near student revolution. phil said something to the effect of, "come here cop, would you like some of this coca-cola." also, the band has to be dosed on 8-27-72.

closing of the winterland it is rumored that no one was allowed onstage without dosing. i think you can tell from the playing that they were dosed to the gills. inspired if not a sloppy performance

[big_river_bum]

also, i find it weird that '82-'84 are always deemed the coke years because of the fast tempo of the playing. i'm not saying they weren't powdering themselves, but from what i've read the coke usage in '73-'74 was to a point of ridiculousness(even by dead standards)

[caspersvapors]

depends on the era you're talking about, back in the day, the whole band besides Pigpen and even Kreutzman wasn't so involved, would dose I think. Later on, Jerry was high 24/7 on heroin, so i'm sure he was doing it during set break, before, after, whenever he needed it really, like a true junkie. There was always pot being smoked before, middle, and after, alcohol as well. Cocaine mixed its way in with a few members, no reason to not think it was done during set break.

lol you could not do heroin and play as well as he did, even though he wasnt playing well at all. heroin is not really a drug you can do anything on. maybe some of those insanely bad performances were jerry coming out of a heroin high, but id be surprised if he was like seriously ON heroin and played live.

im sure there were times they did coke and played. i heard a 77 interview with jerry (you can get it on speedingarrow) were jerry had just arrived and tuned his guitar at a venue and they were snorting coke before hand.

[strumminsix]

depends on the era you're talking about, back in the day, the whole band besides Pigpen and even Kreutzman wasn't so involved, would dose I think. Later on, Jerry was high 24/7 on heroin, so i'm sure he was doing it during set break, before, after, whenever he needed it really, like a true junkie. There was always pot being smoked before, middle, and after, alcohol as well. Cocaine mixed its way in with a few members, no reason to not think it was done during set break.

lol you could not do heroin and play as well as he did, even though he wasnt playing well at all. heroin is not really a drug you can do anything on. maybe some of those insanely bad performances were jerry coming out of a heroin high, but id be surprised if he was like seriously ON heroin and played live.

Besides being slightly contradictory I do have to say you omit the key concept of being a "functioning addict." Jerry was not the first nor last to be addicted to H. Plenty of players shot up and then performed live. It's all about ability, tolerance, and amount. I'd guess JG knew how much he could do and still perform - and some nights didn't care.

[deadguise]

Yep, Jerry was a functioning addict, more likely on the nights he really sucked, it was because he couldn't score and was jonesing. He'd gobble down valium and other downers to supress the withdrawal symptoms.

[broomhead]

lol you could not do heroin and play as well as he did, even though he wasnt playing well at all. heroin is not really a drug you can do anything on. maybe some of those insanely bad performances were jerry coming out of a heroin high, but id be surprised if he was like seriously ON heroin and played live.

im sure there were times they did coke and played. i heard a 77 interview with jerry (you can get it on speedingarrow) were jerry had just arrived and tuned his guitar at a venue and they were snorting coke before hand.

Jerry was a functioning addict and could indeed perform at the standard he did. Many, if not most heroin/opiate addicts can maintain a pretty high level of functioning while consuming massive quantities. It's probably the shows were he did not have it that you would hear a difference.

my days started in the early 80's and by that time everyone had moved onto bigger and uglier drugs. People imagined these happy go lucky hippies and something quite opposite was going on backstage and in pretty high numbers in the lot also. I always said the only happy hippies were the local kids with the new tie dyes. While that was a dim view, those that did it tour after tour, took the hippie lifestyle a bit differently.lol. oh well. it really is/was an amazing society. More so than in past years I really miss it. I started reminiscing and wrote a damn near page here, but i deleted my rambling, I figured the above was enuff hot air.

joe

Anyway

[Scary Pete]

I had assumed most of what is said, but still a well deserved thread. I prefer to play clean/drunk/baked. Wouldn't play in front of people dosing (like seriously, but I'd fuck around on the guitar dosing)

[bucketorain]

I guess it is all fun and games.

Off topic here:

Its too bad that booze and drugs were a part of the seen. Look at what we have lost, Brent, Jerry, Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin, Moon,.

When Brent passed I was more upset and shocked as to when I heard about Jerry. I guess with Jer, it just seemed that it was bound to happen....

[warrenMFKNhaynes]

all i can say is they were late... every time.

[tigerstrat]

and even Kreutzman wasn't so involved,

By all accounts, although he never got deep into chasing the smack dragon, he was extremely involved in any and all partying. "How do you explain the plaid iguanas???"

[smile_smile_smile]

functioning addict - no such thing, yea sure shotin dope and playin' guitar works out well sometimes because you don't have to think just play..."no junk no soul"....however after the first month or two you get to a point when no amount will let you function, it's all part of the life of the addict, you'll do anything to get more and acting as if is part of it. shotin dope is not functioning or even living, one puts on the mask that they are functioning but isolating in hotel rooms, bad hygiene, dope sickness, guilt, & shame not functioning. No one shots dope because they feel good and are happy.

[ELPManticore]

I remember reading this article in Rolling Stone a few years ago where Sting was talking about his tour with the dead in the early 90's.

Pretty much his main talking points were:

1) 1st time he ever did shrooms
2) Drugs were everywhere, he really couldn't believe that much was going on and the band was functioning.

Of course, this is Sting....

[Tennessee Jedi]

Didnt Nikki Six from the Crue say the Dead were the only band that did more drugs than them?

[BuddhaG]

There was an interview with Jerry that was one of the ones posted on the interview thread that Shakedown started which asked him about drug use in the band.

This is taking place in the early 70's and Jerry was asked if he the whole band still takes acid. He said that Bob no longer uses it but some of them still take acid but in much smaller amounts. Not to get stoned out of their gourds but to enhance perception and still be able to function.

11-14-1973 was a show that apparently the boys were pretty toasted during. There was a chair brought out for Phil in the second set. I wouldn't know but this is the rumor on archive.org.

It really is too bad about the heroin use... I had a friend who became an addict and dropped out of high school and I would not call his lifestyle at that point necessarily "functional". It was all to support the habit and the habit was not enhancing his life in any shape or form. Not being on the drugs was miserable and being on them was the only escape from the withdrawl. Overall, a pretty bleak picture if you ask me. I would not say that heroin helped any of the bandmembers with their playing, it is just too bad that it became part of the lifestyle and thereby became seemingly necessary.

Did Jerry ever use horse or coke intravenously? He must have tried at some point right?