Members tremolounge Posted October 11, 2008 Members Share Posted October 11, 2008 ...The personal discipline of a sad, abused 13 year old boy. No one's mentioned possibly the key line in the story. If the abuse was literal (i.e., it really happened to BOB, rather than Lee saying BOB resembled someone who was abused), then there's the link and probable cause of the drug addiction, and it has nothing to do with music... although one's past experiences certainly shape one's musical expression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chevybusa Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 Everyone has shared some great insight, and I just wanted to add my personal experience as it is very relevant and may be of some benefit to someone reading it, and I think it may hit home for a lot of folks ...but by all means, mods, please delete if this is too graphic or inappropriate. When I was in my late teens I drank, smoked weed, dropped acid, rolled on E and K, smoked dust, popped pain pills, and blew coke all pretty regularly, but usually never more than once or twice a week (except for the weed, that was an everyday thing). This only lasted a few years, however, as by the time I was 21 I had pretty much stopped doing EVERYTHING, I didn't even really drink that much. I met the woman of my dreams and started living the family life, as she had 2 kids from a previous marriage. Everything was good...but eventually we broke up as she gave me the marriage ultimatum and I just couldn't do it. I was now 25. I was working nights and weekends of a really stressful job that I absolutely hated. I started drinking pretty heavily, and for some reason, I'm honestly not quite sure why, I got the brilliant idea to start using heroin. I guess what really got me started is that on the surface it is a lot cheaper than Oxys or Dilaudid or other pain pills. I had seen first hand the evils of heroin, as it had literally taken out many of the guys I grew up with. I buried several of them. But I thought "I haven't done anything in 4 years, and I was never addicted to anything, I'm not gonna be like everybody else, I won't get hooked! I'll just do it once in a while!" I couldn't have been more wrong. I actually was able to control it for about six months, but then it took hold. The sole purpose of my existence now was to consume heroin. I was making decent money, so I didn't have to resort to crime to pay for it, but I was completely broke every month. I literally spent tens of thousands of dollars on heroin. After about 18 months of using it, I finally got to the point where my body developed such a tolerance that I could take so much that I would be just short of overdosing if I did any more and I really didn't get high, I just didn't get "sick". (For those that don't know, once you start using heroin on a regular basis if you go a day without it you become violently ill and mentally very depressed...everyone is different, but for me the few times I was dopesick were hands down the most miserable experiences of my life). Anyways since I was no longer feeling the high of heroin, I realized that it was time to kick it. I knew that this would be no easy task, however, and I thought that I would have to be on methadone for the rest of my life. Here are the two points that I really want to share: First, methadone is not your only treatment option...I would absolutely reccomend Suboxone, it is truly a miracle drug. The day you start it you don't get sick at all from withdrawal, and I've been on it for more than a year and have not used dope since I started taking it, and honestly don't feel the need to use at all. Also, you do not have to have it everyday for the rest of your life like methadone, you can stop after a while and not get sick. The second point is that it truly did cost me everything...especially losing a great job and pretty much being banned from working in that field ever again, and losing another great woman. It does an immense amount of damage to you life...I will forever be picking up the pieces of those 18 months and the resulting consequences. Drugs truly do destroy dreams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted October 12, 2008 Author Moderators Share Posted October 12, 2008 There is often a natureal euphoria experienced at the peak of playing that is akin to a runners high where all is one and everything is in motion yet standing still. Its a wonderful glimpse of grandure where every musician longs to stay but is not withstainable without wholsome living and rigorus diciplined rehursal. It often takes 10 to 50 hours of hard practice to enjoy a minuite or two of that euphoria... This is so true. It took me replying to you to fully understand your point. The shortcut in not to get to better musicianship, but back to that high you get at the peak of playing. When I asked BOB about his new rig, the Bogner and old Marshall with Avatars, he didn't respond like your typical tone junkie, he responded about his new possibly door opening companions. The Bogner and Marshall. He said he was looking for something. Onstage he'd lean back and roll off a tad of mid from the Marshall maybe, then dig into his low E and evaluate, all during a solo, then just soar out of this world. I could see his mind just leave the planet. And frankly, what he was playing was, as I mentioned earlier about my experience in the small audience, what he was playing was golden. On a quest to get back to that spark. And yes, I think that's the reason for the drugs. To try and get there and stay there longer. A shortcut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 Drugs truly do destroy dreams. Amazing story. Thank you for sharing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fetishfrog Posted October 13, 2008 Members Share Posted October 13, 2008 Unreal. Amazing and unreal. Wish I could have heard that guy play...Howard Stern has a comedian version of that, "Sour Shoes" -- although it's just comedy the guy is actually quite amazing, he can play almost any request instantly. He was freakin' unbelievable. His name was (is) Vern and he used to have a sign on his tip jar that read something like 'Remember a $1.95 and a M.A in Composition will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks'. If you're out there, I hope all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fetishfrog Posted October 13, 2008 Members Share Posted October 13, 2008 Say a little prayer. Never been much of a pray-er, but I think about that guy every once in a while. His talent was incredible. It makes me smile to know someone so seemingly normal could be so gifted...and it makes me sad knowing he was having such a rough go at it. I hope he's well. He was good people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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