Careers Affected By Alcohol/Drugs

**EAS** · 03.30.07, 09:18 AM

With Edward Van Halen at a point now where it's clear his abuse of alcohol has affected his career in a negative way, I was thinking of other musicians who have had their careers destroyed by alcohol and/or drugs and which ones turned it around.

Aerosmith is a band who clearly had their drug problems and turned it around. They ended up making a huge comeback starting in the late 80s.

Ace Frehley is a guy whose abuse of alcohol and drugs has kept him from achieving a lot more success as a solo artist and still has yet to overcome his problems.

Dickey Betts was kicked out of The Allman Brothers Band for his problems with alcohol and from what I've read he still hits the bottle way too much.

Scott Weiland's drug problems was ruining his career and now he seems to be clean and is having success with Velvet Revolver (Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame performance aside!).

Eric Clapton came back from a drug addiction in the 70s/80s.

Any more names you guys can think of?

**SuckaInA3Piece** · 03.30.07, 09:29 AM

One of my faves would be Layne Staley, who unfortunately lost his battle with addiction. If you read some of the stuff he was going through up until his death, it's some pretty nasty stuff. Heroin is a disgusting drug.

**EAS** · 03.30.07, 09:34 AM

Absolutely. What a great band that was when Staley was singing.

**LoveWalkinIn** · 03.30.07, 09:57 AM

Dave Mustaine was in and out of rehab over and over again for years. Who knows what Metallica could've been with him in the fold.

He has turned it around though, been clean for a few years and writing awesome new tunes.

**SuckaInA3Piece** · 03.30.07, 09:57 AM

Yea, bro. I do know that Jerry Cantrell also had his problems with heroin, and thankfully he is still with us. Same goes for the Deleo's from STP.

**hatchetforce** · 03.30.07, 10:10 AM

Another Angel Who Flew Too Close To The Ground (God Bless The Flying Burrito Bros.)

**chefcraig** · 03.30.07, 10:37 AM

How this topic can be brought up without first mentioning Elvis Presley is beyond me.

Food for thought: "The colon is approximately five to seven feet in length in a person Elvis's size and should have been about two inches in diameter. By (Shelby County M.E.'s investigator) Warlick's estimate, however, Elvis's colon was at least three and a half inches in diameter in some places and as large as four and a half inches in diameter...in others. As (pathologist) Florendo cut, he found this megacolon was jampacked from the base of the descending colon all the way up and halfway across the transverse colon. It was filled with white, chalklike fecal material. The impaction had the consistency of clay and seemed to defy Florendo's efforts with the scissors to cut it out."-Charles C. Thompson and James P. Cole, The Death Of Elvis

**willyum** · 03.30.07, 10:42 AM

andrew wood is one of the saddest stories i know.

**billy007** · 03.30.07, 11:23 AM

I think it's safe to say that the careers of ELVIS, Brian Jones, Bon Scott, Keith Moon, John Bonham & Jimi Hendrix were adversely affected by drugs.

And then there's Axl - not exactly sure what his problem is, but he's definitely affected!

**chefcraig** · 03.30.07, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by billy007

...And then there's Axl - not exactly sure what his problem is, but he's definitely affected!

Nah, he's simply a bonehead.

**VanHalen2079** · 03.30.07, 11:40 AM

James Taylor battled a drug addiction for sometime I forget whether it was before his career took off or during the early parts of it but I remember somebody saying that they told him "Dude its a good thing you don't play rock 'n' roll or you'd be dead with the partying you do" I think your pretty hard pressed to find someone who's career hasn't been affected somehow by drugs and alcohol

**Red** · 03.30.07, 12:07 PM

The list goes on and on. The Eagles had some problems caused by various indulgences. Cher, Elton John, Billy Joel, several members of Bon Jovi, Belinda Carlisle, Marvin Gaye, Steve Earle.....you can go in any musical direction and find rampant substance abuse.

The mystery is whether it is a personality/physiological issue, a result of some spiritual aspect of music, a product of the environment/influences of the road and the stage....or is it just totally random and individual to the person?

What is it about the spotlight the causes those who are in it to be so self-destructive?

**SuckaInA3Piece** · 03.30.07, 12:24 PM

I think this guy has done a drug or two...

The Motley Crue stories are pretty legendary. I mean, shooting alcohol in your veins?? That's pretty hardcore. Didn't Niki Sixx die, and was brought back to life. Crazy stuff.

**arcticwolf64** · 03.30.07, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by EAS

With Edward Van Halen at a point now where it's clear his abuse of alcohol has affected his career in a negative way, I was thinking of other musicians who have had their careers destroyed by alcohol and/or drugs and which ones turned it around.

Aerosmith is a band who clearly had their drug problems and turned it around. They ended up making a huge comeback starting in the late 80s.

Ace Frehley is a guy whose abuse of alcohol and drugs has kept him from achieving a lot more success as a solo artist and still has yet to overcome his problems.

Dickey Betts was kicked out of The Allman Brothers Band for his problems with alcohol and from what I've read he still hits the bottle way too much.

Scott Weiland's drug problems was ruining his career and now he seems to be clean and is having success with Velvet Revolver (Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame performance aside!).

Eric Clapton came back from a drug addiction in the 70s/80s.

Any more names you guys can think of?

A quick update on Ace Frehley, he's been clean for a couple of years now and getting close to releasing his solo album "Walls of Blue" !!!

**FORD** · 03.30.07, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by VanHalen2079

James Taylor battled a drug addiction for sometime I forget whether it was before his career took off or during the early parts of it but I remember somebody saying that they told him "Dude its a good thing you don't play rock 'n' roll or you'd be dead with the partying you do" I think your pretty hard pressed to find someone who's career hasn't been affected somehow by drugs and alcohol

One of his biggest hits "Fire and Rain" was literally written while he was in rehab, and the second verse is directly about the experience.....

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand.
You've just got to see me through another day.
My body's aching and my time is at hand
and I won't make it any other way.

As far as the other references in the song, those parts might have come from what he saw when he WAS on heroin.