Pearl Jam drug use

13»

Comments

  • conmanconman Posts: 7,493
    manutd3581 wrote:
    Everybody smokes weed.
    this.
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    "I don't need drugs to make my life tragic."

    -- ev
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • DriftingByTheStormDriftingByTheStorm Posts: 8,684
    edited July 2011
    Better Dan wrote:
    I don't thing any other band member has had any public issues with addiction

    I'm not trying to be a dick about this (or to get this thread shut down) or to start a fight ... but Eddie is *clearly* an alcoholic ... his use of pot (which is the ONLY other plant in the world in the same plant family as hops - main ingredient in beer -- family Cannabanbinacea, besides the other two species of hops themselves) would be medically classified as "cross-addiction"
    ... and I AM OKAY WITH THAT (and I'm sure Eddie is too) Hop_diagram.png

    Beer & Pot are good things in moderation.

    I don't know how I feel about the fact that Eddie can down two bottles of wine on stage ... but to each his own. He lives a happy, productive life, has an extraordinary wife, and a great family. I don't see him winding up face down in a ditch anytime soon.

    I'm just saying the medical community, and Dr. Drew (lol) would definitely classify him as an alcoholic. A "high functioning" alcoholic to be sure.

    Actually, it's pretty interesting, Dr. Drew used to talk (on Loveline, and Adam LOVED to chime in on this) about the EXTRA GENE that SOME alcoholics have that makes them MORE HIGHLY FUNCTIONING THAN A NORMAL PERSON ... they speculated that it was a genetic coping mechanism which helps certain addicted individuals (by winning the genetic lottery, as it were) overcome the negative aspects of their addiction by giving them an genetic\PHYSIOLOGICAL basis for more highly motivated action. Adam enjoyed liking it to a person who does some bad things every night and then wakes up in the morning feeling guilty with a desire to do something good in order to make themselves feel better about the bad stuff they did. But Drew was insistent that it was a genetic ADDITION to the genome on top of those genes a normal human has, and that this gene gave these people added creativity\motivation.

    Very interesting stuff, i'd say.
    :D

    ps - i'd just like to EXTRA-DOUBLE clarify that i don't make this "pronouncement" with ANY judgement, except that of someone whose not so dumb as to think someone who can repeatedly drink THAT much could be anything BUT an "alcoholic" by strict definition ... not making value judgements, and it is no reflection of the quality of life the man has ... it's just an observation. thats all.
    Post edited by DriftingByTheStorm on
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • PapPap Serres, Greece Posts: 29,405
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    BALLBOY wrote:
    The first 5 songs on Backspacer kind of give you sense that the names of the songs are about drugs, Gonna See My Friend, Get Right, The Fixer, Johnny Guitar & Just Breathe. Anyone else ever thought of that?

    I seem to recall reading an interview with Ed where he discussed GSMF specifically and said that it was not about drugs but about music being like a drug -- being addictive and having the ability to affect mood and outlook.

    Ed on GSMF: "“It has a twist to it. Like ‘Waiting For My Man’ by the Velvet Underground, the lyric – ‘Gonna see my friend / Gonna make it go away’ – sounds like it’s about a drug deal, but actually it’s the opposite: he’s going to see his friend to take his need for that drug away. It’s actually like an ‘Outreach’ song.”

    Some other cool tidbits here, too: http://www.offthedial.ca/?p=4582
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    ps - i'd just like to EXTRA-DOUBLE clarify that i don't make this "pronouncement" with ANY judgement, except that of someone whose not so dumb as to think someone who can repeatedly drink THAT much could be anything BUT an "alcoholic" by strict definition ... not making value judgements, and it is no reflection of the quality of life the man has ... it's just an observation. thats all.

    Speaking as someone who recently had to endure a 14-hour DWI class (and who is NOT an alcoholic) ... We learned that alcoholism isn't about how MUCH or how OFTEN you drink, but why.

    If you drink two bottles of wine a night because it's fun, that's alcohol abuse, but not neccesarily alcoholism. If you're drinking to forget problems or manage your personality, or because you are sad, or ... more accurately, because you can't NOT drink ... THEN you might have a problem.

    As such, I don't think any of us are really in a position to diagnose anyone else, especially a celebrity we only see on occasion on stage, because we can't know their motivations.

    I also think the "Ed drinking on stage" bit is a tad overrated. I've been to 16 shows and can't remember him ever going through two bottles, though I'll admit there's no telling what happens during an encore break. I'm not saying he never drinks more, but probably not as much as you seem to believe.

    We also don't know what he's doing the 330 days a year he isn't onstage.

    I drink beer and play guitar with my friends all the time. That doesn't make me an alcoholic.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do

  • Ed on GSMF: "“It has a twist to it. Like ‘Waiting For My Man’ by the Velvet Underground, the lyric – ‘Gonna see my friend / Gonna make it go away’ – sounds like it’s about a drug deal, but actually it’s the opposite: he’s going to see his friend to take his need for that drug away. It’s actually like an ‘Outreach’ song.”

    Some other cool tidbits here, too: http://www.offthedial.ca/?p=4582


    thanks for sharing that link :D - hadn't read that stuff before, very interesting & cool. the part where Eddie talks about Amongst the Waves - one of my favourites from backspacer - was great
    i loved this quote
    ...Then again, nothing will always feel good: the only constant is change, right? It’s appreciating those moments....So it ain’t all good, but when it is, celebrate.
  • KatyzKatyz Posts: 838
    Didn't see the now famous bottle of red on stage at Hartford, but my Faberge egg avatar is my nod to the wonderful story EV told about getting so stoned on the 'good stuff, not the PG13 weed and, looking at a magazine of a faberge egg, and feeling like he had climbed in it. He then had the house lights turned up and started the ocean sounds before playing Light Today announcing, "The Ocean in A faberge Egg!" (The Bushnell was beautiful and very Faberge-like).
  • DriftingByTheStormDriftingByTheStorm Posts: 8,684
    edited July 2011
    double post
    Post edited by DriftingByTheStorm on
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • ps - i'd just like to EXTRA-DOUBLE clarify that i don't make this "pronouncement" with ANY judgement, except that of someone whose not so dumb as to think someone who can repeatedly drink THAT much could be anything BUT an "alcoholic" by strict definition ... not making value judgements, and it is no reflection of the quality of life the man has ... it's just an observation. thats all.

    Speaking as someone who recently had to endure a 14-hour DWI class (and who is NOT an alcoholic) ... We learned that alcoholism isn't about how MUCH or how OFTEN you drink, but why.

    If you drink two bottles of wine a night because it's fun, that's alcohol abuse, but not neccesarily alcoholism. If you're drinking to forget problems or manage your personality, or because you are sad, or ... more accurately, because you can't NOT drink ... THEN you might have a problem.

    As such, I don't think any of us are really in a position to diagnose anyone else, especially a celebrity we only see on occasion on stage, because we can't know their motivations.

    I also think the "Ed drinking on stage" bit is a tad overrated. I've been to 16 shows and can't remember him ever going through two bottles, though I'll admit there's no telling what happens during an encore break. I'm not saying he never drinks more, but probably not as much as you seem to believe.

    We also don't know what he's doing the 330 days a year he isn't onstage.

    I drink beer and play guitar with my friends all the time. That doesn't make me an alcoholic.


    You know what, JEFF?
    i think you're 100% right about the alcoholism vs. alcohol abuse disparity.
    I guess I was coming from a place of misinformation based on years of bullshit fed to "us" (me) via the various anti-alcohol campaigns. What is *really* funny is that i've always heard that you can be an alcoholic no matter WHY you drink, but what you say (and some of the pages i just looked at) insinuate the EXACT OPPOSITE of that.

    I don't know if the definition of alcoholism has been revised in the last 10-20 years or what (actually, per wikipedia, it has: "in medicine the term [alcoholism] was replaced by the concepts of "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence" in the 1980s DSM III"), but if the text book definition of alcoholism is "PHYSICAL DEPENDENCY" then you are right, Eddie is probably *not* and alcoholic, because I would bet money that he can and does go days at a stretch with out consuming any alcohol.

    To the point of his on-stage consumption of alcohol, it has definitely slowed down since (lets just say) 2005-2007, but I attended a shit load of shows on the east coast in 2003 and, excepting the shows where he was sick and drinking tea, the man seemed to religiously consume 1.5 to 2 bottles of wine on stage a night.

    Just saying.

    But again to your point and in fact, it would seem, the more i read (just now) the more it seems like Eddie would in fact, though clearly implicated as a person with a heavy tolerance (or even as an occasional "heavy drinker"), be considered to have NO condition. Even the definition of "alcohol abuse" (a separate condition from "alcoholism") relies the user having reoccurring negative social and legal consequences of his drinking and still seeking alcohol.

    EDDIE AS A NON-ALCOHOLIC FOR THE WIN!
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Katyz wrote:
    Didn't see the now famous bottle of red on stage at Hartford, but my Faberge egg avatar is my nod to the wonderful story EV told about getting so stoned on the 'good stuff, not the PG13 weed and, looking at a magazine of a faberge egg, and feeling like he had climbed in it. He then had the house lights turned up and started the ocean sounds before playing Light Today announcing, "The Ocean in A faberge Egg!" (The Bushnell was beautiful and very Faberge-like).
    :thumbup: :D
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • Eliot RosewaterEliot Rosewater Posts: 2,659
    I have reason to believe that at least once in his life Ed smoked a J on the toilet. Thats all I'm saying.... :mrgreen:
  • red mosred mos Posts: 4,953
    Better Dan wrote:
    I don't thing any other band member has had any public issues with addiction

    I'm not trying to be a dick about this (or to get this thread shut down) or to start a fight ... but Eddie is *clearly* an alcoholic ... his use of pot (which is the ONLY other plant in the world in the same plant family as hops - main ingredient in beer -- family Cannabanbinacea, besides the other two species of hops themselves) would be medically classified as "cross-addiction"
    ... and I AM OKAY WITH THAT (and I'm sure Eddie is too) Hop_diagram.png

    Beer & Pot are good things in moderation.

    I don't know how I feel about the fact that Eddie can down two bottles of wine on stage ... but to each his own. He lives a happy, productive life, has an extraordinary wife, and a great family. I don't see him winding up face down in a ditch anytime soon.

    I'm just saying the medical community, and Dr. Drew (lol) would definitely classify him as an alcoholic. A "high functioning" alcoholic to be sure.

    Actually, it's pretty interesting, Dr. Drew used to talk (on Loveline, and Adam LOVED to chime in on this) about the EXTRA GENE that SOME alcoholics have that makes them MORE HIGHLY FUNCTIONING THAN A NORMAL PERSON ... they speculated that it was a genetic coping mechanism which helps certain addicted individuals (by winning the genetic lottery, as it were) overcome the negative aspects of their addiction by giving them an genetic\PHYSIOLOGICAL basis for more highly motivated action. Adam enjoyed liking it to a person who does some bad things every night and then wakes up in the morning feeling guilty with a desire to do something good in order to make themselves feel better about the bad stuff they did. But Drew was insistent that it was a genetic ADDITION to the genome on top of those genes a normal human has, and that this gene gave these people added creativity\motivation.

    Very interesting stuff, i'd say.
    :D

    ps - i'd just like to EXTRA-DOUBLE clarify that i don't make this "pronouncement" with ANY judgement, except that of someone whose not so dumb as to think someone who can repeatedly drink THAT much could be anything BUT an "alcoholic" by strict definition ... not making value judgements, and it is no reflection of the quality of life the man has ... it's just an observation. thats all.
    2 bottles of wine is like 10 beers. Tolererance increases as you drink more. There is also binge drinking which is not an addiction, but can lead to one. Just saying. I love their music, glad they are performing, and making records still. I know the bands lives are private and they don't want into the whole publicity thing on their lives and I 110% respect that. I am not saying Ed is a binge drinker or alcoholic. His life is his business, just trying to chime in on facts of alcohol use.
    PJ: 10/14/00 06/09/03 10/4/09 11/15/13 11/16/13 10/08/14
    EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
  • boyo79boyo79 Warrington, UK Posts: 6,525
    I'm sure I read somewhere Ed saying he was high when he wrote Unthought Known. Probably explains why its a shit song :lol::lol::lol::lol:
    2000: Manchester
    2006: Dublin; Leeds; Arnhem
    2007: London
    2009: Manchester
    2012: Manchester I & II : EV Manchester : Soundgarden Shepherds Bush
    2013: Brad Manchester : Soundgarden Manchester
    2014: Amsterdam I & II; Berlin; Leeds; Milton Keynes
    2018: Berlin; London II; Boston II

    Bootleg Reviews: http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
  • lukin3lukin3 Posts: 63
    I have reason to believe that at least once in his life Ed smoked a J on the toilet. Thats all I'm saying.... :mrgreen:

    There it is. Finally.
  • lukin3lukin3 Posts: 63
    All drugs are bad, and some drugs are good.

    Ha, "drugs".
  • PapPap Serres, Greece Posts: 29,405
    I also think the "Ed drinking on stage" bit is a tad overrated. I've been to 16 shows and can't remember him ever going through two bottles, though I'll admit there's no telling what happens during an encore break. I'm not saying he never drinks more, but probably not as much as you seem to believe. We also don't know what he's doing the 330 days a year he isn't onstage.

    The guy has a point.

    I have reason to believe that at least once in his life Ed smoked a J on the toilet. Thats all I'm saying.... :mrgreen:

    ;) That gamous picture eh?
    Athens 2006 / Milton Keynes 2014 / London 1&2 2022 / Seattle 1&2 2024 / Dublin 2024 / Manchester 2024
  • jshinjshin Posts: 1,759
    over in Holland he said if Caleb (KoL) ever offers you a pill, don't take it - some sort of pharme, i think ... he was pretty fucked up that show ...)

    I think that you're thinking of Josh Homme..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSsdbCRMkXw
    I ain't got no fly'n shoes..




  • pandorapandora Posts: 21,855
    I'd say all the answers you need are in the band's lyrics.
    yes, I agree

    I am thankful these 6 men are still with us :D
  • jshin wrote:
    over in Holland he said if Caleb (KoL) ever offers you a pill, don't take it - some sort of pharme, i think ... he was pretty fucked up that show ...)

    I think that you're thinking of Josh Homme..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSsdbCRMkXw


    Lol.
    yeah you're right.
    Funny thing was ... and don't tell anyone this ... I was AT that show ... and we left BEFORE Pearl Jam hit the stage in order to go back to Amsterdam and ... uh ... drink coffee???

    PS - On the subject of drug lyrics, lets not forget:
    Deep - Sinks the needle DEEP in ... clearly NOT a positive song referencing drugs (or anything, lol)
    Given To Fly - Made it to the ocean had a smoke in a tree ("joint in a tree" many times live) and Eddie says specifically at some concert its about a man who goes to the beach and gets high in a tree.
    Get Right - DUH!
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • PapPap Serres, Greece Posts: 29,405
    Get Right - DUH!
    I always thought that this is a love song. :think:
    Athens 2006 / Milton Keynes 2014 / London 1&2 2022 / Seattle 1&2 2024 / Dublin 2024 / Manchester 2024
  • IgotshitIDIgotshitID St.john's Newfoundland Posts: 895
    In St. John's Eddie was talking about how he could never write songs while being stoned out of mind on pot but he writes alot with red wine and that him and Jeff wrote Bee Girl after drinkin a bottle. He then said when his high he usually ends up painting with grape juice and a toothbrush or vacuming hahaha
    St.John's 9/24/2005
    St.John's 9/25/2005
    Toronto 9/11/2011
    Toronto 9/12/2011
    Quebec City 5/5/2016
    Ottawa 5/8/2016
  • BALLBOYBALLBOY Australia Posts: 1,032
    thefixer9 wrote:
    I think you mean Got Some.....Get Right is a Riot Act song..... :lol:
    Yes i did mean Got Some sorry old age is getting to me. But if you look at the art work for Get Right it looks like a joint? What i was trying to say was those first 5 songs on Backspacer have the names of references to drugs. GSMYF is a reference where you go & see someone to score, Got Some is him saying he GOT SOME if you need it, The Fixer says you have been fixed up & Johnny Guitar could be a name for a dealer & Just Breathe really says it all. Sorry that is just me & my interpretation of the names of the songs not the actual meaning of the lyrics that would take way to long.
    Eastern Creek 95,Syd 1 98,Bris 2 98, Syd 1&2 03, Reading Fest 06, Bris 1 06, London 09, Hyde Park 10, Gold Coast BDO 14 Budapest 22 Krakow 22 Amsterdam 22 St Paul 1&2 23 Chicago 1&2 23 Chicago 1&2 24 New York 1 24 Philly 1&2 24 Boston 1&2 24 Gold Coast 24 Melbourne 1 24 Sydney 1&2 24
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    BALLBOY wrote:
    thefixer9 wrote:
    I think you mean Got Some.....Get Right is a Riot Act song..... :lol:
    Yes i did mean Got Some sorry old age is getting to me. But if you look at the art work for Get Right it looks like a joint? What i was trying to say was those first 5 songs on Backspacer have the names of references to drugs. GSMYF is a reference where you go & see someone to score, Got Some is him saying he GOT SOME if you need it, The Fixer says you have been fixed up & Johnny Guitar could be a name for a dealer & Just Breathe really says it all. Sorry that is just me & my interpretation of the names of the songs not the actual meaning of the lyrics that would take way to long.

    You think about drugs too much.

    Now let's do it with Ten:

    Once is about how many times you want to score
    Even flow is about how heroin goes into a syringe
    Alive is like, OMG, I'm still alive after doing drugs
    Why Go, you're wondering why you should go back to your dealer
    Black is the color you see after you pass out
    Jeremy is the name of your dealer
    Oceans is the amount of water you drink when you get cottonmouth from the drugs
    Porch is where you smoke your weed
    Garden is where you drop your acid
    Deep is how you plunge the needle (actually, this one makes sense)
    Release is what you feel when you're on drugs.

    Whoa .... spooky!
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • Better DanBetter Dan Posts: 5,684
    Now let's do it with Ten:

    Once is about how many times you want to score
    Even flow is about how heroin goes into a syringe
    Alive is like, OMG, I'm still alive after doing drugs
    Why Go, you're wondering why you should go back to your dealer
    Black is the color you see after you pass out
    Jeremy is the name of your dealer
    Oceans is the amount of water you drink when you get cottonmouth from the drugs
    Porch is where you smoke your weed
    Garden is where you drop your acid
    Deep is how you plunge the needle (actually, this one makes sense)
    Release is what you feel when you're on drugs.

    Whoa .... spooky!

    :lol::lol: This made me laugh! Funny post!
    2003: San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Seattle; 2005: Monterrey; 2006: Chicago 1 & 2, Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit; 2008: West Palm Beach, Tampa; 2009: Austin, LA 3 & 4, San Diego; 2010: Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbus, Indianapolis; 2011: PJ20 1 & 2; 2012: Missoula; 2013: Dallas, Oklahoma City, Seattle; 2014: Tulsa; 2016: Columbia, New York City 1 & 2; 2018: London, Seattle 1 & 2; 2021: Ohana; 2022: Oklahoma City
  • KeiranKeiran Posts: 393
    Someone earlier in this thread said, "Jeff is probably too burnt to do much other than bake down these days." I'm guessing "burnt" means he's partied a lot. But what is "bake down"?

    Sorry for my lack of drug term knowledge. I've never smoked pot (no, I'm not lying) and sometimes I get a bit lost when reading these conversations.

    Peace
    I wish a guy like Eddie, would like me.
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    boyo79 wrote:
    I'm sure I read somewhere Ed saying he was high when he wrote Unthought Known. Probably explains why its a shit song :lol::lol::lol::lol:
    Drugs make bad music....

    The Beatles disagree with that statement.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    boyo79 wrote:
    I'm sure I read somewhere Ed saying he was high when he wrote Unthought Known. Probably explains why its a shit song :lol::lol::lol::lol:
    Drugs make bad music....

    The Beatles disagree with that statement.
    They absolutely disagree with it.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
This discussion has been closed.