Drugs And Rock N Roll Essay

Drugs and Rock n’ Roll: A Deadly Creative Culture? The use of various types of drugs, running the gamut from softer substances like marijuana to proverbial hard drugs like heroin and cocaine, is deeply tied to the history and culture of the rock n’ roll genre. Indeed, drug use and rock n’ roll music are intertwined in a manner that is almost mythical. From the legendary alcohol usage of the enduring Rolling Stones to the tragic and drug-related deaths of members of the 27 Club such as Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, it very much appears that drugs have represented both destructive and creative forces within the context of rock n’ roll. With regards to their contributions to musical artistry, drugs have allowed many artists to move past the conventions of Western musical theory, and thus build arrangements and other approaches far outside the mainstream. With artists like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix using drugs in such a fashion, it is thus clear that the use of illicit drugs has contributed significantly to enhancing some elements of creativity amongst musicians. Moreover, and with fans also making use of drugs so as to heighten their enjoyment of this music, it very much appears that drug use in rock n’

Indeed, and while marijuana and alcohol were already relatively common in some segments of America at the time when rock n’ roll took flight, it is truly only when rock n’ roll became a marketable genre that the drug use of musicians came to influence the public, and vice-versa. With this in mind, and as the genre thus grew in scope and popularity, this brought about a context in which those who enjoyed the genre were socialized into more significant levels of drug use while those who performed in the genre’s style increasingly used these drugs because of the lifecycle that had been constructed in association with the marketing of rock n’ roll (Wald,