Can some specific drugs or alcohol help enjoying more the music listening experience?

NorthStar · Jan 9, 2012

I'm just curious.

Anyone here find that some enhancing drugs (cocaine, heroin, LSD, hashish, marijuana, or others),
and/or beverages with alcohol (wine, liquors, cognac, rhum, gin, vodka, whiskey, or others),
can contribute to make the music listening experience more pleasurable?

Each person might have his favorite drug or drink of choice to help him/her to get closer to that musical ecstasy... With control & balance of course.

Or is it more negatively detrimental than positively enhancing the overall experience?

I don't want to know what people think; I want to know what each person experienced himself/herself.

Also, comments from experts (doctors, health instructors, etc.) are certainly very welcome.

__________________________

Me, personally, I don't drink and don't do drugs while listening to music, in most general.
But occasionally, I would have a glass of wine (or two) while practicing my passion.

In the past, when I was youger, yes, I did all of that, but then it was party time and not serious listening.

Furthermore, age coming into account, and also health, have an influence in the total experience.
And our music choices might have switched, or evolved since yesterday...

I think, no, I don't think; I am certain, from personal experience, that even a small amount of drugs or alcohol, even if it's very good sometimes, is not the proper way to truly concentrate on the music playing, and get in touch with the messages of the artists, plus the emotional calibrations that they convey.
What I directly mean is that a natural state of mind and body and soul, is the best recipe for a true, healthy, and natural music listening experience.

But perhaps some other members here have a different point of view from their own personal experiences...

Now shoot! :b

fas42 · Jan 9, 2012

A nice one, Bob ... :b

As mentioned before, definitely not in my bag of tricks. The one exception was that some years ago I did the rounds of listening to a number of systems, as part of a hifi club, and there was generally decent quantities of red available at these social gatherings. To put it bluntly, all the setups had various problems, so the addition of a slight alcohol haze helped one to get through the evening, at times rose coloured glasses are very handy things to put on ...

Frank

NorthStar · Jan 9, 2012

So Frank, what you're saying is that red wine can add some distortion to mask the already exposed distortions from the music reproduction chain, right. ...Good one. :b

Bruce B · Jan 9, 2012

Years.... (and years) ago when I was doing my anesthesia training there was a website that I always loved to read. It was pseudo scientific where this person or persons would take a pre determined amount of a drug. There would always be people in the scientific community that would document the experience that these people would tell them. I was always intrigued by what my patients were actually going through. Drugs such as Ketamine, Fentanyl, Diazepam and also the Schedule I drugs as well were used. There was some drugs that made the participants hypersensitive to sound.

Here's something what I'm talking about.

Erowid's Vault

fas42 · Jan 9, 2012

LordoftheRingsEE said:
So Frank, what you're saying is that red wine can add some distortion to mask the already exposed distortions from the music reproduction chain, right. ...Good one. :b

I think one thing it does is to effectively add treble cut to the ear/brain thing: equivalent to donning a very mild set of noise reduction headphones ...

Frank

Steve Williams · Jan 9, 2012

some serious stuff on that list Bruce

Bruce B · Jan 9, 2012

Steve Williams said:
some serious stuff on that list Bruce

There are some wild stories... but mostly text book accurate experiences.

Steve Williams · Jan 9, 2012

A list of "bad trips"

jazdoc · Jan 9, 2012

In my long ago fraternity days I vaguely remember that Prince and the Gap Band were like catnip to coeds. I'm sure the cheap beer helped too! Funny thing, I still own every Prince and Gap Band record....

Mark (Basspig) Weiss · Jan 9, 2012

I once listened to Bach while coming off of valium (after a surgical procedure). It was interesting, but I don't recall much about it, specifically. I think I prefer having my full faculties on hand when listening to music critically.

NorthStar · Jan 10, 2012

Interesting link Bruce; thanks for supplying it. :b

...Might get my new 'supply' of info there from now on lol. :b

Johnny Vinyl · Jan 10, 2012

Back in the days of my rebel-rousing youth I experimented with some drugs, and once, while on acid, I listened to Jimi Hendrix' Star Spangled Banner. It freaked me right out and scared the living daylight out of me. That was the last time I took a hallucinatory substance. I might have a beer or a glass of wine while listening to music, which I do find helps to relax me at times, but most often I just go into a listening session "au natural".

Phelonious Ponk · Jan 10, 2012

My audio enhancement of choice is an excellent California cabernet called Silver Spoon. It both widens and deepens the sound stage, and significantly improves resolution and microdynamics. When measured for a recent review, though, SS showed no alchohol content at all, but I can both taste the alchohol (which is superb in its clarity, BTW) and feel its effects. Either we're not measuring the right things, or there is some as of yet undiscovered, more natural, alchohol there that is unknown (and superior!). Time will reveal it, I'm sure.

Tim

cjfrbw · Jan 10, 2012

Interesting and complicated question since the use of mind altering substances is so intricately connected with performers and the "creative process."

I would say if you NEED a mind altering substance to enjoy music, maybe you should detox for a while and try it on its own terms.

I have done my share in the day, but haven't had a mind altering substance for decades except for caffeine. Except for strict medical requirements, I hope to keep it that way.

I seem to like my music more than ever, it is a pretty potent mind altering substance in its own right.

Carlos Santana said music rearranges your atoms, and I kind of know what he means.

When I was a student at Bezerkely, I remember a conversation between two of the guys in the frat. There was a sprinkler creating beautiful rainbows in the sunlight. One guy said " that would really look great if we were stoned." The other guy did a double take back and said "yeah, it really looks like **** the way it is."

Then there is the joke about the guys coming out of the Grateful Dead concert. "They shouldn't have kept playing after the drugs wore off."

Whatmore · Jan 10, 2012

Phelonious Ponk said:
My audio enhancement of choice is an excellent California cabernet called Silver Spoon. It both widens and deepens the sound stage, and significantly improves resolution and microdynamics. When measured for a recent review, though, SS showed no alchohol content at all, but I can both taste the alchohol (which is superb in its clarity, BTW) and feel its effects. Either we're not measuring the right things, or there is some as of yet undiscovered, more natural, alchohol there that is unknown (and superior!). Time will reveal it, I'm sure.

Tim

Now you are taking the p!ss

mep · Jan 10, 2012

Phelonious Ponk said:
My audio enhancement of choice is an excellent California cabernet called Silver Spoon. It both widens and deepens the sound stage, and significantly improves resolution and microdynamics. When measured for a recent review, though, SS showed no alchohol content at all, but I can both taste the alchohol (which is superb in its clarity, BTW) and feel its effects. Either we're not measuring the right things, or there is some as of yet undiscovered, more natural, alchohol there that is unknown (and superior!). Time will reveal it, I'm sure.

Tim

Yet another jab at audiophiles, but this time disguised as humor. Very funny Tim.

FrantzM · Jan 10, 2012

cjfrbw said:
Interesting and complicated question since the use of mind altering substances is so intricately connected with performers and the "creative process."

I would say if you NEED a mind altering substance to enjoy music, maybe you should detox for a while and try it on its own terms.

I have done my share in the day, but haven't had a mind altering substance for decades except for caffeine. Except for strict medical requirements, I hope to keep it that way.

I seem to like my music more than ever, it is a pretty potent mind altering substance in its own right.

Carlos Santana said music rearranges your atoms, and I kind of know what he means.

<snip>"

My sentiments exactly

NorthStar · Jan 11, 2012

Best Jazz musicians & singers ever were all heroin addicts.

rbbert · Jan 11, 2012

LordoftheRingsEE said:
Best Jazz musicians & singers ever were all heroin addicts.

I would say their talent was in spite of, not because of, their addiction. Unfortunately, those that don't get clean also die young, and those few who make it to middle age have terrible degradation of their playing

Phelonious Ponk · Jan 11, 2012

rbbert said:
I would say their talent was in spite of, not because of, their addiction. Unfortunately, those that don't get clean also die young, and those few who make it to middle age have terrible degradation of their playing

And most of those who left great legacies kicked the habit.

Tim

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