In my past...mostly in college...I was only an occasional smoker of weed. And I was out of the Rock and Roll business at the end of high school...


BUT...

Sadly, my participation in the first lament of the Musician's classic description went beyond excessive, to the point where I'm now more than a little regretful.

Briefly, if I'd kept track, there would be pages of encounters
where I don't remember even first names.

There would be several pages of brief, repetitive (think 15 minute breaks) encounters that lasted years; still, no names.

I quit drinking in 1988, but, sadly, only fast approaching old age brought me around on the "other" issue. I was a social drunk (think 4 old fashion glasses of straight brandy-minimum six nights a week for nearly 30 years) AND a full blown sex addict, to the point where I only played in hotel lounges near hospitals (nurses visited before and after their shifts and airlines overnighted flight attendants). I always demanded and got a free room and free booze. As a headliner; even in a 300 seat hotel lounge, it was way too easy. I always worked it so I could leave my day job for a quick trip to the hotel.

Now, I think that addiction cost me dearly. It took my focus off the music and the business end of the music. It took time from my interaction with family and friends. I wasn't a very nice guy for a long-long time. I could have contributed much more to education and done a better job in my day "gigs".


What about you? Without revealing the "juicy" details, how did you survive the era of "DRUGS, SEX and ROCK and ROLL"?


Russ