R.U. Sirius interviewed about his book, Everybody Must Get Stoned: Rock Stars on Drugs
You devote a whole chapter to The Beatles. Listening to "Sgt. Pepper's," we're not surprised, but were the mop-top lads from Liverpool toking up backstage with Ed Sullivan in the early days?From the Beatles to Sid Vicious, "Everybody Must Get Stoned"R.U. Sirius: The Beatles were turned on to pot by Bob Dylan in the summer of '64, so they weren't getting stoned before the historic Ed Sullivan appearances and it's generally accepted that they didn't get high while touring until the last tour in 1966. They had a hilarious poolside trip with Peter Fonda and members of The Byrds on that tour. They did lots of speed pills and alcohol during their early days in Hamburg, Germany. They were pretty much a punk band in Germany, although no one used that label at the time.
Which bands or musicians were the worst junkies and just couldn't survive without the stuff?
R.U. Sirius: Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers were the world's biggest junkies. Some of your readers may not be familiar with them because they were never mainstream but they were hugely influential. Thunders came out of the New York Dolls. The Heartbreakers were huge in New York City in the late '70s and really influenced London Punk, particularly the Sex Pistols. They were going to call themselves The Junkies.
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Great interview!
I like the idea of this book. Most writers treat the subject of musicians and drugs with kid gloves, or they try to make it some kind of morality tale. Nice to see a different take on the subject.
Love the pic of The New York Dolls to "illustrate" (Johnny Thunders) Heartbreakers. At least we didn't get a shot of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers. What the hell, they're all walking round with their arms full of dope, huh?
These guys? Junkies? No way!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIdNpWMZLeY&feature=PlayList&p=2CB032DB67181AFB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2
On second thought, way!!
Wow. The pull quote itself is plainly disproved by a bunch of photos of the boys smoking pot during their very first trip to US: February 1964. The pictures were collected for a exhibition at one of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., a few years back. They're sitting around in a hotel room smoking joints.
In the film A Hard Days' Night, made in 1964, when the boys get into a train compartment, someone hands out bottles of Pepsi. John takes one, holds it to one nostril, holds the other nostril shut with his finger, and mimes taking a big snort.
He's not that clued up on London punk though, the Dolls were certainly a pistols influence, but not really the Heartbreakers. From what I remember from those days the Hearbreakers turned up in London well after the Pistols were established as a live band, and didn't release any vinyl until after they arrived. I recall them generally being slightly resented as they had a bit of a "rock star" attitude and brought heroin into a scene that had mainly been into speed and dope, and also Nancy Spungeon who everyone loathed even before she got her teeth into Sid. Any influence they had on the Pistols was negative, through screwing Sid up even more than he was already.