by Emily Nelson
It is no secret that artists and musicians have been using and abusing drugs for centuries. But what is it about the minds of some creative geniuses that cause them to experiment with drugs to a dizzying height? Musicians in particular are fascinating; when there is a news story of a music artist’s death, it is due to substance abuse a disturbingly high proportion of the time. As a society we have perhaps become so numb to the extensive drug abuse of celebrities as to accept it as the norm. This drug problem has been going on for so long that we can almost no longer distinguish the significance of the social factors surrounding drug use from the scientific effects they have on the brain.
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| The Doors |
The Doors are a prime example of a band known for their use of psychoactive drugs, particularly LSD. The effect that psychedelic substances had on their music seems undeniable, especially in songs such as ‘The End’ or ‘The Ghost Song’. Jim Morrison’s drug-fueled poetic ramblings are beautiful in their disarray. Using Morrison as an example, did the drugs which he took expand his creativity so that he was able to write these lyrics, or were they a by-product of his lifestyle and an antidote which he used to tame his already creative mind? There is scientific evidence which suggests that LSD enhances emotions evoked by listening to music. Brain imaging studies show that when participants were listening to music with their eyes closed, the parahippocampal cortex (PHC) experienced increased connectivity with the visual cortex (VC) when they were administered LSD intravenously, compared to sober participants. The effect of this was immense: visual imagery, including that of an autobiographical nature, was enhanced. These subjective experiences were therapeutic, which explains the self-medication of illegal drugs by people of a disturbed mind. In terms of artistry, this study showed an increase in musically-inspired complex visual imagery. This suggests that taking LSD is conducive to listening and writing music.
But there are a myriad of other drugs famously used by artists. Heroin was used by Kurt Cobain, Lou Reed, Anthony Kiedis, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and countless more. Heroin causes cognitive disinhibition, meaning people on the drug tend to notice more insignificant details than the ordinary person. Cannabis has similar psychoactive effects to LSD, including transcendentalism and engendering feelings of wonder and power. This is an extremely popular drug worldwide and is especially common amongst artists. Studies show that out of the two key compounds in cannabis - tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol - cannabis with a higher proportion of the latter produces greater pleasure when listening to music by enhancing the feelings previously listed. Musicians take these drugs because they do appear to enhance the creative process. However, there are other reasons why specifically musicians take drugs which means that they don’t do it solely for the creative advantage.
There are the more social reasons, such as conformity and peer pressure. When artists become successful, they inevitably started getting invited to high-profile parties which drug dealers capitalise on. As drug use was seen as an accepted lifestyle for a celebrity, they could easily become addicted. On top of that, there is the pressure of life in the public eye, which causes many celebrities to turn to drugs to deal with their emotions and protect themselves from the world. In this way, drugs do not assist with imagination and inspiration, but they ease the minds of the artists who use them so that they are able to exist without worrying about the consequences of their success. However, the effects can of course be highly problematic.
A theory was proposed by neuroscientist David Linden that addicts have a weak dopamine system. This means that to experience the same amount of pleasure as an average person, an addict has to find pleasure through artificial avenues on top of the ordinary means - for example, through the use of psychoactive drugs. This applies to artists because there is a massive crossover between people who have a predisposition to addiction and people who are naturally creative. They share common qualities, such as compulsive, impulsive, risk-taking and novelty-seeking. This means that taking drugs does not further the creative process, instead people who are already creative have a proclivity to addiction.
It could thus be argued that taking drugs actually hinders the creative mind and that the terrible side effects of these substances vastly outweigh any benefit they might have. The risk of HIV from sharing needles; coma; overdose; kidney, liver and heart failure; paranoia; the list goes on. These sometimes deadly effects mean that artists don’t have the power to write music or lyrics; they can’t physically go to the studio to record. For example, the Red Hot Chili Peppers stopped taking hard drugs in the 90s to focus on their music because their addiction to drugs, particularly in the lead singer Anthony Kiedis, was so strong that it was deeply affecting the band in a negative way.
The question remains: are drugs essential to the creative process? Probably not. In some ways, such as those shown by the brain imaging study, scientific evidence has proven a link between drugs and creativity. However, drugs are not essential. And they may be an active impediment. The vast majority of great music has been made without the use of drugs, for example all of the Red Hot Chili Peppers music post-2000 which was still wildly successful. Also, musicians take drugs for all manner of reasons that have nothing to do with creativity, from dealing with childhood trauma to the pressures of stardom. Nevertheless, would we still be listening to icons such as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones if their music wasn’t created whilst they were high? “The End” certainly wouldn’t sound the same or maybe wouldn’t even exist without the use of LSD.
Sources:
https://medium.com/the-establishment/how-heroin-impacts-creativity-be2911e66aee
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