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No serious discussion of The Beatles’ career is complete without examining their recreational pursuits, and how they impacted their art, as well as their interactions. Robert and Richard trace the history of their drug use, from the club years to the break-up.
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If no other episode does (and there are quite a few), this definitely shows Buskin as the Lennon apologist. Oh my…
Quite an embarrassment.
Absolutely. I like Richard, but when it comes to John Lennon he cannot look at things objectively. His love for John Lennon gets to a somewhat ridiculous level in this episode.
In defense of Buskin: Yes, John was damaged. And I don’t buy the happy house-husband myth. But whether or not John was productive enough toward the end is almost beside the point. Many artists, independent of drug use, find it difficult to access the muse later in life. Artists “dry up,” to use Robert’s phrase. How many aging rock stars work on par with their earlier selves? Further, productivity is not a worthwhile aim in itself. Productivity? Are we talking about an assembly line here? This speaks, I think, to the valid reasons for John’s taking himself “out of the game.” Also, consider the fact that pursuing ‘the game’ is rarely going to mean as much approaching middle age as it does at twenty, particularly after one’s already mastered it, and is understandably self-conscious about not wanting to merely repeat himself. Worse, what was once Rock-n-Roll(!)had become–deflate–“the music business.”
Finally, John’s fiercely contradictory nature is elemental to his genius. I’d have hated to see that blunted–through therapy or otherwise–for the sake of a couple more records.
I get the risk of therapy blunting an artist’s gifts, but then so too does indiscriminate drug use. On the whole, I think I’d prefer a less productive psychologically healthy John Lennon than a damaged, untreated one – productive or not.
RR
The “househusband” years _feel_ more significant than they are – a five year gap between albums is not a chasm, it felt like one because of John’s significance and relevance as an artist. What was he up to during that period? Perhaps it wasn’t all domestic bliss, but surely st least SOME of it was…
As far as i know about Lennon’s heroine use is that I NEVER got the good stuff.
Dealing with heroine means that you gonna get crap all the times. Also, john used to snot it, which is much less effective then injecting, and for last, as personal experience, LSD is much worst than heroine: LSD changes your way of thinking, heroine just chill you up. The day after you’re still the same person.
John’s worst addiction was LSD. it destroyed friendships and family … and it made him record a lot of crappy records.
Another thing about the Predulin pills: yes, they were still using them up to 1964, in fact in 1963 they gave it Brian to make him “talk”, it ended up getting him addicted to these pills.
There’s a story about Paul’cocaine who was completely snot away by Brian Jones while he was staying at Cavendish Avenue !
finally got to hear this episode.
1. @ 5.50-6.03 : ‘that came later’–good one Robert!
2. interesting book about ‘dr. feelgood’ : https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Feelgood-Shocking-Treating-Prominent/dp/1629145661/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1465509542&sr=8-2&keywords=dr+feelgood
3. why no mention of Jaffa cakes?
4. I always heard/read/thought that the book john had read prior to writing that inspired ‘tomorrow never knows’ was ‘the tibetan book of the dead’, NOT ‘the psychedelic experience’.
thanks!
RE the Tibetan Book of the Dead – that’s what Leary’s book is (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XMQ78YK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1); a re-working of the TBOTD, geared toward LSD users. Lennon read Leary’s book and not the actual TBOTD itself – I talk about this in my Revolver book.
RR
Did you have ever noticed the rebus on the Pussy Cats album ?
http://www.centrosangiorgio.com/rock_satanico/covers/cover_pussy_cats.jpg
Look under the table. What do you see ? A letter D, a rug and a letter S.
Put them together. What do you get ? 😀
We actually did mention this!
The artwork for this one lol. Well done.
I really enjoyed the push and pull between Richard and Robert at the beginning of this one. As with any creative collaboration, a degree of free willed difference between the parties is absolutely essential. That’s what you get with SATB and that’s one of the reasons why it is so good.
Paul carried on using cocaine until it became “too fashionable” (Playboy interview 1984). That would suggest at least until late seventies or early eighties. He did say in another interview (I can’t recall which one, but it was after Linda’s death) that she had told him to stop taking it as it was getting to be too much of a habit.