Artistic Drugs Part One: The Artist on Drugs

I brought up in my last post The Beatles and their drug habits. I wanted to expound upon this topic this week. After all, there are many artists in history who have been under the influence while creating magnificent artwork. Such artists include musicians, authors, painters, actors, etc. No field of art is untouched by the influence of drugs.

The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix all did hallucinogens such as marijuana, LSD, and magic mushrooms. Many beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were also under the influence of marijuana. True, that was in the hippie generation of the 60s and 70s, and who didn't do some drugs then? What about today? The lead singer of Fall Out Boy confesses to frequent drug use, I've lost track of how many times Snoop Dogg has been arrested for possession, and there are photographs of Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz sharing joints. Clearly the artist on drugs is not a thing of the past.

Another thing to consider is that drug use is no longer such a taboo subject within the arts. The movie Pineapple Express was a huge box-office hit, and it is about a stoner and his dealer. When asked how he came up with the idea, writer and leading actor Seth Rogan answers that he got really high and started writing. This is a far cry from the times when drug use in movies was used purely as a warning of the peril drugs may lead to.

I do not think anyone can deny that drugs such as marijuana and LSD lead to increased creativity and have contributed to some great artistic works. The artist on drugs seems to be able to open their mind and let ideas flow more freely. My question to you all is this: Does the fact that an artist created his or her work while under the influence make the artist any less talented?