Is there an album that you found particularly better or worse on drugs or alcohol?
Nov 242010
Nov 032010
I usually prefer we stay away from hot-button political issues, but out of respect for our friends in California, I think it’s only right we take a few moments to revisit the following clip…after the jump! Continue reading »
Nov 032010
The Atlantic City police force’s confiscation of illicit drugs held by attendees of Phish’s recent 3-night stint left longtime fans of the jam band wondering what all the fuss had been about.
“I should have eaten my mushrooms before leaving the car,” said one 20-something fan who asked to remain anonymous following his first disappointing experience at a Phish concert after attending “dozens” of shows since the band’s 2009 reunion. “Without even a roach to smoke you could say the scales fell from my eyes: Booorrrrrrinnng!”
“Their harmonies were better than I’d ever realized,” said Alex, 56, a jewler from New Hope, “but I don’t go to a Phish concert to relive the magic of the friggin’ Everly Brothers, not to mention I don’t travel to AC to get hassled by the Gestapo over a friggin’ joint.”
“The cops didn’t even care when I told them I have ADHD,” complained Brooks, 17, of Collingswood, NJ, who managed to keep only a strategically placed whippet after being frisked. “After getting bored out of my gourd by Trey’s endless jamming,” he chuckled, “maybe I do!”
Other fans whose drugs were confiscated expressed similar feelings of dissatisfaction with the band’s performance. Shaun, a 40-something fan who’s attended over 200 Phish shows since the demise of her beloved Grateful Dead, was more philosophical. “I mean, everyone has an off night now and then, you know? Maybe the cops took their stash too.”
Aug 182009
Nothing suspicious in their cocktails.
Townsman Andyr raised this question with me last week concerning J. Geils Band, a long-time, hard-working, journeyman, Boston party rock band best known for its Jagger-esque frontman and energetic live shows but always underachieving in the studio that suddenly turned out two albums of polished, radio-friendly hits.
At first I dismissed my friend’s suspicions as the result of the dangerous practice of mixing love for rock ‘n roll with love for baseball. Over the next few days, however, I went searching for possible ties to members of J. Geils Band and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
Although the band was tight with San Francisco promoter Bill Graham and played the Fillmore West numerous times, I did not find any ties to the Bay area’s nascent BALCO labs scene. J. Geils himself was always a sturdy looking guy, but judging by estimates of his head size over the years, there were no changes. In fact, with one exception, each member of J. Geils Band seemed to maintain a pretty stable Look and role within the band.
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