Waiting for the Man: The Story of Drugs and Popular Music by Harry Shapiro

by Harry Shapiro

Drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin have always been surrounded by excitement, fear, and ignorance, and the effects of any drug have always been overshadowed by who is using it and for what purpose. Musicians, who have also been associated with danger and excitement, often have been drawn to the fringe elements of society such as drugs. Harry Shapiro, in Waiting for the Man, expresses this important part of the combined history of drugs and Just as drugs have always been considered "beyond the pale," those involved in the music industry have lived as though they shared little in common with the masses.Waiting for the Man shows how these individuals have taken advantage of this status by living lives of excess, particularly in their involvement with drugs. While society has undergone remarkable changes since the turn of the century, the association of drugs with music has reamined intact. Shapiro examines the new drug "fashions" that occur with each new development in popular music, cataloging these trends and relating them to sociological factors.Is drug use and abuse by musicians a cause for or an effect of their life-styles? How important was Louis Armstrong's race to his marijuana use? Was it simply her profession as a jazz singer that turned Billie Holiday to heroin? How did Brian Jones's class affect his death from an overdose of amphetamines? Did society's attitude toward Mama Cass Elliot influence her long dependence on alcohol and heroin?Shapiro investigates the lives and life-styles of musicians who continue to flirt with disaster, details the stories of many famous victims of drug abuse, provides evidence of the intermittent but sinister role that organized crime and U.S. federal corruption play in this ongoing battle, and delves into accounts of drug-related arrests and deaths. He also considers the irony of the crusade against drug abuse by pop stars in the 1980s, even though the musical immortality they strive for has left the dead bodies of their peers in wrecked cars, crashed planes, and trashed motel rooms.(from the inside flap of the book cover)

Genres: Music, History, Drugs

Paperback

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad read. The author jumps all over the place and makes some rather obvious errors, like calling Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison methedrine addicts. It's well known that Janis was a heroin/alcohol abuser, Hendrix and Morrison were more into acid, alcohol, and even cocaine. Methedrine was there but it certainly wasn't their drug of choice. "The Crystal Ship" is certainly a drug song, but it's not methedrine. It's clearly a hallucinogenic trip the ship is taking the listener on, not a speed one. Normally none of this would matter. But in a book about popular music and drugs, the devil is in the details.

Another glaring error was the author's claim that John Lennon's LSD abuse was the cause of the Beatles break-up. Um, no? Sure they all did LSD at one time or another, which positively impacted their music. But it's pretty well-documented that Yoko's constant presence in the studio coupled with Paul's ballooning ego were the main causes of their breakup. Apparently, Paul started to re-record Ringo and George's parts on their later albums. For evidence, just check out the "Let it Be" film which still hasn't seen a DVD release. Paul refuses to sign off on it probably because it makes him look pretty bad.

For some reason the author kept claiming everything in the 60s had to do with speed/methedrine. For example, he claimed that the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" mimicked a methedrine high. While it's definitely true that many people in 60s New York were taking speed, the title alone should be a clue as to what the song was about. Shapiro cites a part of the song where the music speeds up and the lyric is, "when I'm rushing on my run,. " Shapiro claims the rush is from methedrine pills. Rush is actually a term used by heroin addicts to describe the drug coursing through your body when shot intravenously. The music speeding up is another depiction of the same feeling. It has absolutely nothing to do with speed or methedrine. As a long time heroin addict, composer Lou Reed was pretty clear on all this.

On a positive note, Shapiro did cite a bunch of statistics from credible sources. Unfortunately, he often followed them up with generalizations not supported by his own evidence or backed up by any sources. His rave culture chapter is filled with inconsistencies and misleading assertions. It was pretty clear that his aim was to defend rave parties from accusations of widespread drug dealing. He draws comparisons between drug use at discos and at raves, finding no real difference. Then he says that it's a myth that raves are drug supermarkets because, "most drug users take their drugs before they arrive." Um, no. I was a member of the 90s Chicago rave scene and know from experience that very few people took anything beforehand. Some people would even go to raves just to buy drugs and then leave. I suspect Shapiro knew he was wrong since he didn't bother to even try to back it up with facts.

Considering the author's bio says that he has "been in the drugs field since 1979," it's surprising that he got so many things wrong, particularly about effects of certain drugs. What's weird is that it's not specified what exactly he did in the "drugs field." The drugs field?" Based on the the fact that there isn't any further information about his background in the drug field, my guess is he tried drugs for the first time in 1979. Perhaps he and his editors had a good laugh when they wrote the bio. It's just the kind of tongue in cheek, sarcastic humor we might expect from Shapiro. Unfortunately, I don't think having tried marijuana or cocaine a few times qualifies you as a drug expert. In fact, the argument could be made that it's just the opposite.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and written history of the confluence of drugs and musical artists. Starting with the "Jazz Age" of the 1920s and winding up in the "Rave-y" 1990s, Shapiro covers a lot of ground, taking in the llives of the artists, legislation and (sometimes) the tragedies. The only drawback is that he touches on a lot of subjects very lightly - but that is understandable, given the scope of the book. I also think the 1960s deserved more than a single chapter - but again, a minor complaint. Excellent read - i highly (fnarr fnarr) recommend "Waiting For The Man".

[Jason Famous · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, an interesting read. I have to say that there seems to be no narrative flow whatsoever. What I had to do was look up all my favorite artists in the index, then page back to the sections surrounding them--all in order to keep my interest up. The writing also very much required a proofreader. Snoop Dogg's real name is not Tim Dogg--no matter how many times the author keeps ramming into the ground that it is!

[Holden Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic summary of available knowledge for like 1990 or whenever this dropped. It goes through all sorts of drugs in an objective AF kinda way.