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All my drugging - a Paul McCartney drugs timeline

10zenmonkeys.com — An amazing timeline documents Paul McCartney's first use of each illegal drug, including benzedrine in the early 60s, marijuana with Bob Dylan, LSD, cocaine, mescaline, and hashish. It also documents drug busts for hashish, pot-growing, and possession (and pleas for decriminalization), with stories about David Bowie and Mick Jagger, and lyrics.

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mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -2/+37Dugg for this paragraph:

An interesting side note: In The Beatles version of “Across The Universe”, the line “nothing’s gonna change my world” comes across as a sort of cosmic meditation on the divine perfection of the eternal now. In Bowie’s version, the same line becomes an expression of terrified desperation. This might be interpreted as the difference between psychedelics and coke, as well as the difference between the 60s and the 70s.
- littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I think from the Beat Generation on we expected our Rock/Folk Icons to go out, "test things out," and report back. Not that it was necessarily good, but they did.
- jwyles, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I always wondered why Paul was my fathers favorite Beatle...
- r2builder, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7I think it was George Carlin who said that drugs are responsible for every piece of good music over the last few years. I can't imagine the beatles without an LSD influence.
- thebonobo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12r2builder, that would be the Honorable Bill Hicks:
  http://www.billhicks.com/
- shreveyboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Bill Hicks on bands and drugs:
  " I don't care if they are drowning in a pile of their own vomit! I want my kids to listen to someone who ***** rocked!! "
  " If you are like those bands who rock out against drugs, you should probably throw away every record from the 60's and 70's, because they were real ***** high!"
  
  Oh..and wiki it, soo many more.
- dohidied, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"See I think drugs have done some good things for us, I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor, go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your CDs and burn 'em. Cause you know what? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal *****' high on drugs."
- Genthree, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3 Not to mention that the cover for Sgt. Peppers contains such venerable drug advocates as Aldous Huxley who wrote The Doors of Perception, a book about his mescaline experimentation from which The Doors took their name.
- ThinkBox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+22005 - Viagra
- shaun944, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Huxley also wrote Brave New World, in which a drug, Soma, is not only legal, but the addiction of nearly everyone, and its not a good thing for society, so I wouldn't say he's a flat out advocate of drugs.
  
  Also, I've been told that Day Tripper was about someone going to commit suicide : "taking the easy way out," "one way ticket". etc... maybe its bad info, but there's definitely a case to be made that "tripper" isn't so literally meant as getting high.
nick2354, on 10/12/2007, -38/+12drugs are bad.
- vassili151, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28No. Drugs used irresponsibly are bad.
- ElChimbonda, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20mmmmkay?
- venicerocco, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17They're like guns, in a way. Drugs don't kill people for example. If used wisely, they can strengthen you. And they certainly should not be banned.
  
  If only this was written into the constitution like guns are.
- DonRoberto, on 10/12/2007, -10/+9I was thinking of getting into crack and heroine. Any advice on how to use them responsibly?
- r2builder, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19It'd be responsible to spell it "heroin." Getting into heroines is your business man. Best of luck with it.
- Aces, on 10/12/2007, -13/+10Oh to be young and stupid again.
  
  The reality is, yes, drugs are bad. Watch a friend get addicted to cocaine and see how their life goes from that point on.
  
  Even alcohol and marijuana are pretty bad, its just that most people can use them without being overwhelmed.
- TheWorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well, at least this explains the Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club band album art. Brilliant with a hint of LSD.
  
  http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pcs7027_a.jpg
- bcdowell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"If only this was written into the constitution like guns are."
  
  do notice that in order for alcohol to be prohibited in the 20's, the constitution had to be amended. They understood that our right to use alcohol was implicitly reserved for us by the federal government (or, to be under state jurisdiction).
  
  also notice that there is no amendment giving authority to the DEA.
  
  Under those terms, I think it could be (rightfully!) argued that drug prohibition in the US -is- unconstitutional.
- shaun944, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@DonRoberto
  
  well, I can't vouch for crack/cocaine, but I have a prescription for oxycodone, which is pretty close to heroin, I take a pill as needed for pain as I recover from surgery. And there are stronger meds or variants out there, which people who suffer debilitating diseases or horrific injuries may need to be able to live even relatively pain free. So yes there are responsible uses for some very heavy drugs, they just are not recreational uses.
flippedcracker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25i would have rather seen it on a graphical timeline.
aahpandasrun, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9I hear that the Beatles were so high writing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, they didn't even realize that it could be interpreted as LSD. I remember reading that in one of the interviews sometime.
- Edam, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Don't believe everything that you "hear."
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_in_the_Sky_with_Diamonds
- wssharp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@ Edam
  
  Yeah, but, from the article:
  
  "[2004] He also admits the obvious, that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was about LSD, something the song’s main author, John Lennon, always denied."
- Edam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes, but quite a bit different than "I hear that the Beatles were so high writing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, they didn't even realize that it could be interpreted as LSD."
timjbart, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10So many illegal substances yet he's still a Sir...
hiPpymIck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5 hemp info link ...
http://www.concept420.com/marijuana_cannabis_faq.htm
marcomc2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12have to drop in my two cents - im from hamburg and am proud as an organism that is extremely proud, to say that Hamburg City, Germany, is the place The Beatles gave birth to, artistically and publicly. long live HH. digg me down unfamiliar prejudizers. if that is a word, anyway.
- hicamel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Perhaps you mean Hamburg gave birth to the Beatles, not The Beatles gave birth to Hamburg.
StellarlyAstral, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Anyone have the picture of McCartney, Harrelson, and Fishburne?
- dohidied, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'd like to see that too. The first thing I did was google "the three stoners", but to no avail.
naldwell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21Heh, the Beatles were so high they even let Ringo sing a few tunes.
- molsen311, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3octopus's garden is a great tune!
pras128, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15It's weird to think that many of us are taught that anyone who experiments with drugs is immediately a bad person you shouldn't associate with.. then you go to college :)
- rassoodock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Or high school..
shortstick, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Decriminalization is a weak way out. Mary J should be put on par with alcohol. It's God's herb.
- naldwell, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Actually, all substances should be unrestricted. That way, there are no massive black market profits to fund criminal organisations. Bad idea if you own a private prison though, wouldn't be very many inmates.
strat0tele, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I second the request for the "Three Stoners" picture. I meant to post this as a reply but I f'ed up.
neuropsychguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I think the author of the article is reading a little too much into some of the song lyrics.
Slink, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I think Help! is the first Beatles song about drugs, the lyrics could be interpreted that way.
- strat0tele, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The song was written based on the title of the movie . In the 70's Lennon said that though the song was written because of the movie, he was very depressed at the time and was screaming out for "Help!". I don't think it has to do with drugs.
AJRiddle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They are completely wrong about the song Get Back
“Jo Jo left her home in Tuscon Arizona for some California grass.” Is the grass just grass? What, she couldn’t find any grass in Tucson?"

First of all it was "Jo Jo left his home" and it is obvious that by California grass just means a California residence, hence why Jo Jo needs to get back to where he once belonged.
- dred1367, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3and if you play it backwards it says to lift the embargo on Cuba so we all get high quality cigars!
- bcdowell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2you obviously have not sampled any california 'grass'... it's definitely worth leaving tuscon for.
luken7, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0And he's a knight....King Richard is rolling over in his grave
- BillDoor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Get over yourself. Queen Victoria & Sir Winston Churchill both used marijuana.
ravens326, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Enough with the "drugs are bad" comments. Any intelligent person, which I would think most digg users are, know that drugs cause many physiological and emotional problems. However, certain drugs used in MODERATION, can give users pleasant effects which are sometimes safe. The idea here is being responsible and using in MODERATION. Anything in excess is dangerous. I am not telling people to go out and experiment, I am trying to address that generalizations are many times inaccurate and sometimes even completely wrong. Now my real question is, why is there no real mention of the Beatles using heroin? I am pretty sure Lennon at least tried it. I know this is timeline of McCartney's drug use, so if he didn't use heroin I wouldn't be surprised, but it does mention that he passed on PCP. If that's the case why doesn't the timeline discuss why he passed on heroin? Interesting read though for rock and Beatles enthusiasts.

http://www.dpodgor.net
artgon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4There's nothing wrong with marijuana. It's the 'safest' recreational drug you could use (safer than alcohol and tobacco) and this has been shown in various studies. If you like their music (or any music from the 60s and 70s for that matter) then it's pretty hypocritical to bash them for drug use.
- mrTribal, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm telling you from personal experience that marijuana can ***** up your life more than any of these so called "recreational" drugs.
  The problem with marijuana is its de-motivational effects come on so subtly you don't even realise how ***** up you are until you quit. If you can.
- mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It may be that some people are able to mess up their lives with marijuana, but in my experience that would take a lot of effort. Back when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life, I smoked a lot of pot and worked at menial jobs. But when I finally got that I wanted to get a degree in physics, I quit pot and finished up my degree going to school full time and year round. Nowadays I only smoke pot occasionally when I'm with certain friends, and only take a couple of hits off a pipe just to get buzzed.
- hicamel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0@MrTribal
  Right on. Crappy things will happen with relationships. You won't attribute the problems to the weed. Only in Retrospect many years later will you see how you really were. I smoked it from my teens until mid 30's. I am 53 now. I am not unsuccessful, I make 120k a year, but sometimes I wonder what I really might have accomplished had I put the pot away, put the electric guitar away, grew up an applied myself towards something that was more than a pot induced fantasy. By this time in my life I should be a CEO and have a few million in the bank. Yeah, some people can smoke Pot and still do great things. But my guess is that most pot smokers are held back and don't recognize it.
- cjshamrock, on 09/18/2008, -0/+1Sir McCartney wouldn't agree.
WyllyWylly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In only a very few instances can one safely state that a song is explicitly about drugs. "Help!" was written before the Beatles were heavily into illicit drugs, although they were popping little white pills in the early days of Hamburg. The words could just as easily be a written recollection of a trip or high that opened creative doors for the artist. It's not uncommon for musicians to use dope of any kind for that reason (among others).

Don't fool yourself into thinking you know what the song's lyrics represent. The only person who really knows what they mean - if they mean anything at all - is the author. Lennon was famous for tying nonsensical strings of words together. Meaning had nothing to do with it; it was the way it sounded that matter. The "Paul is dead" rumors should prove how gullible the public is. Do your research!
bigp3rm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The whole problem with marijuana and our society is that everyone has been feed a steamy pile of disinformation. Nancy Reagan's crusade against marijuana in the 80s was pasted full of false "scientific" bs.

I had a conversation with a police officer of 13 years about his opinion on weed. He said he would like to see it legalized. He stated that he had never been on a domestic dispute call that was the result of marijuana usage (most of their calls are for domestic disputes). Lastly he added that the majority of fights stem from people drinking to much alcohol.

I'm guessing that most of you on this site know at least one person that smokes pot. Do you think it is fair that they could end up sharing a cell with a murder or rapist?
jvicinanza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wrong...

McCartney is turned on to cocaine by Robert Fraser, an art dealer and a central figure in the London counterculture, who did the artwork for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. He uses cocaine a bit during his work on Sgt. Peppers, although he apparently doesn’t share it around with his mates. Cocaine is very obscure in 1967 and doesn’t become second nature to rock stars ’til around 1969.

It was not Rober Fraser it was Peter Blake who designed the cover. This is a simple fact that is easy to get right, so if the poster cant get this right how on earth can one believe the rest of speculative crap.

See: http://www.answers.com/topic/peter-blake-artist
- thebonobo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1it says in the omniscient Wikipedia that it was in fact Fraser who *art directed* the album cover. Now whether that’s different than “designing” the image, who knows…
  
  "Fraser art-directed the famous cover for The Beatles' 1967 LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- he dissuaded the group from using the original design, a psychedelic artwork created by the design collective The Fool, instead suggesting the pop artist, Peter Blake, who created the famous collage cover design."
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fraser
oskite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@TheWorm

You mean the album cover that has a picture of Aleister Crowley on it? What a creepy guy.

[edit] Dammit, I didn't hit the reply button. I've never done that before.
brklynmark, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1who the hell is paul mccartney?
Pahtymahty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0But you're all missing the most blatant reference from "Fool on the Hill" where Paul sings: So I went down to Brownsville, bought a bag and a spike, a long time ago, I was just a little tyke.
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All my drugging - a Paul McCartney drugs timeline

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