Originally Posted by: FenderallthewayWell heres what
I think...

I don't do marijuana, never have, never will. I think it messes with your mind,

That's the point though. The nearest explanation I can think of from my teenage years ....
I was one of those guys who was totally against drugs. Then I saw an old movie called "Go Ask Alice" and I just had to try pot for myself.

My first thought after smoking it was that it totally opened my mind to ideas about things that I'd never thought about. It was almost like my mind was closed and blocked off to things..... then suddenly I'd have these revelations about music or life in general. I'd listen to songs and understand them....

I guess my theory is that I'd never have grown up unless I'd experimented in certain drugs like pot and mushrooms. There were times I'd sit in my car by myself while high on mushrooms, just thinking about my life and suddenly having these realizations about how things worked... ..it's too hard to explain, but I'm totally thankful to mild drugs for opening my mind to alternate possibilities.
I'd also never have gotten into albums like Crime of the Century or I Robot, Dark Side of the Moon etc... unless I'd been sitting around with friends, experiencing them while high.

Now, the final test of listening to your own material to see if it's 'cool' and not corny is to have a few beers, smoke a joint and listen to your songs the way other people would percieve it. (it's not a great idea to get high while you're recording though).
You get to listen to your music through fresh ears and with a perspective that other guys at parties might interpret your music.

I dunno.... one of the final tests for me is to listen to songs I've recorded after a few beers to get rid of preconcieved ideas, mellow out a bit, listen with fresh ears while imagining someone listening to it who's a bit high.
If it still stands up and doesn't make me go 'eeesh', then it passes the test.
If I listen to it and can tell that when I record it I was being dorky, I toss it out.

Legal notice: all the above statements are my own opinions and in no way am I advocating the use of illegal drugs.

The secret to drug and alcohol use is moderation.