Do you think EVH played better drunk or sober?

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Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:36 pm

At my busiest gigging schedule I couldnt play without drinking. Not that I had to be drunk but just to have something to do. I swear I would get antsy sitting around at a bar with nothing to do with my hands. The side effect was taht many nights I just plain acted a fool. Im a pretty big clutz as is. My move is backing up suddenly and spilling the entire trey contents on a busy waitress.

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JasonC
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Post by JasonC » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:33 pm

I fell off the back of a 3 foot stage once and managed to keep playing somehow. It's one of those stories where my buddies that were there remember more of the details then I do... I couldn't have played very well that night.

I have to admit though that I often like my playing much better if I've had a few, even on playback. It just comes across as way more relaxed and fun, at least to me. I wish it wasn't so...

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rockstah
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Post by rockstah » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:36 pm

kind of related to beer

once and only once mind you ;) i had alittle too much to drink and well 90 mins later right before the encore ( we built this city no less) the tune started and i was off stage pissing made it back by the time the verse started :oops:

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Post by Necrovore » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:15 pm

Man the pay must have been good to play that song every night. I've never been able to play drunk. I get way too self conscious. I will nurse one beer from after load in til I start playing. Other then that its water until after the show.

Now the studio is another thing. I seem to work better in the studio while hammered. I really dont even feel drunk either thats what is wierd. I know I'm drunk from all the bottles as well as herbal enhancement. But I just zone in to the work being done. I get the same feeling if I take some Aderol but I get the shakes with Aderol.

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sub
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Post by sub » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:23 pm

in Studio: 1-2 beer
Concert: uhhhhhhhh 5-10 beer :oops:

hey need beer for me! NOW! ........ go to fridge :twisted: :lol: :lol:
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Post by BrownSound1 » Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:10 am

I must admit that having a drink or two to calm the nerves a bit does help, but I don't think I play better. I seem to get wreckless with my playing if I drink too much.
Why is it we can remember where all the wires go, but can never find a pick?

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Post by Billy Batz » Thu Jan 26, 2006 11:01 am

BrownSound1 wrote:I must admit that having a drink or two to calm the nerves a bit does help, but I don't think I play better. I seem to get wreckless with my playing if I drink too much.
I do think that too. It loosens you up a bit (of coarse) but you also take more chances and play a little more free then ytou usually would which means your more likely to play something bad but at the same time when Im sober, and safe, and make zero mistakes my playing sounds waaaay too 'white'.

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Post by BrownSound1 » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:39 pm

I agree Dan. I wish it was easier to control the line between where you go "damn I played that part all wrong," to "fuck it." :D Always is hard to gauge the exact amount of alcohol that puts you in "the zone." I usually overshoot that a bit. :D
Why is it we can remember where all the wires go, but can never find a pick?

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rockstah
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Post by rockstah » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:45 pm

BrownSound1 wrote:I agree Dan. I wish it was easier to control the line between where you go "damn I played that part all wrong," to "fuck it." :D Always is hard to gauge the exact amount of alcohol that puts you in "the zone." I usually overshoot that a bit. :D
:lol:

ive got it down to a science - i never drink at home and when im on the road 2 beers to take the travel edge off gets me there ;)

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Post by Shredder » Sun Jan 29, 2006 1:35 pm

I think being a musician is somewhat akin to being an alcoholic (or alcoholic personality) in many instances because you have to admit, we are of a different breed than most people (other than maybe live theatre actors etc...). We as performers expose ouselves for the world to see, giving a piece of our own psyche, say our "soul" if you may, to the the audience everytime we play. I also believe that the most soulful players of all time had troubled lives of some sort, and being a live performer only tends to reinforce these private demons of the mind.

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Post by BashCoder » Sun Jan 29, 2006 1:55 pm

rockstah wrote: ive got it down to a science - i never drink at home and when im on the road 2 beers to take the travel edge off gets me there ;)
Yes indeed. Two REALLY REALLY BIG beers. 8)

But seriously, does anybody really think EVH drinks so that he'll play better? To loosen up? I'd be willing to bet that he wished he'd never started.

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Post by mightymike » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:40 am

MacGaden wrote:I was in my 30´s before I met a sober Swede !
My Swedish side of the family does have it's share of Alcoholics.
It's so cold up there, so all there is to do is drink and screw to stay warm.
There's a joke about how the livers on that side of the family have been tempered
to the point where they will have to stabbed with a stick to be killed after that
person dies. Luckily I took after the other side of the family.
(I'm only 1/8 Sweedish) I never craved booze.

I drink on social occasions and vacations (3 to 5 times a year), and with my geneticly superior liver,
(comming from a long line of drinkers)
it doesn't even phase me.. My wife says I'm fun when I've tied on a few.
I could have all the free drinks I wanted when I giged, but ususally drank coke. There
were the occasional trips out to the parking lot between sets, and my playing did suffer
afterwards. Short term memory loss (if you know what I mean)

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Re: Do you think EVH played better drunk or sober?

Post by kt77 » Mon Aug 15, 2016 11:25 pm

coked out, as usual

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Re: Do you think EVH played better drunk or sober?

Post by d95err » Wed Aug 17, 2016 9:47 am

You only need to look at some old Van Halen concerts on Youtube. It's usually great in the beginning but then gets progressively worse as they start gulping Jack Daniels between each song. Towards the end it's really bad, but the band is too drunk to even realize it (or professional enough to keep the show going).

No question EVH and the band gets worse the more they drink.

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FL6
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Re: Do you think EVH played better drunk or sober?

Post by FL6 » Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:56 pm

Whatever he was in the studio he was perfect.

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