I'm not particular interested in or take drugs, but I'm just interested in how what drugs are popular during a certain era influence musical styles.etc. No one can deny illicit substances used for 'inspiration' or what-not, do have a major impact on the musical styles - the 'tempo' and image of a period. Take the break-neck 50s influenced by barbituates and speed (of course drugs don't dictate musical styles on the whole). The most obvious example being the late 60s with LSD/Psychedelia. Cannabis has continued to be popular among record artists, the arts community and many people in general, but in the 70s you saw greater use of Cocaine, which could influenced early 70s heavy rock, later Hair metal/Punk.etc, as well as Funk, Soul (which seemed soaked in Marijuana). Marijuana was an extremely important part of Reggae music/Rastafarian culture, while 80s house and 90s dance music is associated with ecstasy. Grunge might be associated with Heroin, Morphine and other depressants - as might Goth Rock, Emo.etc. Can anyone think of other examples?

Emo and heroin??! Nah.

Cannabis was a component of reggae music and the rastafarian culture.

And the dance/rave music scene of the 90s was influenced by stimulants like ecstasy.

Cannabis was a component of reggae music and the rastafarian culture.

And the dance/rave music scene of the 90s was influenced by stimulants like ecstasy.


Oh yeah, how could I forget the Reggae/weed association, and yes, of course 90s rave. I'd edited my original post...

Emo and heroin??! Nah.


What then would be the hipster drug of choice?

What then would be the hipster drug of choice?


They don't do heroin, that's for sure. I think alot of them do marijuana, and some do cocaine, acid, ecstasy, and pharmaceuticals...but alot of them probably don't do drugs at all. I tend to associate grunge and punk with heroin, new wave and disco with cocaine, rave and '90s dance musuic in general with ecstasy, '60s music with hallucinogens, etc.

They don't do heroin, that's for sure. I think alot of them do marijuana, and some do cocaine, acid, ecstasy, and pharmaceuticals...but alot of them probably don't do drugs at all. I tend to associate grunge and punk with heroin, new wave and disco with cocaine, rave and '90s dance musuic in general with ecstasy, '60s music with hallucinogens, etc.


Yeah, the late 60s were definitely the era of Acid and Pot, although interestingly many 'respected' musicians like Sinatra (I think, don't want to confirm anything as that would be slander) used marijuana (it, like LSD and other drugs, were accepted drugs among the educated intelligentsia, and upper crust society) in the early 60s. Most rough and ready musicians of the Mersey-beat/Mod scenes stuck to amphetamines (perhaps the ultimate Mod drug of choice)...

Yeah, the late 60s were definitely the era of Acid and Pot, although interestingly many 'respected' musicians like Sinatra (I think, don't want to confirm anything as that would be slander) used marijuana (it, like LSD and other drugs, were accepted drugs among the educated intelligentsia, and upper crust society) in the early 60s. Most rough and ready musicians of the Mersey-beat/Mod scenes stuck to amphetamines (perhaps the ultimate Mod drug of choice)...


I do think drug abuse is among the most overrated aspects of the '60s scene...nobody is being that reverent about the cocaine use in the '70s and '80s, and yet people are still sort of reverent towards acid in the '60s.

I do think drug abuse is among the most overrated aspects of the '60s scene...nobody is being that reverent about the cocaine use in the '70s and '80s, and yet people are still sort of reverent towards acid in the '60s.


I think it's because hallucinogens were used to freely 'expand' your consciousness, which directly transmitted into the music (some would argue negatively) this 'psychedelic, chaotic, consciousness-shattering' sense of sensory overload, whereas in the 70s musicians just used cocaine for kicks, and were washed up at the end of it. So it was the whole drug-using protocol and the way that these bands approached their respective drugs that mattered. Acid was the drug of the people - it was (comparatively to cocaine) cheap, mind expanding...Cocaine was expensive, used by rich musicians and yuppies...not to glorify LSD at all, but Cocaine and other 'downers' were seldom glorified in the way Acid was.

I think the fashion styles associated with certain musical genres were influenced by how they would appear to someone on drugs. Like the tie-dye styles that were a part of the 60s hippie culture were meant to have a trippy appearance to someone who was high on hallucinogens. And the neon coloured rave clothes of the 90s dance scene were designed with the idea of how they would look under flashing strobe lights to someone on ecstasy. The flashy colours that ravers used to dye their hair were influenced by how they would appear to someone on drugs, also.