Well That Was Rough

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Again, for some this made for very entertaining performances to watch. I get it. But for others, and call me a prude if you like but I am one of them, such performances are mostly cringe-worthy. They aren't performances she wants to be remembered for.

I agree. She's ashamed of those performances and has said as much.

That doesn't mean she is ashamed of her drug use. She tells people it was unsafe and could have killed her, but I don't think she's especially sorry she did cocaine. She doesn't hang her head over that. What I think she hates is seeing or hearing those performances where she was out of her mind, stumbling and incoherent.

I mean people can remember being high on drugs or alcohol as fun: all the laughter and dancing and what not, but who wants to see pictures of themselves vomiting or passed out? Not many. I think performances like that are almost the equivalent of seeing someone with their head in the toilet. That's not the revelrous part of drugs. That's the revolting payback.

Michele

[redbird]

Stevie on coke at 70 wouldn't give that kind of performance anyway, 70 is 70. Now if she had worked on her fitness like, I dunno, Bruce Springsteen (and even he had more energy at 30), she could probably have some inspiring energy at her age, but that's a lot of work and most people don't do it, and it seems to me she was always on the easily fatigued side.

I'm certain she had a lot of fun, but drugs are the kind of thing where it's more fun to play than to watch, so I certainly wouldn't have wanted to pay to see a performance like that. I don't find it especially fascinating, even if I don't find it especially heinous either. I mean, I can get ****ed up on drugs but I wouldn't charge people to watch me, why should they? (That said, the "Gold Dust Woman" video from Japan where she's h i g h a s a k i t e, I find that fun to watch sometimes, but at least she enunciated all the words and her voice was still gold and she wasn't as close to a fatality. (And anyway I like that song better than "Stand Back".))

The Klono one just makes me sad, that's clearly just a pure struggle.

[SisterNightroad]

I think it's normal that she remembers all the fun but not the rest, that's the way drugs work; it's also the way human mind works.

However, for a woman with menopause and the subsequent hormonal changes in her body it's more difficult to stay quick/industrious on the stage. Women after their 50s have a much more substantial decrease in density of the bones.

[Macfan4life]

Alcohol was also majorly in play along with heavy cocaine use. Mick wrote in his first book she checked into Betty Ford for both cocaine and alcohol addiction. Coke gets you high and alcohol brings you down some and then more coke. Its and endless cycle.
Does anyone remember Stevie's Behind the Music advertisements where Paul Fishkin says how worried everyone was about Stevie and there were near overdoses on the road. That part was cut from the hour segment but it was in the promo. I remember being so curious to hear more about the near overdoses but it was obviously cut from Behind the Music.
It was the out of control 80's. Its more scary to me than sad. But its entertaining nonetheless. I was 13 when I saw Stevie in concert in 1983. There were times during the show that scared or confused me but nothing like the RAL tour. The next stop on the RAL tour after this New York stop was Pittsburgh. Stevie was more subdued and you can listen to Stand Back in the bootleg. She does the song very good. Its obvious she was majorly partying in New York Stevie fell off the stage opening night in Houston during the Rock A Little tour. http://rockalittle.com/usatoday4-14-1986.htm
The Klonopin years is extremely sad. In the link I posted to see Stevie just stand by the mic and smile while she misses her cue over and over is very sad. I was hoping Mick would have written about this in his recent book but he did not. Stevie writes while coke almost ruined her life and career, Klonopin was much worse.

BTW...her voice during the NY RAL show is more alarming than any missed cues or odd behavior. Its totally shot. But the end part of the NY video when Stevie introduces her band says a lot about her uncertainty. She introduces her keyboard player who is not there. Its funny and cute but I think it shows no one knew when she was going to introduce the band and who was going to be introduced first.

[David]

Now THAT'S my girl!!

Originally Posted by The Juggler

Nobody can tell me "those were the good 'owl days."

I don't know how you could NOT like it!