Almost a year ago, I found myself in the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, standing ankle-deep in mud, wearing a flimsy cling-wrap-like plastic poncho, and keenly anticipating the arrival of MGMT onto the stage, possibly the most over-hyped, over-played psychedelic hipsters of 2008.

Nevertheless, the crowd was excited, irrationally excited, and although I am unsure of the exact percentage of people using drugs at the festival, my guess is that the majority of them had planned to “peak” during MGMT’s set…

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

Reviews of MGMT’s performance unanimously agreed that it was underwhelming. This however, is beside the point. What I am interested in is the decision made by a few thousand young people (based purely on anecdotal evidence!) to take drugs that night.

MGMT’s psychedelic influences (take a look at the Time To Pretend music video above to experience a harm-free, simulated acid trip!) would only fuel people’s decision to take drugs for their performance, probably pills or acid.

Equally, a long-standing association between drugs and music festivals would further encourage this. Just as choices of clothing, alcohol and taste in music are important for those who are part of the Melbourne music/arty scene, the drugs they take are not chosen at random, nor are they simply chosen for the pharmacological effects of the substance. For example, many drug users find the use of heroin or ice to be highly stigmatized, whilst they are quite happy to snort MDMA every weekend. 

Individuals take drugs at music festivals or concerts to become a part of the cultural narrative of the music scene, which includes a colourful history of drug use and references. Many of us are familiar with The Beatles’ acclaimed Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Lou Reed’s ode to Heroin, and more locally, Melbourne band The Greasers’ observation that “everybody here is on pills”. 

This phenomenon is referred to as “drug subcultures”, and describes the interaction between individuals and culture that leads to the use of drugs in social situations. Drug subcultures are groups of people who are united by a common understanding of drugs, and understand the social and cultural value of using certain drugs over others.

Postmodern theory argues that drug subcultures are not solely to blame for social drug use. People are not simply cultural dupes who subscribe to every condition of a subculture. We have individual agency that govern our choices as well.

A person’s social status, friendships and personal identity also play a role in the popularity of drug use in certain groups. It is too easy to argue that drug subcultures are solely to blame for the normalizing of drug use in social situations.

Although I am a huge fan of agency, and believe that it is an essential part of human existence that should be preserved and fought for, I struggle with it in terms of drug use. Are the hipsters at music festivals, parties and events really using agency when they choose to take drugs?

Can we really separate the health risks associated with drug use with its position as a social phenomenon? Perhaps I am missing some key factor that connects music, creativity and youth. Something that requires such an extreme form of creative expression that can only be delivered in drug-use.

Personally, I have heard too many nonsensical drug-fuelled conversations, seen too many people climb trees in costumes and seen several people fall victim to a rough night, a terrible mistake or a melancholy comedown that takes more than a Sunday of DVDs and nachos to fix.

Then there are those whose erratic and depressed state of mind lasts a lot longer than a comedown. I’ll be honest. I love to party. I love to experience new music, and see bands bend and contort my ideas about how music should sound. I love the few days of freedom that a music festival allows, when drinking goon out of a water bottle with a burger for breakfast is permitted. But that’s about as far as I’ll go. Taking a harmful substance in the name of creative expression is something I struggle with.

Besides, call me old-fashioned, but I believe plenty of euphoric experiences can be had without relying on pills. Which is why I don’t understand why drugs have become so commonplace, so easy to obtain and excuse. All in the name of an amazing party. 

References:

Golub, A., Johnson, B., and Dunlap E., “Subcultural evolution and illicit drug use” in Addiction Research and Theory. June, 2005, 13(3): 217–229

 Radenkova-Saeva, J., “Recreational Drugs and its Impact on Music, Literature and Art” in Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment. 2008, 22(2): 656-659