VH1's The Drug Years?

[Frau_Blucher]

Anyone else watch this tonight? Actually pretty interesting and substantive for VH1. It gave a running coverage of the drug scenes from 60s pot to today's meth and synthetics. Surprisingly not heavy on self-righteous commentary or phony drama (ala 'Behind the Music'!), but like I said, just kind of a documentation. Gave some good background on the socio-political context and media spin of the time (like crack laws targeting the Black population, heroine as a CIA tool to keep friendly warlords happy, the phony Reagan 'say no' programs, etc).

The accompanying background music selections to each segment were pretty interesting too. They had your typical late 60s/early 70s classic rock, um, classics. Of course the gratuitous Studio 51 disco clips were there. The early 80s coke scenes were done partly to Blue Monday and What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)...hey, we got some representin'! The X scene was puntuated with video snippets of The Hacienda set to the Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and Massic Attack tracks. Damn, I think I like drug music!

Definitely got the point that the more things change, the more things seem to stay the same...just different drugs du jour. They made the dead-on analogy between Woodstock and Burning Man...funny that I've met people who have been to both.

[marie3]

I watched some of it. Actually the studio 54 part and then I lost interest because it seemed like it was going to be the same old same old. Sorry I didn't see it in it's entirety. I will check it out next time.

[deethelurker]

From what I saw, it was a lot of bullshit filtered through the hippie baby boomer lens. I caught some of it while eating dinner and just could not stand more than fifteen minutes of that highly delusional claptrap. You would've thought these people would've grown up since the '60s, but noooo, they still believe in their little man-children hearts that they were "altering consciousness" and trying to change the world. Bullshit. Just admit that you got high because you liked the way it made you feel, not because of any "higher" reasons. Although I gained infinite stores of respect toward Lou Reed because he was NEVER delusional about his own drug use. Atta boy. Show those fairytale believers what it's like to live in the real world. Oh, and there are plenty of other ways of altering one's consciousness that don't even involve taking anything. ANYTHING. People have been meditating for centuries as a religious practice for this very same purpose. I personally get a rush when I listen to my favorite music. Someone else might get one while watching a great movie or reading a beloved novel.

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by deethelurker[/i]
<br>From what I saw, it was a lot of bullshit filtered through the hippie baby boomer lens. I caught some of it while eating dinner and just could not stand more than fifteen minutes of that highly delusional claptrap. You would've thought these people would've grown up since the '60s, but noooo, they still believe in their little man-children hearts that they were "altering consciousness" and trying to change the world. Bullshit.
[/quote]
LOL, yeah, I was thinking that too at first...but I was a captive audience sitting in a hotel room, so I had to watch the whole thing. They ended up being a bit more subversive about it in the end. They showed each generation putting their own spin on their drug scene, but they did make the point that, really, it was just all the same shit but a different drug and no one really learning anything from the previous generation. So not sure if you got the whole story. Like I said, pretty interesting, especially the musical context to each era.

[deethelurker]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by deethelurker[/i]
<br>From what I saw, it was a lot of bullshit filtered through the hippie baby boomer lens. I caught some of it while eating dinner and just could not stand more than fifteen minutes of that highly delusional claptrap. You would've thought these people would've grown up since the '60s, but noooo, they still believe in their little man-children hearts that they were "altering consciousness" and trying to change the world. Bullshit.
[/quote]
LOL, yeah, I was thinking that too at first...but I was a captive audience sitting in a hotel room, so I had to watch the whole thing. They ended up being a bit more subversive about it in the end. They showed each generation putting their own spin on their drug scene, but they did make the point that, really, it was just all the same shit but a different drug and no one really learning anything from the previous generation. So not sure if you got the whole story. Like I said, pretty interesting, especially the musical context to each era.
[/quote]

Wow, sounds like I missed quite a bit then. Like the perspective changed and it was proven that everyone was on the same level, that no one had a differing drug experience, that it was only perceptions that changed. Intriguing. I still think I'd only do well with watching the '80s segment of this series, though it would have been interesting to see what they'd have said about drug use amongst the punks/post-punks of the late '70s. If they did have anything to say, for one.