Jerry Lee Lewis and Substance Use

[Perk]

He was certainly injecting some sort of drugs into his stomach during that era. But I think the worst mess he got into with drugs was in 1987. Linda Gail was telling everyone that Jerry would be dead by the end of the year, & he probably would've if he hadn't changed his ways a little.

I recall reading the drug he injected was called, ...erm it started with an "m" something? And was used to shoot straight into the stomach, arms and other parts of the body to reduce the pain from the overuse of the previous drugs.

But so glad to see the Killer doing well today, especially on the last Capitol Fourth show!!!

Methadone. Bizarrely, it's a drug they give to heroin users as a slightly safer substitute (there's no evidence that Jerry ever touched heroin so why he started on this I've no idea!).

I used to have on cassettes the uncut interviews that Jerry did with Charles White for his book in 1993, & at one point Charles asked Jerry about his "excess" days. Like you, Charles was more interested in his alcohol addictions & was very uncomfortable with take of drugs, but Jerry went into a looong ramble about what great times he had taking all those pills & how sorry he was that he couldn't find the kinda drugs that he & Elvis took in the 60s & 70s anymore! Charles tried to change the subject, but Jerry wasn't interested in talking about drinking, it was the DRUGS that were looked back on most fondly by him. It's a pity this wasn't in the book.

Hm? Interesting! Jerry has also said when he tried smoking marijuana, it made him so slow that it would take him forever to do Whole Lotta Shakin. It´s in one of the books.

You may perhaps not happen to still have those tapes? I know of a 90 minute Chas & Jerry interview tape that has been circulating since the early 80´s, but it has to be a much earlier one. I recall Mr Ebner had it on his "stone tapes" lists.

I doubt though that Jerry ever was on heroin. It´s not so easy to come back from that. As Lemmy in Motorhead said, most of his friends from the days as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix has all died. He never touched it himself. He counts that as the reason for him being alive today. Keith Richards came back from heroin use though. He is one of the rockers that made it back.

[peterchecksfield]

Peter: What kind of drug was Jerry into in 1987 that was even worse ?

I don't know, but it was probably a combination of several things.

[peterchecksfield]

Hm? Interesting! Jerry has also said when he tried smoking marijuana, it made him so slow that it would take him forever to do Whole Lotta Shakin. It´s in one of the books.

Jerry very occasionally smoked marijuana; Joel smoked it all the time, & he told me that once in a while J.W. Whitten would ask him to go to Jerry's room, & that he knew he'd want a "smoke". Incidentally Jerry STILL smokes it at home (in his pipe), or at least he did two years ago (someone who lives at the ranch told me this as this person smokes it too!).

You may perhaps not happen to still have those tapes? I know of a 90 minute Chas & Jerry interview tape that has been circulating since the early 80´s, but it has to be a much earlier one. I recall Mr Ebner had it on his "stone tapes" lists.

No, I threw them all away in disgust when he wouldn't pay me for my work!

Keith Richards came back from heroin use though. He is one of the rockers that made it back.

So did Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull & Yoko Ono amogst others. It's actually a very "clean" drug, in that once people quit it leaves almost no long-tern effects (unlike alcohol & tobacco for instance).

I wonder what Jerry took before the Northampton '87 show? He seemed to almost be hallucinating (afterwards I met him briefly in the hotel in London, & he was on another planet & kept looking up at the lights as if something magical was happening!).

[Perk]

It's actually a very "clean" drug, in that once people quit it leaves almost no long-tern effects (unlike alcohol & tobacco for instance).

A point to me i assume ..hehe!

I better stick to the most dangerous things then, like cigs & whiskey, othervise no point. I never in my life tried anything besides this, and will continue to do so. I guess many of you smoked a joint, but i havent!

Chemical drugs does not interest me, not headache pills either. Didn´t even take seducement at the dentist (damn it hurted).

I like the real stuff, just like in music. If it´s dangerous? It´s supposed to be

Over to bootleg talk : ))))










[/quote]

[peterchecksfield]

Chemical drugs does not interest me, not headache pills either. Didn´t even take seducement at the dentist (damn it hurted).

I like the real stuff, just like in music. If it´s dangerous? It´s supposed to be

Over to bootleg talk : ))))

There's nothing more natural than marijuana, many people I know grow it themselves in the garden. It's certainly REAL stuff (unlike cigarettes which has lots of added chemicals!). You should at least try it just once in your life.

[Maarten K.]

Incidentally Jerry STILL smokes it at home (in his pipe), or at least he did two years ago (someone who lives at the ranch told me this as this person smokes it too!).

Really? In his pipe? Quite hilarious when I think of that picture. Even though I'm from the Netherlands I can't remember seeing ayone smoking it in a regular pipe. But, what the hell. Why not?

[peterchecksfield]

Really? In his pipe? Quite hilarious when I think of that picture. Even though I'm from the Netherlands I can't remember seeing ayone smoking it in a regular pipe. But, what the hell. Why not?

Exactly, why not? A little smoke now & again probably does him good.

[Perk]

Chemical drugs does not interest me, not headache pills either. Didn´t even take seducement at the dentist (damn it hurted).

I like the real stuff, just like in music. If it´s dangerous? It´s supposed to be

Over to bootleg talk : ))))

There's nothing more natural than marijuana, many people I know grow it themselves in the garden. It's certainly REAL stuff (unlike cigarettes which has lots of added chemicals!). You should at least try it just once in your life.

Perhaps you are right? Rolling from raw tobacco would exclude it though. But i prefer shooting a little whiskey, and a good cigarette along with it. Some good music on the stereo is a must.

These boys sure knows how to ... "Hank, let´s talk about your daddy"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoOEEQPiUxE

Rock on folks!

[fede4avar]

How can I get Westbury Music Fair (New York, July 9, 1999)? Where can I buy or download it? Please, help me! I'd like to have it

[Tony Papard]

[quote="Perk

It says.. Jerry, routined, tired to death, uninspired, but still one of the GREATEST!

quote]

Not sure I agree he was 'routined, tired to death, uninspired' on that tour. Of course the duets with Carl Perkins were a highlight.

But a month or so later Jerry was fighting for his life after the stomach rupture. We really feared this was the end. Yet he's still performing 27 years later, which is really quite amazing.

[Perk]

How can I get Westbury Music Fair (New York, July 9, 1999)? Where can I buy or download it? Please, help me! I'd like to have it

These are streaming real audio, pure crap quality, worse than mp3´s.
To get them from the website you will most likely need to record them while playing. I wouldn´t bother much, i´m sure there´s someone who has it in better quality on here that you can trade with. I don´t have it though.

Perk

[Perk]

[quote="Perk

It says.. Jerry, routined, tired to death, uninspired, but still one of the GREATEST!

quote]

Not sure I agree he was 'routined, tired to death, uninspired' on that tour. Of course the duets with Carl Perkins were a highlight.

But a month or so later Jerry was fighting for his life after the stomach rupture. We really feared this was the end. Yet he's still performing 27 years later, which is really quite amazing.[/quote]

Read it as, how could he be that good despite it all? Jerry uninspired and still one of the best! How bad doesn´t the others look then when on form?

Perk

[Stefan]

Is the Northampton show from 1987 available on dvd ?
I have the show somewhere on cassette tape with bad sound.
Stefan

[Perk]

Is the Northampton show from 1987 available on dvd ?
I have the show somewhere on cassette tape with bad sound.
Stefan

Yes it is, but not complete. A great one. I recall the one filming it had to run out of the building because of the guards, just to save the film. A true fan : )

Just don´t ask me, i´m off trading. Have no time or money for it.

Perk

[peterchecksfield]

Is the Northampton show from 1987 available on dvd ?
I have the show somewhere on cassette tape with bad sound.
Stefan

Yes it is, but not complete.

Yes, only the first 70 minutes are on a pretty good amateur video / DVD (the show was 100 minutes long!). Jerry did two of my requests that night; Ubangi Stomp (on the video) & Livin' Lovin' Wreck (not on the video).