Populäre Musik und Heroin. Eine kulturhistorische Kontextualisierung

Abstract

Drug use is as old as humanity itself. True to the motto »sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll«,
the consumption of mind-altering substances seems almost typical, especially to the
lifestyle of many musicians and their acquaintances. The use of drugs is not a phenomenon that can be only observed in rock music, however. Drug addiction has been rooted in the history of the music industry, and musicians have used and abused drugs at any age and working in any genre.
Using the example of the drug heroin, this article examines the phenomenon of drug
use among musicians in the USA from the perspective of social science. On the basis
of a cultural-historical outline, the significance of the use of heroin in different pop-cultural (music) scenes is illustrated. Beginning with the 1940s bebop through to
psychedelic rock / progressive rock at the end of the 1960s, to grunge and so-called
alternative rock of the 1990s, reasons for the use of the drug are described. Finally,
the article focuses on Los Angeles to give an illustrative insight into the use of heroin
within a current music scene.