We Asked Musicians About Mental Health, Substance Use and Stress - This is What They Had to Say
It’s a tale as old as time — the troubled artist overindulging in alcohol or drugs to numb their mental anguish and, in the process, creating what is widely regarded as some of the best music of their generation. Borne out of personalities like Jim Morrison, Kurt Kobain and Amy Winehouse, this perception has permeated popular culture. The notion of musicians creating their best work while in compromised mental states, while largely a romanticized stereotype, speaks more to the stress of the industry itself and our culture’s historical silence on the subject of mental health rather than the mental fortitude of the artists.