Bonnie Raitt Believed She Had To Live The Party Lifestyle To Be Authentic

Maybe I'm naive, but I've always wondered why so many musicians take up the ill-conceived lifestyle of using dangerous, mind-altering drugs. To me, their poor choices were hypocritical and in direct conflict with the important social causes many of them campaigned for on a regular basis, especially in the 1960s and 1970s when the "sex, drugs & rock n' roll" lifestyle seemed to reach epic proportions.

Bonnie Raitt was among the stars who would rail against the possibility of radiation from nuclear power plants poisoning people while voluntarily doing the same to her own body by frequently using deadly, illicit substances. I always said to myself - but never to anyone publicly before, "Why should we listen to these celebrities on any subject - peace, civil rights, clean energy - when they're not smart enough to prevent their own personal destruction." To me, it's the sad part of being a rock music fan. 

Even today, drugs remain a huge problem. Many sources indicate that hard drugs have taken more lives in the United States than in all of our military conflicts combined since the start of the war in Viet Nam.

So, why do people take drugs? Sadly, in the case of Raitt - as I'm sure it is with many people - it was to fit in. As she told Parade Magazine during a Q&A in their April 8, 2012 issue when the now online only, mainstream, often star-studded publication was still included in our weekly, Sunday newspapers:

"I thought I had to live that partying lifestyle in order to be authentic, but in fact if you keep it up too long, all you're going to be is sloppy or dead. I recently had my 25th anniversary of sobriety. I was one of the lucky ones. Seeing Whitney Houston pass away, and Amy Winehouse— everyone smiled at her 'Rehab' song, but for me it was heartbreaking to hear her sing that because it just looked like she was on a slippery slope."

It's sad if anyone believes they have to live the way Raitt and many other musicians and artists have even after they saw more than a few of their friends and bandmates die. Fortunately, she is one of the survivors who discovered the truth before the lifestyle destroyed her. I'm glad she's still with us.

Listen and watch below as Raitt proves she's one of the great slide players of all time.

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