Drugs in Heep??
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 22:38:33 -0400 (EDT)
Gary's playing style on his Fender Precison Bass and choice of flat-wound
strings made for a distinct sound. He never used a plectrum (pick),
prefering to use his thumb, the result being a very pure bass sound without
the harsh "attack" sound and harmonics that would normally result from
using a pick.
Studying Gary's face and body motions during a performance would reveal a
very intense focus on his part for the particular song being performed. I
can't state from personal observation that there were nights when he might
be so impaired from drink or drug that the performance was compromised,
although I seem to recall some admonishment being administered more than
once.
The point is primarily that he was incredibly intense in his playing style
and this was never exemplified to me more than the performance at Salem,
Oregon the night of Friday, March 9, 1972. As the person responsible for
introducing the band as well as working the fans up for the encore, I had a
very unique vantage point to measure the crowd's acceptance or rejection of
the night's performance. And collectively speaking, the Pacific Northwest
was never an overly enthusiastic crowd for Heep.
But for some reason this particular night was one in which Gary seemed
significantly more animated than most performances. Only his soul will
truly know why. Why would I make this observation, you ask? It's because
I have the notation "Ethyl Chloride" noted in my weekly planner for Monday,
March 12 as part of the equipment and supply requirements for preparation
of the Japan tour.
Just after Ken's and Lee's respective solos at the intermezzo portion of
the set, Gary winced in an expression of pain that I instantly recognized.
As I watched, I noticed him favoring his "pick" thumb and substituting the
side of his index finger. After the number he came over to the side of the
stage and asked in that raspy, back-of-the-throat New zealand accented
voice "Tawd.. Do you have an adhesive bandage? I quickly grabbed some Band
Aids from my open brief case and, as he held out this terribly bloody
thumb, I saw that he had torn off the callous built up from many years of
playing without a plectrum. I quickly grabbed a clean towel, courtesy of
our hotel, poured some fresh water on it, washed the open wound, and
quickly wrapped two Band Aids around his thumb. This was accomplished in
perhaps two minutes, during which Ken, Mick, and David stalled the set
while I attended to the apparent emergency.
Gary continued to play through the set, perhaps not in as great pain as
before, but still noticeably subdued. Mel Baister (Road Manager) contacted
a physician by the end of the set who had arrived along with an aerosol can
of a local anesthetic, "Ethyl Chloride" which was intended to give
temporary relief for pain. He gave me a prescription for a refill that
would get us through the period of the Japan tour. Thus the notation in my
supplies list.
The following evening was our last performance in the U.S. prior to
departing for Japan. It was in Seattle at one of the old Downtown theaters
as I remember. Gary was able to get through at least one number, sometimes
two before he would come over to me on the side of the stage to have me
spray the open wound with Ethyl Chloride. Damn! The man wouldn't even let
me tape it for him because he felt it would change his sound! Only he
would know.
We performed six days later in Tokyo Friday March 16, Nagoya on March 17
and March 19, and twice in Osaka March 20 and 21. Time had helped heal the
wound since he had not punished himself with additional performances, but
we still applied the Ethyl Chloride. After the Japan tour, the band spent
a one week holiday in Hawaii. Our next performance was in Long Beach Arena
on Friday March 30. Noted in my journal for this day among other supplies
and tasks is "Ethyl Chloride"! WOW!
To: heepsters@coollist.com
From: Thomas Fischer
Subject: DARN! Yet ANOTHER Heep tale
Reply-To: heepsters@coollist.com
For members of this forum Gary's substance abuse is pretty well understood
and has been analyzed, theorized, argued, discussed, fabricated,
exaggerated, and so on... How much this affected his performing abilities,
and whether it was for better or for worse can only be conjecture from my
limited perspective. But an amazing event took place just prior to our
travel to Japan in early March of 1973.