METH

Meth

In any talk about drugs, there is always a clutch who want to argue the toss about whether a certain drug is "addictive" or not, as if "addiction", "dependency", "habit" and "problem" are the John, Paul, George and Ringo of narcotics discussion, each drug authored primarily by one and not the others. Such talk might be useful in a purely scientific context, but where humanity is concerned it is a bigger waste of time than addiction itself. We all know what we are trying to say when we refer to "addiction", and I'm not going to add to the chinstroker's library by attempting to quantify it here. Perhaps a more useful analogy is to simply say that all drugs have a tendency to lead you to 'The Beatles'. Today, we're going to look at heroin, undoubtedly the White Album of the catalogue, but I'll post that around midday. In the meantime, here's that curious gatecrasher called crystal meth, which can only be described as Yoko.

CRYSTAL METH
People have been happy to go on the record about all manner of drugs, but not crystal meth. There's something about meth that's stopping users from talking, and the way they don't talk is strangely uniform - they break eye contact and look elsewhere, a coy smile, a close of the eyes and a swift shake of the head, more like a shiver.

Of course, the friends and acquaintances of meth users are happy to talk, and the nature of their 'happiness' is uniform, too: bitter, exhausted to the point of unsympathetic, and "off the record". For all society's knowledge of the damage drugs can do, and all the broad-mindedness of the drug libertarians, meth seems very much the curve ball nobody saw coming.

The great concern about meth is that, for users of 'lesser' drugs, meth can be taken without prior knowledge. A bit of a shape shifter, meth can come in the guise of white powder, a yellowish goo, a pile of brown glassy shards or a capsule. A lot of people I've spoken to claim to have taken meth for the first time believing it to be coke, speed or ecstasy, only to be informed later of the line that has been inadvertently crossed.

Like speed and cocaine, meth is an amplifier of alertness and confidence, banishing fear, shyness and modesty as if they're grotesque constraints of society. It's a very clean, fresh-aired, 'intelligent' sort of coolness - well-meaning and sociable, but far too muscular to be bothered with anything like compassion. Where MDMA promotes feelings of love and empathy, meth is less philosophical, more interested in primal issues than matters of egalitarianism. And it's here that the root cause of everyone's embarrassment about meth starts to rear its head.

The maypole around which meth does its dance is sex. The same 50/50 inconveniences that come with speed and cocaine apply, for which Viagra seems the most common solvent. But, without exception, all who speak of the wonders of meth refer to the intensity of the sex, where sight, touch and the mere thought of what is going on are invested with an indescribable pornographic magic.

To use the frank words of one user, "Meth turns girls into sluts and guys into creeps who think all girls are sluts." I wouldn't have bothered repeating this were it not backed up by at least some female opinion, but it is and unanimously. As one otherwise very sweet and reserved individual revealed: "On meth I just want to be a dirty slut."

Seems meth not only removes inhibitions, but promotes an almost evil delight in the wholesale confrontation of them. If an individual is spooked by a particular taboo, there is a good chance meth will upgrade it significantly, to the point where, by morning, the individual is entirely intimate with it.

There is no need for me to provide any titillating examples disguised as 'discussion' - if you have an imagination you can doubtless write them yourself. However, a good example of the extremes this can go to is an activity referred to by one gay meth user as "bugging" (other gay men I spoke to did not know of this word, but seemed familiar with the phenomenon anyhow), whereby one actively seeks to have unprotected sex with an HIV-positive partner, the danger of infection not simply ignored or dismissed, but the very thrill of the exercise.

Of course, with sobriety comes the reality of what has happened, no longer imbued with the magic and electricity that accompanied its creation. The memory of how sexy it was is still there, but in order to be able to live with it - or the partner with whom you indulged it - you've got to keep viewing it from a sexual perspective alone. Unless you have a job as a pornographer - or work at the Office of Film and Literature Classification - thinking 'sexy' all the time is just not productive, and you can't be on meth every day.

Or can you?

The repetitive conclusion to every crystal meth tale I know is the loss of relationship, job, friends, money, car/home/assets, teeth, and usually in that order.

What we have here is the classic Faustian contract: sign and you will receive an unspecified period of near supernatural bliss. The cost will be every day that follows.

Seems there will always be people who will sign that contract.

Jack Marx
July 14, 2006 09:46 AM
LATEST COMMENTS

A good piece. Well done.

* Posted by: AR at July 14, 2006 10:48 AM

I have a friend who's going through a phase of sex on meth at the moment. My main worry is if he does it too much, how he'd be able to tackle sex without it later down the road..

* Posted by: spendocrat at July 14, 2006 11:04 AM

I had a relationship of mine break down to my partners dabbling in meth. I'm no stranger to the use of drugs and I'm not the the type to get self-righteous about any part of them...but meth...wow.
She wasn't addicted...but just did it every now and then, and it wasn't something that I was interested in...but her use of it cut me out of her life almost entirely.
Her attitude was "Fine. You don't have to do it, but you're not coming on this ride with me, and I don't want you to understand."

And the elitism between herself and her friends who got into it! Their attitude of "We're doing something really naughty! We're so bad! Let's do more meth!" The alienation was ridiculous.

Sure, get whacked...but with meth, the experiences started to just go beyond actually being on the drug and began to inform the lifestyle as well. In the end, it wasn't worth it anymore.

* Posted by: Dave at July 14, 2006 11:10 AM

Meth to hell sounds like a moth to light.

when they says it's too good to be true, believe them

* Posted by: rococo at July 14, 2006 11:22 AM

Excellent piece. Should be widely distributed and discussed - for all of the confected terror about a range of drugs currently available, it seems Meth really is genuinely nasty. Judging by how it eventually turns EVERYONE who uses it into a social liability, of rapidly escalating violence and desperation, any cachet that the idiot 'cool' might imbue it with needs to be stamped on. Very good work, Jack.

* Posted by: Brendan at July 14, 2006 11:29 AM

My brother is a successful and very wealthy businessman in Brisbane. I just can't believe the misery he has managed to create for himself.

It all started with testicular cancer and loosing one of his balls some years ago. After that, despite being married and with a young family, he started screwing anyone he could get his pudgy fingers on. Sometimes, that involved group sex.
Next, he got his office manager pregnant and now he has two families on the go. Neither he or his wife is prepared to divorce because of each other's attachment to the current lifestyle.
The most recent news I have heard is that he is a user of crystal meth. While I feel sad for him, its his kids who I really feel sorry for. They're the ones who are witnessing their father self destruct in front of their eyes.

* Posted by: ben-e-boi at July 14, 2006 11:43 AM

A very good peice, very true. It certainly brings out the porn star within you, great fun at the time, but really its just cultivating a side of your personality that is ultimately unfullfilling. Primal instinct and ego let loose, and any sense of decency removed.

I did all type of amphetimines for about 5 years, and I am now thankfully clean and sober.

A warning to those still on the extacy discovery /self destruct path, stay away from Meth, it is 10 fold more addictive, and exposes you to a world you need not see.

* Posted by: paul at July 14, 2006 11:46 AM

An interesting piece, but it seems to lack the easy familiarity and detail of the previous two articles. I get the feeling that Mr Marx had considerable personal experience with the drugs (and their users) mentioned in the earlier episodes, but not with meth. Perhaps the phenomenon is too new? I am interested in the conspiracy of silence that appears to surround this drug. I believe there's much more to be said, but it's hard if those in the know won't tell.

* Posted by: LB at July 14, 2006 11:55 AM

Good work. Having survived 4 years of serious speed addiction in the early ninties, everything I read and hear about meth tells me it's a quicker, scarier route to a life that can only be described as hell.

I think it's interesting that users are taking pride in being "bad"; which isn't necessarily an effect of the drug. I did what I did because I felt bad and worthless before I took drugs. If there was something else that was "the worst" I prolly would have done that too.

On paper, anxiety, paranoia, etc. didn't sound that bad, but living with the effects is a whole different thing and once you begin to suspect there may be a problem, it's far too late.

* Posted by: Kim at July 14, 2006 11:59 AM

Crystal's one advantage is it makes the user's friends superfluous and lifetime friendships are often brutally severed when the user no longer has 'time to deal with your issues'.

This has the advantage that before they die you no longer care about the destruction of their lives, though you will care for the victims of their drug use, their family and former friends.

Crystal victims are too busy being 'in control of their lives' - to bother with your sensibilities and they'll 'logically' remove you from their dimishing social circle years before they die from disease or overdose or suicide.

You write that meth is an "amplifier of alertness and confidence, banishing fear, shyness and modesty". You should mention that this all keeps rising and rising while you're using, until you become insufferably egotistical and boring, obnoxiously opinionated and saddled with an insatiable anger at the fools you suffer and their failure to recognise your 'genius', or empathise with your opinions.

Sure like all drugs its a great experience when that first snort happens but I've never seen such carnage as this drug causes - nor such long lasting devastation in people's lives.

With smack, speed all the rest its nasty but take up Crystal and you'll get all they offer and more.

More? Indeed, even if you get clear you've got a greater chance of dying from the AIDS you likely contracted when you were 'invincible'.

Did I mention how miserable life will be without Crystal even if you do get clear, your friends forgive you, the bank lets you keep the house, your boss lets you come back.

If you think its hard doing a day without smack or alcohol then just remember with Crystal you'll be doing it an hour at a time.

I've done some filthy drugs and this is the worst they've found yet to peddle to us. Stay clear.

* Posted by: Julie at July 14, 2006 12:20 PM

'The consipiracy of silence' can be explained easily - it hasn't been around long enough to gain sufficient statistical or even speculative evidence as to everything it does, or is capable of doing.

We certainly don't know what the long term effects are. That is to say, we have a pretty good idea, but chemical drugs are so complicated, and quite often very different to different people, that there's just too much we dont know yet.

* Posted by: spendocrat at July 14, 2006 12:24 PM

Gee Ben-e-boi, your brothers seem to like to live life hard and fast, a budhist in the mix must make for interesting family get togethers! I saw the 4 corners story on meth and it scared the beejesus out of me. There are so many kids taking it its horrifying and it seems there's little that can be done about it. Very sad.

* Posted by: vanessa at July 14, 2006 12:45 PM

If you want to hear what users have to say, check out the scary experience reports on meth at www.erowid.org

Best site for any info on any chemical / plant etc.

I have not heard anything good about meth and I've seen a lot of beautiful people destroy themselves.

* Posted by: Kenji at July 14, 2006 12:50 PM

LB, i daresay the reason Jack doesnt speak so much from an extensive personal knowledge of meth is that if he had, he would be (as Brendan kindly stated) a social liability.

Drugs are a very personal, selfish experience, in that they are done to enhance your own enjoyment or experience in the world, but few moreso than meth.

The thing with meth that separates it from your 'garden variety amphetamines', is that its not just a 'dabble drug', in that you cant just keep your normal life running and have fun on the side doing meth. It very quickly changes ALL of you for the worse.

And watching others go down that path - it very quickly turns the fond feelings towards friends / partners / people you know who start using, around into feelings of utter disgust and despisal. EVERY one.

Anybody who does choose to do meth pretty much might as well go up and spit in the face of their friends and family, because its a foregone conclusion that that is the kind of dirtbag they'll become at some stage in the not too distant future.

Meth is a horrid and despicable drug, and its a huge threat. And its very easily available. The people i know who have done it (i have done it once in my halcyon party days) were bored of the regular high available through speed / e / coke and so chose something a bit more suited to the 'seasoned party veteran'. It was a random night out, and due to the relaxed state we were in, we just went along with it. Needless to say i didnt like what i saw from people i had known well, and it was the wakeup call which led me to decide to end my days in that scene altogether and thankfully my better friends that i knew from those days have made, or had already made, the same choice.

Meth is a big sacrifice to make and a very long 'contract' to fulfil...

* Posted by: brucelee at July 14, 2006 12:55 PM

I am quite confused by the following :

"Like speed and cocaine, meth is an amplifier of..."

Jack Marx, would you care to explain the difference between 'speed' and 'meth' ? Especially when you describe 'meth' as ranging from a 'white powder, through to yellow goo & brown shards' *confused*

All are a salt of methamphetamine.

I in no way condone the illicit use of amphetamines.

However, it should be noted that methamphetamine is prescribed as a pharmaceutical (the common ADHD drug, Ritalin, is not strictly an amphetamine, however other ADHD medications are (meth)amphtamine.)

Prescribed by a doctor, in appropriate dosage, methamphetamine is a useful medicine. Unfortunately it is also prone to abuse, meaning it is more difficult for those who need it to obtian a prescription.

When methamphetamine comes from the black-market, it is almost always riddled with impurities from sloppy 'manufacture' by backyard 'cooks' - hence the difference in appearence noted in the article (yellow goo, white powder etc).

Methamphetamine hydrochloride is a white colourless crystaline solid.

The 'yellow goo' and 'brown shards' are perfect examples of contaminents present due to sloppy 'manufacture'

Illicit methamphetamine is also cut(diluted) as it passes down the 'food chain' from the cook, to dealers and then in turn to the drug-addict.

The substances used as 'cut' are certainly not selected with care to ensure that they are safe and sterile.

Given that illicit amphetamines are contaminated and diluted to an unknown extent, it is impossible to accurately gauge a 'dosage' (I am not trying to imply that illicit use of amphetamines is in any way therapeutic), this adds a further element of danger.

Due to this dilution, there are people who inject half a gram of 'meth' bought on the street at once. Were they to get close to pure methamphetamine, and inject that quantity, that would be the last time they inject anything.

Illicit use of methamphetamine (whether you choose to call it meth, speed, crank etc) is a sure road to disaster.

The chemical in question, however, methamphetamine, has potential and is used as a pharmaceutical to this day for ADHD and also narcolepsy.

I do not know what the best solution to drug-abuse is, however surely prohibition is NOT the right path.

History has proven that it does not work, it costs billions of dollars worldwide a year to fight the 'war on drugs'

If this were to be treated as a medical problem, and not a criminal matter(drug abuse, not drug dealing), treatment would be far more accessible to those in need.

I do not agree with wholesale legalizaion of all drugs, however it from a safety point of view; IF the drugs addicts used were supplied through controlled and regulated means, the issue of toxic contaminants and the issue of unknown concentration/dosage are eliminated.

Far from ideal, but a lot safer than the status quo - unless anbody can suggest some magic way to win the 'war on drugs', I assert that ANY improvement upon the status quo is a good thing.

The cost of commercially produced 'meth' is be negligable.

Hence the addict would not be spending all their money(and resorting to crime to raise these funds) on drugs.

A lot of drug-related harm(healthwise in particularly)is a direct result of malnutrition, little or no access to medical care and lack of clothes/shelter - because all money is inevitably consumed by their addiction.

I do not think that legalization and regulation of illicit drugs is an ideal solution - far from it.

I do feel that the current situation would at least benefit from a shift towareds treating drug abuse as more a medical problem as opposed to a criminal matter.

Were the black-market in illicit drugs to be eliminated by regulated supply of these drugs to addicts then the community at large could also expect a drastic decrease in crine (particularly property-related crime & armed robberies), as the vast majority of such crimes are fuelled by the 'need' for drug money, and a lack of sufficient medical help should an individual decide to undergo rehabilitation.

At present it is extremely difficult for somebody to secure a place in a detoxification facility. More money could be made available for such purposes if less money was spent fighting a lost war.

If anybody can suggest an alternative less radical than legalization and regulation of such drugs (in terms of minimising impact upon both the drug-addicts and the community as a wholeould be very interested to hear about it.

...very confused on the whole issue, but the status quo stinks

* Posted by: Drug war is lost. at July 14, 2006 01:09 PM

to all you users:

You guys are NUTS!

i get more high in 5 minutes on a road bike than all this misery-high in a lifetime.

get well!
get on beach road!
ride to live, live to ride!

pauly armstrong...

* Posted by: pauly at July 14, 2006 01:14 PM

I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)

* Posted by: Diego M. at July 14, 2006 01:26 PM

thats great pauly, we're all really proud of you champ.

I think the problem with drug education & prohibition at the moment is its exactly along these lines of thinking: just dont do drugs! ride a bike! you'll be right mate! you get high riding a bike!

no you dont...? you get satisfaction from riding a bike and living a healthy life, yes, but there are many reasons why this isnt instantly attainable for many people... besides, riding a bike and doing drugs arent mutually exclusive.

clearly the above posts are discussions aimed at aiding young and impressionables to make an educated and well considered choice....

on yer bike then pauly...

* Posted by: brucelee at July 14, 2006 01:43 PM

Does class A guarantee that they is better quality drugs?

* Posted by: Kim at July 14, 2006 01:45 PM

Great piece. These drugs seem so accessible by anyone who wants to get a hold of them.

Is the government aware of these types of issues with its citizens? Its an age old issue... why aren't the people who procure and sell these drugs identifiable?

Being a father of 2 boys, lm really worried about their future in relation to drugs. We live in a society which accepts (and in most cases promote) intoxication. Just look at Chapel street on a Friday/Saturday night; you would think its new years! Even on Saturday and Sunday mornings, we see revellers from the night before queuing to get into clubs or roaming the streets in an intoxicated state. They don�t bother us and we don�t bother them, but it can be a bit daunting when you see someone coming your way that is clearly intoxicated at 10am when taking your infants for a morning walk.

How is a father expected to protect their children to what seems like an epidemic issue... an issue that seems to be getting worse with the ages? Am l alone in this train of thought?

* Posted by: Big O at July 14, 2006 01:54 PM

No Class A means you turn into an Ass when you do them.

It also means that they are the drugs that make you Arrogant enough to believe you can handle them and their consequences.

* Posted by: Julie at July 14, 2006 02:00 PM

is 'ice' the same as crystal meth?

* Posted by: andy at July 14, 2006 02:05 PM

I have heard the term 'poor mans coke' to describe meth many times, and I think it really stands true. Meth and coke are very similar in terms of feeling and addiction. What makes meth worse is the cost. No regular income earner can support a casual coke habit, on the other hand meth they could easily... while they hold their income, as they will inadvertently loose everything after a while.

* Posted by: Ansett at July 14, 2006 02:06 PM

Ha ha, spot on Brucelee! Those lucky ones out there that have lead a sheltered life need not comment on these topics, full stop.

Treating drug addiction is futile unless you address the broader social problems that cause people to resort to drugs, poor parenting, poor education, domestic violence, gambling, etc. Coupled with this you need to provide adequate counselling services for all members of our society starting with children at school

Someone with deep unresolved emotional issues can't just power through those problems with a healthy diet and regular excercise routine.

They will either have the foresight to seek help and counselling (or have friends and family that encourage them to do so), or they will eventually resort to alcohol and or drugs to escape from their problems.

Unfortunately though, even those with the foresight to seek counselling may find that the public system is inadequate (as I did).

I wish our government had the foresight to really promote the importance of our mental well being, and spend big on basic mental health services, treat the problems at their source!

* Posted by: Mr X at July 14, 2006 02:16 PM

Thanks to Drug War Is Lost for some sane comments. Despite all the talk, as far as I can tell meth/crystal etc is exactly the same as most speed - methanphetamine. I know that anphetamine sulphates are slightly different but in this area I'm told by people who know more about this than me that we've always been taking meth when we've been taking speed.

What's changed is purity, method of ingestion and cost.

Can anyone here actualy explain a supposed, non-cultural difference between meth and speed? Jack - yesterday you even quoted someone on speed who referred to methanphetamine.

* Posted by: Nick at July 14, 2006 02:17 PM

Yes Andy, Ice is usually crystal meth.
And War on Drugs is Lost, crystal meth is usually as it sounds, the crytalised form of methamphetamine and much purer than the paste or goo (methamphetamine base) and powder.
For a really good depiction of what crystal meth can do to a person, I recommend the second last (or maybe 3rd last) season of "Queer as Folk" in which Ted (an accountant) becomes caught up in the world of Ice with some very unpleasant results.
Good series Jack, keep it up.

* Posted by: Toni at July 14, 2006 02:36 PM

I missed the 4corners doco but did see an amazingly scary doco on sbs from PBS's Frontline program which you can watch online with a good broadband connection.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/

* Posted by: Horse at July 14, 2006 02:38 PM

Nick,
Crystal Meth is a D-type Methamphetamine, where as speed is a L-type Amphetamine. (a google search will give you more details).

Cheers

* Posted by: Ansett at July 14, 2006 02:39 PM

Quote: "Primal instinct and ego let loose, and any sense of decency removed." from Paul.

Maybe, but you would say exactly the same thing about alcahol.

As to Nick's question... I would have to doubt that there is even such a thing as speed anymore... anything sold is just meth mixed with glucose (Fact)... and therefore less intense.

* Posted by: Adam at July 14, 2006 02:49 PM

Vanessa
The last time I saw this particular brother was nearly a year ago at a niece's wedding. We distinguished himself by trying hard to sleeze onto some of my niece's 20-something girlfriends. Amongst that and recounting stories of his sexual, drug and business misadventures he attempts to denigrate me for not drinking!

Not that I am a prude or 'holier-than-thou' and I don't go around looking down my nose at anyone who lives a different lifestyle to my own but Paul's antics were truely the stuff of charactature. Attempting to denigrate me for not drinking is in itself ironic given that it was about three years ago that an older brother, Justin, died as the result of getting behind the wheel of a car when his blood alcohol level was 0.2.

Family get togethers involving me don't happen that often. Partly as the result that they're living in Sydney or Brisbane and I'm in Central Victoria. But you are right, I am a Buddhist and I find that it is difficult for some family members to understand where I am at. But interestingly, when I see them on their own they're a lot different and much more respectful of who I am.

* Posted by: ben-e-boi at July 14, 2006 02:53 PM

Vanessa
I forgot to mention, I did see thee 4 Corners doco as well as one that was on SBS(?) recently made by PBS (USA) that Horse referred to.
Truely scary stuff. It makes heroin look almost benign.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Ben

* Posted by: ben-e-boi at July 14, 2006 02:55 PM

BIG O the people you see on Chapel St at 10am outside a certain club thats revolting are not intoxicated they are off their faces.. most have probably had 25 drinks, 6 - 10 pills, a few lines of speed and coke and are just getting started for an all day session...

* Posted by: James at July 14, 2006 03:04 PM

Yes Adam, i would say the same thing about alcohol, but to a much lesser extent, and these symptons occur in a much smaller percentage of people who use alcohol. With Meth the effect is instant, and in my experience the desire to satisfy your "wants" is alot stronger with meth than with alcohol.

That being said, i think alcohol is also a very dangerous drug, I don't drink becuase I am one of those people that can't drink responsibly. Alcohol use can be relatively safe with some people, but very dangerous with others, and it is made far more dangerous by its overwhelming social acceptance, and the childish culture of drinkers to constantly encourage others to drink

* Posted by: Paul at July 14, 2006 03:05 PM

As one otherwise very sweet and reserved individual revealed: "On Meth I just want to be a dirty slut."
How true this is. I have only tried meth about 5 times.
Every time my ex boyfriend and I would have non stop dirty, dirty sex. I would be open to anything.
I drew the line at swinging though; I didn't want to see my boyfriend having sex with someone else. He was all for it, as he turned into an oversexed sleazebag on meth. We couldn't go out to a club because he would try to pick up other woman regardless of my feelings.
After having a come down that felt like I had gone straight to Hell,
I almost overdosed on pain killers because I couldn't sleep for days and my body felt like it had been beaten with baseball bats. If someone offered to shoot me up with heroin to take the pain away I would've let them, even though I would never inject drugs or use heroin, I have seen what it has done to people I know. (I had to take at least 3 days off work to recover every time.) I would think of my behaviour and feel disgusted when I was sober.
My boyfriend and I turned into animals during the come down, screaming and throwing things at each other. We broke up after 2 years because he wanted to take meth again and I didn't. So he went out by himself, and I was certain he was unfaithful to me. We were completely different people on Meth. I am not normally aggressive, after days awake on Meth I would get into physical fights with my boyfriend. He would start mumbling to himself which would drive me even more insane. On a meth comedown I was afraid I would never be sane again.

Meth turned me off drugs forever, I feel sick to the stomach when I think about the experiences I had.

* Posted by: Emily at July 14, 2006 03:10 PM

I was with a friend one morning at a tram stop. This guy alights the tram, his eyes completely glazed and glassy. he stands one side and then we hear some glass breaking. i looked over and he looked at us suspiciously, and then he pushed the glass away with his feet.

i think he just broke his ice bubble, i told my friend. i think he was so paranoid that he got rid of the evidence before anyone could report him for smoking meth.

it's quite interesting to see how someone could get so paranoid on a drug to even destroy one's smoking device that will take him heaps more trouble to replace. isn't it easier for him to just hide it?

i've seen a good friend of mine lose 25 kilograms on meth. he would msg me things that don't make any sense in the wee hours of the morning. he could not construct proper sentences for a while. he's much better now and he's cleaned up since he went to jail for consuming meth. i'm from singapore so one goes to jail for drug consumption. but it cleaned him up real good. i am not touching that stuff - i've seen first hand its potential to mess you up.

* Posted by: queenie at July 14, 2006 03:12 PM

Say no to drugs

* Posted by: YoungMasterYoda at July 14, 2006 03:18 PM

Oh yes, this one is a doozy. I have seen intelligent, reasonable people become blithering idiots. There's truth in the old saying:

"There's meth in his madness".

* Posted by: Mark James Adams at July 14, 2006 03:41 PM

Actually you can get high riding a bike.

After a serious addiction to Oxycontin (described by my pain management specialist as "the most addictive substance on the planet") I now use intense exercise as a pain managenment technique. If you burn say 500 cals on a bike in 30 minutes or so (depending on your fitness) you can get a very similar high to morphine like drugs with none of the side effects.

* Posted by: AR at July 14, 2006 03:57 PM

Ben
I don't think Paul will be all that thrilled when someone he knows puts 2 and 2 together and outs him as the iceman cometh. You should think of his kids also.. not cool.

* Posted by: dilla at July 14, 2006 04:08 PM

AR, i'm not disputing that intensive exercise has very positive natural rushes, with minimal side effects.

The majority of drug abusers (as was noted by Mr X and other posters on here) have turned to substances for mental and emotional issues which arent necessarily addressed in the highs you speak of.

I daresay the mental blankness and brain damage (which is seen as a side effect) suffered from drug abuse is one of the main objectives. Ie, if we kill our brain cells so we dont have to think, then the negative thoughts and memories that can sometimes plague us are somewhat diminished. The point is that these negative thoughts and memories must be addressed at some stage, as drug usage and escapism just prolongs the process of grieving. "What goes away by itself, comes back by itself"....

Riding a bike wont solve or address these psychological issues, and i took offence to pauly's solution of "just jump on a bike and that solves that" attitude. but i dont dispute, in fact i completely agree with your claims of induced physical bliss from intense exercise.

* Posted by: brucelee at July 14, 2006 04:31 PM

don't do it, its that easy!

* Posted by: Kim at July 14, 2006 04:35 PM

All my experiences with meth (in fact most drugs except cannabis) have been very positive. moderation is the key, and a steady head on your shoulders!

* Posted by: Simon at July 14, 2006 04:56 PM

Jack, might I assume we have heroin being held over till Monday??

Check at midnight, if you're up. It's been a big day - Jack

* Posted by: Ansett at July 14, 2006 04:57 PM

Why is everyone applauding this article? It smells like Herald Sun material to me.

I have seen friends and family use and abuse crystal meth and yes it's not pretty. But the sluts/creeps bang bang bang deal is pretty similar for those using coke or speed. Or alcohol. Not really specific to meth.

Drug abuse is always going to be bad. It's not a good look to be a mess. But this kind of sensational reporting of meth I find all very amusing. The 4 Corners doco was mildly insightful and quite ugly but it didnt really blow me away, it was incredibly one sided.

I would love to see some reporting of the middle class private school kiddies and their drug use and abuse, to my knowledge it's pretty different to the way meth is described in this article or the 4Corners doco. Not a lot of scratching your skin away, not a lot of gay beat naughtiness. Just a lot more arrogance and daddy's money.

* Posted by: zipbang at July 14, 2006 06:00 PM

Home Movies co-creator Brendon Small

Home Movies co-creator Brendon Small
By Daniel Robert Epstein
Jul 13, 2005

Home Movies co-creator Brendon Small and I have a lot in common. We’re nearly the same age, we were both fat kids and we love to watch bad movies. I got a chance to talk with Small about the Season Two DVD set of Home Movies that was just released. But we ended up mostly chatting about the worst movies ever.

Get Home Movies Season Two
Daniel Robert Epstein: What are you up to today?
Brendon Small: Today? Nothing, nothing good, no, no. I did a big show last night that was fun at the Comedy Central Stage so, that’s, that’s what I did yesterday, but today I got nothing. I was going to see a movie.
DRE:
What movie?
BS:
Kung-Fu Hustle possibly.
DRE:
Oh it’s awesome!
BS:
That’s what everyone says, yeah.
DRE:
Did you see Shaolin Soccer?
BS:
Yeah, I did see that.
DRE:
Same guy so…
BS:
What else is out there?
DRE:
Eh just see that [laughs]
BS:
I saw Sin City.
DRE:
That’s good!
BS:
Yeah, I thought that was good too.
DRE:
That was really good. I liked it.
BS:
OH my God, I saw the Amityville Horror.
DRE:
Why?
BS:
I used to work in a movie theater so I would just see everything. I would see 12 movies a week, didn’t matter what it was. Then it became kind of an addiction where like I’d see a movie everyday. When I was doing Home Movies I would still see a movie everyday.
DRE:
How did you do that?
BS:
I had a lot of free time my only job was to sit and write cartoons. My philosophy of writing was, and still is, that 90% of writing is not writing, it’s doing anything but writing. That means seeing any kind of crappy movie I can get my hands on. One of my favorite things in the world is crappy horror movies, but not these new crappy horror movies.
DRE:
These news ones are all PG-13 so they don’t even have tits in them.
BS:
Sometimes there’s almost the girl’s asscrack and that’s kind of awesome for a second. Then there’s some reveal and there’s a fucking demon or something, how’s anybody supposed to jack off to that?
DRE:
I heard the new Amityville Horror isn’t even scary.
BS:
Oh it’s not scary at all.
DRE:
When I was out of work I’d go see any movie. I saw this awful Keenan Ivory Wayans movie called Most Wanted.
BS:
Yeah [laughs].
DRE:
Yeah, it was real crap and I saw 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag. [laughs]
BS:
Ah, that’s a good one. [laughs]
DRE:
I really tortured myself with movies. Anything with Tom Arnold, you know?
BS:
My crappy philosophy behind that is that I think you can still learn something even from bad movies.
DRE:
Yeah, you can learn more in a lot of ways.
BS:
Well, here’s what I think you can learn. You can learn how to make a really crappy movie.
DRE:
[Laughs] What’s the worst movie that you ever saw in the theater? Sequels don’t count. You can’t count Superman 4 because you’re stupid for seeing that in the theater anyway.
BS:
I never walk out of movies but you know what movie I had to get out of was the Jim Jarmusch one, Coffee and Cigarettes. That movie is so in love with itself that I had to leave. Having said that I’ll sit through movies test marketed for babies like Shrek.
DRE:
The worst movie I ever saw in the theatre is Leonard Part 6.
BS:
That’s a really bad movie. What is the premise of that one?
DRE:
[Laughs] Yeah, sadly, I do. Bill Cosby used to be a secret agent and he finally gets back in the game to save his daughter or something. This woman controls animals and she’s throwing grapes everywhere and her whole evil team of people are vegetarians. This one guy’s head exploded when he ate a hot dog.
BS:
That’s pretty awesome. I remember that being a tremendous flop. I think Ishtar is a great movie. I think the first 25 minutes of that movie is outstanding. People forget that Ishtar was a financial disaster because they went and shot in the desert and spent like a couple hundred million dollars just to level out the desert because the wind storms kept fucking it up. There was no way that this little silly spy comedy was going to make that money back so it got labeled as being one of the biggest disasters in history. But the movie itself is just outstanding.
DRE:
Yeah, I haven’t seen it in a long time but I’m glad I didn’t see it in the theater. Ghostbusters 2 sucked. But once again, you can’t count sequels. I banned Ghostbusters 2 from my life. If it’s on TV, I don’t watch it. I used to watch it all the time, and now I’ve…
BS:
You had enough.
DRE:
I don’t watch it, ever.
BS:
No more Ghostbusters 2.
DRE:
It is terrible.
BS:
Yeah, that was a rough sequel. But it’s good to see them still busting ghosts though. You have to admit that.

I think now is the time to get a whole bunch of recording artists together and have a bunch of new songs for the Ghostbusters.
DRE:
Music inspired by Ghostbusters.
BS:
Inspired, just like ghost-busting music.
DRE:
You mean music to bust ghosts to or music that’s inspired by the movie?
BS:
I’d say if you’re planning on busting ghosts in the future then this is the music you would want to listen to get inspired.
DRE:
Who should they get?
BS:
I think John Mayer. He’s number one on the list.
DRE:
Maybe Natalie Merchant?
BS:
Alicia Keys, Rob Thomas, Matchbox 20. [laughs] I would listen to that, and then I’d go seriously, I would fucking kill someone and have and then bust their ghost.
DRE:
Alright, I got to ask you some Home Movie questions.
BS:
Oh Jesus.
DRE:
[Laughs] So I spoke to H. Jon Benjamin not too long ago about the first set. He’s funny as hell.
BS:
He’s a fucking goofball. In my opinion he’s the best actor that ever played Coach McGuirk.
DRE:
He did do a live Dr. Katz thing once but he said that he doesn’t think a live Home Movies thing would work because he wouldn’t want to stand onstage there in Coach McGuirk’s clothing.
BS:
[Laughs] I think he says that but I don’t think he means it. We all want to wear leotards.
DRE:
Would you walk around on your knees and be like …
BS:
Dorf on golf? Oh I would do that for the sheer embarrassment of having the audience watch me. I would love to have that happen and then have the constant threat of maybe bringing an audience member on stage to embarrass.
DRE:
It’s improv, anything can happen, right?
BS:
But there’s no possible way to make me eight years old.
DRE:
They did it to Martin Short in Clifford.
BS:
You’re right. They did manage to have an entire nation believe that he was 11 years old.
DRE:
But then again, that movie was horrible.
BS:
I applaud that movie though for trying something that was just like “Holy Shit! I’m supposed to believe that Martin Short is a little kid?” [Laughs]
DRE:
It’d be better if they had it like Eugene Levy as a little kid with his chest hair popping out everywhere [Laughs]
BS:
Yeah, it weird, confusing sweaty vortex to live in where kids look like Martin Short. But I love Martin Short and I love Charles Grodin, so what do you do?
DRE:
You definitely don’t watch Clifford. Seriously.
BS:
I’ve seen it recently. It’s not a good movie, but again, I applaud the folly of it.
DRE:
[Laughs] Let’s just talk about bad movies.
BS:
Yeah.
DRE:
There was a time when Martin Short when he got big again after Father of the Bride, they’re like let’s give him a break and they did A Simple Wish?
BS:
Oh right and it was some weird kind of like whimsical fantasy movie. But you know what, I’ll tell you, I’ll defend Martin Short forever because I taped his special on Cinemax when I was a kid.
DRE:
I even like Jiminy Glick.
BS:
Yeah me too. I think that he’s got this amazing charisma and he’s not a hack. You can see comics get boring and old and lose their shape, but Martin Short manages to keep things incredibly weird.
DRE:
That’s why I like Christopher Guest because he bounced back after making that 50 Foot Woman remake.
BS:
Was he responsible for that?
DRE:
Yeah he directed. But absolutely! He was responsible.
BS:
That’s the worst way to say it. Who is responsible for this?
DRE:
It sounds like he shit on the floor [laughs].
BS:
[Laughs] Who broke this expensive thing? That’s all movies are.
DRE:
I read an old quote from you that said Home Movies was a little bit about role reversal?
BS:
Yes.
DRE:
Do you remember Louie Anderson’s cartoon?
BS:
[Laughs] Yes, I do remember that.
DRE:
Life with Louie, which I actually liked.
BS:
I used to watch that too, yeah. He did all the voices and everything, yeah.
DRE:
That show was about him as a little kid with his abusive dad but it ended up being a nice show.
BS:
It was a strange line that he kind of went with. The dad was distant and weird.
DRE:
The thing is, in real life his dad was so abusive that he turned him gay and fat.
BS:
[Laughs] That’s all you had to do if you wanted your kid to be gay and fat.
DRE:
[Laughs] If Home Movies was about when you were a kid would you show your future children Home Movies?
BS:
No, I was what I call an indoor kid. They’ve got indoor cats and outdoor cats, so I was an indoor kid. During the summer I would find a place on the couch and basically say “We’re going to watch some TV. If some people want to come over that’s great. I’m not going outside and I’m going to see if I can put on about 15 pounds before the next school year.”
DRE:
You did that every year? How much did you weigh?
BS:
I was a fat kid.
DRE:
I was a fat kid and now I’m a fat man.
BS:
Oh really? [Laughs] I’m trying to work out everyday and I have to curb the urge to eat anything I see. I definitely have an unhealthy relationship with food.

On Home Movies we didn’t want to make the kids precocious because there are a lot of TV shows that did that and I think it’s kind of like insulting and stupid. We wanted to make them kind of socially smart but have them be completely book stupid. Home Movies is a show about a kid whose parents divorced and he’s processing this divorce through his camera. This kid is trying to have some control in his life through this little lens. At the end of the series he found this replacement family with his friends, the Coach and everybody else.
DRE:
Were you a standup comedian before you started the show?
BS:
I wouldn’t call myself that but I would perform a lot. I went to music school first and just got pretty jaded with that so I started taking writing classes at Emerson College.
DRE:
What’s Deathclock about?
BS:
Deathclock is a new show with Adult Swim. It’s about a death metal band. I wrote the music for Home Movies and there’s a band on there that had like a lot of rock stuff. This is kind of taking the band from Home Movies and turning it up to a million and making it scarier and there’s going to be murder and death and blood. A lot of people will die each episode.
DRE:
That’s great.
BS:
It’s not going to feel like Home Movies at all.
DRE:
Is it Squigglevision?
BS:
No it’s not going to squiggle. It’s going to be very music driven. I’m doing it with my buddy Tommy Blacha, who used to be a writer for Conan O’Brien. We have just been on this like death metal kick for the last couple of years and going out and seeing bands like Cannibal Corpse.
DRE:
How about Barbarian Chronicles?
BS:
Yeah, I’m supposed to be getting notes in about a half hour for Barbarian Chronicles. I just finished the first script. It’s a show that’s kind Conan the Barbarian meets Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter meets Curb Your Enthusiasm. It’s very day to day life in this very kind of like magical landscape. The look I want is going to be kind of like Frank Frazettaish.
DRE:
You should do it rotoscope.
BS:
We’re actually going to hopefully have some battle segments done that way.

by Daniel Robert Epstein