Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Substance abuse, part III

The bag of M&Ms in the bottom drawer was calling my name. I considered my schedule. In about an hour and a half I'd be leaving work for rehearsal. Chocolate would gunk up my throat.

Eh, the hell with it. It was a rehearsal, not a performance. I opened the bag and went to town.

The good news: Somehow I was spared the usual vocal effects. No coughing, no hacking. In fact, my throat was more well behaved than usual.

The bad news: I hadn't taken into account the non-singing effects of an M&M binge. Tonight's rehearsal found me a little wired. During the first few songs, I made weird mistakes I don't normally make, like singing the wrong syllables even though I knew exactly what sounds I was supposed to produce.

Y'know, I have to admire musicians who nurse serious addictions. If I can be derailed by a sugar rush, how on earth do people perform under the influence of drugs you can't buy in the candy aisle of the supermarket?

3 comments:

offcenterlarry said...

It ain't easy. Almost every TV show I watch has people drinking to relax... at least I don't hurt my head every time i fall off the wagon!

Anonymous said...

How interesting, singer! I heard Celine Dion say once that caffeine effects her vocal cords. And now I learn from you that M&M's (and other sweets I guess), can effect your performance. Wow. It is like another testament about the perils of refined sugar in general. Unless it is just the caffeine in the chocolate that is the culprit. I'm really working to keep my refined sugar to 20 grams or less per day. Hard to do! And I drink decaf coffee! And I ain't no singer!

Judy

cinderkeys said...

Offcenterlarry:

I'd never thought about how TV could lead drinkers into temptation. Actually, I would've thought that at least the network TV execs would disapprove of having the characters drink, wanting to avoid complaints.

If it's chocolate you're avoiding, then the tough part isn't TV, but hanging out with other people who are eating. I'd have thought that would be the hardest part for drinking too.

Judy:

Things that are bad for singing: sugar, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. Chocolate has three out of four. :) The more I gig, the better my diet is. It's difficult for me to be good just for the sake of being good.