How so many legacy rock band member where insanely fit with all the touring, smoking, drinking and drugs
In: Biology
They weren’t necessarily fit – they were just incredibly lean I doubt many of them could bench their body weight.
They weren’t insanely fit. They were just skinny due to alcohol and drug consumption (especially heroin). A lot of drugs suppress appetite. Most of those guys didn’t even have money to eat well because it all went on gear. For example, Guns n Roses would hook up with random groupies every night just for a place to stay because they sold their hotel rooms for drug money.
Being on stage every night sweating several liters of water only added to their shredded look.
If they were on amphetamines or other uppers, they were skinny because those are powerful appetite suppressors. Very few were fit back in the 60s. Stars like Alice Cooper only got into better shape when they hit bottom (in his case he needed a couple of beers to be able to get out of bed) and then started doing healthier things. (In his case playing golf every day.) Likewise, alcoholism can lead to not eating and the opioids can have the same outcome.
Imagine the hottest you’ve ever been. The sweatiest you’ve ever been. Multiple that times 5 and you’re a rock band playing your ass off in front of dozens of spotlights with hundreds/thousands breathing at you. The amount they have to drink to not crack in half all dusty like will blow your mind.
Performing is hard work.
I used to lug a van load of equipment into a venue, set it up and test it, sing and dance for three hours, pack up the equipment, and load it back into the truck. The whole effort was 7 or 8 hours of work.
At the level I was at, the job is largely truck driver and equipment mover, with three hours of aerobics 6 nights per week.
I was remarkably strong and had loads of stamina.
There’s a little ~~confirmation~~ survivorship bias here. The unfit ones died out so the only ones you see left are the fit ones.
Also, looks play a big part in a successful rock back (for better or worse), and for a long time fat rock stars weren’t popular
I know an older European guy through work who once told me he knew the lead singer of the band Europe (of The Final Countdown fame) as a teenager before he became famous. He said this guy was taking diet pills already in preparation for being a rock star.
So I guess for some I was a deliberate aesthetic they were going for to look the part, along with the long hair and crazy fashion.
Plus, I wouldn’t confuse skinny with fit – they’re two different things.
They’re just skinny. Which is what you’d expect from touring and smoking and drinking and doing drugs.
They’re more fit than your average couch potato, performing is a workout all on its own, so is moving equipment. But I mean, I’d wager less “fit” than an average high school athletic type.
Anyone can look like those guys did if you lost weight.
Most of them weren’t very fit, they just ran on adrenaline
If you want an example of an old school rocker who was actually extremely fit regardless of partying, drugs, and sex… look at David Lee Roth, the lead singer of Van Halen.
Even though he partied hard during tours, in the between time, he was constantly improving his body, learning martial arts and swordsmanship, along with that he would take high risk treks through the Amazon, New Guinea, climbed mountains (including a 3/4 Everest attempt that was killed by a storm) along with that he spent his off time training his mind reading hundreds of books and learning fluent Spanish.
And once he stopped full time touring he kept his habits, but randomly decided to train to become an EMT in New York along with moving to Japan and learning traditional Japanese watercolor art and furthering his martial arts training…
Oh and also he spent two years learning and raising herding dogs.
So yeah I think he’s the gold standard of living a rock life while also being insanely fit physically and mentally
i was a performer professionally when younger and dabbled in the drug world; when you’re young and fit (primarily from said performances), you can get away with a lot and your body won’t crucify you too much
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