Randy Blythe, Lamb of God’s frontman, shared in a recent interview with John R. Miles how his path to sobriety helped him become a published writer. Blythe reflected on how he once believed the myth that artists need to live self-destructive lives to be creative, but his sobriety proved otherwise.
He explained, “I believed in the cultural myth of the alcoholic/addict, writer/musician/artist. That’s a great cultural myth, and some of my favorite writers were these masculine dudes like Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson and [Charles] Bukowski like every other angst-riddled 20-year-old male or whatever. I love these writers, and I still do.”
Blythe admitted to following behaviors similar to them, but realized that drinking and partying weren’t helping his creativity. “So I did all the things that these great writers did, like I drank and did a respectable amount of womanizing and even gotten some fist fights from time to time. I did all the stuff that those great writers were doing, except for the writing part, right? I’m practicing to become an artist.”
“So I bought into that cultural mythos of the damaged artist, the alcoholic artist, and it certainly that’s a fear, I think, amongst musicians, writers, artists of all sorts that become alcoholics or drug addicts, that when they stop doing whatever their preferred poison is, their creative abilities will abandon them. I have found it’s complete nonsense. In fact, I did not become a published author until I became sober,” the rocker added.
Metallica’s Support For Sobriety
Blythe’s road to sobriety was challenging, but the support he received from Metallica while touring together gave him the strength to turn his life around. Reflecting on his first sober performance, he recalled, “We had been on tour for about two years off and on with [Metallica], doing Europe and the States. They had had a few words with me and I went to them, I’m like, ‘Help me, I need some support, please. I can’t stop drinking.’ They’re like, ‘You’re going to be okay man,’ and showed me some brotherly love.”
“Then I went out on stage that night in front of 14,000 people and I was completely falling to pieces. I tell people my hair used to be long then and thank it was because I was weeping uncontrollably in between singing, and thank God we’re a heavy metal band cuz it’s just like and I’m like ‘Ahhh, say who gives a f*ck,’ screaming my lyrics. Then I’m like, ‘Oh my God my life, what the f*ck happened? Where am I?’ Just falling to pieces in front of 14,000 people. That was my first day sober and that was my first show sober. I spent my whole first month of sobriety on tour surrounded by free drugs and alcohol,” he added.
Today, Blythe celebrates 14 years of sobriety, and his journey is documented in his new book, ‘Just Beyond The Light: Making Peace With The Wars Inside Our Head.’
