Charlie Parker – Brilliant Sax Player and Jazz Innovator

Charlie Parker’s private life was obviously one of a kind, and not too many average people could either understand it or rely on it.

If we look around modern-day artists are following this path too, especially the brilliant ones or those who left their footprint in the music industry. Amid the most relevant examples that have crossed my mind are Aerosmith and Guns n’ Roses, both members of which were addicted to different drugs. It may appear to be an interesting remark, but their most successful albums such as “Pump”, “Get a Grip”, “Toys in the Attic” or GnR’s “Appetite for Destruction” were created when they had hardships in their personal lives and especially in the fight with their drug addictions. In Charlie “Bird” Parker’s case, the autopsy brought out some stunning facts, such as his young age. Despite the appearance of his body, which looked like a 50-60-year-old man’s, he was only 34. Actually, contrary to the above given examples, thanks to his addiction, “Bird’s” career got ruined quickly and in a harsh way.

He actually ended up singing on the streets and loaning money from fellow musicians. As we see, substance abuse can bring out the genius or can ruin someone’s career. In my opinion, it depends a lot on the type of substance they use. Not all of them have same effect, so, probably Charlie Parker’s addiction was much worse than in the cases with Aerosmith or Guns n’ Roses. Without getting into a deep analysis about the harmful effects of the drugs, we can say with certainty that eventually this experience will leave a significant mark on any consumer’s life and will never end up well. Even though the musical career can be enhanced, the person’s health condition would still be ruined.

Great artists will always suffer being driven by their desire to achieve respect and fame. However, they will suffer both physically and psychically. The physical suffering, of course, will be always there due to the high amount of work they do, but the psychical one results from their activity. Psyche is the “engine” of one’s creativity, as most of the great artists are writing the lyrics based on their personal feelings and experience. It is because of the human nature that we like to express ourselves more when something is wrong with us.