HOME   Reading Texts   "The Cult of Bebop"       ISSUES:   JAZZ CULTURE RACE                       HOME   Reading Texts   "The Cult of Bebop"       ISSUES:   JAZZ CULTURE RACE                     HOME   Reading Texts   "The Cult of Bebop"       ISSUES:   JAZZ CULTURE RACE

CULTURE Drugs and Alcohol The public image of Beboppers was one associated with drugs and alcohol abuse.  There are a number of reasons and issues involved with drug and alcohol use in this context.   QUESTIONS   atmosphere at nightclubs and an afterhours lifestyle.  overcoming nerves of performance associated with expressive aspects, widening one's experience, freeing oneself to improvise.  part of a wider  rebellious lifestyle.  A new 1950s choice for many young people. Baraka:    There was overlap between narcotics users and Beboppers.  This was manifest in the blend between the slang of drug use and the bebop lingo.  Within this kind of isolated subculture, the addict could be afforded a high status, and drug use promoted self-confidence.   Linking Issues Jazz History: Audience and the Performer Culture QUESTIONS To what extent did drug use seem to be related to performance issues of Bebop? Were these aspects unique to Bebop? Did Dizzy portray drug use as an essential part of Bebop?  Of the 'hip' subculture?  What motivations would he have to give these impressions?     See "The Cult of Bebop" Intro    Lie One     Lie Three      Lie Four    Lie Six      Lie Six     Lie Six Lie Six    Lie Six     Lie Seven     Lie Seven    Lie Eight      Lie Eight      Lie Ten Lie Eleven