THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110457
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia is dead and Yankee great Mickey Mantle is gravely ill. Heroes to generations of music and sports fans, addiction to drugs and alcohol mortally wounded them. And there's nothing glamorous about it.
Garcia died of a heart attack in a drug rehab center, not the first he's visited. Mantle is a recovering alcoholic. Both began abusing substances because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Both found it hard to quit, discovered use had turned to addiction and the fun had turned deadly serious.
Young fans are inclined to emulate their heroes, but abuse of drugs and alcohol isn't behavior that leads to success. It leads to death. Garcia sang, ``I will survive.'' He didn't. Mantle has admitted he was a superstar in spite of the booze that has ruined his health. He wishes now he hadn't abused the stuff and believes his career would have lasted longer and he would have played even better without it. He is left with regrets.
Garcia has simply left. Drugs have been a potent part of the Grateful Dead mystique and many young fans have undoubtedly nursed the delusion that if they copied Garcia's substance abuse they'd somehow acquire his talent as well.
It doesn't work that way. Jerry Garcia made music the world loves, not because he abused drugs but in spite of it. Without the drugs, the long, strange trip might have gone on a lot longer, another 20 years perhaps. As one grieving fan said, what a waste. by CNB