As with everything else, the rash of drug-related deaths at recent electronic music events has been blown out of proportion by the media, at least according to Diplo and Jillionaire of dance group Major Lazer. There were two deaths and several hospitalizations due to overdoses at the Electric Zoo festival in New York City two weeks ago, following the death of a fan from overdose at a Zedd concert in Boston.
"The drug thing happens, and this is the first time music writers can have something to write about," Diplo said as part of a stream-of-consciousness statement. "Electronic music is so young, and these audiences are full of 18 - no, 13-year-olds - and people who are 30, and 30 is old. Music writers and critics are old."
The sum of his argument was that the older generation doesn't understand the drug use of the new. As a 25 y.o. music writer, we are bordering on senior citizenship in Diplo's eyes, but we imagine that Robert Christgau wasn't any more fond of Jimi Hendrix drinking himself to death than he is about young concertgoers taking bad "molly." Nor can we imagine Michael Azerrad approved of heroin use in the grunge community, even if that was his generation's "drug of choice."
Jillionaire had some sound logic, even if our parent's won't like it: Maybe society should make sure kids know what they're doing so that it doesn't result in death.
"If you're going to go to a festival, drink water for six days before you get there," he advised. "Don't drink no alcohol. If you're going to do a pill and a half, don't do four more and then pass out, overheat, and die of cardiac arrest. Instead of acting like drugs don't exist, acknowledge that drugs will be at a festival and address them."
Music Times certainly doesn't want to encourage drug use, but we definitely want you to be safe no matter what you do when you're at a show, whether you're in a rave or a mosh.
