Justin Townes Earle in rehab, postpones tour

[solace]

fwiw, Justin has never had much of a relationship with his father nor was he involved in his upbringing really.

 

and i'm surprised people aren't aware that he was kicked out of the Dukes by his father because he was hooked on heroin (he got hooked on hard drugs by the time he was 12).

 

it's sad that he has relapsed, but i can't say i'm not surprised. when i saw him at the Taste of MN earlier this summer, after he played a killer set a friend asked if he wasn't busy doing anything later that his band was playing not far from where the Taste was being held and Justin thanked him for the offer but said "i'm gonna probably just go back to my hotel, pop some pills and sleep."

 

as for "wealthy", i highly doubt he's all that wealthy (his records don't sell too much and he's just NOW starting to play 800-1000+ capacity places)

[Guest Speed Racer]

Give me a freaking break.

 

When did you make the conscious choice to lodge your head all up in your sphincter? Or, were you just born that way?

[LouieB]

I think you have to take a middle road on this. I did know part of his past history and it is not unusual for someone previously having been involved in hard drug use to relapse at some time or another. Is this a disease? Yes it is, not the same as senility or cancer, but still a condition which like any other can be controled, but sometimes isn't.

 

What is sad is that Justin is clearly on the cusp of a reasonably major career breakthrough. He sold out Lincoln Hall (I wasn't there so I can't confirm this, but everyone believed he would), when in the recent past he couldn't even fill Schubas. That none of his "people" saw this coming is also sad, but often those closest to us are either unable to help us or unaware there is a problem, or in denial.

 

Also, while Justin and Steve Earle may not have the closest of father/son bonds, Justin always thanks him on his albums, has appeared on his father's album Townes, and is not totally estranged by any stretch of the imagination. I don't expect to see them touring any time soon (unlike Bobby Bare and Bobby Jr.), but I think they do have some communication.

 

Disease is a wide ranging thing, from slight inconvenience to long term and deadly. To blame Justin for the "fix" he is in now is certainly partially his fault. But dumping on him for having a relapse, that's not exactly fair either. He is still fairly young. Many folks come out of addiction into long term sobriety as they get older. He may well do the same.

 

LouieB

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Apologies if this was mentioned here already...

 

First, there was a big dispute in Indy: http://www.nashville...-punching-woman

 

Now, he's checked into rehab and is postponing his Fall US/UK tour: http://www.justintow...s-enters-rehab/

 

 

Hope he gets his act together... Harlem River Blues is a fantastic album.

 

How many times have we seen this kind of story in the past?

You would think he would have avoided the cliched 'junkie rock star' scenario after seeing the hell his dad suffered AND caused.

Addiction is a cruel mistress.

[Vacant Horizon]

You want sad? Volunteer at a hospice and have a chat with the dying aids and cancer patients, and then those with Alzheimer’s. Soon you will see what a real freaking disease is, and not something that a wealthy performer who can still function in society forces on himself over a long period of time.

 

Your definition of what "disease" is changes real freaking fast.

 

No one forced these people to constantly digest drugs and alcohol in the numerous social situations likely spread out over years which caused their addictions. Even if their brain is likely predisposed to addiction, they still have the choice to not drink or do drugs. And in the case of Earle’s kid, he has no excuse. His father is one of the highest profile addict cases in rock music. His brain being geared towards addiction is irrelevant because he had all the information before hand (IE his father's much publicized story) with which to make intelligent decisions, and that's why this is incredibly stupid.

 

So spare me the guilt trip over a rich rock star's kid who had all the warning signs in the world when contrasted with a guy who doesn't even know his own name and who wets himself in the hospice.

 

Give me a freaking break.

 

this seems to hit close to home for you. addicts don't wake up one day and decide to drink/drug their lives to shit. same as one does not wake up one day and decide to actively try to get cancer so they can go to a hospice. it is baffling.

[Guest Speed Racer]

this seems to hit close to home for you. addicts don't wake up one day and decide to drink/drug their lives to shit. same as one does not wake up one day and decide to actively try to get cancer so they can go to a hospice. it is baffling.

 

Along similar lines, children of cancer victims who know they are at high risk often cannot avoid contracting the illness themselves - some even engage in the same high-risk behaviors as their parents. The same is true for addicts and alcoholics. One of our most human attributes is the confidence that "that" - whatever "that" is - won't happen to us.

[Atticus]

You want sad? Volunteer at a hospice and have a chat with the dying aids and cancer patients, and then those with Alzheimer’s. Soon you will see what a real freaking disease is, and not something that a wealthy performer who can still function in society forces on himself over a long period of time.

 

I have watched a friend slowly die from AIDS and my grandfather die from alzheimer's and other complications over years. I've also watched addicts and alcoholics die. it's not a contest. they are all diseases, and each is brutal in the way it takes its victims.

 

the jury is out on exactly what causes alzheimer's, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that lifestyle and behavioral choices significantly increase risk of AIDS and cancers. should we beat up on all the victims, or just the addicts?

 

they still have the choice to not drink or do drugs.

 

this statement reveals your ignorance on the nature of addiction

 

His brain being geared towards addiction is irrelevant because he had all the information before hand (IE his father's much publicized story) with which to make intelligent decisions, and that's why this is incredibly stupid.

 

insanity (taking a drink or drug despite the known likely consequences) is one of the symptoms of the disease of addiction. for you to fault an addict for an apparent lack of logic or rational decision-making is a bit absurd.