The Write Stuff

A disproportionately large number of famous writers are alcoholics, more than artists who tend to be legendary drunks. There's a difference. The latter embrace their vice as a choice and a source of pride. I have a theory about this. The artist, like the musician, must master physical techniques in order to share their vision with the world. The writer has no real skill. He need only scribble down words with a pencil or peck them out on a keyboard, and thus suffers from a massive and unconscious inferiority complex. Malcolm Lowry was an exception. He was a drunken alcoholic and loved every minute of it. He underwent treatment in the early days of aversion therapy. The process involved receiving an injection that made one allergic to alcohol, and then being put in a tiny windowless room for 48 hours with an unlimited supply of booze. The patient drank and threw up for the entire period, then was brought out for 24 hours to sober up and get vitamin shots. The whole thing was then to be repeated two more times, but until Lowry everyone was cured after two sessions. Lowry came out after his third session and begged to be put back in again.