do you have any advice / rituals / pharmaceuticals to recommend for coping with stage fright?
stephin the magnetic fields: courvoisier.
corin tucker: deep belly breaths, and really warming up before going on stage.
stephen the real tuesday weld: you have to look at yourself in the mirror in the dressing room and say: “pull it together you pathetic piece of shit. what the F*** IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? get out there right NOW” very, very loudly.
james dump/yo la tengo: seek another line of work?
bridget st john: 1. breathe. 2. don’t have company backstage before you go on stage – it’s a distraction. 3. no pharmaceuticals! but if you have a sore throat singer’s saving grace herbal concoction works very well for singers.
daniel handler: I have a great self-hypnosis program in which I say to myself, “nobody cares one whit. not one flying fuck.”
fran cannane: francesca recommended vodka and grapefruit juice. just for the voice you understand…. It seems to work.
allen clapp: used xanax for a few years, but absolutely HATED it. yoga 2-3 times a week is way more helpful. also, talking to people before playing and not being a hermit is helpful, just to get out of my own head for a while. also, ruby port.
hannah grass widow: we actually made a very spontaneous shrine in our dressing room at that celebrate brooklyn show. it was very therapeutic. we just took a bunch of comfort objects and music supplies and made a really epic and weird shrine in front of our mirror. but unfortunately we usually just drink before we play to take the edge off and warm up the vocals.
matt lorelei: I used to drink heavily and then take max alerts (over-the-counter trucker speed) to focus. it did or did not work depending on your perspective. I would not recommend it. my heart rate became an issue. now I’m just less nervous because I don’t worry about reproducing the recording live. live is a separate thing and the tracks can take on a different life.
joe pines / foxgloves: the night before you play, go on stage with ld beghtol and accompany him by playing one note on an electric stylophone for four minutes.
erin a girl called eddy: there really is nothing that makes it easier for me personally. a very large guinness after though always helps.
gordon the fan modine: a slight buzz is usually nice. and, always eat after the show unless you are playing pretty late.