Out of all the different art forms, I have to say that poets and musicians have the highest hit ratio of being "not quite right in the mind."  One of my favorite musicians, Jeff Buckley,I found out two weeks ago was a classic NYC drunk musician.  My current guitar instructor would go to venues where Buckley would play, and as the night went on, he would just keep playing while getting drunker and drunker.  Then finally while he was recording an album down south, he got drunk one night and took a bet to "swim" in the Mississipi river.  Guess what happened to him?

Elliot Smith, depressed and killed himself.  Kurt Kobain, took one too many drugs and killed himself.  Sid Vicious, also took one too many drugs and killed himself.  I see a pattern.  Hendrix had nine sleeping pills in one night with lots of alcohol.  Elvis, need I say more?  Drugs + Musicians = High Percentage of Suicide.  I still have yet to figure out why people think drugs are a good idea.

Then just today, i found out that one of my favorite french band, Noir Desir, the lead singer/band leader was in jail for the past four years for manslaughter because he punched his girlfriend, famous french actress Marie Trintignant, one too many times, putting her in a coma, and she died a few days later.  WTF!?

*sigh*  Must great art marry great tragedy?
My only consolation is that most musicians do survive.