Former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach has told how Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich made a fool of him when he tried Quaaludes for the first and only time.
Bach and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses decided to take the sedative pills one 1990 night at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood – giving Ulrich the opportunity to have a laugh at their expense.
The story is told in Bach’s book 18 And Life On Skid Row, which also contains an anecdote about Jon Bon Jovi’s dad making a death threat.
Bach says (via Rolling Stone): “This was one of the nights we were out to do some damage. I had heard about the legendary drug known as Quaaludes. Always in stories regaling the 70s there would be mention of this mysterious drug.
“After who knows how many hours drinking with Duff, we found ourselves underneath the back corner table of the Rainbow, which has always been the best place in the world. This is your place where Sebastian, Duff and Lars did Quaaludes.
“Who knows how or where we got them, but we put them into our mouths. They were big hockey-puck-shapes pills. As the night went on the drugs began to hit me.”
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He remembers seeing McKagan’s mouth appear to alter shape, then noticed his friend was drooling – and the same began to happen to him as the relaxant effect of the quaaludes kicked in.
He continues: “As I look up, I see the laughing little heavy metal gnome known as Lars Ulrich dancing merrily round our table. He’s like a little leprechaun doing a pixie dance. ‘Hey, everybody! Come and meet your heroes! It’s a dream come true!’”
Bach couldn’t work out what the drummer was up to, until he finally realised: “He had them lined up in front of our table. ‘Come and get your picture taken with a real rock star! Come meet Skid Row! Guns N’ Roses!’
“Lars is charging fans five dollars each to sit next to me and Duff. We’re too ‘luded out to protest. Welcome to the Rainbow! I never did quaaludes again.”
18 And Life On Skid Row is published by HarperCollins on December 12.
