The composer and musician Goran Bregovic (1950) is a living legend for everyone around the world who enjoys music from the Balkans. At his concerts 3 things are basically impossible to do: Not to smile, not to dance and not to drink. Of course the born Yugoslavian musician gives the right example, as he gets completely…
Without a doubt Billy Joel (1949) is one of the most successful singer-songwriters from the previous century. Hits like Piano Man and She’s Always a Woman are still played by radio stations all over the world. But the American artist also gained a reputation of a hopeless drunk, who became too lazy to bring out…
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was without a doubt one of the greatest painters in history. Nowadays his work is sold for millions all over the world. The Dutch artist is also known for his depressions that lead to him cutting off his own ear and probably suicide. Although in recent years there is a theory…
Few people in the 20th century will have lead a more interesting life than Ernest Hemingway 1899-1961). He was fighting for the American army in World War I at the Italian Front, where he got seriously injured. Later he returned to Europe as a journalist to cover the Spanish Civil War and later on World…
In our series of historical drunks we usually speak of people in world history who did great things despite the fact they were hammered most of their days. This time we honor a man who turned the drunken mess around him into true art. Jan Steen (1625/1626-1679) was from the same generation of Dutch painters…
Everyone knows that most great poets were also very good drinkers. So it is high time to share some of their creations. From time to time we’ll bring you poems on drinking, odes to booze and adventures under intoxication. We start off with the French 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire. This poem (translated by Louis…
,,For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity or perception to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.” German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
Lords of the Drinks 