When your heroes don't age well

Rock journalist/musician Mick Farren was one of my heroes as a teen. I loved his monthly columns in Trouser Press magazine, where he came across as a genius, the little man taking on the machine. I was a wide-eyed teen/young adult at the time, discovering my own sense of right and wrong, but Farren seemed like the real deal. He was a musician turned journalist, so had some street cred.

Fast forward 30 years to this interview with Farren, promoting "Speed-Speed-Speedfreak: A Fast History of Amphetamine." I don't have anything against anyone writing a history of speed, particularly when it was government sanctioned at one point. But this interview, while interesting enough, just crushed all illusions I had of Farren as a rock god, a voice of my generation.

Granted it's been 25 years since I read anything by him (I was unaware he was cranking out unknown books by the dozens, but have bookmarked his blog). But these days he's a stumbling, bumbling, hacking shell of his former self.

To my two daughters, I hope you watch this. This is what happens when you abuse drugs.