THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - REID: 'I WAS DRUNK FOR 15 YEARS'

REID: 'I WAS DRUNK FOR 15 YEARS'

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN rocker JIM REID played his first ever gig without the aid of alcohol in 15 years last month (Apr07). The group reformed in April (07) for a performance at California's Coachella Festival, and the band's frontman admits it was the first time he'd been on stage without a drink. He says, "In all the years the Mary Chain were together, I never played a single gig - not one - sober. "I used to go on stage drunk. Sometimes it was fabulous. Most times it wasn't. If anything went wrong I was in such a befuddled state I didn't know how to sort it out. Gigs crumbled and I didn't know why. "But I've cleaned up. I've not had a drink for 18 months. Now if I forget the lyrics, I'm able to rescue the song."