The Reality of Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘N’ Roll

A cliché is often exactly that, a cliché, something so overwrought with unoriginality that even considering it seems like a waste of time. But then there are the clichés that actually hold water because, well, they’re based on some amount of reality. Like, oh, the phrase “Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a statement so seemingly hackneyed that all it makes you think of is an out-of-touch guy yelling at you to get off his lawn. But let’s be real here: sex, drugs, and, yes, rock ‘n’ roll are lumped together for a reason. And that reason is quite simple: there are plenty of people who enjoy all of those things at the same time.

Of course, you probably already knew that if you’ve been reading Yell! Magazine over the past several years. In just the past year and a half, we’ve written about the relationship between sex and music several times. Perhaps you stumbled upon our list of 13 sexy heavy metal music videos. On the other hand, there’s this great take on learning everything about sex from none other than KISS. The piece is half playlist/half expose on the education Gene Simmons and co. have on offer, so you should probably give it a read either before or after you finish up here.

So here’s the thing: we clearly know that there are members of our community participating in sex while listening to music, but what about the drugs part of the equation? That’s where these survey results (from adult product purveyor Adam & Eve) can help. They spoke with 1,000 men and women about whether or not their sexual encounters include external stimulants, and the feedback they received is pretty surprising.

First off, 52% of respondents said they don’t drink or take drugs before having sex. While that may seem like it got the survey off on the wrong foot, those who do drink or take drugs before sex confirmed what you may have been thinking all along: 79% say that the stimulants had a positive impact on their experience. And if you’re wondering exactly what they’re consuming, the survey has those answers, too. For example, 28% of people said they never drink before sex while most admitted to doing it “rarely” or “sometimes”—a mere 1% said they drink before every time they have sex. As for illegal substances, an overwhelming majority (71%) said they never take them before hitting the sheets, but those who do are mostly smoking marijuana (27%) with a few taking cocaine or ecstasy. In assessing the results, Adam & Eve noted that alcohol can “spice up your life,” but only when consumed in moderation. As for smoking weed, they said it’s “rumored to increase positive moods,” but it can have the opposite effect on some people.

Now that we have the drugs part of the equation squared away, what about the music? Well, as was mentioned earlier, some people are listening to KISS in the bedroom, and they’d be part of the 25% of those surveyed who say they enjoy playing “rock music” before/during sex. Interestingly enough, more people (29%) said they listen to “easy listening” while having sex or getting in the mood. Uh, nah, let’s stick with what we know here at Yell! and embrace the harder side (no pun intended) with tracks from this playlist—like Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”

With something as personal as sex and, yes, taste in music, it’s difficult to look at information like this as some kind of catch-all. It is helpful, however, in determining trends (and seeing if they actually exist) while getting a better grasp on the tendencies of the general public. But what do you, the reader, think about these survey results? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below!