In the lead-up to the release of his ninth album, Ryan Adams has discussed his newfound sobriety.
Speaking with the 'New York Times' newspaper, Adams disagreed that the release of his ninth album in eight years reflects any kind of prolificness. The eight studio releases come on top of the myriad tracks he has released under various monikers via his dotcom."It's not, like, 'He's over-prolific because he's wasted,' " Adams told the paper. "No, man, you haven't heard anything. You think that's prolific? That's just what trickled through. But that's the whole thing. It's a marketplace. I wish it was more like a museum of wack ideas."
The former Whiskeytown frontman openly discussed his notorious use of drugs and alcohol, admitting that he once snorted 45 speedballs (a mixture of heroin and cocaine) whilst recording two years ago at New York's legendary Electric Lady studios.
He expanded on that period of his life, explaining, "There was intense loneliness, end-of-the-world stuff going on in my mind, bottomless depression. Without exaggerating, it is a miracle I did not die.
"I snorted heroin a lot , with coke. I did speedballs every day for years. And took pills. And then drank. And I don't mean a little bit. I always outdid everybody."
He cleaned himself up with the help of his girlfriend, writer/model Jessica Joffe. After going cold turkey (with the assistance of valium), Adams said he has been sober for over a year.
His forthcoming album 'Easy Tiger', recorded with The Cardinals, features the vocals of Sheryl Crow on lead-single 'Two'. To be released on June 26 in the States, early reports suggest that it is reminiscent of 'Heartbreaker' and 'Gold', Adams' first two solo albums which are generally considered his best.
