"Muggles is the Mother of Invention"
Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow, "Really the Blues"
Louis Armstrong and Milton Mezz Mezzrow
As a musical genre, jazz is considered by many to be one of the greatest American art forms, centered on creative improvisation. Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow occupies a unique role in the history of jazz: As a clarinetist, saxophonist, and legendary cannabis dealer, he significantly shaped the music and subculture of the 1930s and 40s. In the clubs of Harlem in New York City and on tours, Mezzrow was the epitome of the "viper" for many jazz greats—so named because cannabis users in the jazz scene made the hissing sound of a viper when inhaling a joint.
Mezzrow became known not only for his musical talent, but also for his central position as a supplier of high-quality Mexican "golden-leaf" marijuana. His autobiography, Really the Blues (1946), is a fascinating contemporary document that vividly depicts the influence cannabis had on creativity, musicality, and community.
Mezzrow was friends with legendary jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, himself considered one of the most famous and outspoken cannabis advocates in jazz history. Armstrong, who smoked joints daily, valued Mezzrow not only as a musician but also as a reliable supplier of "muggles," "tea," or "gage," as they called marijuana at the time. Louis Armstrong later said:
"I believe marijuana has played an important role in my creative process. It has helped me see things from different perspectives and has inspired many of my compositions. It is a tool that has enhanced my artistic expression."
In his autobiography, "Really the Blues," fellow musician Mezz Mezzrow gives us more background: He describes, for example, listening one day to Armstrong's record "Heebie Jeebies ." He describes it as a milestone because it was there that Armstrong first recorded his famous scat singing, a form of vocal improvisation in jazz in which the singer sings rhythmically and melodically linked syllables to imitate instrumental parts. The voice is used like an instrument, with the focus on melody, rhythm, and timbre, not the lyrics.
This style became a model for generations of jazz musicians and is considered the epitome of jazz improvisation. Mezzrow writes that Louis later told him that he smoked a joint in the studio while recording " Heebie Jeebies," then lost his lyrics and had to improvise; the rest is history.
A collective self-deception?
We know that countless artists, musicians, writers, philosophers, scientists, and many other prominent cannabis users have used the plant for their creative work. From Charles Baudelaire, one of the co-founders of the French Club des Hashashins , to Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles, Bob Marley, artist Frida Kahlo, comedian George Carlin, film director Hal Ashby, and actors such as Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, many of these users have used cannabis not just for relaxation but also to inspire their work.
However, we also hear from numerous people that the cannabis high has sometimes had a negative impact on their creative output. Jazz musician Artie Shaw reported that he was very dissatisfied with his "Viper" band member, trumpeter Chuck Peterson, because he felt Chuck slowed the band down when he played high. Chuck disagreed, so Artie suggested they both play high together; if that went well, they could perform high every night from then on. Shaw reports:
"(Chuck) gave it to me, I smoked it, and I played sensationally. I heard things I'd never heard before in those old arrangements. (...) 'You win,' I said. 'No, man,' he said. 'I lose.' He'd been looking at me in disbelief all evening, and I thought he was thinking, 'Man, this guy's going to blow his head off.' I've heard great things. But the technical ability to do that—it's like driving a car while high. You feel great, but you don't know what you're doing."
So, could many reports about the high be due to systematic overconfidence during the high? This could be due to general unconscious self-deception mechanisms, such as cannabis users wanting to justify their often illegal use of the plant. Or do they also have systematic overconfidence caused by the high due to altered perception?
A purely quantitative collection of testimonials will therefore be of little help; even if the vast majority of users report positive effects on their creativity, they could be wrong. So how should we proceed if we want to learn more about whether the high can actually enhance creative activities?
A dead end: The limits of psychological creativity tests
In the context of the debate about cannabis and creativity, a few scientific studies are repeatedly cited in which participants were subjected to tests while high to measure their ability to engage in "divergent thinking." " Divergent thinking" refers to the ability to approach problems openly, unsystematically, and playfully, generating as many unusual solutions as possible.
The term was coined by JP Guilford and is considered a central element of creative processes. Divergent thinking encompasses aspects such as fluidity of ideas, originality, flexibility, and the willingness to accept even seemingly contradictory solutions. It contrasts with convergent thinking, which aims for a single, logical solution.
In creativity research, divergent thinking is often measured with tests such as the Alternative Uses Test (AUT), in which subjects are asked to find as many alternative and original uses for everyday objects such as a chair as quickly as possible.
Criticism of the use of tests in altered states of consciousness
A central problem with the application of such tests during a cannabis-induced "high" lies in their basic design: They are designed for a waking, alert state. This assumes that subjects are conscious, verbally capable, and capable of motor action to express and document their ideas. However, an altered state of consciousness—e.g., a cannabis high, dreams, or deep meditation—changes not only the quantity and quality of associations, but also the ability to voluntarily control and verbalize them.
A comparison with the dream state as an altered state of consciousness illustrates the dilemma: In dreams, we often experience an extreme increase in imagination and associative freedom – classic characteristics of divergent thinking. Many artists have used dream content creatively; however, during a dream, we would naturally fail the AUT test, as we would not be able to complete questionnaires. Similarly, cannabis-induced states of consciousness may potentially expand the associative range, but at the same time limit the ability to process and express ideas purposefully.
Divergent thinking does not equal creativity
Another, often overlooked aspect: Divergent thinking isn't everything when it comes to creative activities in real life. It's merely a sub-skill in the creative process, especially when you consider practical creative activities like writing an essay. These require not only the generation of unusual ideas (divergent thinking), but also their evaluation, elaboration, and implementation (convergent thinking, sustained attention, attention to detail). In his metacognition theory of creativity, psychologist Bernard Hommel emphasizes that creative achievements are an interplay of various cognitive abilities, self-regulation, and conscious control.
So, how should we proceed if we want to clarify whether the cannabis high can be helpful in creative processes—and under what circumstances it can also be disruptive? I'll present my new research approach and completely new perspectives on this in the sequel.
Sources
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