Heroin (diacetylmorphine (INN)), also known as diamorphine (BAN), or, especially in older literature, as morphine diacetate, is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine (''di-acetyl-morphine'') and a morphine prodrug. The white crystalline form is commonly the hydrochloride salt diacetylmorphine hydrochloride, though, when supplied illegally, it is often adulterated, thus dulling the sheen and consistency from that to a matte white powder, which diacetylmorphine freebase typically is. 90% of illicit diamorphine (heroin) is thought to be produced in Afghanistan.

As with other opioids, diacetylmorphine is used as both an analgesic and a recreational drug. Frequent and regular administration is associated with tolerance and physical dependence, which may develop into addiction. Internationally, diacetylmorphine is controlled under Schedules I and IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. It is illegal to manufacture, possess, or sell diacetylmorphine without a license in almost every country.

Under the chemical name diamorphine, diacetylmorphine is a legally prescribed controlled drug in the United Kingdom, and is supplied in tablet or injectable form for the same indications as morphine is. It is available for prescription to long-term users in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark alongside psycho-social care, and a similar programme is being campaigned for by liberal political parties in Norway.

Usage

The BBC reported that "Worldwide, the UN estimates there are more than 50 million regular users of heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs." Global users of diacetylmorphine are estimated at between 15.16 million and 21.13 million people aged 15–64.

Medical use

Under the chemical name diamorphine, diacetylmorphine is prescribed as a strong analgesic in the United Kingdom, where it is given via subcutaneous, intramuscular, intrathecal or intravenous route. Its use includes treatment for acute pain, such as in severe physical trauma, myocardial infarction, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain, including end-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses. In other countries it is more common to use morphine or other strong opioids in these situations. In 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence produced guidance on the management of caesarian section which recommended the use of intrathecal or epidural diacetylmorphine for post-operative pain relief.

In 2005, there was a shortage of diacetylmorphine in the UK, because of a problem at the main UK manufacturers. Because of this, many hospitals changed to using morphine instead of diacetylmorphine. Although there is no longer a problem with the manufacturing of diacetylmorphine in the UK, some hospitals there have continued to use morphine (the majority, however, continue to use diacetylmorphine, and diacetylmorphine tablets are supplied for pain management).

Diacetylmorphine continues to be widely used in palliative care in the United Kingdom, where it is commonly given by the subcutaneous route, often via a syringe driver, if patients cannot easily swallow oral morphine solution. The advantage of diacetylmorphine over morphine is that diacetylmorphine is more fat soluble and therefore more potent (by injection only), so smaller doses of it are needed for the same analgesic effect. Both of these factors are advantageous if giving high doses of opioids via the subcutaneous route, which is often necessary in palliative care.

The medical use of diacetylmorphine (in common with other strong opioids such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone) is controlled in the United Kingdom by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In the UK, it is a class A controlled drug. Registers of its use are required to be kept in hospitals.

Diacetylmorphine is also used as a maintenance drug to treat addicts. Though this is somewhat controversial among proponents of a zero tolerance drug policy, it has proven superior to methadone in improving the social and health situation of addicts. See: Heroin prescription for addicts

Recreational use

Diacetylmorphine, in non-medical settings called heroin, is used as a recreational drug for the transcendent relaxation and intense euphoria it induces. Anthropologist Michael Agar once described heroin as "the perfect whatever drug." Tolerance quickly develops, and users need more of the drug to achieve the same effects. Its popularity with recreational drug users, compared to morphine, reportedly stems from its perceived different effects. In particular, users report an intense rush, an acute transcendent state of euphoria, that occurs while diacetylmorphine is being metabolized into 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) and morphine in the brain. Heroin produces more euphoria than other opioids upon injection. One possible explanation is the presence of 6-monoacetylmorphine, a metabolite unique to heroin. While other opioids of recreational use, such as codeine, produce only morphine, heroin also leaves 6-MAM, also a psycho-active metabolite. However, this perception is not supported by the results of clinical studies comparing the physiological and subjective effects of injected heroin and morphine in individuals formerly addicted to opioids; these subjects showed no preference for one drug over the other. Equipotent injected doses had comparable action courses, with no difference in subjects' self-rated feelings of euphoria, ambition, nervousness, relaxation, drowsiness, or sleepiness.

Short-term addiction studies by the same researchers demonstrated that tolerance developed at a similar rate to both heroin and morphine. When compared to the opioids hydromorphone, fentanyl, oxycodone, and pethidine/meperidine, former addicts showed a strong preference for heroin and morphine, suggesting that heroin and morphine are particularly susceptible to abuse and addiction. Morphine and heroin were also much more likely to produce euphoria and other positive subjective effects when compared to these other opioids.

Some researchers have attempted to explain heroin use and the culture that surrounds it through the use of sociological theories. In ''Righteous Dopefiend'', Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg use anomie theory to explain why people begin using heroin. By analyzing a community in San Francisco, they demonstrated that heroin use was caused in part due to internal and external factors such as violent homes and parental neglect. This lack of emotional, social, and financial support causes strain and influences individuals to engage in deviant acts, including heroin usage. They further found that heroin users practiced "retreatism", a behavior first described by Howard Abadinsky, in which those who suffer from such strain reject society's goals and institutionalized means of achieving them.

Prescription for addicts

The UK Department of Health's Rolleston Committee Report in 1926 established the British approach to diacetylmorphine prescription to users, which was maintained for the next 40 years: dealers were prosecuted, but doctors could prescribe diacetylmorphine to users when withdrawing from it would cause harm or severe distress to the patient. This "policing and prescribing" policy effectively controlled the perceived diacetylmorphine problem in the UK until 1959 when the number of diacetylmorphine addicts doubled every 16th month during a period of ten years, 1959–1968. In 1964 the Brain Committee recommended that only selected approved doctors working at approved specialised centres be allowed to prescribe diacetylmorphine and benzoylmethylecgonine (cocaine) to users. The law was made more restrictive in 1968. Beginning in the 1970s, the emphasis shifted to abstinence and the use of methadone, until now only a small number of users in the UK are prescribed diacetylmorphine.

In 1994 Switzerland began a trial diacetylmorphine maintenance program for users that had failed multiple withdrawal programs. The aim of this program is to maintain the health of the user to avoid medical problems stemming from the illicit use of diacetylmorphine. Reducing drug-related crime and preventing overdoses were two other goals. The first trial in 1994 involved 340 users, although enrollment was later expanded to 1000 based on the apparent success of the program. Participants are allowed to inject diacetylmorphine in specially designed pharmacies for 15 Swiss francs per day. A national referendum in November 2008 showed 68% of voters supported the plan, introducing diacetylmorphine prescription into federal law. The trials before were based on time-limited executive ordinances.

The success of the Swiss trials led German, Dutch, and Canadian cities to try out their own diacetylmorphine prescription programs. Some Australian cities (such as Sydney) have instituted legal diacetylmorphine supervised injecting centers, in line with other wider harm minimization programs.

Since January 2009 Denmark has prescribed diacetylmorphine to a few addicts that have tried methadone and subutex without success. Beginning in February 2010, addicts in Copenhagen and Odense will be eligible to receive free diacetylmorphine. Later in 2010 other cities including Århus and Esbjerg will join the scheme. In total, around 230 addicts will be able to receive free diacetylmorphine. However, Danish addicts will only be able to inject heroin according to the policy set by Danish National Board of Health. Of the estimated 1500 drug users who do not benefit from the current oral substitution treatment, approximately 900 will not be in the target group for treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine, either because of "massive multiple drug abuse of non-opioids" or "not wanting treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine".

In July 2009, the German Bundestag passed a law allowing diacetylmorphine prescription as a standard treatment for addicts; while diacetylmorphine prescription was started in 2002, it was only authorized as a large-scale trial.

Detection in biological fluids

The major metabolites of diacetylmorphine, 6-MAM, morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide and morphine-6-glucuronide, may be quantitated in blood, plasma or urine to monitor for abuse, confirm a diagnosis of poisoning or assist in a medicolegal death investigation. Most commercial opiate screening tests cross-react appreciably with these metabolites, as well as with other biotransformation products likely to be present following usage of street-grade diacetylmorphine such as 6-acetylcodeine and codeine. However, chromatographic techniques can easily distinguish and measure each of these substances. When interpreting the results of a test, it is important to consider the diacetylmorphine usage history of the individual, since a chronic user can develop tolerance to doses that would incapacitate an opiate-naive individual, and the chronic user often has high baseline values of these metabolites in his system. Furthermore, some testing procedures employ a hydrolysis step prior to quantitation that converts many of the metabolic products to morphine, yielding a result that may be many times larger than with a method that examines each product individually.

Adverse effects

Like most opioids, unadulterated Heroin doesn't cause many long-term complications other than dependence and constipation. Adulterated "street" Heroin however is considered to be one of the most harmful drugs especially if consumed intravenously.

Intravenous use of heroin (and any other substance) with non-sterile needles and syringes or other related equipment may lead to:

*The risk of contracting blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis

*The risk of contracting bacterial or fungal endocarditis and possibly venous sclerosis

*Abscesses

Poisoning from contaminants added to "cut" or dilute heroin

Chronic constipation

Addiction

Tolerance

Physical dependence can result from prolonged use of all opioids, resulting in withdrawal symptoms on cessation of use

Decreased kidney function (although it is not currently known if this is because of adulterants or infectious diseases)

Many countries and local governments have begun funding programs that supply sterile needles to people who inject illegal drugs in an attempt to reduce these contingent risks and especially the contraction and spread of blood-borne diseases. The Drug Policy Alliance reports that up to 75% of new AIDS cases among women and children are directly or indirectly a consequence of drug use by injection. The United States federal government does not operate needle exchanges, although some state and local governments do support needle exchange programs.

Anthropologists Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg, who did a decade of field work among homeless heroin and cocaine addicts in San Francisco, reported that the African-American addicts they observed were more inclined to "direct deposit" heroin into a vein, rather than "skin-popping" their injections. (Skin-popping was a far more widespread practice among the white addicts: "By the midpoint of our fieldwork, most of the whites had given up searching for operable veins and skin-popped. They sank their needles perfunctorily, often through their clothing, into their fatty tissue.") Bourgois and Schonberg describes how the cultural difference between the African-Americans and the whites leads to this contrasting behavior, and also points out that the two different ways to inject heroin comes with different health risks. Skin-popping more often results in abscesses, and direct injection more often leads to fatal overdose and also to hepatitis C and HIV infection.

Heroin overdose is usually treated with an opioid antagonist, such as naloxone (Narcan), or naltrexone, which has high affinity for opioid receptors but does not activate them. This reverses the effects of heroin and other opioid agonists and causes an immediate return of consciousness but may precipitate withdrawal symptoms. The half-life of naloxone is much shorter than that of most opioid agonists, so that antagonist typically has to be administered multiple times until the opioid has been metabolized by the body.

Depending on drug interactions and numerous other factors, death from overdose can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours because of anoxia resulting from the breathing reflex being suppressed by µ-opioids. An overdose is immediately reversible with an opioid antagonist injection. Diacetylmorphine overdoses can occur because of an unexpected increase in the dose or purity or because of diminished opioid tolerance. However, many fatalities reported as overdoses are probably caused by interactions with other depressant drugs like alcohol or benzodiazepines. It should also be noted that since heroin can cause nausea and vomiting, a significant number of deaths attributed to heroin overdose are caused by aspiration of vomit by an unconscious victim. Some sources quote the median lethal dose (for an average 75 kg opiate-naive individual) as being between 75 and 375 mg. Illicit heroin is of widely varying and unpredictable purity. This means that the user may prepare what they consider to be a moderate dose while actually taking far more than intended. Also, tolerance typically decreases after a period of abstinence. If this occurs and the user takes a dose comparable to their previous use, the user may experience drug effects that are much greater than expected, potentially resulting in a dangerous overdose.

It has been speculated that an unknown portion of heroin related deaths are the result of an overdose or allergic reaction to quinine, which may sometimes be used as a cutting agent.

A final factor contributing to overdoses is place conditioning. Diacetylmorphine use is a highly ritualized behavior. While the mechanism has yet to be clearly elucidated, longtime heroin users display increased tolerance to the drug in locations where they have repeatedly administered. When the user injects in a different location, this environment-conditioned tolerance does not occur, resulting in a greater drug effect. The user's typical dose of the drug, in the face of decreased tolerance, becomes far too high and can be toxic, leading to overdose.

A small percentage of heroin smokers, and occasionally IV users, may develop symptoms of toxic leukoencephalopathy. The cause has yet to be identified, but one speculation is that the disorder is caused by an uncommon adulterant that is only active when heated. Symptoms include slurred speech and difficulty walking.

Cocaine is sometimes used in combination with heroin, and is referred to as a speedball when injected or ''moonrocks'' when smoked together. Cocaine acts as a stimulant, whereas heroin acts as a depressant. Coadministration provides an intense rush of euphoria with a high that combines both effects of the drugs, while excluding the negative effects, such as anxiety and sedation. The effects of cocaine wear off far more quickly than heroin, thus if an overdose of heroin was used to compensate for cocaine, the end result is fatal respiratory depression.

Withdrawal

The withdrawal syndrome from heroin (the so-called cold turkey) may begin within 6 to 24 hours of discontinuation of the drug; however, this time frame can fluctuate with the degree of tolerance as well as the amount of the last consumed dose. Symptoms may include: sweating, malaise, anxiety, depression, akathisia, priapism, extra sensitivity of the genitals in females, general feeling of heaviness, cramp-like pains in the limbs, excessive yawning or sneezing, tears, rhinorrhea, sleep difficulties (insomnia), cold sweats, chills, severe muscle and bone aches; nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and fever.

Pharmacology

When taken orally, heroin undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism via deacetylation, making it a prodrug for the systemic delivery of morphine. When the drug is injected, however, it avoids this first-pass effect, very rapidly crossing the blood-brain barrier because of the presence of the acetyl groups, which render it much more fat soluble than morphine itself. Once in the brain, it then is deacetylated variously into the inactive 3-monoacetylmorphine and the active 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), and then to morphine which bind to μ-opioid receptors, resulting in the drug's euphoric, analgesic (pain relief), and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects; heroin itself exhibits relatively low affinity for the μ receptor. Unlike hydromorphone and oxymorphone, however, administered intravenously, heroin creates a larger histamine release, similar to morphine, resulting in the feeling of a greater subjective "body high" to some, but also instances of pruritus (itching) when they first start using.

Both morphine and 6-MAM are μ-opioid agonists which bind to receptors present throughout the brain, spinal cord and gut of all mammals. The μ-opioid receptor also binds endogenous opioid peptides such as β-endorphin, Leu-enkephalin, and Met-enkephalin. Repeated use of heroin results in a number of physiological changes, including decreases in the number of μ-opioid receptors. These physiological alterations lead to tolerance and dependence, so that cessation of heroin use results in a set of remarkably uncomfortable symptoms including pain, anxiety, muscle spasms, and insomnia called the opioid withdrawal syndrome. Depending on usage it has an onset four to 24 hours after the last dose of heroin. Morphine also binds to δ- and κ-opioid receptors.

There is also evidence that 6-MAM binds to a subtype of μ-opioid receptors which are also activated by the morphine metabolite morphine-6β-glucuronide but not morphine itself. The third substype of third opioid type (mu-3) receptor. Which may be a commonality to other six position monoesters of morphine. The contribution of these receptors to the overall pharmacology of heroin remains unknown.

A subclass of morphine derivatives, namely the 3,6 esters of morphine, with similar effects and uses includes the clinically used strong analgesics nicomorphine (Vilan), and dipropanoylmorphine; there is also the latter's dihydromorphine analogue, diacetyldihydromorphine (Paralaudin). Two other 3,6 diesters of morphine invented in 1874-5 along with diacetylmorphine, dibenzoylmorphine and acetylpropionylmorphine, were made as substitutes after it was outlawed in 1925 and therefore sold as the first "designer drugs" until they were outlawed by the League of Nations in 1930.

Etymology

In 1895, the German drug company Bayer marketed diacetylmorphine as an over the counter drug under the trademark name Heroin. The name was derived from the Greek word "''Heros''" because of its perceived "heroic" effects upon a user. It was chiefly developed as a morphine substitute for cough suppressants that did not have morphine's addictive side-effects. Morphine at the time was a popular recreational drug, and Bayer wished to find a similar but non-addictive substitute to market. However, contrary to Bayer's advertising as a "non-addictive morphine substitute," Heroin would soon have one of the highest rates of dependence amongst its users.

History

The opium poppy was cultivated in lower Mesopotamia as long ago as 3400 BCE. The chemical analysis of opium in the 19th century revealed that most of its activity could be ascribed to two alkaloids, codeine and morphine.

Diacetylmorphine was first synthesized in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, an English chemist working at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London. He had been experimenting with combining morphine with various acids. He boiled anhydrous morphine alkaloid with acetic anhydride for several hours and produced a more potent, acetylated form of morphine, now called ''diacetylmorphine'' or ''morphine diacetate''. The compound was sent to F. M. Pierce of Owens College in Manchester for analysis. Pierce told Wright:

Wright's invention did not lead to any further developments, and diacetylmorphine only became popular after it was independently re-synthesized 23 years later by another chemist, Felix Hoffmann. Hoffmann, working at the Aktiengesellschaft Farbenfabriken (today the Bayer pharmaceutical company) in Elberfeld, Germany, was instructed by his supervisor Heinrich Dreser to acetylate morphine with the objective of producing codeine, a constituent of the opium poppy, pharmacologically similar to morphine but less potent and less addictive. Instead the experiment produced an acetylated form of morphine one and a half to two times more potent than morphine itself.

From 1898 through to 1910 diacetylmorphine was marketed under the trademark name Heroin as a non-addictive morphine substitute and cough suppressant. Bayer marketed the drug as a cure for morphine addiction before it was discovered that it rapidly metabolizes into morphine. As such, diacetylmorphine is essentially a quicker acting form of morphine. The company was embarrassed by the new finding, which became a historic blunder for Bayer.

In the U.S.A. the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 to control the sale and distribution of diacetylmorphine and other opioids, which allowed the drug to be prescribed and sold for medical purposes. In 1924 the United States Congress banned its sale, importation or manufacture. It is now a Schedule I substance, which makes it illegal for non-medical use in signatory nations of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs treaty, including the United States.

The Health Committee of the League of Nations banned diacetylmorphine in 1925 although it took more than three years for this to be implemented. In the meantime, the first designer drugs, viz. 3,6 diesters and 6 monoesters of morphine and acetylated analogues of closely related drugs like hydromorphone and dihydromorphine were produced in massive quantities to fill the worldwide demand for diacetylmorphine—this continued until 1930 when the Committee banned diacetylmorphine analogues with no therapeutic advantage over drugs already in use, the first major legislation of this type.

Later, as with Aspirin, Bayer lost some of its trademark rights to Heroin under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles following the German defeat in World War I.

Routes of administration

Recreational uses:

Euphoria (emotion)>Euphoria

*Wiktionary:transcendent

Medicinal uses:

Powerful analgesic (pain killer)

*Cough suppressant

*Anti-diarrheal

Contraindications:

Ethanol>Alcohol

*Barbiturates and benzodiazepines

*Stimulants

*Other opioids

''Central nervous system:''

*Drowsiness

*Disorientation

*Delirium

''Neurological:''

*Analgesia

drug tolerance>Tolerance

Drug addiction>Addiction (physical dependence)

''Psychological:''

Substance dependence#Psychological drug tolerance>Addiction (psychological dependence)

*Anxiolysis

*Confusion

Euphoria (emotion)>Euphoria

*Somnolence

''Cardiovascular & Respiratory:''

*Bradycardia

*Hypotension

*Hypoventilation

*Shallow breathing

*Respiratory depression

''Gastrointestinal:''

*Nausea

Wiktionary:protracted>Protracted vomiting

*Constipation

*Dyspepsia (heartburn)

''Musculoskeletal:''

*Analgesia

*Ataxia

*Muscle spasticity

''Skin:''

*Itching

*Flushing/Rash

''Miscellaneous:''

*Dry mouth (xerostomia)

*Miosis (pupil constriction)

*Urinary retention

The onset of heroin's effects depends upon the route of administration. Studies have shown that the subjective pleasure of drug use (the reinforcing component of addiction) is proportional to the rate at which the blood level of the drug increases. Intravenous injection is the fastest route of drug administration, causing blood concentrations to rise the most quickly, followed by smoking, suppository (anal or vaginal insertion), insufflation (snorting), and ingestion (swallowing).

Ingestion does not produce a rush as forerunner to the high experienced with the use of heroin, which is most pronounced with intravenous use. While the onset of the rush induced by injection can occur in as little as a few seconds, the oral route of administration requires approximately half an hour before the high sets in. Thus, with both higher the dosage of heroin used and faster the route of administration used, the higher potential risk for psychological addiction.

can cause fatal respiratory depression, and the drug has been used for suicide or as a murder weapon. The serial killer Dr Harold Shipman used it on his victims, as did Dr John Bodkin Adams (see his victim: Edith Alice Morrell).

Because significant tolerance to respiratory depression develops quickly with continued use and is lost just as quickly during withdrawal, it is often difficult to determine whether a heroin lethal overdose was accidental, suicide or homicide. Examples include the overdose deaths of Sid Vicious, Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, Layne Staley, Bradley Nowell, Ted Binion, and River Phoenix.

Chronic use of heroin and other opioids, has potentially been shown to be a cause of hyponatremia, resultant because of excess vasopressin secretion.

Oral

Oral use of heroin is less common than other methods of administration, mainly because there is little to no "rush", and the effects are less potent. Heroin is entirely converted to morphine by means of first-pass metabolism, resulting in deacetylation when ingested. Heroin's oral bioavailability is both dose-dependent (as is morphine's) and significantly higher than oral use of morphine itself, reaching up to 64.2% for high doses and 45.6% for low doses; opiate-naive users showed far less absorption of the drug at low doses, having bioavailabilities of only up to 22.9%. The maximum plasma concentration of morphine following oral administration of heroin was around twice as much as that of oral morphine.

Injection

Injection, also known as "slamming", "banging", "shooting up" or "mainlining", is a popular method used by addicts which carries relatively greater risks than other methods of administration. Heroin base (commonly found in Europe), when prepared for injection will only dissolve in water when mixed with an acid (most commonly citric acid powder or lemon juice) and heated. Heroin in the United States is most commonly found in the hydrochloride salt form, requiring just water to dissolve. Users tend to initially inject in the easily accessible arm veins, but as these veins collapse over time, through damage caused by the acid, the user will often resort to injecting in other veins. Intravenous users can use a various single dose range using a hypodermic needle. The dose of heroin used for recreational purposes is dependant on the frequency and level of use, thus a first-time user may use between 5 and 20 mg, while an addict may require several hundred mg per day. As with the injection of any drug, if a group of users share a common needle without sterilization procedures, blood-borne diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis, can be transmitted.

Smoking

Smoking heroin refers to vaporizing it to inhale the resulting fumes, not burning it to inhale the resulting smoke. It is commonly smoked in glass pipes made from glassblown Pyrex tubes and light bulbs. It can also be smoked off aluminium foil, which is heated underneath by a flame. This method is also known as "chasing the dragon" (whereas smoking methamphetamine is known as "chasing the ''white'' dragon").

Insufflation

Another popular route to intake heroin is insufflation (snorting), where a user crushes the heroin into a fine powder and then sharply inhales it (sometimes with a straw or a rolled up banknote, as with cocaine) into the nose where heroin is absorbed through the soft tissue in the mucous membrane of the sinus cavity and straight into the bloodstream. This method of administration redirects first pass metabolism, with a quicker onset and higher bioavailability than oral administration, though the duration of action is shortened. This method is sometimes preferred by users who do not want to prepare and administer heroin for injection or smoking, but still experience a fast onset with a rush.

Suppository

Little research has been focused on the suppository (anal or vaginal insertion) method of administration, also known as "plugging". This method of administration is commonly administered using an oral syringe. Heroin can be dissolved and withdrawn into an oral syringe which may then be lubricated and inserted into the anus or vagina before the plunger is pushed. Rectal administration of heroin is very efficient, as the dose used is slightly larger than the dose used for IV. Users get a rush from the drugs effects starting 40 seconds after administration, which has been described as being as overwhelming as intravenous use. The rectum and the vaginal canal is where the majority of the drug would likely be taken up, through the membranes lining its walls.

Regulation

In the Netherlands, diacetylmorphine is a List I drug of the Opium Law. It is available for prescription under tight regulation exclusively to long-term addicts for whom methadone maintenance treatment has failed. It cannot be used to treat severe pain or other illnesses.

In the United States, diacetylmorphine is a schedule I drug according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, making it illegal to possess without a DEA license. Possession of more than 100 grams of diacetylmorphine or a mixture containing diacetylmorphine is punishable with a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years of imprisonment in a federal prison.

In Canada, diacetylmorphine is a controlled substance under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Any person who seeks or obtains diacetylmorphine without disclosing authorization 30 days prior to obtaining another prescription from a practitioner is guilty of an indictable offense and subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years. Possession of diacetylmorphine for the purpose of trafficking is guilty of an indictable offense and subject to imprisonment for life.

In Hong Kong, diacetylmorphine is regulated under Schedule 1 of Hong Kong's Chapter 134 ''Dangerous Drugs Ordinance''. It is available by prescription. Anyone who supplies diacetylmorphine without a valid prescription can be fined $10,000 (HKD). The penalty for trafficking or manufacturing diacetylmorphine is a $5,000,000 (HKD) fine and life imprisonment. Possession of diacetylmorphine without a license from the Department of Health is illegal with a $1,000,000 (HKD) fine and/or 7 years of jail time.

In the United Kingdom, diacetylmorphine is available by prescription, though it is a restricted Class A drug. According to the 50th edition of the British National Formulary (BNF), diamorphine hydrochloride may be used in the treatment of acute pain, myocardial infarction, acute pulmonary oedema, and chronic pain. The treatment of chronic non-malignant pain must be supervised by a specialist. The BNF notes that all opioid analgesics cause dependence and tolerance but that this is "no deterrent in the control of pain in terminal illness". When used in the palliative care of cancer patients, diacetylmorphine is often injected using a syringe driver.

Production and trafficking

Production

Diacetylmorphine is produced from acetylation of morphine derived from natural opium sources. Numerous mechanical and chemical means are used to purify the final product. The final products have a different appearance depending on purity and have different names.

Trafficking

Traffic is heavy worldwide, with the biggest producer being Afghanistan. According to a U.N. sponsored survey, , Afghanistan accounted for production of 87 percent of the world's diacetylmorphine. Afghan opium kills around 100,000 people annually.

The cultivation of opium in Afghanistan reached its peak in 1999, when of poppies were sown. The following year the Taliban banned poppy cultivation, a move which cut production by 94 percent. By 2001 only of land were in use for growing opium poppies. A year later, after American and British troops had removed the Taliban and installed the interim government, the land under cultivation leapt back to , with Afghanistan supplanting Burma to become the world's largest opium producer once more. Opium production in that country has increased rapidly since, reaching an all-time high in 2006. War in Afghanistan once again appeared as a facilitator of the trade. Some 3.3 million Afghans are involved in producing opium.

At present, opium poppies are mostly grown in Afghanistan, and in Southeast Asia, especially in the region known as the Golden Triangle straddling Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China. There is also cultivation of opium poppies in the Sinaloa region of Mexico and in Colombia. The majority of the heroin consumed in the United States comes from Mexico and Colombia. Up until 2004, Pakistan was considered one of the biggest opium-growing countries.

Conviction for trafficking heroin carries the death penalty in most Southeast Asian, some East Asian and Middle Eastern countries (see Use of death penalty worldwide for details), among which Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are the most strict. The penalty applies even to citizens of countries where the penalty is not in place, sometimes causing controversy when foreign visitors are arrested for trafficking, for example the arrest of nine Australians in Bali, the death sentence given to Nola Blake in Thailand in 1987, or the hanging of an Australian citizen Van Tuong Nguyen in Singapore.

Trafficking history

The origins of the present international illegal heroin trade can be traced back to laws passed in many countries in the early 1900s that closely regulated the production and sale of opium and its derivatives including heroin. At first, heroin flowed from countries where it was still legal into countries where it was no longer legal. By the mid-1920s, heroin production had been made illegal in many parts of the world. An illegal trade developed at that time between heroin labs in China (mostly in Shanghai and Tianjin) and other nations. The weakness of government in China and conditions of civil war enabled heroin production to take root there. Chinese triad gangs eventually came to play a major role in the illicit heroin trade. The French Connection route started in the 1930s.

Heroin trafficking was virtually eliminated in the U.S. during World War II because of temporary trade disruptions caused by the war. Japan's war with China had cut the normal distribution routes for heroin and the war had generally disrupted the movement of opium.

After World War II, the Mafia took advantage of the weakness of the postwar Italian government and set up heroin labs in Sicily. The Mafia took advantage of Sicily's location along the historic route opium took westward into Europe and the United States.

Large scale international heroin production effectively ended in China with the victory of the communists in the civil war in the late 1940s. The elimination of Chinese production happened at the same time that Sicily's role in the trade developed.

Although it remained legal in some countries until after World War II, health risks, addiction, and widespread recreational use led most western countries to declare heroin a controlled substance by the latter half of the 20th century.

In late 1960s and early 70s, the CIA supported anti-Communist Chinese Nationalists settled near Sino-Burmese border and Hmong tribesmen in Laos. This helped the development of the Golden Triangle opium production region, which supplied about one-third of heroin consumed in US after 1973 American withdrawal from Vietnam. As of 1999, Myanmar (formerly Burma), the heartland of the Golden Triangle remained the second largest producer of heroin, after Afghanistan.

Soviet-Afghan war led to increased production in the Pakistani-Afghani border regions, as U.S.-backed mujaheddin militants raised money for arms from selling opium, contributing heavily to the modern Golden Crescent creation. By 1980, 60% of heroin sold in the U.S. originated in Afghanistan. It increased international production of heroin at lower prices in the 1980s. The trade shifted away from Sicily in the late 1970s as various criminal organizations violently fought with each other over the trade. The fighting also led to a stepped up government law enforcement presence in Sicily.

Street price

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reports that the retail price of brown heroin varies from €14.5 per gram in Turkey to €110 per gram in Sweden, with most European countries reporting typical prices of €35-40 per gram. The price of white heroin is reported only by a few European countries and ranged between €27 and €110 per gram.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime claims in its 2008 World Drug Report that typical US retail prices are US$172 per gram.

Harm reduction

Harm reduction is a public health philosophy that seeks to reduce the harms associated with the use of diacetylmorphine. One aspect of harm reduction initiatives focuses on the behaviour of individual users. This includes promoting safer means of taking the drug, such as smoking, nasal use, oral or rectal insertion. This attempts to avoid the higher risks of overdose, infections and blood-borne viruses associated with injecting the drug. Other measures include using a small amount of the drug first to gauge the strength, and minimize the risks of overdose. For the same reason, poly drug use (the use of two or more drugs at the same time) is discouraged. Injecting diacetylmorphine users are encouraged to use new needles, syringes, spoons/steri-cups and filters every time they inject and not share these with other users. Users are also encouraged to not use it on their own, as others can assist in the event of an overdose.

Governments that support a harm reduction approach usually fund needle & syringe exchange programmes, which supply new needles and syringes on a confidential basis, as well as education on proper filtering prior to injection, safer injection techniques, safe disposal of used injecting gear and other equipment used when preparing diacetylmorphine for injection may also be supplied including citric acid sachets/vitamin C sachets, steri-cups, filters, alcohol pre-injection swabs, sterile water ampules and tourniquets (to stop use of shoe laces or belts).

Another harm reduction measure employed for example in Europe, Canada and Australia are safe injection sites where users can inject diacetylmorphine and cocaine under the supervision of medically trained staff. Safe injection sites are low threshold and allow social services to approach problem users that would otherwise be hard to reach.

Popular culture

Actors

A number of actors are known for their use of heroin. Among them are: John Belushi, died of an overdose in 1982. Robert Downey, Jr. Chris Farley, died of an overdose in 1997. Artie Lange MacKenzie Phillips Tom Sizemore

Film and television

The film, ''American Gangster'', is loosely based on real life drug dealer Frank Lucas, who sold heroin. The film ''Gia'', based on a true story of model Gia Carangi, is about her addiction and use of heroin and how it affected her.

The film ''Trainspotting'' chronicles the exploits of a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the 1990's.

Musicians

Use of heroin by musicians has been recorded in the following cases.

Steven Adler B.G., a rap artist from New Orleans, raps about his previous addiction to heroin (via injection) in numerous songs. Tommy Bolin Boy George

Ray Charles Charles began using heroin as a teenager. He went into rehab in 1965 and stayed clean for the rest of his life.

Kurt Cobain Darby Crash

Robbin Crosby: Guitarist for the 80's Glam Metal band RATT died of a heroin overdose.

Miles Davis Bob Dylan Marianne Faithfull John Frusciante Jerry Garcia, guitarist for the Grateful Dead, was a heroin user for many years. He died of heart failure while at the Serenity Knolls drug treatment center in San Francisco, undergoing treatment for his heroin addiction after a recent relapse. Brett Gurewitz, guitarist for Bad Religion Billie Holiday Steve Jones, guitarist for the Sex Pistols Janis Joplin Anthony Kiedis Courtney Love Jim Morrison Dave Mustaine Mike Ness, singer/guitarist for Social Distortion Jerry Nolan, drummer for the New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers Bradley Nowell, died of an overdose in 1996. Charlie Parker Kristen Pfaff, bassist for Hole died of an overdose in 1994. John Phillips Joe Queer, singer/guitarist of The Queers. Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones died of a heroin overdose in 2002 after a long history with the drug. Trent Reznor Keith Richards Casey Royer Michael Rudetsky, keyboardist who collaborated with Culture Club. Slash Hillel Slovak, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers died of a heroin overdose in 1988. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe released diaries from his time as a heroin addict titled: ''The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star''. An album was also produced based on the book. Layne Staley, singer for Alice in Chains died of an overdose in 2002. Mike Starr, bassist for Alice in Chains died of an overdose in 2011. James Taylor Johnny Thunders Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols died of a heroin overdose, and allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death while both were strung out on heroin. Scott Weiland Rozz Williams's final album before his suicide, ''The Whorse's Mouth'', dealt with his heroin addiction. Andrew Wood, died of an overdose in 1990.

Songs

Songs about heroin include:

"Heroin" by the Velvet Underground

"Mr Brownstone" by Guns N Roses "Space Oddity", David Bowie's first single, was seemingly about his experience with heroin, as his 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" included lines that refer to Major Tom as "...a junkie/strung out on heaven's high/hitting an all-time low."

Writers

Writers known to have used heroin are; Claude Brown, in ''Manchild in the Promised Land'' William S. Burroughs

Jim Carroll, in The Basketball Diaries

References

Further reading

''Diary Of A Drug Fiend'' by Aleister Crowley (1922)

Junkie (novel) by William S. Burroughs (1953) ISBN 0-14-200316-6

''Heroin'' (1998) ISBN 1-56838-153-0

''Heroin Century'' (2002) ISBN 0-415-27899-6

''This is Heroin'' (2002) ISBN 1-86074-424-9

''The Heroin User's Handbook'' by Francis Moraes (paperback 2004) ISBN 1-55950-216-9

''The Little Book of Heroin'' by Francis Moraes (paperback 2000) ISBN 0-914171-98-4

''Heroin: A True Story of Addiction, Hope and Triumph'' by Julie O'Toole (paperback 2005) ISBN 1-905379-01-3

''The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rockstar'' by Nikki Sixx (2007) ISBN 978-0-7434-8628-6

''Heroin: The Myths and the Facts'' by Richard Ashley (1972), St. Martin's Press, Library of Congress No. 72-89417

"The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin" by Maxim W. Furek, M. (2008), i-Universe. ISBN 978-0-595-46319-0

''Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda'', by Gretchen Peters, publ. Thomas Dunne Books (2009)

External links

UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - Afghan Opium Survey 2009

Geopium: Geopolitics of Illicit Drugs in Asia, especially opium and heroin production and trafficking in and around Afghanistan and Burma (Articles and maps and French and English)

National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment - non-profit education website for treatment of Heroin addiction

NIDA InfoFacts on Heroin

ONDCP Drug Facts

United States Department of State fact sheet: anti-narcotics efforts in Pakistan - dated June 7, 2002

BBC Article entitled 'When Heroin Was Legal'. References to the United Kingdom and the United States

Heroin news page - Alcohol and Drugs History Society

U.S. National Library of Medicine: Drug Information Portal - Heroin

	Template:Opioids>Opioids (420 topics)

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Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
Name	Lou Reed
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lewis Allan Reed
Born	March 02, 1942Brooklyn, New YorkUnited States
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, ostrich guitar, bass, synthesizer, keyboards, piano, harmonica, drums, percussion
Genre	Rock, experimental rock, art rock, protopunk, noise music, drone music, psychedelic rock, folk rock, glam rock
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter, producer, photographer
Years active	1964–present
Label	Matador, MGM, RCA, Sire, Reprise, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Velvet Underground, John Cale, Nico, David Bowie, The Killers, Mick Ronson, Gorillaz, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Metallica.
Website	www.loureed.com }}

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (born on March 2, 1942) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which spans several decades and crosses multiple genres. The Velvet Underground gained little mainstream attention during their career, but became one of the most influential bands of their era. As the Velvet Underground's main songwriter, Reed wrote about subjects of personal experience that rarely had been examined so openly in rock and roll, including sexuality and drug culture.

After his departure from the group, Reed began a solo career in 1971. He had a hit the following year with "Walk on the Wild Side", although he subsequently lacked the mainstream commercial success its chart status seemed to indicate. Reed's work as a solo artist frustrated critics wishing for a return of the Velvet Underground. In 1975 Reed released a double album of feedback loops, ''Metal Machine Music'', upon which Reed later commented: "No one is supposed to be able to do a thing like that and survive." He is also responsible for the name and popularization of ostrich tuning.

In 2008, Reed married singer/songwriter Laurie Anderson.

Early life

Reed was born into a Jewish family at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn and grew up in Freeport, Long Island. Contrary to some sources, his birth name was Lewis Allan Reed, not Louis Firbanks; a name that was coined as a joke by Lester Bangs in ''Creem'' magazine. Having learned to play the guitar from the radio, he developed an early interest in rock and roll and rhythm and blues, and during high school played in a number of bands. His first recording was as a member of a doo wop-style group called The Jades.

In 1956 Reed received electroconvulsive therapy as a teenager to "cure" his homosexuality; he wrote about the experience in his 1974 song, "Kill Your Sons". In an interview, Reed said of the experience:

Reed began attending Syracuse University in the fall of 1960, studying journalism, film directing, and creative writing. In 1961 he began hosting a late-night radio program on WAER called "Excursions On A Wobbly Rail". Named after a song by pianist Cecil Taylor, the program typically featured doo wop, rhythm and blues and jazz, particularly the free jazz developed in the mid-1950s. Many of Reed's guitar techniques, such as the guitar-drum roll, were inspired by jazz saxophonists, notably Ornette Coleman. Reed graduated from Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in June 1964.

Poet Delmore Schwartz taught at Syracuse University and befriended Reed, who in 1966 dedicated the song "European Son", from the Velvet Underground's debut album ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'', to Schwartz. In 1982, Reed recorded "My House" as a tribute to his late mentor. He later said that his goals as a writer were "to bring the sensitivities of the novel to rock music" or to write the Great American Novel in a record album.

Career

Staff songwriter at Pickwick Records

In 1964 Reed moved to New York City and began working as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records. In 1964 he scored a minor hit with the single "The Ostrich", a parody of popular dance songs of the time, which included lines such as "put your head on the floor and have somebody step on it." His employers felt that the song had hit potential, and arranged for a band to be assembled around Reed to promote the recording. The ad hoc group, called The Primitives, included Welsh musician John Cale, who had recently moved to New York to study music and was playing viola in composer La Monte Young's Theater of Eternal Music, along with Tony Conrad. Cale and Conrad were both surprised to find that for "The Ostrich" Reed tuned each string of his guitar to the same note. This technique created a drone effect similar to their experimentation in Young's avant garde ensemble. Disappointed with Reed's performance, Cale was nevertheless impressed by Reed's early repertoire (including "Heroin"), and a partnership began to evolve.

The Velvet Underground

Reed and Cale lived together on the Lower East Side, and after inviting Reed's college acquaintances, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, to join the group, they formed The Velvet Underground. Though internally unstable (Cale left in 1968; Reed in 1970) and without commercial success, the band has a long-standing reputation as one of the most influential bands in rock history.

The group soon caught the attention of artist Andy Warhol. One of Warhol's first contributions was to integrate them into the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Warhol's associates inspired many of Reed's songs as he fell into a thriving, multifaceted artistic scene. Reed rarely gives an interview without paying homage to Warhol as a mentor. Conflict emerged when Warhol had the idea for the group to take on a chanteuse, the European former model and singer Nico. Reed and the others registered their objection by titling their debut album ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' to imply that Nico was not accepted as a member of the group. Despite his initial resistance, Reed wrote several songs for Nico to sing, and the two were briefly lovers (as were Nico and Cale later). ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' reached #171 on the charts.

Today, however, it is considered one of the most influential rock albums ever recorded. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine has it listed as the 13th most influential album of all time. Brian Eno once famously stated that although few people bought the album, most of those who did were inspired to form their own band.

By the time the band recorded ''White Light/White Heat'', Nico had quit and Warhol was fired, both against Cale's wishes. Warhol's replacement as manager, Steve Sesnick, convinced Reed to drive Cale out of the band. Morrison and Tucker were discomfited by Reed's tactics but continued with the group. Cale's replacement was Doug Yule, whom Reed would often facetiously introduce as his younger brother. The group now took on a more pop-oriented sound and acted more as a vehicle for Reed to develop his songwriting craft. The group released two albums with this line up: 1969's ''The Velvet Underground'' and 1970's ''Loaded''. The latter included two of the group's most commercially successful songs, "Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Jane". Reed left the Velvet Underground in August 1970; the band disintegrated as core members Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker departed in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Yule continued until early 1973, and the band released one more studio album, ''Squeeze'', under the Velvet Underground name.

After the band's move to Atlantic Records' Cotillion label, their new manager pushed Reed to change the subject matter of his songs to lighter topics in hopes commercial success. The band's album ''Loaded'' had taken more time to record than the previous three albums together, but had not broken the band through to a wider audience. Reed briefly retired to his parents' home on Long Island.

Solo career

1970s

After quitting the Velvet Underground in August 1970, Reed took a job at his father's tax accounting firm as a typist, by his own account earning $40 a week. A year later, however, he signed a recording contract with RCA and recorded his first solo album in London with top session musicians including Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman, members of the progressive rock group Yes. The album, simply titled ''Lou Reed'', contained smoothly produced, re-recorded versions of unreleased Velvet Underground songs, some of which were originally recorded by the Velvets for ''Loaded'' but shelved (see the ''Peel Slowly and See'' box set). This first solo album was overlooked by most pop music critics (although Stephen Holden in ''Rolling Stone'' called it "almost perfect") and it did not sell in significant numbers.

In December 1972, Reed released ''Transformer''. David Bowie and Mick Ronson co-produced the album and introduced Reed to a wider popular audience (specifically in the UK). The hit single "Walk on the Wild Side" was both a salute and swipe at the misfits, hustlers, and transvestites in Andy Warhol's Factory. The song's cleverly transgressive lyrics evaded radio censorship. Though musically somewhat atypical for Reed, it eventually became his signature song. The song came about as a result of his commission to compose a soundtrack to a theatrical adaptation of Nelson Algren's novel of the same name, though the play failed to materialize. Ronson's arrangements brought out new aspects of Reed's songs; "Perfect Day", for example, features delicate strings and soaring dynamics. It was rediscovered in the 1990s and allowed Reed to drop "Walk on the Wild Side" from his concerts.

Though ''Transformer'' would prove to be Reed's commercial and critical pinnacle, there was no small amount of resentment in Reed devoted to the shadow the record cast over the rest of his career. A public argument between Bowie and Reed ended their working relationship for several years, though the subject of the argument is not known. The two reconciled some years later, and Reed performed with Bowie at the latter's 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997. The two would not formally collaborate again until 2003's ''The Raven''. Reed followed ''Transformer'' with the darker ''Berlin'', which tells the story of two junkies in love in the titular city. The songs variously concern domestic abuse ("Caroline Says I", "Caroline Says II"), drug addiction ("How Do You Think It Feels"), adultery and prostitution ("The Kids"), and suicide ("The Bed"). Reed's late-1973 European tour, featuring dual lead guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, mixed his ''Berlin'' material with older rockers.

After ''Berlin'' came two albums in 1974, ''Sally Can't Dance'' and a live record ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'', which contained performances of the Velvet Underground songs "Sweet Jane" and "Heroin". ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'' became his biggest selling album, and its follow-up ''Lou Reed Live,'' recorded on the same occasions in December 1973, kept Reed in the public eye with strong sales after its release in early 1975.

As he had done with ''Berlin'' after ''Transformer'', in 1975 Reed responded to commercial success with a commercial failure, a double album of electronically generated audio feedback, ''Metal Machine Music''. Critics interpreted it as a gesture of contempt, an attempt to break his contract with RCA or to alienate his less sophisticated fans. But Reed claimed that the album was a genuine artistic effort, even suggesting that quotations of classical music could be found buried in the feedback. Lester Bangs declared it "genius", though also as psychologically disturbing. The album was reportedly returned to stores by the thousands after a few weeks. Though later admitting that the liner notes' list of instruments is fictitious and intended as parody, Reed maintains that ''MMM'' was and is a serious album. He has since stated though that at the time he had taken it seriously, he was also "very stoned". In the 2000s it was adapted for orchestral performance by the German ensemble Zeitkratzer.

By contrast, 1975's ''Coney Island Baby'' was mainly a warm and mellow album, though for its characters Reed still drew on the underbelly of city life. At this time his lover was a transgender woman, Rachel, mentioned in the dedication of "Coney Island Baby" and appearing in the photos on the cover of Reed's 1977 "best of" album, ''Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed''. While ''Rock and Roll Heart'', his 1976 debut for his new record label Arista, fell short of expectations, ''Street Hassle'' (1978) was a return to form in the midst of the punk scene he had helped to inspire. But ironically Reed was dismissive of punk and rejected any affiliation with it. "I'm too literate to be into punk rock... The whole CBGB's, new Max's thing that everyone's into and what's going on in London — you don't seriously think I'm responsible for what's mostly rubbish?" ''The Bells'' (1979) featured jazz musician Don Cherry, and was followed the next year by ''Growing Up in Public'' with guitarist Chuck Hammer. Around this period he also appeared as a sleazy record producer in Paul Simon's film ''One Trick Pony''. Reed also played several unannounced one-off concerts in tiny downtown Manhattan clubs with the likes of Cale, Patti Smith, and David Byrne during this period.

1980s

In 1980, Reed married British designer Sylvia Morales. They were divorced more than a decade later. While together, Morales inspired Reed to write several songs, particularly "Think It Over" from 1980's ''Growing Up in Public'' and "Heavenly Arms" from 1982's ''The Blue Mask''. After ''Legendary Hearts'' (1983) and ''New Sensations'' (1984) fared adequately on the charts, Reed was sufficiently reestablished as a public figure to become spokesman for Honda motorcycles.

In the early 1980s, Reed asked guitarist Robert Quine to join his group. Quine appeared on Reed's The Blue Mask (1982), acclaimed as one of Reed's best albums, and Legendary Hearts (1983). The two guitarists’ played both rhythm and lead guitar. Robert Quine eventually quit the group due to tensions with Reed. However, Reed persuaded Quine to rejoin for a world tour, with which he agreed to despite his aversion to touring, for financial reasons. Quine ended his musical relationship with Reed in 1985.

On September 22, 1985, Reed performed at the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois. He performed "Doin' The Things That We Want To", "I Love You, Suzanne", and ''New Sensations'', and "Walk on The Wild Side".

In 1986, he joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour and was outspoken about New York's political issues and personalities on the 1989 album ''New York'', commenting on crime, AIDS, Jesse Jackson, Kurt Waldheim, and Pope John Paul II.

Following Warhol's death after routine surgery in 1987, Reed again collaborated with John Cale on the biographical ''Songs for Drella'', Warhol's nickname. The album marked an end to a 22-year estrangement from Cale. On the album, Reed sings of his love for his late friend, but also criticizes both the doctors who were unable to save Warhol's life and Warhol's would-be assassin, Valerie Solanas.

1990s

In 1990, following a 20-year hiatus, the Velvet Underground reformed for a Fondation Cartier benefit in France. Reed released his sixteenth solo record, ''Magic and Loss'' in 1992, an album about mortality, inspired by the death of two close friends from cancer. In 1993, the Velvet Underground again reunited and toured throughout Europe, although plans for a North American tour were cancelled following another falling out between Reed and Cale. In 1994, Reed appeared in ''A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who'', also known as ''Daltrey Sings Townshend''. This was a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey in celebration of his fiftieth birthday. In 1994, a CD and a VHS video were issued, and in 1998 a DVD was released. Reed performed a radically rearranged version of "Now And Then" from ''Psychoderelict''.

In 1996, the Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, Reed performed a song entitled "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend" alongside former bandmates John Cale and Maureen Tucker, in dedication to Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison, who had died the previous August. Reed has since been nominated for the Rock Hall as a solo artist twice, in 2000 and 2001, but has not been inducted.

His 1996 album, ''Set the Twilight Reeling'', met with a lukewarm reception, but 2000's ''Ecstasy'' drew praise from most critics, including Robert Christgau. In 1996, Reed contributed songs and music to ''Time Rocker'', an avant-garde theatrical interpretation of H.G. Wells' ''The Time Machine'' staged by theater director Robert Wilson. The piece premiered in the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany, and was later also shown at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

In 1998, the PBS TV show, ''American Masters'' aired Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' feature documentary ''Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart''. This film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. and at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany went on to screen at over 50 festivals worldwide. In 1999, the film and Reed as its subject received a Grammy Award for best long form music video.

Since the late 1990s, Reed has been romantically linked to the musician, multi-media and performance artist Laurie Anderson, and the two have collaborated on a number of recordings together. Anderson contributed to "Call On Me" from Reed's project ''The Raven'', to the tracks "Baton Rouge" and "Rock Minuet" from Reed's ''Ecstasy'', and to "Hang On To Your Emotions" from Reed's ''Set the Twilight Reeling''. Reed contributed to "In Our Sleep" from Anderson's ''Bright Red'' and to "One Beautiful Evening" from her ''Life on a String''. They were married on April 12, 2008.

2000s

In May 2000, Reed performed before Pope John Paul II at the Great Jubilee Concert in Rome. In 2000, a new collaboration with Robert Wilson called ''Poe-Try'' was staged at the Thalia Theater in Germany. As with the previous collaboration ''Time Rocker,'' ''Poe-Try'' was also inspired by the works of a 19th-century writer: Edgar Allan Poe. Reed became interested in Poe after producer and long-time friend Hal Willner had suggested him to read some of Poe's text at a Halloween benefit he was curating at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. For this new collaboration, Reed reworked and even rewrote some of Poe's text as well as included some new songs based on the theme explored in the texts. In 2001, Reed made a cameo appearance in the movie adaptation of ''Prozac Nation''. On October 6, 2001 the ''New York Times'' published a Reed poem called ''Laurie Sadly Listening'' in which he reflects upon the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Incorrect reports of Reed's death were broadcast by numerous US radio stations in 2001, caused by a hoax email (purporting to be from Reuters) which said he had died of a drug overdose. In 2003, he released a 2-CD set, ''The Raven'', based on "Poe-Try". Besides Reed and his band, the album featured a wide range of actors and musicians including singers David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Antony Hegarty, saxophonist and long-time idol Ornette Coleman, and actors Elizabeth Ashley, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Amanda Plummer, Fisher Stevens and Kate Valk. The album consisted of songs written by Reed and spoken-word performances of reworked and rewritten texts of Edgar Allan Poe by the actors, set to electronic music composed by Reed. At the same time a single disc CD version of the albums, focusing on the music, was also released.

A few months after the release of ''The Raven'', a new 2-CD Best Of-set was released, entitled ''NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967-2003)'', which featured an unreleased version of the song "Who am I" and a selection of career spanning tracks that had been selected, remastered and sequenced under Reed's supervision. In April 2003, Reed embarked on a new world tour supporting both new and released material, with a band including cellist Jane Scarpantoni and singer Antony Hegarty. During some of the concerts for this tour, the band was joined by Master Ren Guangyi, Reed's personal Tai Chi instructor, performing Tai Chi movements to the music on stage. This tour was documented in the 2004 double disc live album ''Animal Serenade'', recorded live at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

In 2003, Reed released his first book of photographs, ''Emotions in Action''. This work actually was made up out of two books, a larger A4-paper sized called ''Emotions'' and a smaller one called ''Actions'' which was laid into the hard cover of the former.

''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed'' was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2003. In 2004, a Groovefinder remix of his song, "Satellite of Love" (called "Satellite of Love '04") was released. It reached #10 in the UK singles chart. Also in 2004, Reed contributed vocals and guitar to the track "Fistful of love" on ''I Am a Bird Now'' by Antony and the Johnsons. In 2005, Reed did a spoken word text on Danish rock band Kashmir's album ''No Balance Palace''.

In 2003, Reed was also a judge for the third annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

In January 2006, a second book of photographs, ''Lou Reed's New York'', was released. At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Reed performed "White Light/White Heat" with The Raconteurs. Later in the night, while co-presenting the award for Best Rock Video with Pink, he exclaimed, apparently unscripted, that "MTV should be playing more rock n' roll."

In October 2006, Reed appeared at Hal Willner's Leonard Cohen tribute show "Came So Far For Beauty" in Dublin, beside the cast of Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, Antony, Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton, and others. According to the reports, he played a heavy metal version of Cohen's "The Stranger Song". He also performed "One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong" and two duets — "Joan of Arc", with Cohen's former back-up singer Julie Christensen, and "Memories" — in a duet with Anjani Thomas.

In December 2006, Reed played a first series of show at St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, based on his 1973 ''Berlin'' song cycle. Reed was reunited on stage with guitarist Steve Hunter, who played on the original album as well as on ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'', as well as joined by singers Antony Hegarty and Sharon Jones, pianist Rupert Christie, a horn and string section and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The show was being produced by Bob Ezrin, who also produced the original album, and Hal Willner. The stage was designed by painter Julian Schnabel and a film about protagonist "Caroline" directed by his daughter, Lola Schnabel, was being projected to the stage. A live recording of these concerts was also published as a film (directed by Schnabel) which was released spring 2008. The show was also played at the Sydney Festival in January 2007 and throughout Europe during June and July 2007. The album version of the concert, entitled ''Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse'', was released in 2008.

In April 2007, he released ''Hudson River Wind Meditations'', his first record of ambient meditation music. The record was released on the Sounds True record label and contains four tracks that were said to have been composed just for himself as a guidance for Tai Chi exercise and meditation. In May 2007 Reed performed the narration for a screening of Guy Maddin's silent film ''The Brand Upon the Brain''. In June 2007, he performed live at the Traffic Festival 2007 in Turin, Italy, a five-day free event organized by the town.

In August 2007, Reed went into the studio with The Killers in New York City to record "Tranquilize", a duet with Brandon Flowers for The Killers' b-side/rarities album, called ''Sawdust''. During that month, he also recorded guitar for the Lucibel Crater song "Threadbare Funeral", which appears on their full-length CD ''The Family Album''. In October 2007, Reed gave a special performance in the ''Recitement'' song "Passengers". The album combines music with spoken word. The album was composed by Stephen Emmer and produced by Tony Visconti. Hollandcentraal was inspired by this piece of music and literature, which spawned a concept for a music video. On October 1, 2008, Reed joined Richard Barone via projected video on a spoken/sung duet of Reed's "I'll Be Your Mirror", with cellist Jane Scarpantoni, in Barone's ''FRONTMAN: A Musical Reading'' at Carnegie Hall.

On April 12, 2008, Reed married his longtime companion, performance artist Laurie Anderson, in a private ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

On October 2 and 3, 2008 he premiered his new group, which later was named Metal Machine Trio, at REDCAT (Walt Disney Concert Hall Complex, Los Angeles). The live recordings of the concerts were released under the title ''The Creation of the Universe''. The Trio features Ulrich Krieger (saxophone) and Sarth Calhoun (electronics), and plays free improvised instrumental music inspired by Reed's 1975 album ''Metal Machine Music''. The music ranges from ambient soundscapes to free rock to contemporary noise. The trio played further shows at New York's Gramercy Theater in April 2009 and appeared as part of Reed's band at the 2009 Lollapalooza, including a 10 minute free trio improvisation. At Lollapalooza, held in Chicago's Grant Park, Reed played "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" with Metallica at Madison Square Garden as part of the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on October 30, 2009. Reed's recent activity in films include providing the voice of Maltazard, the villain in the forthcoming Luc Besson animated film, ''Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard'' playing the role of himself in Wim Wenders' movie Palermo Shooting (2008)

In 2009, Reed became an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA). Reed was a featured performer at the JFA's annual benefit "A Great Night in Harlem" in May 2009.

2010s

Reed has remained active doing benefits and composing music. He has contributed vocals on the third Gorillaz album, ''Plastic Beach'', on the song "Some Kind Of Nature". and co-wrote and performed backup music for a Chen Style Tai Chi instructional DVD. He has a co-production credit on Laurie Anderson's ''Homeland''.

Lou Reed performed a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Peggy Sue" which is featured on the tribute album "Rave On Buddy Holly".

Reed also began touring with the Metal Machine Trio, which was widely viewed as a return to his exploration of noise and sound. On June 15, 2011, heavy metal band Metallica announced that they have recorded a full length collaboration with Lou Reed to be released November 1 in North America and October 31 everywhere else.

Discography

With the Velvet Underground

''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' (1967)

''White Light/White Heat'' (1968)

''The Velvet Underground'' (1969)

''Loaded'' (1970)

''1969: The Velvet Underground Live'' (1974)

''VU'' (1985)

''Another View'' (1986)

''Live MCMXCIII'' (1993)

''Peel Slowly and See'' (1995)

''Fully Loaded'' (1997)

''Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes'' (2001)

As a solo artist

''Lou Reed'' (1972)

''Transformer'' (1972)

''Berlin'' (1973)

''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'' (1974)

''Sally Can't Dance'' (1974)

''Metal Machine Music'' (1975)

''Coney Island Baby'' (1975)

''Rock and Roll Heart'' (1976)

''Street Hassle'' (1978)

''The Bells'' (1979)

''Growing Up in Public'' (1980)

''The Blue Mask'' (1982)

''Legendary Hearts'' (1983)

''New Sensations'' (1984)

''Mistrial'' (1986)

''New York'' (1989)

''Songs for Drella'' (with John Cale) (1990)

''Magic and Loss'' (1992)

''Set the Twilight Reeling'' (1996)

''Ecstasy'' (2000)

''The Raven'' (2003)

''Hudson River Wind Meditations'' (2007)

''Metal Machine Music Presented By Zeitkratzer Live'' (with Zeitkratzer) (2007)

''The Stone: Issue Three'' (with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson) (2008)

''The Creation of the Universe'' (2008)

Appearances in film

''One Trick Pony'' (1980) as Steve Kunelian

''Get Crazy'' (1983) as Auden

''Permanent Record'' (1988) as himself

''Faraway, So Close!'' (1993) as himself

''Blue in the Face'' (1995) as "Man with Strange Glasses"

''Closure'' (1997) as himself

''Prozac Nation'' (2001) as himself

''Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse'' (2008)

''Palermo Shooting'' (2008) as himself

Personal life

On April 12, 2008, Reed married longtime companion Laurie Anderson in a private ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

References

External links

Official Lou Reed website

Category:Living people Category:1942 births Category:American baritones Category:American buskers Category:American Jews Category:American male singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish singers Category:Musicians from New York Category:Noise musicians Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Freeport, New York Category:Protopunk musicians Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:The Velvet Underground members Category:Sire Records artists Category:Reprise Records artists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

an:Lou Reed ast:Lou Reed bg:Лу Рийд ca:Lou Reed cs:Lou Reed da:Lou Reed de:Lou Reed el:Λου Ριντ es:Lou Reed fa:لو رید fr:Lou Reed ga:Lou Reed gl:Lou Reed ko:루 리드 it:Lou Reed he:לו ריד lv:Lū Rīds hu:Lou Reed nl:Lou Reed ja:ルー・リード no:Lou Reed pl:Lou Reed pt:Lou Reed ro:Lou Reed ru:Рид, Лу simple:Lou Reed sk:Lou Reed sl:Lou Reed fi:Lou Reed sv:Lou Reed tr:Lou Reed uk:Лу Рід zh:卢·里德

Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
name	Artie Lange
birth name	Arthur Steven Lange, Jr.
birth date	October 11, 1967
birth place	Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, television, film, radio
nationality	American
genre	Observational humor, improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, black comedy
active	1987–present
subject	Personal life, self-deprecation, human sexuality, pop culture, Italian American culture, professional sports, recreational drug use, drinking culture
influences	Howard Stern, John Belushi, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Woody Allen, Bill Murray, Jackie Gleason, Peter Sellers, David Letterman, Richard Lewis
website	www.artie-lange.com
footnotes	}}

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and radio personality best known for his tenures with the ''The Howard Stern Show'' and the comedy sketch series ''MADtv''.

Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at 19 years of age. He took up work as a longshoreman to help support his family, following the death of his quadriplegic father. In 1995, Lange starred in the first season of ''MADtv'' before leaving halfway through the second due to cocaine abuse and his subsequent arrest. After a period of rehabilitation, Lange featured in ''Dirty Work'' with Norm MacDonald, who brought Lange into the second series of his sitcom, ''The Norm Show''. In 2001, Lange replaced Jackie Martling on ''The Howard Stern Show'' and stayed until late 2009, before a suicide attempt in early 2010 led to an eight-month stay in a psychiatric ward. He returned to the airwaves with Nick DiPaolo in July 2011, and the two plan to start a show on Fox Sports Radio within the year.

Lange has released recordings of comedy performances – ''It's the Whiskey Talkin''' (2004) and ''Jack and Coke'' (2009). He co-wrote, produced and starred in his film ''Artie Lange's Beer League'' in 2006, and published his book ''Too Fat to Fish'' in 2008, which entered ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list at number one.

Early life and education

Lange was born on October 11, 1967 in Livingston Township, New Jersey, United States and was raised in Union Township. His mother Judy (née Caprio) was a housewife while his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. His sister Stacy is a fashion designer. Two weeks after Lange's birth, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son. In 2003, after some of the staff on ''The Howard Stern Show'' submitted a sample of their DNA for testing, it was revealed that Lange was approximately 25 per cent American Indian. Lange said that his father's background was a "grey area".

Lange played baseball during his time at Union High School, where he became an all-county third baseman. He spent his free time working with his father, who in October 1985, fell from a ladder and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic. Money soon became an issue within his family, and Lange's mother took a secretary job for income. "We took out a second mortgage. Medicaid paid for a nurse eight hours a day. When my mother got back from being a secretary all day, she had to take care of him. Every night, she set her alarm clock to turn him so he wouldn't get bedsores." The family contacted celebrities asking them to donate items for auction, and Howard Stern was the only one to respond, who sent an autographed K-Rock jacket in 1987. His father died from an infection on February 1, 1990, four-and-a-half years after the accident.

In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. The teller took it seriously, triggering a silent alarm. He was charged with disorderly conduct and entered community service in March 1986. As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987 as well as Seton Hall University for a short time before leaving. On June 12, 1987, at 19 years of age, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. "I bombed for five minutes. Everyone thinks that they can do better. I was unprepared, I mumbled, and I forgot stuff. But I'm proud that I did it." In February 1991, Lange took up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark to help support his family.

Career

Early comedy career and ''MADtv'' (1992–1997)

In 1992, Lange quit his job at Port Newark to focus on his comedy career. While searching for such work, his regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City. The flexibility of the job allowed him to perform 20-minute sets at the Comic Strip and resume work afterwards. Within the year Lange landed a role in a dinner theater play, touring restaurants and catering halls in New Jersey. He then co-formed an improv troupe called Live on Tape, which led to the group performing sell-out shows at Caroline's on Broadway in Manhattan. Lange was taken by William Morris Agency, where he first met Peter Principato, his manager of ten years.

In May 1995, Lange flew to Los Angeles to shoot the television pilot for ''MADtv'', a sketch comedy show that was picked up by the Fox network. He landed a role as one of the eight original cast members from 8,000 comics who were screened, and moved to the West Coast in July. Lange attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi "mold" that was popular in sketch comedy. His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama". Lange returned for the filming of the second season of ''MADtv'' in August 1996, but his time with the show came to an end when fellow cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him after a cocaine binge. Lange fled the studio, running through streets with his co-workers chasing after him. It ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested and sentenced to time served and probation.

In March 1997 the producers persuaded Lange to enter rehabilitation, and he checked into Honesty House, a rehab center in Stirling, New Jersey, for two months. His contract was not renewed for the third season, but Lange would make cameo appearances during the fifth and tenth seasons, including the show's final episode on May 16, 2009. That night he also appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''MADtv''s rival show, in a non-speaking role.

''Dirty Work'' and ''The Norm Show'' (1998–2001)

After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on ''Mad TV'', offered him a part in the 1998 movie ''Dirty Work''. Lange credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and a lucrative television development deal. He then joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom ''The Norm Show'' during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point. He enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape, as well as working with the cast, particularly with MacDonald and Laurie Metcalf; however, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes."

''The Howard Stern Show'' (2001–2009)

Replacing Jackie Martling and ''It's the Whiskey Talkin''' (2001–2004)

Lange was introduced to ''The Howard Stern Show'' by his father in 1982. Following the departure of Jackie Martling, the show's head writer for 15 years, in March 2001, Stern announced a "Win Jackie's Money" contest, in which various comedians would audition for Martling's seat by sitting in during shows. Those who sat in included Craig Gass, Doug Stanhope, Richard Jeni, Jim Florentine and Ron Zimmerman. "There were a lot of great funny guys - guys that were funnier than me...I remember saying to my manager, 'I am not the most talented guy in this group, but I guarantee that I'm the biggest fan of the show." After the cancellation of ''The Norm Show'' in April, Lange sat in for a number of shows between May and October before beginning full time on October 26, 2001. Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents. Lange had grown up listening to the show and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years before on a regular basis.

Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence: His mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment while he continually gorges himself on pizza, pancakes, and other fattening foods and goes on drunken binges.

In May 2004, while ''The Howard Stern Show'' aired at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, local television station KLAS-TV reported Lange was found dead in his hotel room. The story turned out to be a hoax.

''Beer League'' and substance abuse (2005–2008)

In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into substance abuse. The situation climaxed in Lange's behaving strangely and belligerently on the air. On July 27, he infamously sneered at Stern and the staff, "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!" Lange then missed the next two days, writing off his absence as due to stress from doing the radio show and filming his film ''Artie Lange's Beer League''. The truth for his absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin. He discussed past episodes of heroin use beginning when he was a standup comedian and continuing until ''Beer League'' was set to begin shooting. He then detailed his painful withdrawal from the drug, which included side effects of aching, cold sweats, shaking, and vomiting. Lange recalled taking his telephone off the hook to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover. Lange was threatened with legal action by producers of ''Beer League'' if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting, which led him to secure a home visit from a doctor, who prescribed Subutex to alleviate his dependency.

In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio in December 2005, Lange revealed that he and show producer Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing Stern with a show of their own. He claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed never to have given the offer much thought.

On April 10, 2008, Lange walked off the show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy (during which he mentioned that Teddy embarrassed him by referring to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's"), resulting in a physical altercation. Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

On April 21, 2008, Lange returned to the ''Howard Stern Show'' following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized and took full responsibility for his behavior. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.

''Too Fat to Fish'', USO tour and ''Jack and Coke'' (2008–2009)

In June 2008 Lange embarked on a comedy tour he named "Operation Mirth" with the United Service Organizations to entertain the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan. He was inspired to travel after viewing the documentary film ''Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie'' which was about comedian Jeffrey Ross' comedy tour in Iraq. As headliner, Lange picked fellow comedians Jim Florentine, Nick DiPaolo, and Dave Attell to join him, including producer of ''The Howard Stern Show'' Gary Dell'Abate, who served as master of ceremonies on the tour.

On November 11, 2008 Lange's released his first book, ''Too Fat to Fish''. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from Lange's life, from his childhood to his USO trip. The foreword is written by Howard Stern. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover nonfiction. The softcover edition was released in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hardcover edition and includes a bonus chapter.

On November 17, 2009, Lange released his first comedy CD, ''Jack and Coke'', via Shout! Factory. The 80-minute set was recorded live in New York City.

Return to radio (2011–present)

On July 6, 2011, Lange returned to radio for the first time since December 2009, guest hosting in place of Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio with comedian Nick DiPaolo. A caller asked Lange about returning to ''The Howard Stern Show'', to which he replied: "That would be the greatest thing ever, but you know listen, I was on the greatest show of all-time for about nine years and I put them in a very awkward situation to say the least. So what am I gonna do? But I love them all and they were great to me." On July 21, Lange announced to comedian Joe Matarese on his podcast of the plans to have him and DiPaolo to host a "sports entertainment comedy show" on Fox Sports Radio in. "It looks like it's a definite. They made an offer," said Lange. "Nothing's been signed yet, but we're gonna do it."

Personal life

Though raised as a Catholic, Lange has expressed doubts about the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.

In 2002, Lange began to date his longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi. He announced in 2006 their decision to break up, citing his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 ''Stern Show'' that they were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007 but began dating again in December 2007. The couple have since parted ways, though Sironi accompanied Lange to an appearance on ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in March 2009.

His favorite book is ''A Confederacy of Dunces''. He considers George Carlin to be the all-time greatest comedian and said, "It's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance, on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn''. He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole; he acknowledges their talents, however.

He has been asked to appear on ''Celebrity Fit Club'' for each of the show's four seasons but has declined every time because of his commitment to Stern's show.

Political views

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights, and a supporter of unions owing to his former career as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and supported John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited ''The Howard Stern Show'' in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films. Crumbs Bakery currently offers an "Artie Lange" vanilla and chocolate cupcake, with partial proceeds going toward the Lifebeat HIV/AIDS charity.

Drug and alcohol problems

On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the ''Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget''. On the August 11 airing of the show, Lange admitted to having been back on heroin for the previous seven weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool hall. Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.

On the December 8, 2008 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session.

On the June 17, 2009, episode of ''The Adam Carolla Podcast'', Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds, and hoped to lose 45 more. On the August 10, 2009 broadcast of ''The Howard Stern Show'', Stern noticed Lange's weight loss. Lange then confirmed that his current weight was 230 lb. and that he wished to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight.

2010 suicide attempt

On January 2, 2010, Lange attempted suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself in the abdomen with a 13-inch kitchen knife. He was found on the floor of his home by his mother and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Lange was released the following week. Sirius stated that Lange would be welcomed back onto ''The Howard Stern Show'' following his recovery.

Lange returned to the comedy stage for the first time on September 27, eight months after his suicide attempt, performing two nights at Comedy Cellar in New York. He mentioned being in a psychiatric ward for 8 months since the incident.

Filmography

''Artie Lange: Jack and Coke'' ''Entourage (TV series) ''Rescue Me (TV series) ''Waltzing Anna'' ''Game Over (TV series) ''Elf (film) ''Boat Trip'' ''Gameday (short film) ''The Norm Show'' ''Dirty Work (1998 film) ''Jerry Maguire'' ''MADtv''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Other notes
2010	''Serial Buddies''	Golden Graham
2009	|	Himself	Stand-up comedy DVD
2007	Entourage'' ||	Scott Segil	Ad-libbed Leslie Bibb's ass bite
rowspan="4"	2006	Rescue Me'' ||	Mike – Lou's cousin
''Artie Lange's Beer League''	Artie DeVanzo
Fox Sports (USA)	Fox Sports' 2006 World Series coverage	Himself
''Supertwink''	The Plumber
2005	|	Jacob Kline
rowspan="3"	2004	Game Over'' ||	Turbo	Voice
''Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin' ''	Himself
''A Piece of My Heart''	Lenny Steinberg
rowspan="3"	2003	Elf'' ||	Fake Santa
''Mail Order Bride (2003 film)	Mail Order Bride''	Tommy
''Old School (film)	Old School''	Booker
2002	|	Brian	Refused to kiss co-star Will Ferrell
rowspan="2"	2001	Gameday'' ||	Artie	Short, featured as extra on ''It's the Whiskey Talkin'''
''Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth''	Swim Coach Hasselhoff
rowspan="6"	1999	|	Artie Henderson	Once smoked pot with Peter Boyle behind ''The West Wing'' set on the Warner Bros. studios lot
''The Bachelor (1999 film)	The Bachelor''	Marco
''Mystery Men''	Big Red
''Lost & Found (1999 film)	Lost & Found''	Wally
''The 4th Floor''	Jerry
''Puppet (film)	Puppet''	Alexie
1998	Dirty Work'' ||	Sam McKenna
1996	|	Sports radio host	Deleted scene; Tom Cruise yelled at him
1995	|	various

Roles lost

Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Mike Judge's film ''Office Space'', and again for the role of Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW in Mike Judge's film ''Idiocracy'', he lost both roles to Stephen Root. Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in ''Man on the Moon''. He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film ''The Wrestler''. During a December 18, 2008 call to ''The Howard Stern Show,'' director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment and Lange joked it was the most flattering reason he'd ever been turned down for a role.

References

Sources

External links

Interviews

Artie Lange interview on Rock 'n Roll Ghost

in 2006 in 2008

Artie Lange interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast

Others

Review of "Too Fat to Fish"

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American agnostics Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American television writers Category:American people of Native American descent Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:American people of Italian descent Category:People from Hudson County, New Jersey Category:People from Livingston, New Jersey Category:People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Category:Survivors of stabbing

de:Artie Lange fr:Artie Lange

Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
name	Billy Idol
background	solo_singer
birth name	William Michael Albert Broad
alias	B.I.
born	November 30, 1955Stanmore, Middlesex, England, UK
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
genre	Punk rock, New Wave,
occupation	Musician, actor, songwriter, performer
years active	1972–present
label	Chrysalis, EMI, Sanctuary
associated acts	Generation X, Digital Underground, Mister Pusha
website	BillyIdol.net }}

William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. He first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X. He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish music videos, making him one of the first MTV stars. Idol continues to tour with guitarist Steve Stevens and has a worldwide fan base.

Life and career

Early life and Generation X

Idol was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of a salesman. He attended Tideway School in Newhaven, East Sussex. The name ''Billy Idol'' was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of Broad as "idle".

In 1958, when Idol was two years old, his parents moved to Patchogue, New York, on Long Island. The family returned to England four years later with Idol and a younger child Jane (who had been born in the US), settling in Dorking, Surrey. In 1971 the family moved to Bromley, where Idol attended Ravensbourne School for Boys. Idol (rather William Broad) also attended Worthing High School for Boys (later becoming Worthing College). In October 1975, Idol went to Sussex University to pursue an English degree and lived on campus (East Slope) but left after year one (1976). He then went on to join the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans. Idol first joined the punk rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (before the band had decided on that name) in 1976, but soon quit and joined Chelsea in 1977 as a guitarist. However, he and Chelsea bandmate Tony James soon quit that group and co-founded Generation X, with Idol switching from guitarist to lead singer. Generation X signed to Chrysalis Records and released three albums and performed in the 1980 film, ''D.O.A.'', before disbanding. Idol moved to New York in 1981 and began working as a solo artist working with Steve Stevens, Phil Feit and Steve Missal, for Idol's debut solo album, "Billy Idol", which was released in July 1982.

Early solo success

Idol's solo career began with the EP titled ''Don't Stop'', which included the Generation X song "Dancing with Myself", originally recorded for their last album ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and a cover of Tommy James & The Shondells' song "Mony Mony". Both songs became his first singles and remain part of his classic live setlists as of 2010. In 1982 Idol instantly became an MTV staple with "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself". In 1983, in an effort to introduce Idol to American audiences not yet as familiar with him as those in England, Idol's label released "Dancing with Myself" in the US in conjunction with a music video (directed by Tobe Hooper, produced by Jeffrey Abelson, and conceptualised by Keith Williams) that played in heavy rotation on MTV for six months. That video sparked a new era of feature film directors trying their hand at music videos. Along with "White Wedding", the "Dancing with Myself" and "Eyes Without a Face" videos helped make Idol a household name in America.

''Rebel Yell'' and superstar years

Idol's second LP, ''Rebel Yell'' (1983) was a major success and established Idol's superstar status in the United States with hits like "Eyes Without a Face," "Flesh For Fantasy", and the title cut. Idol also became very popular in Europe thanks to this album and its singles, particularly in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and later in the UK. Tracks from the album featured in the 1988 Hollywood comedy film ''Big'', which starred Tom Hanks.

Idol released ''Whiplash Smile'' in 1986, which sold very well. The album included the hits "To Be a Lover," "Don't Need a Gun" and the country-flavoured "Sweet Sixteen". Idol filmed a video featuring "Sweet Sixteen" (which he also wrote) in Florida's Coral Castle. The song was inspired by the story of Edward Leedskalnin's former love, Agnes Scuffs, who was the main reason Leedskalnin built the structure over a period of decades, starting years after she jilted him the day before their scheduled wedding in their native Latvia. Stevens parted ways with Idol after ''Whiplash Smile''. In 1986, Stevens appeared with Harold Faltermeyer on the ''Top Gun'' soundtrack. Their contribution was the Grammy winning instrumental, "Top Gun Anthem." Stevens decided to go solo, creating his own band, Steve Stevens and the Atomic Playboys. A remix album was released in 1987 called, ''Vital Idol''. The album featured a live rendition of his cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony" ; as a single it topped the US charts in 1987.

In 1989, Idol appeared on stage with The Who as Cousin Kevin as part of the live version of ''Tommy'', which would be aired as an HBO special and released on home video and later as a DVD. In later years, Idol also stood in as a guest performer with The Who on Bell Boy, a hit from their rock opera album ''Quadrophenia'', and provided the lead vocals that were originally sung by the band's late drummer Keith Moon. On these brief appearances, Idol would dress in a full bell boy's uniform to reflect upon Moon's eccentricity on stage.

Idol was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which nearly cost him a leg in February 1990 in Hollywood. He was hit by a car while driving home from the studio one night when he ran a stop sign, requiring a steel rod to be placed in his leg. Shortly prior to this, film director James Cameron had chosen Idol to play the T-1000 character in ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' and had drawn storyboards to resemble him, but the accident prevented Idol from accepting.

The new release, ''Charmed Life'', was due for release and a video for the single, "Cradle of Love" had to be shot. The song had been featured in the Andrew Dice Clay film, ''The Adventures of Ford Fairlane''. Since Idol was unable to walk, he was shot from the waist up. The video would feature video footage of him singing in large frames throughout an apartment while Betsy Lynn George was trying to seduce a businessman. The video was a hit and was placed in heavy rotation on MTV. Idol and Betsy Lynn George recreated the opening of the video for the 1991 American Music Awards. Against his doctors' advice, he also managed to make appearances to promote ''Charmed Life''.

Idol made a cameo appearance in the 1998 film "The Wedding Singer" with Adam Sandler, in which Idol ultimately saved the relationship between characters Robbie Hart (Sandler) and Julia Sullivan (played by Drew Barrymore). Idol also had a small part in the movie ''The Doors'', directed by Oliver Stone. Idol played Jim Morrison's drinking buddy, Cat. Idol also performed at Roger Waters' live concert The Wall Live in Berlin in 1990.

Crisis and resurgence

In 1993, Idol released ''Cyberpunk'', which was largely ignored. Music had changed and many of the bands that were popular in the '80s were being pushed aside. Regarded as experimental, it was recorded in a home studio using a Macintosh computer, which was a fairly new concept at the time. Idol recorded the album with Younger-Smith and producer Robin Hancock. Special editions of the album were issued with a floppy disc which contained a screensaver. It was the first album which listed the e-mail address of the artist (idol@well.sf.ca.us, which is now inactive) in its booklet. The album has become something of a cult favourite today. In 1996, Idol appeared in a live version of The Who's ''Quadrophenia''. He returned to the public eye in 1998, when he played himself in ''The Wedding Singer'', in which "White Wedding" was also the title track. The film was a smash hit worldwide. He was also considered for the role of the villain, Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame. Ultimately Bruce Payne was cast. Idol also released three new tracks on Internet - a move which elicited much concern from the RIAA.. He also shared the stage with the band Third Eye Blind.

VH1 aired ''Billy Idol - Behind the Music'' on 16 April 2001. The ''Behind the Music'' series was very popular at the time, and each band or artist that was featured on that program usually gained a resurgence of interest after the show had aired. Idol and Stevens were no exceptions, taking part in a ''VH1 Storytellers'' show three days later. The reunited duo set out to play a series of acoustic/storytellers shows before recording the VH1 special. The acoustic tour was a big success, and Idol eventually started adding new material into the show. Another ''Greatest Hits'' CD was issued in 2001, with Keith Forsey's "Don't You (Forget About Me)" appearing on the compilation. Forsey had originally written it with Idol in mind, but the singer turned it down and eventually the song was given to Simple Minds, who made it a worldwide hit in 1985. The album also includes a live acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" taken from a performance at Los Angeles station KROQ's 1993 Acoustic Christmas concert. The compilation sold about 4,000,000 copies worldwide.

In 2000, Idol was invited to be a guest vocalist on Tony Iommi's album. His contribution was on the song "Into The Night", which he also co-wrote. That year he voice acted the role of Odin, a mysterious alien character, in the animated fantasy film ''Heavy Metal 2000''. In the 2002 NRL Grand Final in Sydney, Idol entered the playing field for the post-match entertainment on a hovercraft-type stage to the intro of White Wedding, when he managed to sing only two words before a power failure ended the performance. "White Wedding" appeared on popular video game ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', playing on fictional Classic rock radio station, K-DST.

''Devil's Playground'' and beyond

''Devil's Playground'', which came out in March 2005, was Idol's first new studio album in nearly 12 years. It reached #46 on the Billboard 200. The album included a cover of "Plastic Jesus". Idol played a handful of dates on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour and also appeared at the UK's Download Festival at Donington Park and the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans. In 2006, as his only UK live date, he appeared headlining the Sunday night of GuilFest. That same year he made an appearance on ''Viva La Bam'' where he helped Bam Margera succeed in "creating" a sunroof for his $250,000 Lamborghini Gallardo and performed live for April Margera for her birthday. In 2006, Idol guested on his keyboardist Derek Sherinian's solo album ''Blood of the Snake'', covering the 1970 Mungo Jerry hit "In the Summertime". A video was made featuring Idol and guitarist Slash. In November 2006, Idol released a Christmas album called ''Happy Holidays''.

In 2008, "Rebel Yell" appeared as a playable track on the video game ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' and "White Wedding" on ''Rock Band 2'', the Rock Band 2 platform later gaining "Mony Mony" and "Rebel Yell" as downloadable tracks. On 24 June 2008 Idol released a new greatest hits album, ''The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself''. The compilation featured two previously unreleased tracks, "John Wayne" and "New Future Weapon". A third track, "Fractured", was available for download on iTunes. He embarked on a successful tour across the world, co-headlining with Def Leppard. In May 2009 Idol donated his time for Music Education in schools by playing along Steve Stevens & Stephen McGrath and the band Venice as backup band and vocals. They were accompanied by a large String & Brass section and chorale group of Santa Monica High School students. The whole event was hosted by AFTA, Artists for the Arts foundation, (aftafoundation.org). The entire event was shot by Touring Video and Post by On the WAVE Productions. Harry Rabin from "On the WAVE" produced the video, which can be seen on billyidol.net and the audio was mixed and Mastered by Steve Miles and Harry Rabin.

In July 2009, Idol performed at the Congress Theater, Chicago for the US TV series ''Soundstage''. This performance was recorded and was released on DVD as ''In Super Overdrive Live'', on 17 November 2009.

Recent events

On 16 February 2010, Idol was announced as one of the acts to play the Download Festival in Donington Park. He was quoted: ''"With all of these great heavyweight and cool bands playing Download this year, I'm going to have to come armed with my punk rock attitude, Steve Stevens, and all of my classic songs plus a couple of way out covers. Should be fun!"'' In March 2010, Idol added Camp Freddy guitarist Billy Morrison and drummer Jeremy Colson to his touring line-up.

In 2010 Billy was working on a new album entitled, "Keep Out of Reach of Children." Billy started debuting new songs like "Kings and Queen of the Underground" "Love Is Strange" "Don't Shoot The Messager" "Cry" and "Scarred For Life" in concert.

Live band

''Billy Idol's current band consists of:''

Steve Stevens - lead guitar(1981–1986, 2001–present)

Stephen McGrath - bass guitar(2001–present)

Derek Sherinian - keyboards(2002–present)

Billy Morrison - rhythm guitar(2010–present)

Jeremy Colson - drums, percussion(2010–present)

Former members

Gregg Gerson - Drums, Percussion(1981–1983)

Steve Missal - Drums, Percussion(1981)

Phil Feit - Bass Guitar(1981–1983)

Thommy Price - Drums, Percussion(1983–1988)

Steve Webster - Bass Guitar(1983–1985)

Judi Dozier - Keyboards(1982–1985)

Kenny Aaronson - Bass Guitar(1986–1988)

Mark Younger-Smith - Lead Guitar(1990–1996)

Mark Schulman - Drums, Percussion(1993–2001)

Brian Tichy - Drums, Percussion(2001–2009)

Tal Bergman - Drums, Percussion(1990–1993)

Danny Sadownik - Drums, Percussion(1993)

Zane Fix - Bass Guitar(1980s)

Jennifer Blakeman - Keyboards(1993)

Julie Greaux - Keyboards(1993)

Discography

''Don't Stop (EP)'' (1981)

''Billy Idol'' (1982)

''Rebel Yell'' (1983)

''Vital Idol'' (1985)

''Whiplash Smile'' (1986)

''Idol Songs: 11 of the Best'' (1988)

''Charmed Life'' (1990)

''Cyberpunk'' (1993)

''Greatest Hits'' (2001)

''VH1 Storytellers'' (2002)

''Devil's Playground'' (2005)

''Happy Holidays'' (2006)

''The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself'' (2008)

List of Billy Idol awards and nominations

Grammys

|- | align="center"| ||"Rebel Yell"|| Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|| |- | align="center"| ||"To Be A Lover" || Best Male Rock Vocal Performance || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ||

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV.

|- | align="center"| ||"Dancing With Myself" || Best Art Direction || |- | align="center"| ||"Dancing With Myself" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Eyes Without a Face" || Best Cinematography || |- | align="center"| ||"Eyes Without a Face" || Best Editing || |- | align="center"| || "Cradle of Love" || Best Video from a Film || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Male Video || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Shock To The System" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Shock To The System" || Best Editing || |-

BRIT Awards

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. |- | || Billy Idol || Best British Video || |-

See also

Coral Castle, a stone structure where Idol got his inspiration for his song "Sweet Sixteen".

Bromley Contingent

References

External links

Official Site

Billy Idol MySpace page

Interview @ Legends

Billy Idol at ''Rolling Stone''

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