Induced Insanity

I like insanity au naturel. Whenever I learn that some of my crazy heroes' behavior is caused by booze or drugs, I always feel let down. In a New York Times profile on Cat Power, the singer admits that she used to drink a fifth of Scotch a day. So that means all those meltdowns and breakdowns on stage were alcohol-induced. I had assumed that Cat Power was this idiosyncratic artist who was too much of a creative maverick and outsider to fit into this world. Now I find out that the reason is much more prosaic: she was a drunk. I haven't listened to her new album yet. Let's hope her new sobriety hasn't hurt her talent. (Image via Slap Magazine)