Is Dio clean aside from alcohol throughout his life?

[LouiST]

I'm now listening to the Sabbath's live bootleg in 1980 Sydney. Before they play Sweet Leaf, Dio tells the audience that they are going to play an "illegal song" and reminds people "don't smoke dope". (But the song praises dope, isn't it? )

So, was Dio, throughout his whole life,excluding drinking alcohol, clean?

[Never Satisfied]

He smoked pot quite often. And he is not clean, he is dead.

[MH1986]

He smoked pot. After Dio passed Dave Mustaine I believe recalled a moment from when he opened for Dio. Dave was apparently telling Dio how influential he was to him and all and Dio complimented him back but as Dave persisted Dio said something like "we can keep jerking each other off or go smoke a joint".

The Sweet Leaf quote was a bit of sarcasm I believe.

[Josef_K]

That show in Sydney is one of the best they've ever done, I love that bootleg. As has already been confirmed, he did smoke pot. However, as I understood it at least, he had quite strong negative feelings about all other drugs and it would surprise me if I found out he did for example cocaine more than a few times. I remember reading somewhere that Jimmy Bain's drug problems were a great problem to his relationship with Dio (the band and the person) not only because he was unreliable etc but also from a principal perspective. So I think it ends at pot. I don't know what you guys think, but imo it doesn't seem like Dio took much inspiration from drugs when writing songs. I mean he's got fantasy inspired lyrics and all but to me at least they don't sound "weird" and "trippy" as if they were written by someone inspired by the effects of drugs. Maybe it's just the fact that when he started to write songs that would become famous the hippie and psychedelic parts of rock was more or less dead, but I don't find the trippy feeling in any of the earlier works he did either.

---------- Post added at 02:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 AM ----------

he is not clean, he is dead.

thanks for the update...

[LouiST]

I never knew he did smoke pot

[Sabbathman]

Dio used to smoke a lot of cigarettes in the early 80's until he quit maybe somewhere in the late 80's.

Is there any rock singer who hasn't smoked a little bit of dope somewhere down the line? Dope isn't among the most dangerous stuff you can intake. I'm not a dope smoker, I can't smoke anything because of my health problem (wouldn't want to anyway, I just don't need anything like that), but I know something about dope through the people I know. It's not a heavy drug like cocaine etc. even though it has opiatic features. It doesn't even cause any addiction like heavy drugs, it's just a medicine of sorts. Surely the medical companies try to say the opposite, otherwise they would lose big money from the declining painkiller sales...

Dio was a drinker too, but not a heavy drinker. He never allowed alcohol to take control of him. Beer, cider, wine...anything with anyone. But he was never out of control, he wasn't stupid or weak of mind.

Heaven & Hell had quite a few pints of strong cider during the recording session of "The Devil You Know". But not all the time like alcoholics do.

[LouiST]

Dio used to smoke a lot of cigarettes in the early 80's until he quit maybe somewhere in the late 80's.

Is there any rock singer who hasn't smoked a little bit of dope somewhere down the line? Dope isn't among the most dangerous stuff you can intake. I'm not a dope smoker, I can't smoke anything because of my health problem (wouldn't want to anyway, I just don't need anything like that), but I know something about dope through the people I know. It's not a heavy drug like cocaine etc. even though it has opiatic features. It doesn't even cause any addiction like heavy drugs, it's just a medicine of sorts. Surely the medical companies try to say the opposite, otherwise they would lose big money from the declining painkiller sales...

Dio was a drinker too, but not a heavy drinker. He never allowed alcohol to take control of him. Beer, cider, wine...anything with anyone. But he was never out of control, he wasn't stupid or weak of mind.

Heaven & Hell had quite a few pints of strong cider during the recording session of "The Devil You Know". But not all the time like alcoholics do.

I do know know that dope is much less harmful drug compared to others like cocaine, heroine and even alcohol and tobacco. Too bad it's illegal

So Dio is an ordinary drinker and used to smoke some pot and cigarettes. Yet he is still cleaner than many others if you talk about Ozzy or Dave Mustaine.

When you mention cigarettes I suddenly think of Ozzy back in the 70s America wanted to buy some "fags" and the store owner called him a queer lol

[Die Young]

I heard in some interview that he and the rest of Rainbow did acid when recording kill the king, it was in some creepy place and they tought it was haunted, Ronnie even said something about a ghost pushing Wendy down some stairs but she tought it was dio.Weather acid or paranoramal,you pick.

[MobRules]

Pot being illegal never stopped me or Millions of other people worldwide from smoking it. Dio is no exception, More power to the sweet prince.

[Relic]

Dio used to smoke a lot of cigarettes in the early 80's until he quit maybe somewhere in the late 80's.

Dio was a drinker too, but not a heavy drinker.

For what it's worth, I've seen Dio puffing away on cigarettes, with my own eyes as late as 2008 in Lahti. A few years ago Doug Aldrich also described Dio's songwriting process consisting of going down to his basement studio and smoking cigarettes until he comes up with an idea and then working it out on a bass guitar. Dio did like his drink too, I saw him tanked many times over the years, but he was still always very friendly.

[DiosSword]

The only photos I ever saw of Dio smoking butts are Rainbow-era. I don't remember seeing any from Sabbath or later.

I read an interview with Craig Goldy where he said "it's no secret Ronnie likes to smoke pot," and that before he went onstage he'd smoke half a joint and drink a can of beer.

I would not be at all surprised if he at least experimented with cocaine...outside of Gene Simmons and Ted Nugent, who in rock in the 1970's didn't? That doesn't mean he kept using it...I remember reading in an interview with RJD in the mid '90s where he said "my drug days are behind me." Apparently he didn't consider toking up now and then to be "drugs."

I would say the reference to "Sweet Leaf" onstage was probably very tongue-in-cheek...I'm betting that the Sydney cops at the show probably laughed as loudly as everyone else did.

Tony Iommi said in his bio that Dio could really pack the drink away, especially for someone as small as he was, and that he didn't eat that well, and often drank instead of ate.

---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------

When you mention cigarettes I suddenly think of Ozzy back in the 70s America wanted to buy some "fags" and the store owner called him a queer lol

Ozzy said that kicking cigarettes was harder for him than kicking cocaine.

[Ady]

I would not be at all surprised if he at least experimented with cocaine...outside of Gene Simmons and Ted Nugent, who in rock in the 1970's didn't?

Not many. Ian Anderson and Robert Fripp come to mind.

[neonite]

I saw him tanked many times over the years, but he was still always very friendly.

this really made me laugh - any funny Drunk Dio stories? (respectful of course)

[m-77]

Not many. Ian Anderson and Robert Fripp come to mind.

And Frank Zappa!

[Wicked Cricket]

Deep Purple were not drug users... the Ian Gillan era Purple... they were a scotch and soda band to paraphrase Jon Lord.. and for the record, Ritchie Blackmore has NEVER been associated with using any drugs, and is a self proclaimed non smoker, never started never had to quit...... he does like his drink, but it never got the best of him...