aT en PPS OER ee LeU LANCE y. ATES \ xCONTENTS stroma ‘The Guardian ings Pace ‘50 York ay, mi 9G Byline istration: Delphine Lee Spovllastatons: a. signup JForthetnside Saturday rewsleterfora sneak Deekat each sue CUTTINGS Smartshor ‘pink pai sunset aretheretoomany holiday ets? Coca Khan aes the experts the big questions Down therabbithole Uostinthe ow of USactorJonBernthat Flashback Savage Gardens Daren Hayes onhis childhood Dining across thedvide Meateating lass diversity, eye anesand (Obrien v times Radio ea Corrie’ Angela Grin (Calon Experience entombed in permafest, = i FEATURES Pa 18:37 roll roel coset asap” awe Aton above) almost gave up ating ae five ‘years plying Vodin Fresh Meat. Her fist perio ‘rama eelstikeabrand new start, setellsLi ite ‘ingplnto itchen king ‘How former drug smuggle Krishna Léger turned is bekon crime to become ssclaimed eetsurateur ‘The path mare traveled (Gleverly manipulated photographs evel thetrue populanty oF secluded olay hotspots oslverbullet ADHD medion helped Sophie Knight findanew ‘cus but then things began to unravel Edith Pritchett A week in Venn diagrams My iPhone connecting to my Bluetooth speokers Acting like you haven't Previously worked together Bringing ‘Tupperware ‘to the buffet Incredibly weak solution that won't be fixing anything ‘hsp made foment manor central cues rity Wales rp Ber 20.08.22 39 CULTURE LIFESTYLE, res 39-65 | rn 6737 Humourme (Chattering classes Comedy songwriterBret | Jess Cartner Morey on MeKenzie gots serios Job forthe boy Lam Willams elon) vy we love hate Blind date ‘When Kat met ack brings his stom ro aahood to close ‘TinDowling "Thetetarnaf the sul! ‘The hip-hop bot ™ Can Athelpanyonerap? Youtbethejudge Podcasts ‘ablemanners above) Wit odo m Games ena are Ask Annalisa Babiert Should spit fom my Books parter and get back Seknotes vwthiny ex Maggie OFarellooks | on millnesin ction Peon reviews. Gardens. 75 Nonftion eviews... at | trove Ancient Greek The books ofmy life ‘Autor Katen oy ower Revived hiking raison ‘Snorand kythera| Thebigidea Best green getaways Shouldrevengeeverbe | Ourpror stainable Apartofjustce? tpsin Burepe Hom fart thepub 82 Alea side 85 Passes. se Gardin ange! Proper Blokes with mental hell msn Plans to eke it out for a8 long as possibleos Ks a) fe r= 3 5 — ao} =. eee esta ee08 CUTTING PEOPLE, ISSUES & CURIOSITIES of MODERN LIFE ees By sire quality tothesky ‘Smart shot The best pictures taken on phones ‘Thomas Jordan ‘Shot on Phone 12 Inthe simmer of202, ‘iet moments orbs ror, ut fund the nd jst let go,” says. Starting cut though photographs. But you : ‘Timber Ridge Forest Incredible pin, almost Timafanof bran but what you se verySam is taking tion for climate and Ta people do eonenergy.comCUTTINGS Conversation: with Coco Should the number of holiday lets be capped? ros Wales, Cormwalland the A Seotish Highlands, holiday ets are driving uphouse pices and ‘reatingempty neighbourhoods out of Season, should ownership ofthem be ‘apped?Tasked consultant Anna fovernmentalmed to pnpaintthe Peostve and negativeimpactof| holiday etson communities. Maybe t'smy age, butthonestiy can" ‘emembera tae before arbab Did these saues exist beforelt? ‘Oncor the things we funds that, legally theresa clear definition of Says been haliday lets, bt these platforms aremaking caster tobook Andeatiertolet. In England and Wales holiday leis don’t requie planning permission change fromresidential use, snot only Aiton, t's Booking com and others. The question sabout prtiularareas Isthereamagienumber that isthe tipping point romnicetohave fore tora? Teowtthinkifsassclentifeas that. 1's shout thefeoingof the density aad the withdraval of services foros! people apartofthe igh stretin Edinburgh’ [New Town where you couldalways gt a paper. But in 2019 the newsagent ‘ose. tf aif that pat of orn ‘wasnotforloeals any more Language preservation movements in Down the rabbit hole Lostinthe flow of pop culture ‘This week: Jon Bernthal byarry Roan Festthe Bern ‘Ocasionallya thet gu" actorbecomesa name you Fully know. Jom Berhia,one of Aree preeminent hot, goofy fellas” withan acting tye of ced intensity, ISone. He's had major oes in The Walking Dead and ‘with Marve, at wellasin he Wolfof Wall Steet. This Summer he soe the showin the miniseries We Oo ‘Thi ity. And hel be seen Lena uname fm ‘arp tiekaswellas Amerian goa, Sco or na sles have teamed arlene athe Srehvinganampset onthe nee ‘fopenkesTheeare many other segues hate potvs? “Recconomeimgat ome sharing Stunton-sesrendenromingarpre | tvom hs more pote psc Youre gtte ict snc ene forthe hm pvt gong ye i " ~ [itefoanemuianyn eral cy Mny cic Eto ei ae be iatoac yrs eNeaLet a Vaan ae pictures how it would look Bs ee, Sega eee eas a‘OPENING PAGES. PONT DARC, “ARDECHE GORGES, FRANCE, JULY 2021 ging topes) Photographer Natacha ‘eMshie: "The claged Image othe Pont de made from 100 ages tookmore hana was tocomplate ‘eRsee, ceRMANY, Aavoust 2021 tat tson hs e696 ofalale wedtabe competion that cuts ‘wren ach ry 0 fd thebest spot for asl firs PENEDA- CERES NATIONAL PARK, PORTUGAL JUNE021 Ths mage inside sing wees between my eraand my prone. tourste woud polity ep ot ofthe trams ba a pod, walk a,sacha deMahicuartived atthe edge of ‘Obersee, remot ake sirrounded by ash green mountalnsand damatiewatefalls Inssouth-eastcornerof Germany in ‘Aigust 202, twas cll rain pled down, ‘Rwasnotsofuntobe there rvassocold and everything was wet” De Mahieu, 26.47 ftom herhomein brussels laughing Touts came and took portaltsof themselves against the view DeMahieu noticed tha, ass00n 3¢ Someone stoppedin front ofthe camer, they would shed their ayersindefiance ofthe cod toconvey the frnage of als summer In front ofthe camer ‘shirts, ary dresses. Behind teswathes of ded jackets tas Instagram versely, De Mhiews photo series, which she calls Theatre of Athentity,exporesthe linkbtiree touts nd spectacle, and how we perform when we wave, uriulalywinen we thiak-no ones watching. ‘The photos makeup he graduation project fr her masters dgreein documentary phetogrephy, and Tringogether he three sss that most preoccupy het tourism, sora mediaand climate change. Tloveto travel” De ahleusays recalling ip tofalvia when shewae 8 the moment sebecame itorestedin photography. “Tmals very curious out why we love traveling, nd our motivations ‘And, sheadds:"Ispendtoo much mea sola media” Scroling through Instagram, DeMabiew Started tohave the eoing that everyones goIngto thesameplaces using the samephotogrephie ‘omporitons, he same clos” espe a ery ‘seneration Zarit dilemma, Surrounded by tendless digtal content she began to wonder f ‘She would ever make something truly unig ‘nso De Mahieu took that concern about snigeness, and ge tats She wold ake precisely the sort photo that ens of thousands Radalreny taken, turatherthandovwhat many ‘camera wielding toursthasdone when faced with {crowded destination block ut the other people Inview and deliveran image that suggests tisthem lone surrounded by natural splendour -she would ‘admere people. ‘he began by ientfying some ofthe most ssotagged European tourist destinations on Instagram incudingthe lke at Obese e CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY, NOVEMBER 2019 ‘TAGGED 2.20 TIMES. "roy day tune, hota balloon fled Fauna ges of the (sposdoc region in central Turkey. Hee, teaver tae elie, tea ego stage Inffoncafs protessanat photographer. nth, eves, wanted lay ‘eth the line between tre these photos “rea crates"?Taccavanoues oF WasSE8 FRANC, Mav aoat ‘Teac te, 000 mes There este is Silin vats ery Sercronengench Stes wake {GORGES DU VERON, RANGE, JULY 2021 TAGGED 216,000 TIMES The Gorges du Veron, southcest race the Ireeasnaly opal Thegorges rernost accesible by hay or Deno tok ts photo high up reterto lanescape pangs of the Romantic pve = [BAROENAS REALES DESERT, SPAN UNE 2021 ‘TAGGED 06200 TES dense sles emicesertandecape ine ortho Sin feomatian petute hte features inmany an inclided matt inthis Feteccon my avn Dratesas tour ndand the rocky calanques (coves) in Masel cross the summer she would usualy daysineach place. Theft day wasset aside or Scoping out the are and finding te best angle to Shoot rom, Thenext day, she would et up her One shod ‘on some of the most popula landmarks around the ‘wor walkersatp the Great Wall of China hundreds pretending to prop up the Leaning Tower she spend too mii time on ‘Goft pastel colours, atidy composition tl > Ilustration by Francesco Ciccolella"TPIRST BEING DIAGNOSED with ADHD came eel. ered in thepsychiatst' office: maybe! pillsthat within days oferedne 2 glimpse of what thought a ‘neurotic person sbrainnight feelierocusedandsmooth, Hes game of leisurely tennis rather ‘Manaballmachinegong berserk. ‘Dexamphetamine felt like a silver Sudent coud plan ahead, follow entire meetings, ‘ervousbealdown, Conewasthe Constantly arvied feeling that had bullied me nto perpetual motion formost of my 4u yer. Thereseomedtabemoretimeineachsecond tolisten absorband think. Inoloner wanted punch peoples thebacoftheeadwhen they were acing Iny way inthe supermart, ut aftera year on stimulant, things began to unravel hadconstantmgrane le headaches, and ‘wasansious and impatient When deeded toi, Weas mired in lethargy and mental confusion that, Tingered far longer than the supposed withdraval™ window ad awayselthistogaybefrethe drugs? Orwasitthe drugs” MADBEEN ARESTLESSCHILD.thefistightisleptin bedratherthanacot,rolldontotheflot nineties, Evenbeforet could wal, la constantly wriggling fidgeting climbingthings. My parentsnicknamedme ‘Tigger after the perpetwaliybouney Winnie-te- Pooh harecler “ou were one and charming but very Annoying my mother recalls, ‘Sil the dea that might have ADHD never came up. Inthe UKinthe 90s, itwas east asa disorder of haughty boys who struggled at schoo. wassocially ‘Adept andacademealy suecesful ited, even, dove nyslfregulaiytoexhaston asa teenage, butt was only once ef home to goto university n ‘Londen that things ally began to fallapar. Without thestvetre of egular mealtime an beim, my thythms became erratic Teoulda sit stil and study unless as physically exhausted setmyseifunreaisie ‘lalsandtookontoomuc tlningforabalmarathon, two art timejobs,arule that eoulanteat anything had’ cooked myst. ter Framicwaltresing shifts and tudyingbenders, drank to getto seep. ‘ithabranlike mine, you'ealways on atorrent ‘ofthoughts and sensations come inlike spray from frehydrantandyou'relet desperately tryingtostem theflow-Evenwhensic,felike mbeingarivenby piston engine, pushing meto move eventhough my Inuseles ave worn outand my mnd\s begun pea ‘Certain requrements orbeing an active member ‘of society -and an employee eluded mes aregulat ‘Sleep thythmy for one, aswell as consistency andan bility to conserve energy fr big events or ass. ‘id matter how many habits ed to Bulk, of hacks" | adopted. ail oscillated between being rani, sleepless and obsesieor catatonic, blinded ‘by bran fogand exhausted, physically and mentally My career in journalism ad research fas been haracterisedby thesameboom and bist cele: get ‘fob thvw myself into and then burn outsobadly Ican'tworkformonths.Afterastintin Japan, moved tothe Netherandsin201,hopingferaquieterife But ‘venonafour diy workweekararesercherlendedp unningmysetimothegroundagain- went eeance Tras hill waslanguehinginyetanotherbutmoat tn late 2020 thata friend sent me an article about ‘women with ADHD cluding agnosis untllatinif Tused tobesceptical of ADHDasadlagnosale disorder, sswellastheideaofdolingout stimulants tosuppose ‘Siffre. In zor, when theraps fst suggested [mighthave ADHD, wratetoafrend: “tm upeetand 36 | SATURDAY | 200822 |The Guan angry tothink that someone who ust hasenergyand the willtomoveislabelled as sick.” Butevery wordof ‘eartcleadresonated.Iresolvedtooforadiagnois. syrocketed during the pandemic. syehity- UK, 3 Private company contracted bythe NHS, recorded 3 (quadrupling of referrals between 2020 and 2022 omparedwiththetwoprevousyrarsAndevenbefore Covi, prescriptions of stimulants for ADHD had Seared: arecord sts aduteweregvenmediaton In2aa, an increase of more than so% fiom 205 "THE PSYCHIATRIST STARTED ME on Ritalin at fist: Becausethod take ry pls wit food an they wore ‘ff every four hours, [began esting meals at regular times Leven septbeter becauselnolongernecdedto ‘rink cote My hypersensitivity tight, nose a8 Senstionfadedawaycltheslbelsnolongerbothere ‘metoditaction Thesenweoffustatnandimpatence Justdrled pellet waspeaceullmovingthicugh the world, doing one thingata time, ble to focuson ‘what wasimportant rather than trivial ass, Sounds great” sid my psychiatrist on our fist ‘heck ical Tbrought up the downsides soma, Fapidheanbest“Thesie-effectswilldiminish along 235 you tke it on aegular schedule every day.” he reassured me, ‘The amount of wrk! got done on Ritalin -andthe calm brought was impressive But the hypertocus ‘uldbe scary. Thesiagulrpletcingbeamefattention Aereted wouldatchon towhatever was lookingst, then refuse tolet go for the next few hours Icouldbe {nthemidle of ul Whatspp conversation, bt toon tear myself away. tty eoinghad caved {nyt would haveput offing itunt ater ‘Ritalinalsomademe depressed, OnedayItexted2 friends Ife emotionally dark. Uneasy. Not ooking forward toanything. Everything elsealy grey Been pacing the apartment” eal made my Weare race = fnce, had x heart ate of tobpm while doing the ‘washing p.Lasked to switch to another medication. Dexatmpetaminefelt gentler: thebeamofatention wasmoredifase, cloaking dstrationsinstadow Bat alowingmetomove romonetasktoanathe. Best of lL Laid fol depressed. Shor after staring on ekamphetamine, {landed a commission for ID TRIED MEDITATION, ACUPUNCTURE, WORKING OFFLINE, RUNNING, HANDSTANDS, CBT, COLD SHOWERS, BLUE-LIGHT BLOCKING GLASSES NOTHING CAME CLOSE TO MEDICATION ‘ambitious article, and an intense Fulltime esearch rojct. {started workinglongdays, marvelingat my ecusand ability toignoredomestidistrations Let People, want tobe onthis forever though ‘Oneday,aied'sboyfriend saw me taker pills, andasked what they were. [tld im, butbefore could ‘describe al he benefits dexperienced, hunched {ntoatindesbout how ADHD wasadisease of modern Socey, how technology had shortened our attention Spans, and how just neededto wala focus “Have you tried juggling” heaske. Ialkedoutlushed, angry andupst My diagnosis Ai why 1s sressedallhetine why Ieuldnt tum glimersef promisetnta consistent efor. Why ‘ny emotions feltso intense and all consuming, why hash iowsoitesteemandvehyunkkeallmy fens, never beenabletostayin job. ‘The dlagnosishad quletene the cruel inner vlee ‘that told me these prablemns were personal flings, ‘aieedby alackofefortor tenacity Anyone who ted to tell me that ADHD was made up and that the ‘medication was big pharma con raed my Bakles, beens theyseemed tolmply thay nit contin ‘was corect.twaslazy and Inept, adjust needed to tuyharde. slike Pspentmy whole tyingharder. ted nesaton, acupuncture tine management strategies, ‘Working fling, running, handstand, comnitive ‘ehavioualtherap,coldshawers Bue ight bck sss. nothingeven came close o medication STILL, {COULDN'T DENY thatthe sie-eacts were Iniserabe. There was the dry mouth, the relentless {hist theburning tongue Iwas constantly parched, ndpisinglikeaacehoreeFoodjust seemed to pass Straight through. lest akg, reveaingthe contours of bs, psychiatrist sternly when {told him. "Yes, reduced Sppette isa side-effect, but 'syour responsiblity ‘atmoreand oreain that weight" Itedeatingmore ‘chocolate, mor utter, fewervgetbles, Pastis for Tune. Btfood was interesting It had become ful ‘Managing wo intense proects a once, which had seemed so maglaly posse forthe ist ew weeks, ‘began toatl When war working, elt sharp and motivated; the est ofthe time ele stung out andempty ‘Worst ofall were the ebounds, Dexamphetamine secmedto work by gatheringtheshimmeringstands ‘ofmysatteredattetion ndfecisingthem ntoaasr ‘beam. But when t wore of, thestrands would come Toose again bouncinaikeadroppedboxoftathpcks "igetamigranedieheadachethatmademecoatused andunabetofalow conversations ston to musi of ‘think straight, It hart to lock at thing, {became Ihypersensitveto sound. Some days, Tbe reducedto Iyingin bed with earplugs and aneyemask iy taking another dose late n the day.” my psychiatrist suggested. "Some people ind that they anavo thereboundby timing twith whenthey 2 teslep.” But upping my dose just stole my appetite Fordinner andkepe me awake at right "The rebound was worse on the days before my vio. My psyehlastadmitededidn' know much bout the interaction between medication and hormones buthedid send meapresentationshowing that women with ADHD are far more likely to sufer ‘with PMT, premenstrual dysphore dsorder ADD), 4nd postnatal depression. Some women, the Presentation sald, benefit from increasing thei dose Inthe week bfortheirperiod But thatjustmademe feel spun, and mae the rebound more acute. 1 deeidedtostop aking tonthe wort dys eel fevenifthat meant teouldn get any work done al ‘Bysprngthisyenr,wastaking weekends day or|even whole weeks off the drugs ata time. (My psyehiatrist had advised against this, but some prescriberssay “drugholidays”donobarm,orcaneven ad preventing desenstisation But felsofogsyand lethargic fom the withdrawal would end up just sping backto the pil Thad thought might be on the medication fr the restof my lif. But now, I tart fearing tht Tas ‘csi myself some ind of long-term damage 11 Felt wots on days when dda takethe plls-worse than|dibeforemedication had sctualy damaged ry body'sability to feel OK? My PSYCHIATRIST HAD ASSURED ME the medication wassafe backedupby decadesofcincal research. But ‘when went diguing for scientificpapers,1foundthat ‘heresprecousitleeidenceofheederamphetanine and methylphenidate he generic name fr Ritalin) ‘may affect thetaln, heat ver and kidneys when taken fryers. ‘Most esearch has been done on chien, and the longitudinal studies looked a behavioural eateomes duality of ie ather than neuromolagy: Research done on children aking methpenidte shows that ‘eanactusllyelpthelrbrainsgrow inaway conducive tolimproved focus, evenifthe child stopped taking Buttheresearchdinotndthesameetectinthebsins ofpeople ho bean takingethyipenidateasadls While there evidence from autopsies of addicts Iwains that vonic amphetamine abuse can induce permanentbrain damage hardly any researchasbeen oneintobow dexamphetamine -whichischemically ‘ierent fom the amphetamines sod on the street afets the bain over the long-term when taken ta pesription dose Such a posthumous study Ino ‘examphetaminehas however been neon primates. Iehowed that prescription level doses damage the ain’s system for delivering dopamine, further exacerbating the very imbalance supposedly ‘esponsible for ADIED nthe fist pace TPsnotclenrwhat that mean for humans, Btsome psychiatrists think thelong-termennsequences could be sinifean, and that stimlant mediestions are ‘eal overprescibedcousfeing thepetentin ks Tanna Monciet, a professor In psychiatry at University College Condon, has spent her career challenging what she ses asthe overuse of psyco etivedrugstotreat mental disorders. Moncrie who recently pled controversial evict paper stating that there was lac of evidence for depesion beng ‘used by low levels of serotonin doesnot believe [ADHD is caused by an impaired dopamine system inthe rain, "All mental disorders are nomorethanchsters of symptomsthatscustersofbehaviou or problems that people describe. Therels no deiltive ink with biochemical abnormality,” she says. “ADHD drugs merely induce an abnormal state that alters the ‘expression of symptoms." hile don agree ithallofMoneresviews-she believes that adult ADHD docentexistang hasbeen ‘oakedp by pharmaceitcalcompaniesandembraced toyperectioniets who wont fo become supernumean some of what she says resonates, These pills don't normalise” my brain any more than sedatives ormalse” person inthe throes of psychosis They induceacertsinsttethatsometimesfelshlpfl- but dot wanttostayinthatstatforeverwithallthestort termsideetoctsasvellasthepotetialfor unknown long-term consequences? !NVMARCH, [RESOLVED TO QUIT. tod everyone that thistimeitwasforgood. hunkered downto weather theexhaustion and stlessness of withdrawal My rele sched my head felt ike was sted with ton wool ist few daysof this, told myself. Butitdda'tentielygoavay-Iwasbehindat wrk, THE NADIR CAME WHEN ITOOK ABUMP OF SPEED INSTEAD OF MY OWN PRESCRIPTION, 10 FEEL SOME ENERGY AND BLAST THE FOG OUT OF MY HEAD. ‘WHERE DOES THIS END?” | ASKED MYSELF strugaling to make sense of my list of ask. Thad a ‘ideo cll about a potential projec, butt ee a5 ‘everyone wasspeakingin Greek wrote tes in the hope that It might help me understand what was happening but, while my hand was moving, no {nformation wa comingin. Aftera week, Pd had enough, “Maybe justalitle hough, breaking apie nal ‘Anbar, ela shed calm descending. ike snow falingon afte The muscle painthsthad lated ikea axon inmy head forthe past few days hovered {uit somewerein the distance started towne Sndthe words poured outffrtessly.marvelledthis ‘magia eating wathustattdaf my prescribed dose? “The nextday ofcoutse, took thesameamoun It fel less magical butstilpreferabetomy unmediated stat. [began taking the pills as needed rather than fon the regular schedule that my poyehiatrst had urged met adhere to andi far smaler does than been prescribed Sillsearchingfor waystoreducethe headaches and rebounds, and having exhausted my peyehistist's ‘iggestons, I fund 3 poston Red that sagged Teting the tablets dlsalve under my tongue instead of swallowing them. Intrigued, dug for more, and ‘endod upontieRedditorun for "weakersor people ‘whotake amphetaminesas"smartdrugstoimprove theireognitionand ficiency. Trawling through the posts, sa people going tough pecsely the same Struggle as I was toving what the drug made them ‘apableof struggling withitsside-eets and trying tofinda way they couldkoeptakingitwithoutraining their ves. began to worry that 1 was behaving ike a speed adit Theptelingeveryone that wasgettingoffthe “rags but thenext day, thecravingburedsostongly Tsmuck back to get myx. DURING MY ASSESSMENT, my psychiatrist asked ‘whether devertakeaspeed "Some people With ADHD Find that when they've taken ecstasy or speed, they ‘experience the opposite effect 0 what most people ‘experience: teams them down rather han making them enegei,"heexpained Having never tiled ltt amphetamine, toulda ‘elate. But year anda ha later, in May tis yea dzcidedtotryitwhile clubbing in Belin. Before going, "ook our stash of drugs to a drug testing centre Amsterdam, fundedby the Ditch government. (They market trends) Tasked the tester the difference between dexamphetamine and street amphetamine ‘Sheexpaind that steetamphetamineadheresless strongly to the brain's dopamine receptors than ‘imalants for ADHD ving more ofan up” feling ndlessofthecalm concentration “Also, she aed, itikely you've lust gotahigheriolerance or speed ‘than other people. 've got ADHD nd 'vegured out Ineedto takemore togetthesame effect” advice of anther rend with ADHD to come my Imedleation for a few days beforehand to avold ‘verdosingor druginteractionsOn the day of ourbig rightout, I wasin bed crying, suferngema heavy headache andfatige, Buta topm, Tdi alin, just sce what would happen. ‘Speed, 1 discovered, made me feet confident, but not historically oy thetime we rocked up othe ‘otrioustechno cub Berghainjustbeforedavn, Thad ‘herequistenoncalanceor geting past the amously Intimidating bouncers Tn thetolets, talked ta gil who ust emerged fiom cubicle. "Sometimes, ll ou need sbi fat Tine of sped" she sid, beaming Itldheraboxt my Adexamphetamine. Pvealways wondered ati Aiagnosedwitn ADHD, butmy psychiatst wont give ‘meaprescrptionbecaueehesnys ido speed o0cften fonthe weekends.” ‘Once back fom Bern, thefaiiarexkaustonand beadeches crept back, Dezampbetarine seemed 6 [Nstmakemetired.wonderedifamphetamine might twokbetter-ithadmademe danceforhours, aera "Thenadircamewhenttookabumpofepeed tipped out oft litle paper wrap, carefully stored in my feel some physical energy an to last the fog out of imyhead,-Wheredoesthisend? asked nyse "Realising what slippery slope Iwas on ~ andthe Stupidity of taking street amphetamines instead of. ‘medical gradeprescripionpills- my experiment ony [Gstedoneday hut tcoulatstopthiakingabouthow pro-drug psychiatrists keto malntaln an sory Boundary between ADHD medications and amphetamines sold onthe stret. Where isthe fine etc prescription and recreational speed? RELYINGONASTIAULANTYoresaheyourpsychoogial Aistressisnevergoingtosove everything Notonlydo theside-eectsmeanthatdon twanttobecntevery ‘hyandhavetoresortooldstrateges-fanbedeaning insslons ofthe house to procrastinate, meditation, Dlockingthetatemet,to-dlists,lotsofwals-tals cartgivemetheconsstony erave,northecapacy to work eight hour days without getting chy and ‘enraged At some point, Ihave to accept tat might hotfitsociety'sdes of productivity oral “and thaethats0%. Having ADHD means that, even more than the average person, youaveto find out what makes you tickand pursieit-evenfthat changes vekly. The touth remains that the drags do ameliorate the worst ‘fmysymptoms~and often, forme ina way that eels rocessry There ate days wien cannot get even hall {nhourof work done without mediation, That was also the case before the drugs) Projects and pitches Ianguishunfinishedthisarilewouldneverhavebeen wnlten without dexamphetamine ‘So, for now, continue to make my desl withthe devil ean go day without the drugs relishing my faved unmedicated mind ~andthen Fi have days ‘School foggy so dangerously unproductive, hat Trlkosing cients and goback tthe pls. One day ItellmyselPikik the drug for good @ "he Garin | 200822 | SATURDAY | 37Weekly answers for enquiring minds ~ coma — GtKianWeeklyCULTURE Bret McKenzie has written duets forman and Muppet, parodied Morrissey in The Simpsons, and become the go-to guy for bringing ‘heart’ to Hollywood movies. Now, with help from some top LA musos, he’s ready to see if people want to hear the guy behind the gags the Muppets, while rakingupoceasonalactingrolesin lmssuchas he Lordof byitsdelight innovation and wordplay -Thlsyenr, Mckenzie’ career takes an unexpected turn with the release of his first non-comedy solo record, Songs Withoat Jokes. ts tracks carry notes fof Steely Dan, Hatry Nilsson and Randy Newman, Atscontufbutorsineide some of Los Angeles most. fevered session musiclans, and while there Is “unquestionably great witat ply. cheresalsosinceity ndaltendemess, Try adnate fanny rasacurioussonguriting ‘ullenge” says eKenze, speaking fom his home Sudioin Wellington, ew Zealand. "When stated, ett litle naked, because think in comedy songs you're hing behind jokes. You dont realy open youselfup.” exposing or unduly austere father they just land ‘iferenty. "Tere stilt fara playfulness thotlfindhardtoresist "besa. "buttwasinteresting sndacethey werealsurprisedthisisnot what they vereexpectng” ‘McKenzies wel aware of what people have come toexpect from him, i'm hited top the hear ito Songs or projects," show he explains i. “They've mate money from, but they eed your soul to putinto these songs or these scripts. And the more Songs I've done or fim, the more velearned that ‘Agoodexamplels Manor Muppet atackfiom 201's ‘The Muppets that coved Menai an Oscar fr best ginal song. The song performs lke a traditional power ballad, uniting two characters = human son ‘achsuddenlyscessomeaspectofhinselintheothe: ‘Ando wrote tthe way you would wits genuine, heartfelt ballad" MeKenziesys. "But the materials about beinga manora muppet woe with Fight of the Conchords. Business Time, for instance, which appeared onthe duo's debut EP.strucktheseductvetoneofs Barry Whitenumber, whl itsyrcs tol of eroticism eroded by domestic routine: “Gin, tonight we're gonna make Tove,” Ie purred. "You know how T know? Because I's Wednesday / And Wednesday isthe might that we usually makelove: Mckenzie recalls hove devoted he and Clement were to honing their songwriting. "We used to rend hours singing the same song over and over sd over again, ust toga out thea tog lye to sit perfect)” he says. "Because you change & couple of words here oF there and Sometimes it Alcan’ fit and then you'd be singing and miss the ‘word forthe nextline Sl took come ine for Helly wood o warm to the pale-orpethaps for them to come to understand the peculiar dance of showbusness in Los Angeles Mekensie recalls driving between meetings with Eudioexecutiveslementinthepassengersett tlt gent on speakerphone imploring ther ust bing ‘litlemorepeptothelrnext meeting “Hedsay: "Ty Frogchorus forges rainbow erm forthe ppets reboots putting bit more energy in. Just try it-justbe bit venvehen he began orkingwithDiseythestudio ssomed sceptical about MeKenale' ality to write Songs for the Muppets. And when he wrote Man or ‘Muppet, thoy werent eatirely convinced by t."Thad torecord another version ofthe same songbecasse fealy believe ould doit: Hess “Anyway sinc then they're obviously very supportive and vebeen realy ue, "headds, dplomatially.“Butalsoitwas cultural adjustment. "These days MeKenciereardsthefilm songwriting procese aha pune halfeocery.-Thejopequites Totikedoingcrosswordsorsudoks hesays,butfor ‘mei'susually about getting the melody andthe ric ea Istkeatchery where yougettt fuse, [guess ‘And when got that ight [ean sual tel, boca Teankeepplayingitover and over and overagainand salen ‘Songs Without Jokes took root in the lm sessions MeKenzieworkedoninLos Angles. Standinginsome tf the best recording studios inthe words he was ‘rounded by acelaimed musicanseuch es gutarat, ‘eanParksandbasslstLee Sklar, producerand planist Drew Ercksonanddrummer oy aronker;mareling ‘thei sil, andstathedby thefath they hadi 1d had this ides of wanting to do something diferent and T mentioned it to Lee one day" he remembers "Andhewassopestiveandenthuslasic esaldThatsounds grea. min't wasacoolmoment forme, boca hi enthasiaem forthe Wea nd his willingness tote involved gave me this real ost of (,Tshould do tht hould go fort” elighisup when hetalbsaboutthis time these players; ofthe day ParksCULTURE roled uptothestutiowithatrackloadof.00 guitars Sound” of Steely Dan, and of how ches Caswell the Tongstandingcomposerandarrangerforthesppets, ishimesit "quite Muppetyina nay “Most of them are fom diferent generation of rusian "MeKensiestys"They repre cutandpte ‘Theylustdowholetaterofthesong,andthetakesare really great People don't eal ply Iie that so much nowlthinkaletofsongsnowarewnitteninpiecesand then puttogether” songwriting and musilanshiptorthealbum. Over the Yeatshehad collected anumberof song aliwitht {okes, often written at night and when his chien ‘were small. He used bis family a kind of quality Control: ifhis wife poked her head around the doot ‘Overheard him playing, he knew he was on toa ‘winner. similly, fhe eardhischikren stl singing longo one ofthe tunes the next morning beknew heer somethingeatey. ‘Out ofthese home recordings, he and producer Dekey Petals, with whom MeKenzlehadworkeden FlightoftheConchordsand Muppets ater began toassemble demos. intaly aiming fora 70ssound, thei sharedloveforsynthessersand drum machines happenedia the7osand Sosintheserecordingstudios thatmakes me wish was heres Mekensiesas."It Justsounds kei wassuchagolentimeofrecording” ekensie waste tricky the peed with ehich the session payers were ale to works It cry the Wisdom theyhave,thestuo wisdom, hele things ‘hateanveallyelpwththerecardingprocessbesays With the session musicians on side, hand Ptralia. reasoned they could makeanalbumtinfour days. sheepish witenasked wherethe delay ocurred. "The Singing, basically" he ugh. °Allmy demos havea realos ndieloovenesstothem,becase my playing isalitlemore low key” he explains. “But suddenly ‘eentheband vas supertick waite Oh my God! Tverealy goto plck up my gamehee, guy'so that vwasabigchallenge” The sick, besays wastosing the Songs over and over, to settle them nA Lrealse now thatTmpettingaitlemoreexpeiencedandthat Thou pay abit more attention ova key a song is Inbeforetrecordit> DcKenate has now been home for three years the result of New Zealand's controled approach to the Pandemic. Heals of how good it hasbeen o spend Time with his wifeand thre hildren, bat a icker of ‘abinfevermovesacrosshisfaceashespeats."Thats ‘prety bigabift for me after living and workingin Los Angeles, and traveling and touring for probably 20 years" besa. W's pretty strange" ‘Sullherohasbeenan unexpected ichnesstothese| Jandlocked monthsinhishomeland, “There's thing with New Zealand wherelatso peopl eave oe work ‘pportunitiesand things," hesays. "But duingovid ‘everyone came bac, because seemed like good Place tabe, Soies been quite an interesting ime Wellington, because there's been ll these c00l people returning with all these coal sills” And Kenzie has kept busy. Just prior lockdown he Tokina iat in2003,(etew) Picking up Orr pea avery many ‘There’sbeen enough time and distance. A Flight of the Conchords reunion could be afunthing todo’ was wotkshoppinga musical adaptation of George Ssunder story The ie nd Frightening Reign of Phil with the director Lyndsey Turner and the PlaywightTim Price Sincthentherehavebeensongs fora Ron Howard-directed animation, the possible revival ofa long back burmered Holywood project about aman stuck na musical, and, of course, an ‘Sprnghil.inwhichhepatodiedthe ork of ory. ‘MeKenzie laughs ashe recalls writing the track Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (and Possibly You) and the subsequent “weird am Zoom session with Renedict Cumberatch (wha inthe episode pays (uilloughby. ead singer of The Shuts doing is best Morisey impression twas nota particularly big ask. “ma pretty big Smiths fan, soit wasnthardfor metochanne! that sound.” hes, contempiateaFighoftheconehordsreuion."Tdont now what wouldbe, andi canon speakformysal, ‘utlimprobsblymoreinterestedthan wouldvebeen inthopasthesays. There's just been enough time, ‘ough istanes try anadothingsthat wilfind in, Sndithinkthatouldbeafunthingtodonon”™ Torthetime einghe looking forwatd touring ‘thenew recor, ebeingintheroomithactal people ‘once more. "Tspent to uch time workingat home Testhe sme for everyone,” hesighs. ily the ask of remote working has meant MeKenaie has been Yeminded afresh ast how stiange, and funy, and Serlousand weird hisjobcansometimesbe “(doatheseZoomsandthese emails hesays, “it Ikehaving a office ob. ut then realise the sublet matteris'singingunicors ‘Brerkencles Songs Without sokesirleasedon Friday i SibPop.