Watch Kiss and Motley Crue ‘Rock Against Drugs’ in ‘80s MTV Ads

Despite
not
fully
agreeing
with
the
methods
of
the
Reagan
administration’s “Just
Say
No”
campaign,
some
of
the ’80s
biggest
rock
stars
shared
anti-drug
messages
on
their
own
terms
with
MTV’s
Rock
Against
Drugs
commercial
series.

“For
millions
of
teen-age
rock
fans
grappling
with
the
temptations
of
drug
and
alcohol
abuse,
Nancy
Reagan’s ‘Just
Say
No’
just
does
not
work,”
declared
music
industry
veteran
and
Rock
Against
Drugs
producer
Danny
Goldberg
in
a
1987


Los
Angeles
Times
opinion
piece. “Most
rockers
have
rejected
any
association
with ‘Just
Say
No’
because
they
believe
its
condescending
tone
conflicts
with
what
they
feel
is
the
emotional
honesty
of
rock ‘n’
roll.”

After
already
being
subjected
to
having

warning
labels
added
to
their
records
as
a
result
of
Tipper
Gore
and
the
PMRC’s “Filthy
Fifteen”
campaign,
the
musicians
involved
in
the
Rock
Against
Drugs
campaign
sought
to
take
control
of
the
narrative
by
sharing
their
drug
experiences
or
advice
in
a
way
that
felt
authentic
to
them.

Read
More:

Top
30
Weed
Songs

“Gene
Simmons
and

Paul
Stanley
of

Kiss
have
been
telling
fans
for
more
than
10
years
not
to
take
drugs,”
Goldberg
noted.
Stanley’s
commercial
features
him
surrounded
by
beautiful
women
at
a
party,
sarcastically
noting
what
he’s “lost”
by
not
doing
drugs: “I’ve
got
no
friends,
I
don’t
get
invited
to
any
parties.
Women
ignore
me…
I
don’t
even
have
a
real
job.”

Simmons
in
unrecognizable
at
the
start
of
his
commercial,
appearing
in
a
monster
mask
declaring “drugs
are
great,
drugs
make
me
strong.”
He
then
tears
off
the
mask
and
stares
very
earnestly
into
the
camera. “You
believe
that
crap?
You
believe
all
that
stuff
they’re
handing
you
about
drugs?
You
want
to
believe
in
something?
How
about
yourself.
Don’t
do
drugs.”

Of
course,
some
critics
were
quick
to
point
out
the
risk
of
hypocrisy
involved
when
musicians
who
had
their
own
public
struggles
or
legal
issues
with
substance
abuse
tried
to
offer
advice
on
clean
living.
Some
of
the
musicians
involved
in
the
campaign,
such
as
Belinda
Carlisle,
later
admitted
that
their
own
drug
problems

continued
long
after
they
appeared
in
their
commercials.

“Rock
against
drugs,
what
a
fucking
name.
Somebody
was
high
when
they
came
up
with
this
title,”
comedian
Sam
Kinison

noted
on
1988’s

Have
You
Seen
Me
Lately?
album. “Hello,
listen
don’t
get
caught
with
drugs,”
he
intones
in
the
serious
voice
of
a
fictional
rock
star, “or
you’ll
have
to
do
a
commercial,
just
like
this
one…”

(Tragically,
soon
after
reportedly
getting
sober
himself,
Kinison
was
killed
by
a
drunk
driver
in
1992.)

But
it’s
hard
to
argue
with
the
intentions
of
this
campaign,
or
the
sincerity
of
the
artists
involved. “A
good
friend
of
mine,
Sid
Vicious,
died
from
drugs,”

Sex
Pistols
guitarist
Steve
Jones
plainly
declared
in
his
commercial. “I
nearly
died
from
drugs.
Drugs
suck.”

Watch
Paul
Stanley’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Vince
Neil’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Gene
Simmons’ ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Ted
Nugent’s
Rock
Against
Drugs
Commercial
(Starts
at
1:25)

Watch
Steve
Jones’ ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Bon
Jovi’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Belinda
Carlisle’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Ronnie
James
Dio’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Phil
Collins’ ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Cinderella’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

 

Watch
Lou
Reed’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

 

Watch
Sheena
Easton’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

 

Watch
Aimee
Mann’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

 

Watch
Vicki
Peterson’s ‘Rock
Against
Drugs’
Commercial

Watch
Kiss’
1988
Anti-Drug
PSA