Cultural references to absinthe

The legacy of absinthe as a mysterious, addictive, and mind-altering drink continues to this day. Though its psychoactive effects and chemical makeup are contested, its cultural impact is not. Absinthe has played a notable role in the fine art movements of Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Surrealism, Modernism, Cubism... and in the corresponding literary movements. The legendary drink has more recently appeared in movies, video, television, music, and contemporary literature. The modern absinthe revival has had a notable effect on its portrayal.It is often shown as an unnaturally glowing green liquid demonstrating the influence of contemporary marketing efforts.

Contents 1 Arts and literature 1.1 Arts 1.2 Literature 1.3 Contemporary literature 2 Television 3 Music 4 Film 5 Miscellaneous 6 References 7 External links

Arts and literature

Arts

Absinthe has a widely documented role in 19th century visual art and was frequently the subject of many genre paintings and still lifes of the day.

• Edgar Degas' painting L'Absinthe (1876) portrayed grim absinthe drinkers in a cafe. Degas himself never called the painting "L'Absinthe"; it was either his art dealer or a later owner who gave it the name. Years later, it set off a flurry in the London art world, and the grim realism of "L'Absinthe" (a theme popular with bohemian artists) was perceived by London art critics as a lesson against alcohol and the French in general.

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was notorious for his consumption of the green muse. He often painted impressionistic scenes of the brothels and night spots^[1] of 19th century Montmartre. Lautrec was even known to carry a hollow cane filled with absinthe during long nights out in Paris.^[2] An example of Lautrec's work featuring absinthe would be the painting Monsieur Boileau au café.

• Édouard Manet began his career with The Absinthe Drinker (1858), oil on canvas^[3] demonstrating that at least he was exposed to the drink and its effects.

• Vincent Van Gogh was anything but a man of moderation. He drank ferocious quantities of absinthe^[4] while creating his signature painting style. His ear removing episode is often attributed to over consumption of absinthe^[5] as is his liberal use of the color yellow.^[6]

• Picasso depicted absinthe in different media, including the paintings "Woman Drinking Absinthe" (1901) and "Bottle of Pernod and Glass" (1912), and the sculpture "Absinthe Glass" (1914).

• Paul Gauguin is known for consuming large quantities of absinthe.^[7] His bold use of flat color has also been attributed to the influence of absinthe.^[8]

Literature

As prominent as absinthe's influence on visual art was, it is perhaps even more noteworthy in the context of 19th century literature. Below is a short list of important authors who credited a portion of their literary success to the drink.

• Oscar Wilde was an avid absinthe consumer and often wrote about the drink in connection with the creative process. Oscar Wilde has been quoted as saying, "What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?"^[9][10] and "After the first glass [of absinthe] you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world." ^[11]

• In Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, disappointed with the quality of other liquor available, Robert Jordan turns to absinthe while fighting with the loyalist guerrillas. Absinthe is also featured in Hemingway's short story Hills Like White Elephants. Hemingway himself was a frequent absinthe drinker and most likely procured his absinthe from Spain and Cuba after the ban.^[12]

• Baudelaire was an avid absinthe drinker. Though he never wrote specifically about absinthe he did reference it in his famous poem "get drunk". ^[13]

• Paul Marie Verlaine was a famous Parisian poet of the Bohemian style, Though he wrote extensively about the benefits absinthe in his early years, he later claimed to have consorted with prostitutes and men while drinking it, and blamed the beverage for his downfalls. Even when he was on his deathbed, his friends were said to be hiding bottles for him under his pillow. ^[14]

• Arthur Rimbaud was a young Parisian poet who was notably involved in a homosexual relationship with Paul Verlaine. They famously drank large quantity's of absinthe together. Their relationship ended when Rimbaud was shot in the hand by Verlaine, who was then sentenced to prison. Later in life Rimbaud quit drinking absinthe and writing poetry and instead became involved in military exploits and gun running. He is still regarded as one of France's greatest poets. ^[14]

• Ernest Dowson was an important English poet who notable wrote a poem dedicated to absinthe called "Absinthia Taetra".

• Guy de Maupassant was a naturalistic French author. He is generally considered one of the greatest French short story writers.^[15] In one famous work of prose "A Queer Night in Paris" he describes the smells and sensations of absinthe in the streets of Paris and makes an overt reference to "the hour to take absinthe". ^[16]

• Alfred Jarry is notably the author of the French absurdist play, Ubu Roi. Jarry claimed to use absinthe to "fuse together the dream and reality, art and lifestyle". ^[14] The drink was purported by the author to be a key part of his creative process.

Contemporary literature

• Absinthe figures heavily into the plot of The Basic Eight, a 1999 novel by Daniel Handler, which features Bohemian characters of which are drawn to absinthe by its dangerous history.^[17]

• Gemma Doyle, the main character of Libba Bray's 2007 sequel Rebel Angels (set in 1895) drinks Absinthe with her friends at a Christmas ball, and experiences hallucinatory effects.

• The characters in Poppy Z. Brite's short story, His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood discover a crate of absinthe, the consumption of which forms the backdrop against which their transgressive antics occur. The short story can be found in Swamp Foetus.

• I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell contains a story in which the author, Tucker Max, experiences absinthe for the first time.

• The poem Bottle Fairy by Jeremy Colangelo contains frequent references to absinthe.

• An absinthe hallucination may or may not have inspired a murder in The Second Glass of Absinthe, a 2003 mystery novel by Michelle Black, set in 1880 Leadville, Colorado.^[18]

Television

Though less noteworthy than its influence in movies, art and literature, absinthe has also been depicted on many television series.

• The Fine Living Channel's flagship The Thirsty Traveler reality TV series dedicated an entire episode to absinthe in 2004. The host traveled to several distilleries in different countries and observed the process and flavors of contemporary absinthe.^[19]

• In the episode "Some Buried Bones" from CSI: NY, the victim who is leaving a secret society at Hudson University, returns his absinthe spoon as part of the de-initiation rite. The spoon is later found with the victim.^[20]

• Absinthe played a prominent role in HBO's cable television series Carnivale. The drink is frequently consumed by the mysterious blind seer Professor Lodz (played by Patrick Bauchau) in the television series.^[21]

• Evil immortal Christoph Kuyler from the television series Highlander: The Series episode "For Evil's Sake".^[22]] is addicted to absinthe.

• Absinthe makes an appearance on Anthony Bourdain's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations during the 2005 pilot episode, "Why the French Don't Suck", in which he visits France. The distilling process is discussed, and he drinks some "real" vintage absinthe.^[23]

• Betty Williams of Coronation Street starting drinking absinthe in one episode. The drink was also featured in rival British soap opera Emmerdale.

• In "The Big Lockout" episode of this UK comedy series Black Books the character Manny finds himself locked in his shop and precedes to drink an entire bottle of absinthe as a substitute for water. In the episode he expects to go crazy, but ultimately just ends up with a bad hangover. Bernard also refers to it as "the drink that makes you want to kill yourself instantly."^[24]

• In episode 4 of the second series of The IT Crowd, the goth character Richmond states, at a dinner party, that he only drinks absinthe. However upon hearing that none is available he says that Carlsberg is fine.

• In episode 11 of the fourth Gossip Girl season, Serena van der Woodsen is shown preparing, and then drinking absinthe in a boarding school flashback.

• On an episode of the GSN series Late Night Liars, host Larry Miller was shown introducing Weasel to absinthe, commenting on its illegality and supposedly hallucinogenic nature. After just one sip, Weasel claimed that his bow tie was trying to "strangulate" him.

• During a speed bump task on episode 11 of Season 15 on The Amazing Race, Brian and Ericka had to make a shot of absinthe and drink it before receiving their next clue.

• In the British comedy series Bottom in the episode 'Dough', when Eddie is getting the drinks in, he asks Richie what he wants. Unable to make his mind up, he asks for a pint of absinthe. The bartender then declares that there's a gay pub down the road if he wants to go there. Later on, when they all take the first drink, Richie drinks a large amount, then spits it out declaring "This is shit!"

• In the episode The Perfect Cocktail of How I Met Your Mother Lily mantions that when Robin drinks absinthe she hallucinates that she is floating.

Music

• Marilyn Manson has been an avid fan of absinthe since the recording of the Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) album.^[25] He has also developed his own brand of the drink, entitled Mansinthe.

• On Minus The Bear's 2002 debut album, Highly Refined Pirates, there is a track entitled "Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse". It is one of their most popular tracks among fans.

• Cradle Of Filth has a song entitled "Absinthe with Faust" on their album Nymphetamine.

• The Nine Inch Nails video for "The Perfect Drug" casts Trent Reznor as a grieving father who drinks absinthe as an escape.

• Blood Axis and Les Joyaux De La Princesse released a concept album called Absinthe: La Folie Verte.

• Mayer Hawthorne has a song entitled "Green Eyed Love" on his first album "A Strange Arrangement". Although the lyrics of the song seem to reflect on his relationship with a green-eyed girl, the music video^[26] puts the lyrics in a different light, where we can see Mayer Hawthorne unconventionally preparing a glass of absinthe and suffering from hallucinations afterwards.

• The Damned (band) recorded a song titled "Absinthe" on their album Grave Disorder which was released in 2001. It sampled the line Gary Oldman spoke in the film Dracula (1992 film) referring to the green fairy.

• Symphony X recorded a song called "Absinthe and Rue" on their first album, Symphony X.

• Absynthe Minded is a Belgian rock band.

Film

• In the 1932 film entitled Grand Hotel starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore, Joan Crawford orders and drinks absinethe at a Berlin bar.

• The 1994 film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles makes references to absinthe twice. First, Louis is seen drinking absinthe in a bar before he becomes a vampire. Later, Claudia tricks Lestat into drinking the blood of two dead boys. Having recognized that something is wrong, Lestat asks Claudia whether she gave the boys absinthe. Claudia replies that she gave them Laudanum, which killed them but kept their blood warm.^[27]

• The 1995 film Total Eclipse begins with a scene in which a barman prepares absinthe for Paul Verlaine, played by David Thewlis.

• In the 2004 film EuroTrip, characters Scott, Cooper, and Jamie drink absinthe while in a club. The drink is shown glowing an electric green, and its consumption causes hallucinations in some of these characters - one of which is a little green fairy (played by Steve Hytner).

• The 2001 film entitled Moulin Rouge! contains a scene prominently featuring Absinthe and the "green fairy", a hallucination supposedly caused by the drink (and, in this film's case, played by pop star Kylie Minogue and voiced by Ozzy Osbourne.)

• Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) featured absinthe as a key ingredient in Count Dracula's seduction of Mina Harker. The scene opens with the line "the green fairy who lives in the absinthe wants your soul, but you are safe with me".

• From Hell (2001), is a film about Jack the Ripper where Frederick Abberline (Johnny Depp) is depicted with an addiction to absinthe and Laudanum.

• In the 2007 film Blood and Chocolate, Gabriel and several other Loup Garou consume absinthe in the bohemian manner at a popular Romanian bar that their pack frequents.

• The 2010 film Get Him to the Greek features a scene where the main character Aaron Green gets highly intoxicated on 20th Century absinthe.

• In the Swiss-German film Sennentuntschi (2010), the three farmers used absinthe to imagine a straw made sex doll come to life, which is based on real Alpine traditions.

Miscellaneous

• Washington D.C.-based Don and Mike Show has a biannual tradition of doing an entire four-hour show while drinking absinthe, complete with audience participation, interviews, and a news segment.

• In the visual novel Umineko no Naku Koro ni, the absinthe is Kinzo's preferred drink. It was implied that it may have drove him to madness due to its alleged hallucinogenic properties.

References

External links

• Jad Adams, The Drink That Fuelled a Nation's Art, TATE ETC., Issue 5 / Autumn 2005
• Absinthe: The Green Goddess by Aleister Crowley