Critical listening and altered states

You listen with your brain not your ears. The ears are only the hole the sound comes thru.
Altering brain chemistry can increase pleasure but usually at the expense of true critical thinking. If you’ve ever written down those mind bending epiphanies and read them back the next morning you’ll know what I mean.
If you think the stereo sounds better high and all your doing is listening what can be better than that? On the other hand making large purchases not including pizza is probably not the best decision you can make in the long run.

Altered States,,, great movie.  Especially when high

Something not addressed regarding the altered states of critical creation.  Much of the music we adore comes at the detriment of the artist who created it.

There is an interesting article about Charlie Parker and how his heroin addiction contributed to his genius.
https://nypost.com/2017/02/05/charlie-parkers-heroin-addiction-helped-make-him-a-genius/

Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain.  

Was Rickie Lee Jones much more creative as an alcoholic?
The Beatles took a lot of hallucinogenic (and other) drugs to create some of the best music of all time.

I'm not suggesting opioid use for anyone but alternate states of mind can allow you to make connections that weren't there previously.  They can be a training tool to help you listen differently.  

Whether you imbibe, don't imbibe believe in power cables or not it's all a personal choice.  We still have the ability to choose.

I really miss these artists but would I if they hadn't partook in the poison that killed them? 

For instance, Diana Krall - Black Crow

It's a cover of a Joni Mitchell song. Mathematically it may measure better but its a pales in musical comparison to the original.  
I'm in this hobby to feel, to have a song take me somewhere.  This is a great example of technician vs musician.  
Joni not only wrote it but performed it.  Is performance measurable?  I have a (maybe unhealthy) connection with Joni Mitchell.  A lot of singers attempt Joni Mitchell songs but like kissing your sister (don't have a sister so I really wouldn't know)  it's not the same.

I think that "critical listening" isn't just about being frequency response, accuracy and all the other attributes you want to assign it but it's all about the only thing that really matters which is the music.

In this society where strong emotions are stifled if an enhanced state of mind helps you emotional  connect to sound and rhythm then it's critical listening.  I you are listening with a measuring microphone more power to you but  you are only getting a partial picture of what is really happening.

Thank you for mentioning this! I looked it up. Very cool.
I have to say, that I disagree. I prefer Diana Krall's version of it

I'm not sure how to respond to that???
Cassandra Wilson does a version also which at least takes it somewhere new.  

I'm not much of a DKrall fan but has she ever written a song?

Umm..yes we are humans. We didn’t land here on a UFO space ship.

Are you sure.
The first chapter of Ezekiel 
http://spaceshipsofezekiel.com/html/ships-05-b.html#:~:text=Verse%205%3AEzekiel%20sees%20the%20four%....

Sounds to me like they were just checking up on their science experiment.