---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't drink on an eight hour flight…"
description: "\"You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and then go onstage... well you can, but then you're Spandau Ballet.\" — Robert Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png"
---

#  You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and…

![“You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and then go onstage... well you can, but then you're Spandau Ballet.” quote by Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png)

> “You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and then go onstage... well you can, but then you're Spandau Ballet.”

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attempting to drink excessively on a long flight leads to a chaotic performance, humorously likened to a famous band.

**In simple terms:** Heavy drinking before a show can cause disaster.

Key Takeaway

Avoid overindulgence before performing.

Themes

performance excess humor consequence

Mood

cautionary humorous

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- touring
- live concerts
- event planning

Key Concepts

risk management professionalism self‑control

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain professionalism under pressure?
- What strategies prevent overindulgence before a performance?

A Different Perspective

May underestimate the impact of fatigue and substance use.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/)

## Related quotes

> [I joined Spandau Ballet not because I wanted to be the best musician in the world, but because I wanted to be Elvis Presley,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kemp/i-joined-spandau-ballet-not-because-i-wanted-to-be-the-best-musician/)

[Martin Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kemp/)

> [I have to stay hydrated so I don't pass out onstage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-have-to-stay-hydrated-so-i-don-t-pass-out-onstage/)

[Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/)

> [For 24 hours a day, for 10 years, all I thought about was being in a band. That's all I did. I had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kemp/for-24-hours-a-day-for-10-years-all-i-thought-about-was-being-in-a/)

[Gary Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kemp/)

> [I had 10 wonderful years in Spandau Ballet. It was an incredible way to grow up, to hang out with your best mates, discovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kemp/i-had-10-wonderful-years-in-spandau-ballet-it-was-an-incredible-way/)

[Martin Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kemp/)

> [Our first record with Spandau Ballet went to number five - I guess we were offering something different and it appealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kemp/our-first-record-with-spandau-ballet-went-to-number-five-i-guess-we/)

[Martin Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kemp/)

> [Im not a nostalgia freak, I never listen to old Spandau Ballet stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/im-not-a-nostalgia-freak-i-never-listen-to-old-spandau-ballet-stuff/)

[Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/)

> [“at eight A.M. We landed in Los Angeles five hours later, but our connecting flight was delayed for four hours. Well, L.A. time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-m-martin/at-eight-a-m-we-landed-in-los-angeles-five-hours-later-but-our/)

[Ann M. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-m-martin/)

> [Oh and Joey Jordison called and said he digs our new record. Last night was beyond that which words can describe. Now an 11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-worsnop/oh-and-joey-jordison-called-and-said-he-digs-our-new-record-last/)

[Danny Worsnop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-worsnop/)

> [“An escort from the lounge took us to the plane for the fourteen-and-a-half-hour flight to Los Angeles. As a result of my special status,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/an-escort-from-the-lounge-took-us-to-the-plane-for-the-fourteen-and-a/)

[Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/)

> [A five-hour flight works out to three days and nights on land, by rail, from sea to shining sea. You can chalk off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/a-five-hour-flight-works-out-to-three-days-and-nights-on-land-by-rail/)

[Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/)

> [You don't want to be wearing tight jeans and a blingy jacket on a 16-hour flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/you-don-t-want-to-be-wearing-tight-jeans-and-a-blingy-jacket-on-a-16/)

[Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/)

> [I always thought when I hit 50 years old that'd be it for the travel. I don't have to tell you - you wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-setzer/i-always-thought-when-i-hit-50-years-old-that-d-be-it-for-the-travel/)

[Brian Setzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-setzer/)

> [There is nothing better than getting to just dig in and seriously play a video game for a six-hour flight from New York to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/there-is-nothing-better-than-getting-to-just-dig-in-and-seriously/)

[Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/)

> [Nothing feels better then to sit down on a six-hour flight with tired muscles from a workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/nothing-feels-better-then-to-sit-down-on-a-six-hour-flight-with-tired/)

[Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/)

> [When I finished filming and I flew back home to Australia, I really did not want to take that 14-hour flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sarsgaard/when-i-finished-filming-and-i-flew-back-home-to-australia-i-really/)

[Peter Sarsgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sarsgaard/)

## More by Robert Smith

> [I've discovered special makeup by a company called M.A.C. You could wear it on the surface of the sun and it wouldn't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-ve-discovered-special-makeup-by-a-company-called-m-a-c-you-could/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [There were only two times in my life when I've actually felt down about things and gotten myself into a full mental mess. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/there-were-only-two-times-in-my-life-when-i-ve-actually-felt-down/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [See the ridiculous in everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/see-the-ridiculous-in-everything/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I really enjoy what I do, and who I'm with and where I am. Having said that, I'm not really a person of habit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-really-enjoy-what-i-do-and-who-i-m-with-and-where-i-am-having-said/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I do a job I really, really love and I kind of have fun with. People think you can't be grown up unless you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-do-a-job-i-really-really-love-and-i-kind-of-have-fun-with-people/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I honestly don't class myself as a songwriter. I've got 'musician' written on my passport. That's even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-honestly-don-t-class-myself-as-a-songwriter-i-ve-got-musician/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I've got a Facebook page, but I've never put anything on it. I've got a presence on all the social networks, in fact, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-ve-got-a-facebook-page-but-i-ve-never-put-anything-on-it-i-ve-got-a/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I don't want The Cure to fizzle out doing 45-minute shows of greatest hits. That would be awful for our legacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-don-t-want-the-cure-to-fizzle-out-doing-45-minute-shows-of-greatest/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [“There is no secret so close as that between a rider and her horse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/there-is-no-secret-so-close-as-that-between-a-rider-and-her-horse/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [Both me and my wife's extended family all live within a 50-mile radius. Like me, a lot of them did time in London then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/both-me-and-my-wife-s-extended-family-all-live-within-a-50-mile/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I think that if you become a parent, you stop being a child, and your position in relation to your parents changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-think-that-if-you-become-a-parent-you-stop-being-a-child-and-your/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I get a much more extreme reaction when I have my hair really short. I look thuggish when I shave my head and wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-get-a-much-more-extreme-reaction-when-i-have-my-hair-really-short-i/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [“So I've come up with a plan,' he said quickly, as if hoping to get his idea in before I could stop him. 'I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/so-i-ve-come-up-with-a-plan-he-said-quickly-as-if-hoping-to-get-his/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [The idea of appealing to people of a like mind and like spirit always appealed to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/the-idea-of-appealing-to-people-of-a-like-mind-and-like-spirit-always/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [I'd rather spend my time looking at the sky than listening to Whitney Houston.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-d-rather-spend-my-time-looking-at-the-sky-than-listening-to-whitney/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

[Explore all 114 Robert Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

## More Ballet quotes

> [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/)

[Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/)

> [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/)

Fernando Bujones

> [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/)

[Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/)

> [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/)

[Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/)

> [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/)

[Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/)

> [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/)

[Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/)

> [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/)

Peter Martins

> [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/)

[Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/)

> [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/)

[Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/)

> [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/)

[Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/)

> [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/)

[Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/)

> [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/)

[Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/)

> [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/)

[Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/)

> [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/)

[Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/)

[Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and then go onstage... well you can, but then you're Spandau Ballet.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight-pass-out-and-then-go-onstage/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ballet"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight-pass-out-and-then-go-onstage/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/robert-smith-4218_ballet_you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight_2524209.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can't drink on an eight hour flight, pass out, and then go onstage... well you can, but then you're…” — Robert Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You can't drink on an eight...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight-pass-out-and-then-go-onstage/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/you-can-t-drink-on-an-eight-hour-flight-pass-out-and-then-go-onstage/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
