Hugh Dillon's ears are burning - and not because one of his trademark flicked cigarettes ricocheted into his trademark spiky hair.

There's talk the Headstones lead singer has been using heroin, despite his insisting he swore off the junk in 1989. Supporting the new album, Nickels for Your Nightmares, the band plays Thursday in the Shaw Conference Centre. According to guitarist Trent Carr, Dillon had been "dabbling" in the drug for the past few years, but kicked the habit again before it became a huge problem.

This is a more complicated issue than what's suggested by the "Headstones: Clean and Sober Again" kind of headline, Carr says.

"It's not a black-and-white issue. It's not something you can just get over in one session of rehab. It just takes time. I hear people who call these things diseases. I don't know if it's that, but at this point in time he's conquered it and has a hard time with it. But he's doing all right now."

To prove the point that staying "clean and sober" means more than just uttering the words, a song called Above Ground Swimming Pool takes a poke at famous teetotalling rock stars - especially Steven Tyler, who apparently doesn't allow so much as a drop of booze backstage.

"It's about that kind of attitude, I guess," Carr says. "I don't really buy it. Like Keith Richards just came out recently, saying, 'Yeah, I've done heroin every once in a while,' and he's been saying he's clean for 10, 15 years."

Few people know the incredible power of this drug - and they're not talking. They're either keeping it a secret or they're dead. The high from a shot of smack has been described by addicts as "the greatest feeling in the world." Carr, a fortunate "non-addictive personality," doesn't get it "because all they do is sit there and do nothing. And I go, what the (heck)?! I don't get why it's so great. It just doesn't appeal to me at all. I get high by playing music. When we're all clicking, it's the best feeling in the world."

Members of the Headstones have been known to get "totally ripped" while recording or performing, Carr admits, but this time through they're trying a little experiment.

"We're doing this tour totally clean. You drink alcohol or smoke whatever and you get into a zone for playing music. It's cool to try to see that you don't need to use those substances to be all that you can be, to break down your inhibitions and be totally expressive. And lately, the shows have been awesome, more energy than ever. Once you do a few shows and you can trust that clarity and confidence, it's the same kind of high."

Even so, heroin may turn out to be more common in the rock business than fans imagine. As the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde once commented, "These young bands have a big problem now because they all take smack." Two of her band members died from heroin overdose.

And sure, we're all talking about Hugh Dillon behind his back, but we definitely don't want it to happen to the singer for one of the best live bands in Canada.

Tickets to Headstones, with opening acts Clarknova and Fat Man's Belly, are $16 and available at Ticketmaster (451-8000).