Damn Stoners, Happy Holidays
First off, let’s not stereotype. Stoners and hippies are two different breeds. However, the current state of affairs seems to be that the two spend all their time together getting people confused about which is which. I’m not here to make that distinction, I’ll just throw out a few Sensible Drug Policy links and a couple MP3’s. For those of you that don’t understand why this post is up, head over to Snopes.com to learn about what pothead’s refer to as 420, and how it applies to today, April, 20th. They’ve got the goods on what’s true and what’s not.
Note: Let me say, right here and right now, that I support initiatives such as NORML, the ACLU’s stance on drug policy, and SSDP. That does not make me a stoner, it means I happen to be an open-minded person regarding Marijuana Prohibition and the misguided war on drugs. That said, enjoy the music and links.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
Snopes.com uncovers the facts on the term “420″
CannabisNews.com has an interesting, if not neutral, article about today.
Now for the music, some of my favorite pot-related songs:
Peter Tosh - Legalize It
Sublime - Smoke Two Joints
Bob Marley - Kaya
Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women No’s 12 and 35 (aka Everybody Must Get Stoned)
Brewer and Shipley - One Toke Over The Line
Boston - Smokin’
New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Panama Red (live 1977-12-07)
John Prine - Illegal Smile
JJ Cale - Days Go By
Yonder Mountain String Band - Two Hits And The Joint Turned Brown (Live 10-31-2005 Urbana)
Enjoy everyone, and if you’re the type to celebrate today, do it safe. I don’t want any readers becomin’ no statistics today. Got that?
Contact Information
Calendar
April 20th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
there have been so many great tunes associated with grass. that first Hempilation album is great too.
April 20th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
you were the first to tell me what “one toke over the line” means. i used to think that it was a grateful dead song that had some religious connotations (it had the word jesus in it, give me a break). anyways, i once sang it to my manager and she smiled in a funny way. it wasn’t until much later that i understood why.
anyways, nice post. it’s pretty funny how marijuana can lead to the creation of beautiful things.
April 21st, 2006 at 5:17 am
i remember at school at the end of term being allowed to bring in some music to share with the class and boy did we get some fab stuff that went right over the teachers head…john loudermilk crashing around at woodstock, jimi hendrix purple haze , give us a ‘F…’ which we loved of course…moonlight mile by the stones and steppenwolf’s snow blind friend…aaah winding up teachers..those were the days…they may have been more savvy than we knew but they couldn’t let on to knowing what the lyrics were about as it would suggest a knowledge beyond the professional bounds….great post as usual..
April 21st, 2006 at 9:02 am
thank you for the kind words, these just happen to be some insanely good tracks I think.
April 21st, 2006 at 4:27 pm
OK, you sort of had me worried there for a minute. Thanks for clarifying this post a little. Ha. Did you ever notice the NORML button in the “memory” box on the wall in the hall? That organization, and a lot of these songs, seemed to be NORML for the era. It just was what it was at the time. I had no idea 4/20 is a big day to some people now, or why. So, I guess I’m sort of “in on the joke” or something. I haven’t gotten the joke for so long…that’s a good thing. :)
Just listened to that GREAT John Prine song, and you know? People didn’t realize, when he wrote it, it wasn’t referring to dope, but when he figured out that everyone liked it because they thought it did? He decided to just let it ride. I love that. Sold a lot of records because of it too.
And JJ Cale? I’ll never forget a friend of yours hearing me playing it, and wondering, what’s up with that? I just like the guy’s music.
OK, I gotta go hear some of those Summer Camp posts. I’m just loving this new source of music man. Thanks for that.
Dad.
April 21st, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Nice choices…I
April 21st, 2006 at 7:41 pm
well well…….420? I like the fact that you actually sat down and wrote a post to clarify the difference between stoners and hippies on this particular day. Yes of course there is quite a huge difference between the two breeds of beings. For example…..instead of pocket compost, stoners dont have them. Instead of not littering, stoners may not believe in a cleaner world, and may throw a gum wrapper here and there. Instead of hiking, being outdoors, etc…..stoners dont go hiking or outdoors except to pick up a satchel.
Now I am not here to say anything relatively close to the point that stoners are looked down upon or anything, for I also agree with you on the fact that I am an open-minded person when it comes to drugs. I am just saying, there is a difference between stoners and hippies; neither good or bad. The one thing they agree with is the fact that they partake in the same daily rituals (just not together). They also tend to listen to the same music…..which leads me to my point.
Music is great, especially hippie/stoner music as many people may call it. I dig it, you dig it, your dad even digs it, and I dig that. Jesus is just alright with me, etc……. Another great post buddy! I love this site. You got something going here.
February 7th, 2007 at 11:07 am
That’s a great story. Waiting for more.