POT CULTURE'S GREATEST HITS

Local Stoners Rate Their On-Screen Counterparts

We've seen it countless times in countless movies: the dazed and confused
stoner, unable to do much more than get the munchies and say "Hey, man"
over and over. Blame Cheech and Chong, blame Reefer Madness, but when you
consider the huge variety of people out here who do actually smoke
marijuana--professionals, academics, musicians, filmmakers, writers,
government employees, homemakers, whomever--it's pretty weird that it's so
rare we see anything more than a less-than-articulate stereotype portrayed
on the screen. (Think Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High and you've
pretty much got it nailed.)

Or at least, that's how it seems at first puff. Take another hit off that
joint, however, and you'll see how the image of the stoner is starting to
change in popular culture. Take Poltergeist: while most audiences merely
remember it as a fright-fest, connoisseurs of marijuana movies will no
doubt recall the scene where the spooky little girl walks in on her parents
smoking a joint. In a movie where everything else is going crazy, it comes
off as a simply normal slice of life. Or how about that scene in Peggy Sue
Got Married where Kathleen Turner "blows some weed" (and a few
preconceptions) with the local beatnik? Then there's the more recent
offering of Saving Grace, in which a financially strapped upper-class
British woman starts growing some green to keep herself out of the red.

But as we found out when putting this issue together, few everyday people
are willing to go on record as pot smokers. I decided to ask folks who
weren't afraid to put their marijuana where their mouths are--specifically,
some of Victoria's noted stoner bands--for their favourite pop culture pot
moments.

"I thought about your standards," says local singer Kimmy Sweetgrass, "you
know--Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas--but
then I remembered the scene from 9 to 5 where Lily Tomlin steals her son's
stash, akes the recently fired Dolly Parton home with her, and the two of
them get really high." Far from being a Dolly fan, Sweetgrass likes the way
that smoking pot gives the two women the opportunity--and the excuse--to
bond. "It's totally mainstream and such a cheesy-ass movie," she laughs,
"but it's such an awesome scene: two regular people strip away their
facades and set themselves on a course of action that changes their lives
forever. And it's while they're high together that they come up with the
plan to kidnap their misogynistic boss and take over the business."

Could be that that scene also reminds Sweetgrass of home, too. "I smoked my
first joint with my mom," she admits. "My family were artists and hippies,
and I grew up in an environment that completely demystified it. It makes a
lot of sense to be honest."

Sticky Kola, frontman and songwriter for King Bong-- "the self-appointed
official ambassadors of B.C. bud"--found time while working on their new
album, Grow, to come up with two top picks. "First of all, Frank Zappa's
200 Motels," he notes. "Specifically, the scene where they're sitting
around smoking a reefer, talking about what an asshole Frank is and how
they have to kick him out of the band. They've got a fake Frank doll, and
they're all pointing at it--hilarious!" Once he finishes giggling, Kola
calms down and continues. "And the episode of Six Feet Under where the guy
discovers his dead father had a secret room where he went to smoke pot and
dance to '60s psychedelic music." Kola feels that by adding some dope
content to the current quirky hit, Six Feet Under's producers were trying
to make a point not only about the show's audience but also about the
multi-generational nature of marijuana.

"I think the generational shift is really starting to show itself," he
muses. "Grandparents who busted all that territory for us in the '60s are
now old people who still smoke pot, and I think they're not surprised when
their kids and grandkids are involved anymore. It's not such a shock for
everybody."

Speaking of stereotypes, Brian--who describes himself as "just the drummer"
for smoke-heavy groove outfit Smoked Out Brainzzz--leans towards the
classics when asked for his flick picks.

"Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke, man," he chuckles. "I watched that when I
was younger and it brought on a lot of what I do today, I'm sure." Hmmm,
okay . . . anything, uh, less predictable? "I love the Trailer Park Boys
episode where they guy's growing a pot plant in the back of his car!"

In general, though, Brian feels that the media-generated image of pot
smokers has been improving lately. "It's way more realistic nowadays than
it's ever been," he says. "In the older movies, it was, like, you'd smoke a
joint and go insane, hack somebody up. Our last album (the funky Have A
Nice Day) starts with a sample of Reefer Madness: 'Should you ever be
confronted with the temptation of taking that first puff of a marijuana
cigarette--don't do it!' It's crazy how they used to depict it. Now, it's
more like American Beauty, where you have a smoke and just chill right out."

Another musician in the know is Zolabud's guitarist and songwriter Kevin,
who picks a different cinema classic. "I always go back to Easy Rider," he
says enthusiastically. "That one scene where Jack Nicholson takes his first
little hoot and is, like, 'Oooh, I don't know about this.' Then you see him
riding down the street--that's probably the most positive image I can think
of."

Kevin likes how the take on pot culture is improving in the mainstream.
"They're making references to weed on radio and TV that you never would've
heard 10 years ago, you know? Maybe they're starting to realize that
alcohol is the bigger problem; maybe they're starting to figure out that
their approach to marijuana is not quite right." Now that would be worth
making a movie about. Oh wait, someone already did--check out Ron Mann's Grass.

Just be sure you've got plenty of popcorn.