What's your favorite Cheech & Chong movie?

[GReedDiamond]

10. We worked with the California Marijuana Initiative...

...in '83, helping to set up a July 3-4 smoke-in outside of the US Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles.

My band, The Hundredth Monkey, performed, along with Black Flag (with Henry Rollins on vocals), Chuck Dukowski's band Würm (Chuck was bass player from Black Flag), and a bunch of other bands I can't recall now.

Also, the legendary pro-cannabis advocate Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, was one of the speakers we had on stage that weekend. Jack was still writing the book at that time, and I'd hang out with him back at my art studio in Pasadena, and he'd tell me about the book he was working on.

The smoke-in went off without a hitch, with zero police interference -- a good time was had by all.

On October 30 of '83, we set up a "Rock Against Reagan" event at the same Federal Building, which featured again, The Hundredth Monkey and the great Minutemen, and an interesting band from back east (Ohio?) called Stick Against Stone.

This time there was a massive police presence, including snipers in surrounding hi-rise buildings, and a counter-protest by pro-Shah of Iran supporters, who, unlike us, had no permits for their demonstration. The difference between the July 3-4 event and that of October 30 was startling and frightening. I'm guessing the TPTB did not want another repeat of a peaceful, fun and informative event as we had in July.

By the end of 1984, D. Boon of the Minutemen was dead, and the first wave of L.A. punk had passed. It was downhill all the way, from there.

Now I'm 61, with the brain of a 16 year old punk rocker with 45+ years of life experiences, good and bad -- but mostly good.

(Cue the Mary Hopkins' song Those Were The Days my friend, we though they'd never end.)