Can nois seur ( kan' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who don't use it."
The 1st Annual Cannoisseur Awards 2017
As legalization looms, some of San Francisco's 28 odd dispensaries seem to have dispensed with their medical mission in favor of commercial success. It's not easy to resist temptation. There's an army of entrepreneurs at the gates, salivating at the idea of making big bucks in the weed biz. And at the moment licensed dispensaries are pulling in the lion's share. Think elephant-sized lion.
No one is denying their right to make a profit. It's a noble undertaking. So rather than rail against the inevitable we would like to honor those establishments that provide high-quality product, compassionate service and reasonable prices on their high CBD medicines. These are rapidly growing in popularity due to their effectiveness--even being ingested by people who used to call a cop if you offered them a joint. Slowly cannabis is crossing social lines.
This year we have two first-place winners in the category of Best San Francisco Dispensary.
1. The Bloom Room
Located on Jessie Street between 6th and 5th streets a few doors from the Hampton Hotel this compact, well-run dispensary offers high-level cannabis as well as a variety of Alt-Herb products
including edibles, concentrates and oils. All prices are reasonable with discounts available. An outstanding feature are their $25 eights (on weekends there are a number of fine strains to choose from). The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and sensitive to patient needs.
1. Purple Star MD
Located at 2520 Mission Street and operating under the banner "Healing Is Our Mission" Purple Star MD is partnered with four non-profits: the Shanti Project, AGUILAS, The LGBT Community Center, and The Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, who all share in the proceeds. Their menu includes a wide variety of quality herb and a vast array of healing tinctures, oils, topicals and sprays-all affordably priced and highly effective. The staff makes you feel right at home in their parlor-like atmosphere. It's well worth a visit if only for their new patient goody bag.
Best Delivery Service in San Francisco
JAHnetics.com
A San Francisco grow with a mission, JAHnetics is dedicated to producing the finest weed at the most reasonable prices. They feature discounts and sales on many of their top shelf strains, and they're mostly all top shelf. Their menu is lovely to behold and their phone reps are both helpful and well schooled in the nuances of cannabis. A major resource for bud that heals body and spirit.
1974: The Secret Of The Great Pyramid
Since childhood i had dreamed of visiting The Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. In the Sixties I had trekked to the Temple of Solomon in Baalbek Lebanon in search of illumination and hash, and came away with a bit of both. Back then I made the trip by bus now i could affor plane tickets and a decent hotel. The Great Pyramid was the focal point of my new novel. Through the summer in Morocco I took the plot to the point where it moves to Egypt. And i was ready to move with it.
Suddenly The Israeli/Arab War broke out and all flights to Egypt were grounded.
Undaunted we visited with my mom it Italy while waiting out the war. A month or so later the Cairo airport opened. The next day we booked a plane and that night we landed in Cairo.
It was night, and the road to the city was lined with sandbags. i had decided to stay at Shepheard's Hotel, long renowned at the domicile of the early British and Italian explorers who had made so many major discoveries that revealed the art, astronomy, architecture, mathematics, medicine--and magic-- of the great civilization of Ancient Egypt. More advanced 5,000 years ago than Europe in the middle ages.
Of course the original Shepheard's had burned down in 1962 but that didn't mar the romance. When we arrived the windows were blacked out and the building was lined with sandbags. I mentioned this to the desk clerk while checking in to which he replied, "You're in a war zone sir."
'Sir' meaning dummy. The fact that the airport was open didn't mean the fighting had stopped. For me however, it was all grist for my research mill.
The main perc of being in a war zone is that there are few other tourists crazy enough to visit, which meant we were the only two people going into the Pyramid that morning. The outside of the massive structure is imposing as is the magnificent Sphinx, but inside is a whole other dimension.
One ducks through a small entrance and goes down, not up, at first. Then a right turn, you climb a few feet and emerge. My first sight of the Grand Gallery stopped my heart. There in the center of the Great Pyramid is a perfectly engineered, artistically spectacular, stairway leading to the King's chamber above. i immediately recognized the source of Art Deco. Going slowly up the stairs I noticed the notches cut into the stairs on either side to the telescoping walls. These notches, our guide explained, were for rods placed as rollers, presumably to bring the Pharaoh's sarcophagus to it's resting place. However no mummy was found in the Great Pyramid. In fact in all the 90 odd lesser pyramids in Egypt no mummy has ever been found. A big crack in the theory that they are giant tombstones. Our guides holding flashlights we headed into the darkness above.
At the first landing to the left, is the Queen's chamber. A fifteen by fifteen room in the center of the great granite structure. Empty and perfect. Going up further you come to the King's Chamber, slightly larger than the the lower, and dominated by a granite sarcophagus carved from the same stone as the pyramid. One edge of the sarcophagus has been chipped away by tourists seeking a souvenir. Otherwise the chamber is another impressive facet of the pyramid's incredible interior. We lingered (no photos allowed) and slowly descended the magical, stairway, finally blinking as we exited into sunlight, as if waking from a dream.
Little did i know of the adventures yet to come.
Next: Life, Death, and Imhotep
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
THE DAWN OF CANNABIS CHIC
Can' nois' seur, (kan' us sur') n. One competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis
We are witnessing a new baby step in America's consciousness. The slow but steady acceptance of weed as a benign herb.
To be sure the accompanying economic boom has perked up the unbelievers. Colorado made so much in taxes they gave some back. Shortly after this post predicted marijuana infused vodka, wine savant Marc Capobianco reported sipping pot infused wine at a tasting. High end chefs are coming up with any number of pot drizzled appetizers. A week after Nevada went legal Las Vegas ran out of weed.
And just this past week in San Francisco, an LA based start up called Beboe threw a launch party in a Pacific Heights mansion. Beboe bills itself as "a cannabis brand targeting the luxury market." The founders Clement Kwan and celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell are described as "inhaling from a rose gold vaporizer and nibbling apple spice pastilles" from a beautifully decorated container. The party was hosted by Zak Williams--son of the late, beloved Robin Williams--who joked "I'm proud to be here as an investor in Beboe at the first cannabis cotillion."
The party was attended by a host of social notables including ex-mayor Willie Brown. And in the grand Hollywood tradition Goodie Bags were distributed.
Cool. My only question is, does paying luxury prices deliver a luxury high?
Until now cannabis has been nurtured by true believers, growers who lived outside the law and who, by experimentation, education and inspiration developed the finest weed on the planet.
And the price until now was dependent on quality.
Unless the rose gold vaporizer and that lovely pastille dispenser can amplify the cannabis experience and transport me to a better place than my hand-rolled joint...what's the point?
Be that as it may, the future of pot has become very clear. No doubt Big Alcohol and Big Tobacco are salivating. Red Bull and Coca Cola are probably already in line.
I recall when a local New York cream cheese called Breakstone's was bought up by Kraft Foods. It went from a fine creamy treat to bland and mediocre.
Just sayin'.
DOLCE VITA 1973
I had left the ad agency in a blaze of glory and set about learning how to be a bestselling author. Qui Magazine, a subsidiary of Playboy commissioned me to do a piece on the world's leading sadist. I was stoked and delivered a blazing interview. Unfortunately Qui was queasy about an article featuring a homosexual. I got paid but my work had no home. No matter, I was off to Tangier to write ta new Doctor Orient novel using the material I'd gleaned from the interview as background. I had already written a sequel to Raga Six but Bantam balked, since the sales of Doctor Orient had been tepid. Undaunted I sold Lady Sativa to a small, new publisher Curtis Books, run by legendary editor Pat O'Connor. I took a small advance by yesterday's standards (a huge advance by today's standards.) and resigned myself to the world of advertising. So when Raga Six went big Lady Sativa went unnoticed. However I did get a healthy advance for Baron Orgaz and booked a cabin on the Cristoforo Colombo, an old school luxury liner. After years of freighter travel I decided to go legit.
In a word the eight day trip across the Atlantic was a disappointment. Compared to my Yugo freighter the cabin was cramped and cheerless. Outside it had the tawdry veneer of a Vegas casino. Lots of food, lots of people I normally avoided, lots of consumption, very little glamour except for the ship steward in a beautifully tailored tux trolling the bars for a rich widow to betray.
When the ship reached Seville Spain it was to large to dock at the tiny port so we debarked, luggage and all, into a small boat far below, which took us to shore.
We were in Seville a beautiful, gracious city. Later in the year I planned to go to Egypt and the Pyramids. The weather was perfect and I was living the dream.
Next: The Writer at Work
RECOMMENDED READING: CHINATOWN BLUES by Frank Lauria
The NEW SMOKER.COM (Issue #7)
Edited by Robert Gilman
With special thanks to Carolyne Zinko
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
INTERESTING TIMES
Can*nois*seur (kan ' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis.
"The most amazing property of Cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do not use it."
Future Shock
With the dawn of the Post-Truth Era on January 20th one of the many items on the table is the legalization and decriminalization of Cannabis. Certainly the economic realities are there. But zealous conservatives have never been above cutting their own throat--and ours--to make some self-righteous point.
Or--they may very well say, let the degenerates have their evil weed while we drink martinis, collect those cannabis taxes and steal democracy from those dumb passive stoners.
As you know an old Chinese curse states "may you live in interesting times". Well we have gone from Interesting to Swiftian to downright Orwellian times.
We all know what's happening. The freedom of the press, other basic constitutional rights are all up for grabs by the most dangerous political gang in the USA.
Hey baby--that's the way it is.
Rather than lament hard-assed reality right thinking Cannoisseurs (and the limp Democratic Party) need to get off the damn couch and start beating the drums for 2018 elections like the Tea Party did after Obama's first win.
We've all had it good until now but in the immortal words of the Beastie Boys: "You got to fight for your right to party"
Do not go gently into the new Dark Ages.
Pot Shots:
At the moment both the Bloom Room, 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza and Medithrive (415 562 6334) have several fine strains at decent prices. My current fav is Medithrive's Hazy Train Littles at $35 the eighth.
1974: The Trophy Year
Is anybody ready for a dream come true?
With the appearance of Raga Six on various bestseller lists, life shifted into a higher gear. Suddenly i was invited to hip parties which was a big change from no parties at all. My circle of friends expanded exponentially. Doors opened. My phone kept ringing with good news. An editor from Playboy's new magazine Qui contacted me about doing a piece for them.
I pitched an unusual premise: while in Tangier i had heard about a man who was one of world's leading sadists. This title by dint of his powerful position in New York's art world. Mind you this was '74 when the sexual revolution was just beginning to emerge from the relative innocence of the'60s to major experimentation but S/M was still underground and somewhat frowned upon even by The Happy Hooker. THH had a column in Hustler where she answered letters and disapproved of queries that concerned spanking and such. Later when she realized there were a lot of kinks out there in the Bible Belt she retracted her statement and was born again into the joys of SMBD.
So my decision to interview this man (i had a mutual friend connection) was considered both far out...and suspicious.
Me? I was fascinated by the subculture, the secretive nature of the SM network.
Six years later Al Pacino would star in Cruising, a film set in the those underground gay bars scattered around the meat district (now a most posh hood).
But in '74 i was ready to explore this new world and perhaps use it as background for my next Doctor Orient novel.
And i intended to write the interview in a new journalistic style, as championed by Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe. This rookie was primed for the big time.
Or so i thought...
Next: Reality Sandwich
Highly Recommended: La LaLand
Edited by Robert Gilman
Saturday, October 8, 2016
HELLO AGAIN
Can*nois*seur (kan' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis.
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do not use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do not use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
HELLO AGAIN
Can*nois*seur (kan' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis.
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
HELLO AGAIN
Can*nois*seur (kan' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis.
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dear friend Arlene Erb.
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
HELLO AGAIN
Can*nois*seur (kan' us sur') n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis.
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dancer and dear friend Arlene Erb (widow of Bruce Erb).
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do no't use it."
THE BILLION DOLLAR BUD BIZ
Hello Dear Readers, after a hiatus of 3 years during which i wrote 4 novels i'm back at the same old stand surveying the booming present and wide-open future of legal cannabis. The states that legalized completely are enjoying a tax windfall that benefits everyone. Here in San Francisco where the sale and distribution is limited to Medical cannabis it's clear the all dispensaries are thriving and awaiting the vote in November. Right now the dispensaries have a semi-monopoly on the market. Legalization will change that. How is not yet clear. As of yet there is no equitable plan in place.
At the moment however my favorite dispensary is The Bloom Room at 471 Jessie Street SF at Mint Plaza. Consistently high grade buds and righteous deals on their "littles". Check their well presented home page, click on Menu then click on Cannabis for their sale days.
THE HUCKSTERS 1972
Being an account executive was frustrating. My first instinct was to dream up a campaign and write it up. Unfortunately that was the creative department's job. My job was to deal with the client. The ladies at Ms. were a gracious bunch but extremely wary of male influence.
Still one day, when the agency's art director, a strapping dude who resembled Tom Selleck, visited the Ms. offices, our wary feminists reverted to blushing high school girls. Can't fight Mother Nature.
Everything seemed to be in a holding pattern. Cocaine was sweeping the city and i was scooping up my share. Certainly there was more money than the bohemian days in Rome the previous year. There were parties with friends, dinners, perks (free magazines). i had found a two room duplex on the upper east side which was both cheap and cool, My novel Raga Six was due to be published in December a month considered certain death for books. Having already died my first time out with Doctor Orient i was bracing for extinction. (During that period i began writing song lyrics.) The art Director at Bantam books Len Leoni was the best in the business. we had maintained a friendship since my early days at Bantam based in part on our mutual admiration of Alex Raymond the extraordinary comic artist who drew Flash Gordon. i asked Len if he could get the artist Szafran to do the cover to Raga Six. He had done a brilliant cover for Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric.
Len hired Szafran and H.B. Gilmour wrote the copy. The "package" when finished was striking with a deep blue cover and the same typeface Len used for The Exorcist. When I showed a proof to Gloria Steinem she thought Raga was a beautiful name. Future author Letty Cotton Pegrobin accused the cover illustration ( a voluptuous semi-nude female) of being sexist. i thought it looked good for a doomed novel.
Meanwhile my relationship with my other client Saturday Review was deteriorating. The publishers who were fresh from a huge success with their first venture Psychology Today had the bright idea to split the venerable Saturday Review into 4 fucking magazines. As the recipient of a shit load of free magazines each month, most of which remained unread, i knew along with everyone else at the agency the world did not need four new magazines to do the job of one. Underlying this brilliant idea was the fact they managed to quadruple the stock--if not its value.
The more the magazines faltered the more abrasive the publishers became.. Finally December rolled around and New York was in all its holiday glory. It became clear that my days in advertising were numbered and i had vague plans of getting back into publishing. One Saturday night the phone rang. It was Basel Winston new husband of dancer and dear friend Arlene Erb (widow of Bruce Erb).
"Have you seen tonight's New York Post?"
"No why?"
"Raga Six is on the bestseller list."
My brain blew right through the top of my skull. And stayed up there for weeks.
NEXT: HIGH SOCIETY
Edited by Robert Gilman
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