can * nois * seur ( kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis.

Taste Test #1

Earlier this week i dropped in on Grass Roots at 1077 Post Street in San Francisco for a gram of Sativa. i chose a dependable old fav Super Silver Haze at $18 and lit up later. While my first impression was good, but not great, i decided to reserve opinion.

Later that week i was walking through Berkeley and decided to visit the Patient's Care Collective at 2590 Telegraph Avenue and browse their selection. They had a nice variety of hybrids (pure Sativas seem to be dwindling) including Super Silver Haze at $16 the gram.
In the interest of science i took a gram of SSH, intending to hold a taste-off.
Over the course of two days i compared both grams. This is my conclusion based on three solid tests...

The $18 bud from Grass Roots has a pleasant, low-flying ride with the arc of a seaplane from Sausalito to San Francisco. Short and ultimately pedestrian.

On the other side the $16 gram from Patients Care Collective provides good, hefty elevation that has a global sense of purpose and robust arc. Definitely top-shelf at a friendly price.

Usually a first-class dispensary with a great menu Grass Roots might want to rethink their Sativa taster. If i recall Chocoloup was lemonade.
Note: Under a magnifier it's difficult to tell the SSH grams apart. Never judge a bud by its color.

America's Cultural Tsunami: The Continuing Saga

Once in LA i found a place to live, sort of a furnished motel type deal and began looking for a job to support me while i pursued my acting. i had heard on the Boston grapevine (before Blackberry and twitter we had The Grapevine) that Laura, a Radcliffe girl married to a dynamic young black man called Sonny Daley, was in LA. Her husband Sonny had looks, charm and was extremely well spoken. He also gave you the sense he was ready to rumble at any moment.

Now Sonny had been briefly married to Gail who was currently living with my pal Robert Gilman. Sort of a hippy Days Of Our Lives... So i contacted Laura who was then residing in Santa Monica with daughter Rivka (Sonny was away) who told me it was easy to get a job as a Social Worker if you had a College degree. I took her suggestion, applied, and was accepted. This meant i could buy a car, which was required for the job description. i liked the idea of Social Work and bought a huge, old Packard for $50.

Side Story: Robert Gilman met Gail at a Halloween party in 1960. They immediately became inseparable and set up residence in Robert's North End apartment. Fine. True love, everything as it should be. Then it happened that Robert introduced his friend Jody to Ralph Pine. Youth being what it is, Ralph got Jody pregnant. Jody then went to New York for an abortion. Lonely, unhappy, Jody sent Robert a postcard that read, "I'm so depressed, Fuck New York." The Boston Postal Inspector contacted Robert wanting to know who sent the offending card, which wasn't signed.Robert refused so the PI appealed to the local police for help. At the time the word "Fuck" was highly illegal in print. And it gave the local fuzz (as they were known) their opportunity. They had been watching this interracial couple. So on May 31st, the eve of Robert and Gail's wedding day, the police burst into their apartment and began ransacking the place, looking for drugs and pornography. Finding none they arrested the couple on local charges that ranged from "Lewd and Lascivious Cohabitation" and "Open and Gross Lewdness" to my favorite, "Affront to Public Morals". Bail was set at $250 for each and Robert was required to post $25 to secure his bond which Ralph Pine refused to pay so Robert contacted his estranged father for the money. Once free, Robert went out and got a young lawyer he had met at a party named F. Lee Bailey. It was practically F. Lee's first felony case. Yes, Lewd Living and Affront To Public Morals carried felony charges that could bring five years. The Boston Postal Inspector was so dismayed. he actually apologized to Robert for starting all the tsuris. Be that as it may, Bailey got the charges dismissed using the newly passed federal "search and seizure law". It seems the police, in their eagerness to thwart young love, hadn't bothered to get a warrant. Later, Robert named his son, Matthew Lee after F. Lee Bailey.

Back to Hollywood...There i was, reasonably settled, but lacking one important element, a pot dealer. i found a connection right there at my job, an ex-hooker turned Social Worker named Shelby....

Next: The Screen Test

Can * nois * seur ( kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis.


Today i saw the future and its name is Medithrive. Located at 1933 Mission Street between 15th and 16th, the dispensary stands like an oasis on a very dicey street. Sporting a pristine facade the anteroom is very much like a medical clinic, with a registration desk and an extremely efficient registrar named Ariel. The process takes a few minutes until one recieves a stamp for future visits and is asked to sign a copy of the house rules. From there one enters a slickly furnished room with a fine selection displayed on-and inside-the glass counter. The menu behind the counter lists favorites such as White Widow, Chem Dog, Bubba Kush, Blue Dream and more. This reviewer chose the elusive Love Potion ( reviewed 7/29/09)and received a 4 gram eighth from Daniel, the head budtender. As a first-timer i qualified for a gift, which turned out to be sample buds of Blue Dream and Chem Dog. Classy. My eighth also came in an elegant package, something like a silver snuff case with a transparent top. Altogether a well-run club with a brilliant vision. Better wear shades...

Hollywood Be Thy Name

i drove from New York to California in the requisite seven days but it wasn't easy. Eschewing maps i would get directions at various gas stations, a method that worked well until i arrived in Denver and found myself negotiating tight, winding roads on each and every one of the fucking Rockie Mountains, gaping at thousand foot drops. The Eldorado was not built for the rugged outdoors.
Finally i made it to movieland. Of course you can't beat the weather and there's the beach, the hills and...actually at the time there wasn't much else. What they labeled as a "Restaurant" was actually a Diner. All the houses were pastel stucco. The old star's homes in the wrong side of the Hollywood Hills (now prime-time real estate baby) which nested below the badly deteriorating "Hollywood" sign, were Disneyesque. Some were built like castles with fake moats, others with impossible spires and turrets. And there was nobody on the streets.
All of this inspired me to start writing a novel titled, Hollywood Looks As If It Was Designed By Thelonious Monk. It was a satire about a movie star with 500 pairs of shoes and a shoe maid, and her screenwriter husband, both of whom loved to smoke pot and pull outrageous stunts.
In the meantime i needed a place to stay, a car and a job--in that order.

Next: The Big Screen Test

can * nois * seur ( kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis



Re-Leaf, located at 1284 Mission @ 9th street, is currently holding two saucy Sativas. The first is Mystic Kush, a bright, bouncy strain that lights up the brain like a pinball machine. This breezy bud has an easy, optimistic arc with a drowsy landing. Reminds us of hi-grade Mex from days past.

On the other side Green Crack is powerful and full-bodied, reminiscent of a good Indica but for its more contemplative nature. This strain comes on like a Stealth Fighter, cruising at low altitude through the night sky. Very effective for muscle discomfort and insomnia.


We also tasted a new Sativa from Grass Roots' menu. Chocoloupe is a high-end bud that expands nicely but just hovers, going nowhere in particular. It has some of the diffuse, unfocused aspects of the Purple strains. Euphoric but uninspiring. An off-shoot of Choco Thai this one needs to go back to the lab.
But please make no mistake, Grass Roots located at 1077 Post Street is still one of our favorite
dispensaries.


Coming Soon: Hollywood Be Thy Name

can * nois * seur ( Kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis.

Finding ourselves in Berkeley we paid a surprise (to us ) visit to Patient's Care Collective at
2590 Telegraph Avenue. The facade has no signage, the windows and doors covered by white curtains. We were told that the original prescription paperwork plus ID is required to enter. Inside the decor is also white. We were met by a pair of smiling desk clerks who took our information, registered us, and explained the house rules. The sterile decor and process reminded us of giving blood. However the staff was never less than enthusiastic and friendly. Afterwards we were directed inside where the budtenders carefully went over the selection which included oils, concentrates, kif and various edibles. First time visitors are given a tasty, caramel treat. We were also shown the top shelf herb and second-shelf ( less expensive ) boo.
We chose a $17 gram of Power Plant which is a combo of two South African strains.
A pale green bud with gold threads dusted with white resin, this easygoing Sativa is buoyant and feathery, like an exotic bird soaring across the lush veldt. More physical than most, PP
is light and bright, with a relatively modest arc that leaves one feeling optimistic. Especially about efficiently handled clinics like Patient's Care Collective.


Travel Note: In my earlier post i mentioned taking a driveaway car to LA. Now back in the day a good, inexpensive way to transport oneself from point to point, was to check the classified ads in the newspaper ( talk about stone age ) for Driver Wanted or Driveway Cars. The listers were firms that delivered cars from New York to La, or Chicago, or Miami, whatever...Their clients were usually professionals who had moved and wanted to keep their ride. The drivers were usually young people looking for a deal. (they received $50 or $60 at the end of the trip). The length of time given to reach LA was seven days. This meant straight driving, no stopping in Vegas along the way. It was definitely hipper than a Greyhound, especially if you were traveling heavy.
And rolling into Hollywood in a new, gold Cadillac Eldorado, was the only way to go.

Suggested Reading: Rain Gods by James Lee Burke

can * nois * seur ( kan' us sur' ), n. One competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis




Today's visit to the coop aptly named Divinity Tree at 558 Geary Street in San Francisco yielded a first grade strain also aptly named Almost Heaven. Dark green laced with purple/ tobacco threads salted with a light frost, this fragrant sativa expands slowly, like a hot-air balloon that rises to the upper atmosphere then floats for hours observing the world below. The buds are well-cured giving them a good burn and the funky aroma of an expensive men's cologne. It is also a nifty deal at $30 the 1/16. ( i bought a gram at 17, then came back for the latter)

Divinity Tree has become one of our favorite coops. The small, carpeted emporium has an exceptionally eclectic and exotic selection. Their menu features at least 15, or perhaps 25, strains in various glass jars displayed behind the back-lit glass counter. Prices range from $10 to $17 a gram and the clerks are knowledgeable. It's also open 11 to 6 on Sunday.



The Road to Hollywood is paved with mistakes. Part 4


This actually happened. In October of '62, myself and two new friends, Jason and Vic, were sitting in my East Village pad, smoking boo and listening to Symphony Sid on the radio when a newscaster broke in with the news that the United States and Russia were in an armed standoff...American ships were blockading delivery of nuclear missiles to Castro's Cuba. At that moment the chances of nuclear war were 50/50.
We looked at each other as the jazz came back. A discussion began. If the Russians sent a nuclear missile our way, Jason reasoned, New York would be a prime target. My brief experience in the military, and in theatre, told me this was just a flaring of feathers between predatory birds.
Perhaps it was the weed but Jason's hysteria kept escalating. He was certain New York was going to be hit. My somewhat nihilistic view was, you can't run from a nuclear bomb. May as well relax and blast off with the Big Apple.
Upon hearing this, both Jason and Vic were horrified to the extent that they got up, went out, and began hitchhiking to California that very moment. Man, talk about paranoid...
Speaking of which, my experiments with psychedelics and telepathy were getting weird.
A few months later, my marriage, and life, collapsing, i piled what i owned into a brand-new drive-away car, a Cadillac Eldorado, and headed for California. Like Kerouac and Cassady i was out to discover America in seven days.
Next stop Hollywood...

Recommended Listening: Back To The Blues by Dinah Washington

Recommended Viewing: The Bad And The Beautiful with Kirk Douglas