Thank you for coming by. Are we still in quarantine? Sheltering in place? Well, masks up – we’re heading out. Out to a lovely afternoon with a lovely photographer – sunny and green like a May afternoon in Portland, Oregon should be.
Kelly & I met at the afterparty for the National Cannabis Diversity & Awareness Conference (NCDAC). In conversation during the ride home, I realized the Kelly was a brainiac (and I mean that in the most affectionate way), which meant I could rely on her for good conversation.
This episode starts with an extended (almost 19-minute) introduction, starting off in summer 2019 – my favorite songs, the musicians who played them, and my gushing review of Broccoli magazine’s In Bloom festival. Things didn’t slow down in October, as I basked in wonderful speakers and side-splitting comedy. (All the names, dates, and locations are in the episode.) I turn serious for a couple minutes as I address a blunder I made in the intro to the previous episode – #6 with Mss_Oregon. Next, I lay out my intention to include consumption-site reviews, and list all the municipalities I would be open to visiting, should any of you generous listeners offer an invitation. Lastly, I shout-out the culture I’ve been vibing with: the books, the music, the movies and the podcasts I’ve been getting stoned to.
Then we launch off into the conversation I had with Kelly last May (2019), plus a couple short chirps from her cellphone notifications and a quick question from photographer Jacoby. First thing, we hear how Kelly self-identifies (21:25). This is the first of many synchronicities between the ambient sounds – in this case the construction crew working next door – and our conversation; as Kelly begins detailing her constructing of a new life since moving here, a drill audibly fires up next door. The first story Kelly shares (25:33) is her contribution to the MyFirstTime narrative – the time her big brother introduced her to smoking pot. Another humorous synchronicity at 24:25 – the nail gun next door starts popping off as Kelly describes her brother’s talents at MacGuyver-ing a pipe together out of disparate household components. That bubbling sound at 29 minutes is the beginning of our smoking.
At 36 minutes, Kelly begins our dialogic foray into visibility and normalization, and how that relates to shifting taboos of both queerness and cannabis. Shortly after (41:30), we unpack our opinions about what constitutes abuse of cannabis, which leads into an exploration of what cannabis helps her with (spontaneous ambient accompaniment – a large vehicle in the street releasing its airbrakes).
By the time we get to Is cannabis queer? (52:26) you know we’re in deep . Two closets; how similar are they? Kelly had only recently (when we recorded this) come out of both closets, and was still “new to being out and open.” After Kelly [the brainiac] flexes some etymology, she deduces that cannabis is queer because “it’s both peculiar and magical.” The 59:30 collective swoon of birdsong around us indicates some agreement.
Around the one hour mark, we poke around issues such as whether it is possible to keep gender & sexuality separate, and how we unlearn gendered affectations. Then, at 1:12:30 – I blow it. I misgender Kelly. Actually, it’s the third misgendering, if you listen close enough; but this is the one where I wave my hands in a ‘wait a minute’ gesture to address the elephant in the room – how tolerant do I expect Kelly to be with my speech habits. If you’ve ever wondered how to handle a misgendering, may I present exhibit A. Please, feel free to dissect our exchange. This is what my podcast is here for. As embarrassed and frustrated as I was once I caught myself doing it (in this case, ending my sentences with “, man.” “, dude.” and “, bruh.”) Kelly meets me with compassion. Plus, she invents the term ‘bro-ettes.’ This exchange – which I believe is the heart of this episode – leads into some talk about unconscious bias, which I distill into the assumption of “I’m always gonna act in accordance with my morals, right?”
We wind down easy with Kelly’s shout-outs. First up is the Q Center, a culturally, emotionally, and physically safe space for LGBTQ2SIA+ community. I apologize for the awkwardness when I express interest in visiting – Kelly handles me well. Her next shout-out is PopMob, where she met a lot of new friends in her new city. Then we fade out to birdsong and our closing theme.
Thanks for spending time with us. I hope you enjoy.
Rise wise.
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