About this Playlist
Emotions Are Messy Things…
There are times where I think that life would be better lived without emotions. Nothing to hurt, no soft, exposed bits vulnerable to damage and degradation.
I could get so much shit done!
Then I realize that is a fool’s wish. A life lived without emotion cuts you off from the other side of the coin. The range of beautiful feelings, like love, happiness, ecstasy, joy, redemption, validation.
The cost of doing business is loss, sorrow, anger, frustration, disappointment, loneliness.
To have one and not the other is imbalance. The Universe can’t function in that state.
Thank the Goddess for cannabis.
I don’t want this to become a dry, sciency dissertation on how cannabis affects the emotional cortex of our brains and releases this chemical and that chemical, because there are a million bajillion other writers doing that stuff, and they make it far more interesting than I ever could hope.
I’m hear to talk about those emotions you feel for a piece of music you’re hearing for the first time, or a familiar piece of music after a new experience.
Cannabis is a natural remix producer. It’s like holding a diamond up to the light and giving it a turn. You’re going to see something you have yet to see from a new angle.
And with that new perspective come a range of new emotions. Or it could be the other way around.
And I Can Tell You Why People Go Insane…
Cannabis is a safety valve.
I’ve lost count of how many times life has knocked me about like a pinball in multiball mode.
And by life, I mean other people wanting to move into main character mode from NPC.
When we humans want to be more than what we are, we unfortunately make it hard on our fellow humans.
If I have ever participated in that kind of behaviour, let me take this moment to unequivocally apologize. I can and will do better.
When life’s pressures get to me and have me tense and aggro, I turn to Mary Jane for some soul healing. She is there, right on time, with Sister Music not far behind.
I love curating while I’m faded, because it jumps from picking tunes to curating an IRL soundtrack. Every tune now has a definitive weight and texture. There is a narrative in every choice. It’s like a screenplay where you can see the story branches with every song choice.
Spinning off that endeavour was an aspect that crossed my mind…
A Shared Cinematic Universe (Of The Mind)
Sometimes, you can get so wrapped up in your own creative groove, you never stop to think that maybe, just maybe, there might be some other lifeform that vibes off of your efforts?
Yeah. Maybe you might wanna slow down for just a tic and give yourself a small pat on the back, because that is a truth.
Even if its only one person, that is not the point.
That one person has found you, and you are hitting on their wavelength. Bonus points if that individual breathes in trees like you.
That kind of thing is rare, kids.
Feel hella blessed if you manage to hit that mark in your existence, for you have done well.
What we forget in all of this is that iron sharpens iron.
The art created under the influence of cannabis in turn has to be inspired. Possibly by a creative under the influence of cannabis. Who was inspired by someone, possibly under the influence of cannabis.
Like a Russian freakin’ doll.
What we seem to forget in all of this is that cannabis, when used in the right context at the right time, enhances.
What it should do is enhance the relationship you have with your own life.
It should put you in touch with how beautiful it is to experience emotion in a pure and beautiful space.
Let the music wash over you. Let the notes and chords and melodies speak to you. Let it unlock memories and sensations.
Let it touch your soul and heal those scars that so desperately need healing.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been brought to tears by a piece of music thinking about my struggles and taking in the knowledge I’ve survived long enough to get to the point I’m at, where I can listen and know that the song has a new meaning for me and spells out the narrative of a new place in my life.
So, In Conclusion…
A few caveats as we draw to a close…
To paraphrase Hemingway, create stoned, edit sober. It’s way more fun that way.
Consuming cannabis does NOT mean you will all of a sudden spit A Starry Night out of a bodily orifice of your choice. All it does it get you and your insecurities out of the way so you that you can be your best self.
As always, moderation in all things, including moderation…
The playlist that accompanies this article reflects the many emotional states one can find themselves in while in an elevated mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed curating it.
And remember to always keep it weird. It works better that way…
Part of the Green Space Collection
Track Listing
- NPG Operator #6 – Prince
- Gold – Prince
- Man Of Colours – ICEHOUSE
- Sister of Mercy (Extended Version) – Thompson Twins
- Smiley Faces – Gnarls Barkley
- True Faith – New Order
- Emotion in Motion – 2018 Remaster – Naked Eyes
- The Reason – DJ Spinna Remix – Soulstice
- Friction – Imagine Dragons
- Shadow on the Sun – Audioslave
- Fame – Santigold
- Natural Blues – Moby
- Cloud – Sia
- Caught Out There – Kelis
- Tainted – Slum Village
- Electric Relaxation – A Tribe Called Quest
- Soulful Beat – Mocky
- God Put a Smile upon Your Face – Coldplay
- She Cries Your Name – Beth Orton
- Ordinary World – Duran Duran
- Luisas – Cibelle
- Sorry – Kaskade
- How I Got Over – The Roots
- Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
- Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse) – Version Revisited – Mark Ronson
- Porcelain – Moby
- Hollow – Matthew Sweet
- Save Yourself – Stabbing Westward
- Precious – Depeche Mode
- My God Is the Sun – Queens of the Stone Age
- Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap
- Transfer Affection – A Flock Of Seagulls
- Life’s What You Make It – 1997 Remaster – Talk Talk
- Built For The Future – The Fixx
- The Day I Tried To Live – Soundgarden
- Under the Milky Way – The Church
- Shudder / King Of Snake – Underworld
- Uncertain Smile – The The
- Erase / Rewind – The Cardigans
- Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
- Naked Eye – Luscious Jackson
- Modern Love – 2018 Remaster – David Bowie
- Suicide Blonde – INXS
- When Doves Cry – Prince
- Change – Tears For Fears
- Save a Prayer – 2009 Remaster – Duran Duran
- What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? – Remastered – R.E.M.
- She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult
- Here Comes the Rain Again – Remastered Version – Eurythmics
- West End Girls – 2018 Remaster – Pet Shop Boys
- Human Behaviour – Björk
- The Only One I Know – The Charlatans
- And She Was – 2005 Remaster – Talking Heads
- Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
- Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2
- Vienna – 2008 Remaster – Ultravox
Playlist image GPT4
