About this Playlist
The Only Thing Constant…
…Is change.
When I first came up with the idea for this think piece, I wanted to address the role of cannabis and music as it pertains to social activism, but a thought popped into my head.
To limit the conversation to just that talking point would do a disservice to the overall dialogue we’re having here.
As I’m now three articles in, I’m starting to see how they connect and complement one another. The next one relates to the previous one, and by the time I reach the tenth article, it will have built a foundation upon which all future articles can rest, and that makes me kind of happy, because I 50/50 sort of planned this out.
I had an idea of what I wanted to say, but that idea is becoming clearer with each piece.
We cannot avoid change. It comes when we’re least prepared for it. Sometimes it can be the most amazing thing you’ve ever experienced. Sometimes it can be the worst possible thing at the worst possible time.
The most obvious of these is life and death.
(I apologize if at this point I may have killed your high. I’m going to redeem myself.)
I recently dealt with the loss of my beloved dog, Cricket. He was a lovely Staffordshire Terrier with the best personality. He was full of cuddles and kisses.
Then all of a sudden, he got liver cancer, and just like that, he was gone.
To say I was devastated would be a massive understatement.
As time passed, I cycled through grief, anger, depression, hopelessness, loneliness…
Eventually, I began to piece life back together and motivated myself to channel my sorrow into creative projects. I joined online groups where people shared their grief over the loss of their pets, and through these things, I was able to push forward with life.
Through my grief, I arrived at some insights.
How would know light if you never experienced darkness?
If life is to have any meaning whatsoever, then it should be through the knowledge that EVERYTHING undergoes a cycle.
Nothing on this planet will escape that cycle. Here one day, gone the next. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
But also understand this:
WE ARE PART OF SOMETHING, MUCH, MUCH BIGGER THAN WE COULD EVER CONCEIVE.
A cycle indicates a circle, an infinite loop.
Be you a believer, an atheist, or you simply don’t know either way, I’m about to deliver some good news.
Bill Hicks Once Said, Remember, It’s All Just A Ride…
There are some scientific truths we must first understand in order for this train to leave the station.
The first truth: All matter is energy. It’s just slowed down to specific vibrational frequencies.
The second truth: Energy cannot be destroyed; it can only become another form of energy.
We are energy.
That’s it. I’m sure you can do the remaining math.
This whole life thing is not a straight line. It’s more like an Etch-A-Sketch in the hands of a toddler in the throes of a first-class proper sugar rush.
The trick is learning to be okay with it. And that is not easy.
Prepare To Be Surprised (kind of)
The role that cannabis and music plays in this is super, SUPER important.
It serves as a launch pad to the aether, where all the inspiration resides.
And don’t think it’s just a bunch of people wearing Bob Marley and Che Guevara t-shirts, sitting on bean bags in a poorly ventilated basement, listening to Pink Floyd.
The variations are literally limitless. Every and any possible way you can and can’t think of, to sounds you may or may not have heard.
And that change is not just enacted in a social context. It’s social and technical and scientific and medical and musical and visual and economical and cultural and municipal and international and local and global.
When you take the time to breathe in, listen and spend time exploring inner space, you come back with some astonishing treasures.
Cannabis and music help to crack the combination on your mental vault, spilling secrets all over the shop.
Always a good thing.
So…What Have We Learned?
Change is inevitable. Change is powerful. Change is sometimes shitty. Change is painful. Change is going to be a mofo.
But change is coming, whether you prepare or not, whether you want it or not, whether you welcome it or not.
But cannabis and music go a long way in helping to understand how we fit into the change. It helps us to process how terrifying, intimidating and awe-inspiring that can be.
Change is coming. And the best thing we can do is change the way we look at it.
Just know no matter what, we are always constantly in the change.
Please enjoy the playlist that accompanies this article. It is reflective, as well as complementary to the words.
And as always, let’s keep it weird. It works so much better that way…
Part of the Green Space Collection
Track Listing
- Back To Life – Soul II Soul
- Change – Candlebox
- Androgyny (Neptunes Remix) (2021 Remaster) – Garbage
- Girls & Boys – 2012 Remaster – Blur
- The Moment – Tame Impala
- Clint Eastwood – Gorillaz
- The Cross – Prince
- Fear Not Of Man – Mos Def
- Sowing The Seeds Of Love – Tears For Fears
- Make You Feel That Way – Blackalicious
- Fly Like An Eagle – Steve Miller Band
- Exodus – Bob Marley & The Wailers
- Get It Together – Beastie Boys
- Fight The Power – Public Enemy
- Space Lord – Monster Magnet
- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott-Heron
- Evolution – The Cinematic Orchestra
- Movements – Roots Manuva
- Right On – The Roots
- Optimistic – Sounds Of Blackness
- Don’t Stop – 2004 Remaster – Fleetwood Mac
- Children Of The Revolution – T. Rex
- Whip It – DEVO
- Teach Your Children – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Lovely Day – Bill Withers
- You Can Get It If You Really Want – Desmond Dekker
- Wake Up Everybody (feat. Teddy Pendergrass) – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
- Revolution – Remastered 2009 – The Beatles
- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Daft Punk
- Living For The City – Stevie Wonder
- Do It Again – Steely Dan
- Can You Get To That – Funkadelic
- Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Single Version – Sly & The Family Stone
- Compared to What – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival – Les McCann
- Move On Up – Curtis Mayfield
- Express Yourself – Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
- Water No Get Enemy – Fela Kuti
- Nothing From Nothing – Billy Preston
- Spirits In The Material World – The Police
- Shining Star – Earth, Wind & Fire
- Know Your Rights – Remastered – The Clash
- Weak Become Heroes – Royksopp’s Memory Lane Mix – The Streets
- Heroes – 2017 Remaster – David Bowie
- DARE – Gorillaz
- Epic – Faith No More
- Peace Frog – The Doors
- It’s Your Thing – The Isley Brothers
- Rat Race – The Specials
- Type – Living Colour
- Band On The Run – 2010 Remaster – Paul McCartney
- Let’s Go Crazy – Prince
- Eminence Front – The Who
- Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
- Life During Wartime – 2005 Remaster – Talking Heads
- Song for Shelter – Fatboy Slim
Playlist image GPT4