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High Times
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High Times is a New York City-based magazine. The publication strongly advocates the legalization of cannabis. For a brief period, it moved toward an overtly left-wing lifestyle magazine under publisher Richard Stratton, who hired John Mailer, Norman Mailer's youngest son, as executive editor. It has since returned to its earlier roots in the cannabis subculture. The magazine has also discussed other recreational drugs such as cocaine.
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High Times is a New York City-based magazine. The publication strongly advocates the legalization of cannabis. For a brief period, it moved toward an overtly left-wing lifestyle magazine under publisher Richard Stratton, who hired John Mailer, Norman Mailer's youngest son, as executive editor. It has since returned to its earlier roots in the cannabis subculture. The magazine has also discussed other recreational drugs such as cocaine. Recently, the magazine held the 20th Anniversary Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam and a documentary of the event was premiered at the World Marijuana Film Festival (WMFF) in California in 2008.
Origins
The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade of the Underground Press Syndicate. High Times was originally modeled on Playboy magazine, except that rather than catering to consumers of recreational sex, it caters to consumers of recreational drugs. Each issue has a centerfold photo, not of a nude woman, but typically of a choice grade of cannabis plant. (Although for a brief period during the late 1970s and early '80s, they featured centerfolds dedicated to cocaine.) In 1988, Steven Hager was hired as editor-in-chief. He removed hard drugs from the magazine and began a campaign to encourage personal use and cultivation of cannabis. Hager also founded the Cannabis Cup (the Academy Awards of Marijuana) and the High Times Freedom Fighters (one of the original hemp legalization groups).
The Freedom Fighters began when Hager received an invitation to attend the annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, MI, in 1987. Once one of the country's largest annual legalization events, the Hash Bash, like all other counterculture rallies, was about to die out. Inspired by the art of the Merry Pranksters and Provo, and the historical information of Jack Herer's yet unpublished research, Hager created a band of psychedelic pirates that traveled the country in a psychedelic bus, creating major legalization events across the country, including the Boston Freedom Rally, which quickly became the largest political event in the country, drawing crowds of over 100,000 to Boston Common. In 1990, the magazine released a documentary, "Let Freedom Ring," detailing the activities of the group. The film starred Willie Nelson and was directed by Bob Brandel.
Eventually, the Freedom Fighters became targeted by law enforcement. The group's biggest supporter, Rodger Belknap of West Virginia, was jailed, while other members had their homes broken into and membership information removed. After five years of providing free campgrounds and free food to activists attending major rallies, the Freedom Fighter mailing list was turned over to NORML at the annual Hash Bash convention.
Related Endeavors
Internet Podcasting
Produces regular video podcasts -- dubbed as the High Times POTcast -- that supplement stories from the monthly magazine.
Recognition and Award Ceremonies
High Times sponsors numerous different cannabis culture awards:
Film Production
- Produced the 1989 documentary "Chef RA Escapes Babylon" directed by Scott Kennedy
- Produced the 1990 documentary "Let Freedom Ring," directed by Bob Brandel and featuring Willie Nelson, Gatewood Galbraith, Chef RA and the Soul Assassins
- Produced the 1995 documentary "8th Cannabis Cup," directed by Beth Lasch
- Produced the 1996 documentary "9th Cannabis Cup," directed by John Viet and starring John Trudell and Murphy's Law
- Produced the 2000 documentary "Grow Secrets of the Dutch Masters" directed by Steven Hager
- Co-produced the 2002 indie comedy Potluck, featuring Frank Adonis, Theo Kogan, Jason Mewes and Tommy Chong and directed by Alison Thompson
- Produced the 2003 documentary High Times Presents The Cannabis Cup directed by Steven Hager , distributed by Koch Entertainment
- Produced the 2003 documentary "Ganja Gourmet" directed by David Bienenstock and starring Chef RA
- Produced the 2005 documentary "Jorge Cervantes Ultimate Grow DVD," directed by David Bienenstock
- Produced the 2008 documentary, "20th Cannabis Cup," directed by Guy Fiorita and featuring Red Man and the High Times staff
Music
- High Times Records has released one album, a compilation CD called High Times Presents THC Vol. 1. The tracklisting is:
1. Intro - Lord Sear
2. Bart Burnt - The High & Mighty
3. High Times - Black Moon/Starang Wondah/Sean Price/Top Dog
4. Something About Mary - Serial Rhyme Killers
5. Sweet Dreams - Intoxicated Demons
6. Roll Up - Shabaam Sahdeeq/Steele
7. Puff, Puff, Pass - HOM
8. Bomb Tree - Defari
9. Get You Head Right - Afu-Ra
10. Sticky Green - The Pharcyde
11. Big Green Buds - J-Ro/Phil Tha Agony/Chocolate Tye
12. My Favorite Ladies - MF Doom
13. Escape - Ripshop
14. Take A Hit - Lootpack
15. So High (G-13) - RZA/Timbo King
Book Publishing
In 2004 Annie Nocenti and Ruth Baldwin edited The High Times Reader, a collection from past issues of High Times, with an introduction by Paul Krassner. Writers included Al Aronowitz, George Barkin, Ann Louis Barsach, Chip Berlet, Steve Bloom, Michael Bloomfield, Victor Bockris, William S. Burroughs, Mark Christensen, Ed Dwyer, Bruce Eisner, David Enders, Thomas King Forcade, Andrew Kowl, Bruce Jay Friedman, Josh Alan Friedman, Kinky Friedman, Steven Hager, Debbie “Blondie” Harry, J. Hoberman, Mark Jacobson, David Katz, Paul Krassner, Dean Latimer, Carlo McCormick, Barry Miles, Cookie Mueller, Glenn O’Brien, Joey Ramone, Ron Rosenbaum, Jerry Rubin, Luc Sante, Larry “Ratso” Sloman, Terry Southern, Peter Stafford, Richard Stratton, Teun Voeten, Andy Warhol, Andrew Weil, Mike Wilmington, Robert Anton Wilson, and Frank Zappa.
Television
In 2007, Hager produced a reality TV show based around the High Times offices, titled "High Times Office." The show's 12 episodes culminated at the 20th Cannabis Cup, where Big Apple Seeds from Brooklyn, New York won a blind taste test against DNA Seeds that was judged by Robert Connell Clarke. It was later revealed in High Times that Doc and Dom, the owners of Big Apple Seeds, were actors, and their entry, Oookie Kabuki, was actually Nevil's Haze purchased in Amsterdam from a pot broker with a good nose for weed.
Writers
Other writers for High Times have included Chef Ra, Charles Bukowski, Truman Capote, A. Craig Copetas, Senior Cultivation Editor - Danny Danko, Nico Escondido, Samuel R. Delany, Stephen Gaskin, Peter Gorman, Steven Hager, James Horwitz, Dennis King, William Levy, Ed Rosenthal, Hunter S. Thompson, Peter Tosh, Valerie Vande Panne, Alan Cabal, Dr. Andrew Weil, and Andrew Kowl.
Celebrities
Over the years numerous celebrities have been interviewed by or appeared on the cover of High Times.
Further reading
- Annie Nocenti and Ruth Baldwin, eds., The High Times Reader, Thunder's Mouth, Nation Books, 2004 ISBN 1-56025-624-9.
External links
See also
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