A song about a fan of the Man in Black, by a guy who wrote songs for the Man in Black.
Having grown up with Shel’s poetry, it was amazing as an adult to find his music.
Especially because I’m a massive stoner and he was too!
So real talk, that song upsets me.
Back in the day, we had a weekly pot-focused peaceful protest event that, among other things, involved a joint rolling contest. Teams picked names like the Chronic Compadres, Weed Warriors, etc.
The Calistoga Kids would have been an amazing team name, and I’m pissed I was not aware of that song/poem at the time.
Find a way to shift this “upset” to something more constructive, positively impactful, and then share it with others.
You’re not the only one for whom every sidewalk ended with the discovery of those books — the Calistoga Kids and more are alive & well in the devil-flowered heart of all of us that love his earlier work, too. 🖖🏼