Spoke Launches Great Moments in Weed History Season 2
This Season Sheds Light on Cannabis Culture, Heroes and Untold Stories
Today, Spoke Media launches Season 2 of Great Moments in Weed History, a podcast that delves deep into humanity’s 10,000+ year relationship with cannabis to find the humor, heart, and historical importance of this very special plant.
The show is co-hosted by Abdullah Saeed (host of the James Beard Award-nominated TV series Bong Appetit and a recurring guest star on HBO’s High Maintenance) and David Bienenstock, aka “Bean”, (journalist and author of How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High).
The new season will be bolstered by top-notch sound design from Spoke, plus archival clips and special guests, while still blazing joints, cracking jokes, and exploring in-depth the people, places, and events that make up the complex and fascinating history of weed. From Barack Obama’s time in the “Choom Gang,” to the invention of the weed brownie, to an exclusive first-hand account of how the Hollywood sign got changed to read “Hollyweed.”
“I’m so excited for Spoke to be working with Abdullah and David on Season 2 of GMIWH,” said Alia Tavakolian, co-founder and EVP of content at Spoke. This show explores corners of history that we rarely hear about — it’s smart, funny and will surprise you with its touching moments. It’s a show about cannabis and the community that surrounds it, yes, but it’s a show for everyone.”
Season 2 kicks off with the story of Barack Obama’s weed years. Ever wonder what President Barack Obama was like as a cannabis-smoking teenager in Hawaii? We did, so we dug deep into Barry’s time as a member of the legendarily weed-friendly Choom Gang.
The show has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as a “well-researched and thoughtfully stitched together” podcast that “humorously highlights the heroes and hidden history of cannabis” and by Uproxx as “well-researched and marvelously organized.”
“I’ve been covering cannabis as an author and journalist for more than 15 years, and along the way I’ve become fascinated by the often untold history of this incredibly vibrant and resilient culture,” said Bean. The podcast allows Abdullah and I to delve deep into stories in a way that’s always fun, and often really relevetory — not just about weed, but about history, culture, and society. So much of what’s been written about cannabis over the years has been either total propaganda or just based on faulty premises, which makes it really important to highlight the real heroes of this culture. In addition to taking a deeper look at obvious stories, like how Cheech and Chong made the movie Up in Smoke, we also look for tales of unsung freedom fighters who fought back against prohibition — like the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, which fought back after a DEA raid, sued the Department of Justice, and went on growing.”
Other episodes this season
The Iron Sheik
When one of professional wrestling’s most notorious heels got busted for smoking a joint with his “nemesis”, the arrest made headlines around the world and changed the face of the sport forever. This is the story of how a wrestling legend came back from the lowest point in his life.
Up in Smoke
Everybody knows Cheech and Chong as stoner icons, but how did they rise from obscure road comics to writing, directing and starring in one of the most influential movies of all time?
WAMM vs. The DEA
When thirty heavily armed DEA agents busted WAMM — a Santa Cruz, California collective that cultivated free medical marijuana for the terminally ill — Mike and Valerie Corral responded by giving away cannabis to their members on the steps of City Hall.
Hooray for Hollyweed
On New Year’s Eve 2016, Zach “Jesus Hands” Fernandez literally risked his life to change two letters on the world’s most iconic sign. He tells Abdullah and Bean why it was worth it.
Smoke Down Prohibition
In 2013, two renegade weed activists from Philadelphia vowed to host a public smoke-out in front of the Liberty Bell every a month for a year, not realizing they would bring cannabis decriminalization to their entire city and christen its next mayor.
We Love You, Alice B. Toklas
When Gertrude Stein died, the law prevented her life-partner Alice B. Toklas from inheriting an art collection worth many millions. In 1954, to make ends meet, Toklas published a cookbook that included a recipe for “hashish fudge,” setting off an international media sensation that gave rise to the modern weed brownie.
