50 years of cannabis in the Big Apple through the eyes of the High Times editor From the carefree cannabis policies of the '60s and '70s to the draconian policies of the '80s and '90s New York City has always been the mecca of cannabis consumption. Life-long New Yorker, former High Times editor and founder of CelebStoner , Steve Bloom joins Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq. He talks about what it was like for a cannabis enthusiast to live through the different eras. He also shares stories from his High Times career. Executive Producer: Scheril Murray-Powell Produced by PodConx Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq, - https://podconx.com/guests/scheril-murray-powell CelebStoner - https://www.celebstoner.com/ Steve Bloom - https://podconx.com/guests/steve-bloom
50 years of cannabis in the Big Apple through the eyes of the High Times editor
From the carefree cannabis policies of the '60s and '70s to the draconian policies of the '80s and '90s New York City has always been the mecca of cannabis consumption. Life-long New Yorker, former High Times editor and founder of CelebStoner , Steve Bloom joins Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq. He talks about what it was like for a cannabis enthusiast to live through the different eras. He also shares stories from his High Times career.
Executive Producer: Scheril Murray-Powell
Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq, - https://podconx.com/guests/scheril-murray-powell
CelebStoner - https://www.celebstoner.com/
Steve Bloom - https://podconx.com/guests/steve-bloom
Scheril Murray-Powell:[00:00:00] Hello? Hello. Hello everyone. My name is Cheryl Murray, Powell Esquire, and this is TURPs in the city. Welcome to TURPs in the city. It's where we talk about all things cannabis. And this particular season is about my journey as I'm moving back to New York. I'm I'm between New York and Florida. So I am I'm residing in two states in the upcoming year, and I am honored, so honored to have as my guest today.
None other than the legend himself, Steve bloom. I don't know if you haven't been, if you've been living under a rock and you haven't heard of Steve bloom and celeb stoner, you really need to subscribe to celeb stoner so you can get the latest on use in entertainment. With regards to cannabis. Steve, I consider him to be a dear friend a role model as well.
And he's always been very gracious every time we've crossed paths. So Steve, welcome to TURPs in this city.
Steve Bloom: Thank you for having me, Cheryl.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Awesome. Well, I, I, I'm going to [00:01:00] take advantage of the fact that, you have been an activist for, for quite a long time. And I, I wanna hear a little bit more about, kind of the earlier days of advocacy and, and being in the industry. In fact, I wanna go a little bit further back and really talk about your relationship with New York, because you absolutely represent New York to the fullest.
So. I, I believe you live in the same area that you grew, grew up in the same neighborhood that you grew up in. And I want you to talk a little bit about that and your where, when do you get nostalgic and why is it so important to you in some of the changes you've seen in, in, in the city over the years?
Steve Bloom: Yeah, that's a lot to say. Yeah, from New York born and raised my parents were new Yorkers. My family goes back to Eastern Europe roots. A lot of the countries where things are happening over there Right.
now is where a lot of me and a lot of other Jewish people's families are from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Belarus, Romania, which is part of my family [00:02:00] background.
So of the next generation after my father, who's, born here and then after him, really, those next, only second generation of Romanian American. And the other part too, like is, there's three different parts of the European background, but by the way, it's not that far removed. And when you see what's happening now, I've looked at the maps and I realize how close everything was back then.
And it didn't look, where the cities are as close to each other. And all these areas where I knew about from where my family is from, I sort of have kinda looked into it now and studied a little bit more and amazed to realize how, how much it is. Really our old homes, a lot of the. One of, one of the Jewish people that came to the us after, world war II and after the Holocaust who made it, survived, it came from those areas.
So, and as does my family, though, my family doesn't have a lot of Holocaust history. Thank goodness. Yeah, but Nevertheless, that's my background, New York born and raised. And yeah, I've seen a lot of change in New York over the [00:03:00] years. I've seen marijuana get legalized finally, which is number one, really as far I think might be concerned for this particular program.
I've, you know, through era in New York and the seventies, and it seemed pretty easygoing in terms of the. Enforcement. So there was not a lot of pressure. And so the feeling was it's. It was nobody really bothered you.
baseball days up seventies.
Scheril Murray-Powell: That's really cool. Yeah.
Steve Bloom: Anything goes, and so New York was kinda cool back then, then things changed in eighties, nineties, the era and then in new and, became Giuliani. And then Bloomberg was around cannabis craziness, the drug war, really picking up, like a crazy peak in New York. So New York became the [00:04:00] marijuana risk capital of the world. I that's where, that's where I lived. Matter of fact, I got arrested. I was one of the people that arrested during that whole
Scheril Murray-Powell: Oh, during, during what era? During the stop and first era Juliana era,
Steve Bloom: Blasio caught around that time. So it was, still pre Blasio, but only by about a year, it was 2012.
and so. Yeah. So, yeah, so there was over 600,000 arrests around those years. So I was definitely at one of them. Know what it's know what it's like to that. It's not pleasant. Yeah,
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah. And I, so that I was gonna ask you, when did you feel the safest and when did you feel the least safe as a, a cannabis consumer in, in, in New York?
Steve Bloom: well, it wasn't really life not feeling. I mean, you [00:05:00] had to just realize that you couldn't just stop and smoke anywhere. I think all people felt like New York?
was just free zone and you. You could just smoke pot anywhere, just, just, just pull out a joint and smoke. And I, I remember I was trying to tell my, after the, I heard so many people getting arrested for smoking outside somewhere outside of a restaurant out here there cops just hitting people left and Right.
For whatever reason, they just were just picking people off and they were going at it. And so don't, don't quit yourself in that situation. So I wouldn't do it anymore with friends. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. So you have to draw your own lines too, And, realize when it's getting a little tight that's, and that just depends on where you live in the city too, but that just more like in the downtown area, where you're you for?
Scheril Murray-Powell: And, and looking at, as you say New York being the center of cannabis, just talking variety over the years, has it been easy to get variety of, of strains and, and, plant [00:06:00] chemistry we say now, but ha have you always had access to variety or do you feel like there are times when It was easier to get more variety or, and, and also, do you think the quality has improved over time or has the quality diminished over time?
Steve Bloom: I think it really depends what kinda head you are as far as how deep you go into it. If you really look for it, you'll find the best stuff. We really have to settle for what's available. So, we haven't been able, yes, you go through your delivery service and have this or that other thing.
And that's so you have some mini, a mini, so that'll help. But, but that process, keeps the prices kinda high. Cause you're buying in small amounts to try this, try that, Graham
Scheril Murray-Powell: Right. Right.
Steve Bloom: a quarter there and, breaking it up like that keeps it, keeps the prices kinda high, but that's what new Yorkers are basically used to.
And they have their regular person that they've for years. So, that's gonna change now. And and, and people who've been selling are gonna [00:07:00] feel the pinch of like the new businesses taking away from them as people go the store because it's around the block and they don't have to wait for the person to show up, or they don't have to come to the person.
So they're gonna catch on and there's gonna be a, a tug pole in New York over black market, or you Knowit market legacy market, as, as the rear ready is now with a lot of gray market going on. So, so there's gonna continue to be that, but. New York has to play it Right.
And just find a way to get people involved and get people in, in, in the industry and not priced out to the point where the legacy market really stand, side by side with the, the new, more corporate market and, and they can, have, have a piece of that pie and share at the table and, real, real, legitimate, not just a little crumbs, but real real, like, Hey, you're, you're, you're our partners in this table of, High end companies with a lot of money and smaller companies are starting up and getting going.
And, we're here to walk hand in hand and do this together. That's [00:08:00] the dream in new Right.
now? I, I.
Scheril Murray-Powell: That that is the dream. And as, as you're aware, Part of why I moved back to New York is to support the legacy industry through the justice foundation that was founded by Steve DeAngelo. And I'm the CEO, he's the CEO. And, and that's our dream as well is to kind of elevate the legacy community, give them their own voice or, or reinforce that they need their own voice reinforce that they need their own space.
And almost like in a, a position of Allyship because, well, Steve is legacy as well, but an allyship with the, the New York market making sure that everything that we can do based on experience and legalizing across the country, that we, we bring that those bills to New York to, to benefit the legacy community.
I know, I think we, never thought that we would see an opportunity where our, our guy or our, our dealer, whatever you wanna call the person who would support patients all these years and, and [00:09:00] bring cannabis to people that they might have an opportunity to get a legal license.
Do you think there's hesitation for them to come out of the shadows and, and embrace having a legal license or are there other deterrents from, getting legacy involved? Right.
Steve Bloom: think it's different here in New York because, Really trying to handle it differently. And, and it's a new market. Let's start from scratch and kinda get it right. So, if you, have it together, can pay some fees, can follow the rules and the regs, like everybody else, let the legacy market in the door, if they can't figure it out, for some reason, we're not used to doing things this way, blah, blah, blah.
It'll fill the people can't make. Know, but there'll be opportunities, for people to get in the door and.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah, absolutely. And, and there's like, there may be a knowledge gap. I think there's a knowledge gap on both sides. So [00:10:00] like with a new industry, a lot, they could learn from legacy. And then with legacy operators, there's bridging the gap on knowledge as far as how to do it, the legal way with all the tracking and, and things like, things like that.
Steve Bloom: New York has a thriving gray market right now. That's really kinda anti the, the spirit of legalization right now. It's because it's the regulations have not come in yet.
And so there's a lot of people selling all over the place. And the question is, where is that coming from? And I contend that it's coming from the legacy already. People are just stepping. Out of the shadows that way, instead of just doing door or phone call and each at the corner and each you there in the car and blah, blah, and you transferring the weed, however you do it.
Now some people are just having the I'm opening a store. Even if it's technically a lot legal, there's one in my neighborhood. It's a couple, it's a black couple they they're legacy people. They also use it as a boutique, kinda like a community kinda spirited place. And it's kinda cool.
Kinda keep it big signs up, in the window [00:11:00] you go in there and there's like, one little section there where you can buy some stuff and they're worried that they're gonna be pushed to the side. Cause they've. Ahead doing it, not quite the way the state wants you to do it. So it's interesting.
Did
she's
and going after theses, after a while, once the legal market comes in and people are paying, prices to, pay for their fees and. In the regulated industry. And so these stores can't continue at the way they are, but will they be maybe say, Hey, we just had this thing waiting around until it's okay.
Can we a, a way, it sounds like they're to the wouldn't I'd case case by at least look at each case case by case and not just say, oh, you started too soon. Go go to the back of the line. I hope they don't do. [00:12:00]
Scheril Murray-Powell: No. I, I agree. I, I think there needs to be a place and there's a couple things happening. There's actual legacy, new Yorkers. Maybe jumping the gun a a little bit because of the opportunity and also because they see the other part I was gonna mention, which is people from outta state coming in and opening these, shops and being very visible may, whether it's a mobile dispensary or a a dispensary with or, I'm gonna say illicit, but dispensary in a, in a physical space.
So there's, some concern about, Hey, Will that real estate be available to, native new Yorkers who have been here. So I think there's a little bit of that tension going on right now, I, I wanted to talk to you about you. You mentioned that your you're Jewish and your culture, whether did you feel stigma?
Once you came out of the cannabis closet, you were very visible with your celeb stoner brand. And, and we, I wanna talk about celeb stoner and how that came to be, but did you feel stigma from your community
Steve Bloom: It kinda makes me laugh to say [00:13:00] came outta some sort, which I never did.
Scheril Murray-Powell: ASR in it,
Steve Bloom: pot. I was, was, was back ourselves. Even my
Scheril Murray-Powell: right.
Steve Bloom: brother, my older brother. He smoked after me. I, I, friends, friends were smoking, some stuff, passed it on. I tried it. I liked it. And we liked it as high school kids. And just generally liked it through the rest of my life. It's got, got interest and. And it's sort of an early age. So there's no outta the closet, we're the stoners in the family.
We're the ones stepping outside, having a coming back and everybody looks at it. See if your are just make a little joke, a little, you knows joke, but you know, we get together thers, so no, no, no closet for me. And as far as Jewishness, I mean, I never really thought that much about it though.
There was. Exhibit in New York now that discusses J cannabis. And I'm mentioning that [00:14:00] I didn't, I don't really think that much about, although I think the, so the activism it's from people like Jack myself or ed Rosen or Naman or people like that are indicative of of a belief in civil rights, I think comes with being Jewish.
Having, having had some harsh stuff happen to us too. And we were very active in the civil rights movement of the sixties. And and so, being active in this cannabis rights movement, is not a surprise, to me that there would be a lot of Jewish activity in that area.
But. But, it's not something, I mean, I think maybe just having a liberal upbringing, was acceptable for me to maybe try new things. And, I came hip era, sixties, seventies, Knowles. I was for all that know, wanted it, everybody didn't I did.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Nice. Excellent. No, I just wanted to kind of understand. I know in our community, like in the black community, the Caribbean community, the black church community, we do face a lot of [00:15:00] stigma and it's just now we're starting to see some acceptance and, and that's why I use that, that language of cannabis closet.
Cause a lot of us were Very secretive about our, our cannabis use until, we got, we became activists and we're like, no, no more, no longer. I have to do my part. And, and we faced a bit of stigma, so I just wanted to see if it was the same Jewish. So you that clarification?
Steve Bloom: Can be, I mean, I was, I would be again, you consider, I hate to use the term, the black sheep or whatever, but you're considered maybe that in your family. Group, they're, not something quite wrong with them, but they they're different.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Right. Understood.
Steve Bloom: they're the pothead over there. If I was from Harlem.
And so my, my farthest family was, most of them were in Harlem until they spread around new and stuff like that. My had a deep interest in music. He down Apollo, he loved jazz. He turned me [00:16:00] bit of that. Set me down, played me that when was younger, And so you gotta hear this. And then me and my friends sort of discovered more modern jazz stuff, in the seventies and stuff, and really got into that.
And hot smoking in jazz was really a cool combo.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Absolutely.
Steve Bloom: My dad saying we should possibly, but, but way it just seemed to be a good tie, all the rock stuff back then, too. So we were listening to rock and, and then kinda getting into jazz and it all kinda tied together. So I, it's. I mean, I've looked into the history and I love the whole history of
jazzer
Scheril Murray-Powell: Absolutely Louis Armstrong, Billy holiday and, and more.
Steve Bloom: and did a great song. You, I mean, they all did their, we song.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Nice. I think we should have like have a listening session with weed songs. I think you may have highlighted weed songs on celeb stoner before. If I'm not mistaken, I think you may have done.
Steve Bloom: my [00:17:00] ties, one of my specialties, I keep track of them. It
Scheril Murray-Powell: Excellent. So let's talk about celeb stoner a little bit and, and how the concept came to to you and, and, and how the brand has evolved over time. So when did you start when did you like coin the concept, the celeb stoner and make it your own.
Steve Bloom: basically 2007 was the year I left high times and I started SLU stoner Right.
around that time. So.
it was sort of a new thing then for like, what am I, what am I gonna do next? I got to, I ended up writing a book with a friend of mine called pop culture after high times, but also something to do for more of a day to day.
And, and so, blogging was starting to be a thing. And I sort of learned a little bit of that basics of blogging and started my own website with the help of mine. Taught me a few things. And you just had to basically learn, learn how to use a content management system online and just familiarize with that.
But it was, I got in a little early, which was good. I learned a [00:18:00] lot of stuff that coding and stuff that probably people don't even know now. Cause you don't have know that pretty well at this point. So I've been doing that for a while, since then. Yeah.
I mean, basically it was outta growth of my high times work at high times.
Primarily was like music editor and entertainment editor, senior editor, I elevated to co-editor I had different editorial statuses there, but I came there with a background in music and culture. And, and I added that really to the mix where high times wasn't covering music that well, and there were all these bands that really were into the magazine.
So we just started like interviewing all of them and they kinda knocked on the door once we featured a few of them. And so it was just fun through the nineties. Go to a lot of shows and meet a lot of bands and do a lot of interviews or sign out the interviews and have a lot of, lot of these cool groups that were all, some of the most popular groups of the nineties and twos, featured in the magazine.
So that was nice. Very fun to do, backstage with a lot of these bands out with a lot of, people in the band say like, it's like, where's the high times guy and I show up and [00:19:00] they wanna see if I have anything really like, Oh,
high times worthy and the pressure was on. I had to carry something very good. Those shows, but, so that was a good time. So, so basically I had a background as a music journalist to begin with. So I'm used to dealing with celebrities. So I interviewing say celebrities, musicians primarily. And so that, I could interview musicians or athletes or, actors or directors, whatever, anything in entertainment, more or less like, I can give you a politician too, but it's not really, my forte was more of that entertainment, journalism.
So I really brought that to high times. I thought I just didn't cover that much, but there wasn't anybody up there really doing much of that. When I came
genre Nelson to heavy metal, to, to hip hop, to reggae, to, indie rock to, I mean, it was such a wide [00:20:00] diversity of music throughout that era. It was really fun. So, so that was where I kinda came out with the idea. Cause I basically did a lot of cover stories with celebrities, musicians. We had ice cube or we had, Snoop dog or Willie.
I mean sometimes, we had S Sasha Baron, Ozzie Osborne. It was just fun to do.
Scheril Murray-Powell: What arranged.
Steve Bloom: I would just get a phone call from pose saying Ozzie wants to do the cover kinda thing, really, oK. I expect that one. Those are fun phone calls those days when I get one like that once in a while.
But I was thinking today about this behead movie that's just out and I think actively, we did a cover on the cover times back in. I had look it up
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah.
Steve Bloom: I it's like with holding it like a joint and me to join. And I was. As one of the editor of high times, I got this book, this beaver and Butthead book, and I had this illustration exactly that illustration.
So I contacted the book company and said, can we use this for high times on the cover? They said, [00:21:00] yes, we got approval. And it's like, next thing know. So it's funny. Sometimes something went the cover times and that was one of the easiest times. It would've to do cover. He didn't have to do anything with any shoots or he just got the rights and just boom.
It was like agreed without any hassle. And it did pretty well. So, yes, I would do stuff like that, where we do mostly celebrity covers and celebrity shoots and got familiarized that I camer. I learned Blogg
competition. There weren't too many sites doing coverage, full time on cannabis.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Right.
Steve Bloom: So, but still my focus is sort of news of, cannabis news, but also cultural. The cultural would be honestly, it really started with a lot of the arrests that were happening back then. Willie Nelson getting busted a lot, Snoop dog, getting busted a lot repetitive arrest kind of stories.
And so almost started like as like a crime blotter. [00:22:00] TMZ for weed. And and then it, gradually the arrest numbers have gone down, but boy, they were pretty high back then 50, 60, or more celebrity of a year. Now they're down to less than 10 a year, and, but still.
too much, but still it has gone down.
Yeah, it has gone down significantly. So now I look at the site as like it's gone from the beginning, which was really covering the busts and the crime side of it to now. Companies, these celebrities, now having their own businesses and it's about their brands. So it's from bust of brands,
Scheril Murray-Powell: I love bust, bust to brands. I like that. Do you have archives of all the high times that you've edited or have you kept hold onto them or have you just held onto your favorites?
Steve Bloom: Yeah. I I'm gonna have everything kind of in a. Filed away Umai. I moved a few years ago. I had to kinda like condense my collection to fit really everything. So did you little bit, didn't take everything issue trimmed. The, [00:23:00] the covers made everything. But back in the day when I was working up at high times, I was really one of the keepers of the, like a full collection.
And it was great to have a, the office we had like these file cabinets on top of the file cabinets on a long hallway where these binders with every issue, going back to the beginning maybe they weren't, maybe there were a couple of the first two weren't there. Cause those were so collectors, but other than that, almost every issue was there.
And then we kind like I had, I'd been there so long that I just became very attached to that. You'd always go to there and find something and you
Scheril Murray-Powell: Be.
Steve Bloom: check back on some that was related to high times back to so, and so wish you this or that we didn't have a great index, but it was there. But I couldn't keep all the issues, but I kept, the ones that I edited the ones that I did covers with the ones I have, I have a nice collection of celebrity covers with signatures.
On
Scheril Murray-Powell: Right.
Steve Bloom: this day. I might somebody who I never got a, [00:24:00] a few years show. So Phish phone a few years ago at a show, one of their shows. And I had an issue with their, on the cover high times, one of their, Angela Moore, their sax player singer. That was a, that was a wonderful cover. That was like a dream cover for me.
It didn't necessarily sell the best cause fish. One's not the most famous band, although they're super cool. But angel Moore was dressed in a hemp suit. Would you believe? And, and he had his saxophone and we got a bud that filled into the bell, saxophone and curved out like this. And there like bud saxophone, a jazz saxophone hemp, my.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Gosh is iconic. Yeah. And you still have that. You got it signed and you kept it.
Steve Bloom: I have all the guys in the band signed that. they went to the,
Scheril Murray-Powell: That's.
Steve Bloom: I got friendly. The thing was, I became friendly with, a lot of these people in the bands and kept touch with them over the years, post high times, I just, just go to the shows and keep up with people. I'm with be part of [00:25:00] reason why I'm in the Showtime.
Documentary That's.
on Right. now, the insane in the membrane documentary on Showtime, which features me being interviewed as the high times guy from back then, they wanted a perspective cause high times was important to them and it kinda connects them to the early days and them being really active in the movement and wanting to be part of it And, actually doing something that nobody else had done as a band that kinda stepped out a little bit more.
They really thought about it a little bit more than most, not just doing a song. We really wanna be part of this legalization movement. What can we do to help?
Scheril Murray-Powell: Beautiful. and,
Steve Bloom: They're really serious about it?
Scheril Murray-Powell: and so, so you're currently on Showtime, in a docu documentary called in the didn't. I that's.
Steve Bloom: it sounds I'm bragging, but I don't a chance to brag too often about being on a document around Showtime.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Let's separate music in cannabis. So what are your favorite music like artifacts that you have [00:26:00] collected that are important to you? And then what are your favorite cannabis artifacts that you've collected that are important to you?
Steve Bloom: What am I that's funny. I mean, I dunno. What's, I mean, I have a huge collection of albums, so every, every album, a piece of, to.
Scheril Murray-Powell: vinyl.
Steve Bloom: Straight vinyl. I may have a lot of CDs. And then I have some, you. I have some tapes and stuff and like, but mostly vinyl is where the value is. It's artistic, right?
No, it's not messed up and you open up and you look at the vinyl.
and you make sure it's not scratched. And, and then maybe you got something you might consider paying for, so it's, it's a very efficient kinda thing. I've been doing it for years. You just get the fingers going through the albums and pick them out and find stuff.
And I like to know if I see anybody selling, I like to go over there. I'll buy a few. Cause I wanna support them. I'll just add more my collection, whatever. And I'm missing things here and there. [00:27:00] I not have everyth. So I, I have about 5,000 on my wall and I have about another, I dunno, I have another, several thousand somewhat friends' basement.
I, I just have sort of spread around so that those are everything. And then my collectors things of like, in my youth of of scorecards of things, like, like, more like a, a The rock. the program for an event that I worked at in central park in 1970, there was a festival. And for years there was a festival, the Shafer music festival in central park.
And it's a great lineup of musicians, all, everything from the current rock to jazz soul R and B Latin. Pop. It was just crazy. It was just great. And I worked there that summer in the concession and that's a couple of those things went back then are really my collective items. Cause I have the program, I have little notes on the program, which has a note for like every [00:28:00] concert.
And it's like sort of my original reviews before I became the reviewer guy that I became later on in my career. But I was taking little notes, like when I. 16 and saying so, and so is good. So, and so, or I might have just said rained or, or crab wasn't into it, or I even might have said sucked or it might have just something, but I had a little note next to each one.
So that's real design and my program to themore east, that's a collectors item for Santana.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Hmm,
Steve Bloom: That means a lot to me saw them in 1970. There. I was lucky. I got to see a lot of great music back then. I like to tell people, I saw Jimmy. I saw Janice. I saw Dway call all these people before they died.
Sadly. After the other years I did Morrison. I never saw the Beatles back then. Didn't see the stones in those early days saw 'em a little bit later. Didn't see Zeppelin back then, but I mean, I just caught most of the bands back then. iStock didn't Woodstock, but iStock was a wake call. And then I, the loved the band, listen to the album, wanted to hear all those bands, [00:29:00] sly and the who and all those groups and see all of them as much as I.
So, I mean, I went to Eastly Madison squared garden in 1971 with my girlfriend, or was just fun stuff. Memories of like all those great back then. But then I shifted all this amazing rock music I R and soul and jazz in seventies. That was where. book that's things. I mean, rock was still going on. Cool.
But man, that whole period of 72 to 75 pre disco was amazing. And so, and R B
Scheril Murray-Powell: Oh, it sure
Steve Bloom: of the, one of the greatest periods ever. I know I don't have to tell you, but, but, and then it went into disco and disco was
pretty cool too gobbled up some of that stuff. And, but some of it did pretty well actually cool. The guy, but , you
Scheril Murray-Powell: I like, I always loved.
Steve Bloom: That's where I got.
That's where I got my start in writing about music. Cause I had interest in music liked to play learned when I was a kid trumpet and stuff in the school band, but didn't really hear trumpet as much as I was feeling [00:30:00] saxophones. My dad brought home a saxophone one day, so here play this and I taught myself saxophone.
I brought it with me out to San Francisco where, where I live for a year. And it was a lot of people were playing saxophones out their windows around. Year when I was there. So I figured I was part of a community. I just played a little bit learned a little bit, but but didn't really, feel I could go the whole distance playing like jazz or being a sax player or something, but it was just fun to learn
Scheril Murray-Powell: is an awesome instrument,
Steve Bloom: knowledge of like really what jazz was about, which is much more complicated music than rock or pop R and B board changes much more complicated.
I mean, jazz and all that. So it was everything else was easy compared to jazz.
Scheril Murray-Powell: How many times have you seen the grateful dead in concert?
Steve Bloom: and I saw them when I was younger. One of my earliest shows in 19, 19 70 up here in the Bronx, they played of all places and and that's a famous show. As a one off show, they never played this place any time before or after? Up in my neighborhood, I walked to the show. That was great. I probably seen them or more [00:31:00] times,
Scheril Murray-Powell: 50 54 times,
Steve Bloom: or more times. I'd say.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Wow. Yeah.
Steve Bloom: then the kinda group that you kinda see over and over again, that's the whole excitement of the band's like you don't see if you on a tour, you, you might go see them two or three days in a row or just one. Cause they're never gonna play the same set. So you're gonna see a different set every night, every night, who knows it might a guest on that they didn't have the night before that might have an opening act.
They didn't have. I don't know it's worth it. I mean, I know, I know it's sort of a, they, they're still torn around. It's the dead and company and I do go see them. I like to kinda check in once a year to the dead scene and just see how it's going, and so. And an interesting it's another side thing that I do.
Part of my music, journalism history is that I do write variety and I'm
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah. Aw,
Steve Bloom: so go every year for me via thanks. Grateful publicist for me as the variety person covering the show, there's anything [00:32:00] worth covering, you should write about it. And sometimes there is sometimes there isn't. So sometimes I cover something and at the last show, sadly, last year, somebody died at this show.
You fell off about. A,
Scheril Murray-Powell: man.
Steve Bloom: I have to write about that. I don't the laugh. You never know what's at a show, so, but kinda like, and they're very nice. They just, me tickets and if have something to cover I'll, but I'm there specif the show. I go a year for sure. And have at city field in New York. So I'm gonna, I'm most likely they'll be going in July.
Cause they're coming through New York for a couple of shows at city fields. ,
Scheril Murray-Powell: I might be there. I've never seen the grateful dead. So I'd, I'd like to experience that.
Steve Bloom: should check it out. It's definitely worth doing it's a fun scene. Phish is another thing that I like the band fish. They they're, you'll see a lot. Another band I like currently is kinda R B rock band, the lead singer. So those are of bands. I, we go see kind of [00:33:00] regularly over and over again. Cause I dunno, every show's different.
Every show's a different show. And so, so they, but I mean, I like, I like a lot of other stuff. I'm just not going to much music these days post COVID. It's just, I'm a little bit older in terms of having seen a lot of shows. I could, I could talk about going to see shows in 1970 and spending a whole summer going to a show, every night practically or every other night, and two sets a night, those bands would play.
I would see two shows and a, a sound. Because I was working there. I'm not, and it's Amazing.
Back in those days, the Philmore east was two shows a night. Allman brothers played at eight o'clock and 1130 they did. So, you, you go to the earlier, the late show. So it turns out I go to the late show and see the Allman brothers at the, when they're closing up that building at the weekend, they're closing up to Philmore east.
I go to the late show on the Friday night with my brother and some friends that show didn't end until seven in the morning.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Crazy. Well, I, I [00:34:00] mean, that's how it used to be. , did you ever go to studio 54?
Steve Bloom: Yeah. I went there, but I, I might like disco and stuff, but I wasn't into that kinda scene over there. That wasn't my thing.
Scheril Murray-Powell: So celeb, so, not celeb stoners, but a stoner culture. Sorry, stoner culture. Is stoner culture going away or how has stoner culture evolved in your, from your perspective?
Steve Bloom: Well, stoners are people who smoke pot basically. So.
That's really the main thing. It's not other drugs. Just, you kinda, you have kinda an affection for weed and you just, you have all the. Mont, you have all the bongs and pipes and papers and all the things. You have a nice collection of stuff.
Maybe you have some pictures on the wall, whatever you just think. it's cool. You like the bud you're fan of all, all the different strains, so, I mean, that's kinda what makes a stoner, you just, you a little, more into it than, than the average person. So therefore you're a stoner. That's not a bad thing.
So, but it gets a negative, [00:35:00] obviously it's in the title of my websites, stoner right here, sor to I'll say just. Stoner culture is what it is. And it might fade a little bit, with legalization that all Al culture was being outlaw against the government in
weed, busting up our grows and doing all these terrible things to us and taking our kids away. And, so, so feeling like kinda pissed.
Scheril Murray-Powell: it's A it's a Def a movement of defiance.
Steve Bloom: relief from, from this wonderful, that kinda you relief, but now you, you day to try and, like not. So, so, so this donor is the activist in a lot of cases, so who gets kind of irate about stuff and really wants to hit the [00:36:00] streets and have a sign out there and be out there in parade and a little more.
Hardcore believers, true believers. That's okay, too. So it's just, it's a, it's a unique group of people, but I mean, will they fade away? Maybe, maybe like marijuana, the word will fade away. People use it less cause it's an older term, I mean, grass was a term in the sixties.
People don't use it anymore, so, terms come and. I mean, I think marijuana stick around a little
Scheril Murray-Powell: And it's tied to the legislation everywhere.
Steve Bloom: slang slang D.
A leafy plant that gets you high, blah, blah, blah, whatever. However, they describe it as a dictionary, AKA cannabis or vice versa cannabis would be also, maybe say also known as marijuana. Those are interchangeable in my, and people choose not to use M for part reasons. I understand that. I respect that. I, I try to sort of be a little [00:37:00] more. Liberal about it and that it's, I wanna use it when I feel it's appropriate, maybe in an older usage or in a usage, it's still hard for me not to say medical marijuana has such a great ring.
Scheril Murray-Powell: And most states do most states do. So, the, Northeast states are, some of the modern legalization it's, they're re changing the terminology and, and to cannabis, which I respect that as well. But, marijuana is still being used in, in legislation, especially on the medical side.
I, I usually like with my guess, I always close out with two questions. The first one is, what can I do? Or what can the listeners to our show. To support you and support your movement and your initiatives and your efforts.
Steve Bloom: Well in my initiatives, are your initiatives are our initiatives, to keep the keep, keep the ball rolling and get legalization in every state and figure out how to get it done on the federal level. So it's fair for everybody. I'm not crazy about Nancy's proposal. Cause it doesn't guarantee that every state [00:38:00] has to, legalize it, they could opt out that's so that has to, so you can't, you make those compromise, so stick to your its right.
And also I would basically, advise people to, Work hard on a state level cause states where most of the action is right now and the states have been pushing ahead. The federal is kinda lagging behind and that may lag behind for a while yet, unless there's some big compromise that's reached on the federal side.
So, keep pushing on the state levels. We ready, we still rode island pass this year. LL Delaware came close. There's a bunch of states that are on the docket for the ballot initiatives come November. That's usually a good time to pass some more legalization at the, on the, the even elections, not the elections, but the even elections where you have a lot, a lot of action.
So obviously midterm. And then, so like 20, 20, it'll be you, others, mean you're gonna run outta states to have on the ballots, but, but you can hit as many as you can, and there's [00:39:00] still bunch more to go, so, so on my end I There's no subscription Tor. Anybody can go to the website or go to go to Facebook and, read different things that that are either posts or updates on things that are going on in cannabis world.
But we, we do have our group Apache on it's it's a big group. I do a couple of. Really cool new newsletters a week give out some for you new people better and better. And
Scheril Murray-Powell: And you
Steve Bloom: in the, whatever's in the news and whatever we're breaking. And then comment on that and just, you
know, keeping people aware certain things, and it's a good reminder with the having the access to the newsletter. Cause she'll, you'll get some updates that she wouldn't expect. So.
Scheril Murray-Powell: also lead the cannabis parade every year. It just happened, I believe it was may that we just closed that out. So we're looking forward to next year, supporting.[00:40:00] New Yorker again. So I'll be there for, for the parade this year next year. So I'm excited about that. Do you have your dates already?
Steve Bloom: Well, it's an NYC cannabis creating rally May 6th. So, it's the first Saturday of of, of the month. So we're ticking back down last year. It was the first and this year it was the seventh. So we're ticking back down next year. Be the, we had a really wonderful program for this year. Unfortunately we had rain that derailed a lot of.
Great constant rain all day. And so we couldn't go ahead with our musical program, which included the blues brothers and red man. Well, the red man did speak and Schumer and and Jerry Nadler spoke the politicians I've learned, can they'll show, just give an umbrella? You can't do that band,
Scheril Murray-Powell: definitely. And it's not, it's not relate to, for people to sponsor the, the parade. So get in early.
Steve Bloom: We.[00:41:00]
We made some progress this year, even if we didn't have the event where we wanted it, because we had to work with the parks department on kinda getting them to agree, to allow us to have a certain number of groups, tents there, which never allowed us to have before they actually agreed to 12, which was more than we ever had in the past.
Difficult with us during of the language, our. So we, pushed hard to get what we wanted and we got it. But, and then we even were allotted to do a giveaway, a cannabis giveaway. The parks were allowing that as well. As, joints we on that day anyway, but. It wasn't quite, as in the orderly fashion we had planned it, as you go the booth and you kinda like you get one, we just walked around with it.
Cause the like here one here, take one, take one.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Right. Understood. But it's a, it's a great tradition.
Steve Bloom: Giveaway approved by New York [00:42:00] city parks department. That was brand new. That's a first,
Scheril Murray-Powell: that's amazing. That's progress and that's cause of your activism and the, the hard work that you've done all these years really honoring the plant and, and legitimizing the plant and, and supporting people who need it for meditation medical, spiritual purposes. So thank you for that work.
My last question is if there was someone that. We could introduce you to, or that if you can meet anyone in the world, who would that person be? Or maybe if they're listening or what someone, one degree from them is listening. Who would be that person that you'd like to meet?
Steve Bloom: Stevie wondering
Scheril Murray-Powell: Okay. That's a good choice.
I heard he is not inaccessible. He calls artists all the time.
Steve Bloom: Think of people I've never interviewed. I, he had his birthday recently and I, I looked up, his stance on cannabis and it was something he's not into. He did it once in like said he didn't do it again. Kinda thing it's like forever ago. Right. But not for that reason, just, just because, if [00:43:00] you're gonna throw it out to me, something like that, somebody like I've never interviewed.
And I, I love and respect, if it was that kinda thing. I wanna meet. I like to meet that mushroom guy, Paul he's in the news a lot. These days, he's like the new mushroom guru I'd guy line,
Scheril Murray-Powell: I think, I think we might be able to make it happen. I'm gonna find out from the can delic folks if he's, if he's coming through. Cause that's possible. So
let's see if reasonable
they'll
Steve Bloom: level line out the door.
Scheril Murray-Powell: have a line out the door. All right, let me, I'm gonna talk to them, Colleen and
Steve Bloom: know, they know
Scheril Murray-Powell: shout out.
Steve Bloom: need it. They know they know about Paul, but yeah, he would be, he's like the number one guy in that field right now.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Well, let's see if we can make it happen. I'm sure somebody listening may have that connect. So, I just wanna say thank you so much, Steve, for everything. Thank you for always being so welcoming every time I see you, you welcome me into the industry and I, I pay a. All of your posts. So I stay [00:44:00] up to date on what's going on in cannabis, besides all my Google alerts.
I gotta check in with celeb donor to make sure that I'm in touch with what's going on right now in the cannabis world. And, I can't say it enough, how much respect I have for you and, and your history and your willingness to share. So it is an honor to call you friend, and it's an honor to have you on TURPs in the city.
So thank you so much.
Steve Bloom: I am So proud to be part of this show. thank you so much.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Blessings upon blessings. And how can people get in touch with you if if, if they wanna learn more or, or connect with you and support you.
Steve Bloom: Cause people can find me on messenger. Not that I'm not that reclusive in that way. But where else? Twitter, Facebook messenger. I'm kind of all over social media is the best way, you.
know, basically, and, and, and through the patching group.
Scheril Murray-Powell: And through Paton. So go on Patreon, look for celeb stoner. Thank you all for your time for listening in, this was definitely a treat. This is one that you wanna listen to over and over again to get the nuggets that Steve has shared today. And this isn't the last time I'm gonna have Steve on. I'm gonna have 'em on [00:45:00] again.
If he, if he'll allow me to, cuz I can't we didn't fit everything into this one episode. So thank you for tuning into terms in the city. If you'd like to sponsor the show, you can go ahead and email me. The information will be in the notes for the show. If you wanna be a guest on the show and you, you have something to share with regards to your love for cannabis and, and advocacy.
Definitely wanna hear some new voices out there as well. So thank you for listening and thanks for tuning in to TURPs in the city.