cannabisnews.com: 'Reeferhead' Shares Philosophy of Pot on TV Show
'Reeferhead' Shares Philosophy of Pot on TV Show
Posted by CN Staff on March 19, 2004 at 08:34:50 PT
By Rick Nathanson Of the Journal
Source: Albuquerque Journal
Sitting on the edge of his bed in his small Northeast Heights home, Brian Bakri fiddles with a bank of aging electronic gadgets. There are VCRs and CVIs, mixers and controllers, titlers, monitors and more. Surrounded by psychedelic Peter Max posters, Yellow Submarine Beatle figurines, and beaded doorways, Bakri's alter ego springs forth in a cloud of marijuana smoke. Welcome to the world of "Reeferhead."
Bakri's persona isn't so much an on-air character as it is an ideology, a sensibility, and a somewhat skewed perspective on reality. He shares his vision in the one-hour "Reeferhead" televison program that he produces and tapes in his bedroom, and which airs on Public Access Cable Channel 27, Fridays and Saturdays at 6 p.m. "Sometimes, I don't even know what the shows are about," Bakri admits. He does, however, strive to infuse each show with a theme, of sorts: time travel, freedom, individuality, mind control, the growing police state, and of course, the many fine household products that can be produced from hemp. He's also particularly fond of conspiracy theories, like the shootout at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, and the ever-popular moon landing "hoax." Marijuana, Bakri says, "is the connective thread throughout each of the programs," as evidenced by the not-so-subtle intro to each episode of: "The Adventures of Reeferhead. Caster of a fleeting moment. More loco than a powerful motive. Able to clear large bongs in a single toke. ... And who disguised as a mild mannered hippie, fights a never-ending battle for truth, humor, and a never-ending J." What follows is a nonstop assault on the senses with concert footage of rock bands from the 1960s and '70s, background music from Bakri's batch of vinyl albums of the same era, electronically generated visual effects, and clips from oddities in his personal video collection. In any given episode, each of which takes about 20 hours to compile, viewers may see fragments from conspiracy-oriented documentaries, snippets of animation from old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons, or pieces of the supermarionation series, "Thunderbirds." There are also liberal sprinklings from B-grade sci-fi and horror movies of the 1950s and '60s ("Godzilla," "Plan 9 From Outer Space"); samples from 1950s classroom "scare" films ("Smoky Joe's High Ride," "Weed"); and seductive morsels from the marijuana hysteria films of the 1930s ("Reefer Madness," "Assassin of Youth"). Toss into the mix self-recorded images of Bakri inhaling through a bong and making a pitch for the legalization of marijuana, or delivering a James Joyce-ean soliloquy of Molly Bloom proportions in which he expounds on the benefits of pot on the human sympathetic and parasympathetic responses of the autonomic nervous system. All makes perfect sense now, right? "I like it disjointed. I like the juxtaposition of people saying one thing while the video shows the opposite," Bakri says. "I really don't care about what people get out of the show. I don't even know who's watching. The DEA, probably. I just enjoy manipulating the images. It's artistic expression. I guess if there's a message, it's I want people to think. I want to snap them out of their own complacency and look at the possibility of other delusions." Huh!? Actually, Bakri is more perceptive about his audience than he realizes. The DEA is aware of his program, says Steven Derr, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA's Albuquerque District Office. "Marijuana is the most abused drug in the United States, especially by school-age kids and first-time drug users," Derr says. "People who are fans of his (Bakri's) show probably think he's doing a service. I don't agree with that, and that is not the DEA's stance. We are against the legalization of marijuana. It is classified as a Schedule 1 Narcotic." Also count Chenoa Stilwell Jensen among those less than impressed with the message of "Reeferhead." Jensen is a substance abuse prevention and intervention coordinator for the Albuquerque Public Schools Safe and Drug Free Schools program. Her first concern is with the early evening weekend air time of the program, when school-age children have ready access to it. "Freedom of speech is one thing, but at the same time this is exploiting the vulnerability of children and young people, and encouraging them to use marijuana," Jensen says. "Marijuana is not harmless. It can cause lung, throat and other cancers, similar to tobacco use, in addition to causing impotence in men, and delayed reaction time, which can be risky while driving. Marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to the use of other drugs— legal and illegal— and to risky behaviors." Hippie culture Merge the personalities of the Audio-Video Club geek from high school with the stoner who used to tease him, and voila! you get Brian Bakri. At 40 years old, Bakri is well out of high school, but his sensibilities, taste and fashion sense are firmly grounded in the hippie counterculture of yesteryear. In his "real life" job, he is an assistant manager at a local organic supermarket, where his duties include overseeing the herb section— naturally. He drives around town on a motorcycle, sometimes with his dog, America, a shelty-Pomeranian mix, perched on the gas tank. His home furnishings appear to have been selected by the interior design team of Cheech and Chong. Bakri is single, never been married, and genuinely unconcerned about why. Born in Chicago and raised on a farm in rural Wisconsin, Bakri was the oldest of four children. He began consuming cannabis at age 17 and never stopped— not even, he says, after he joined the Army out of high school and became a drill sergeant at Fort Knox, Ky. "The Army started drug testing of the enlisted men, but not the NCOs (noncommissioned officers). So all the drill sergeants would get up at 4 a.m., meet somewhere to smoke a joint, and then go back to the barracks to wake up the enlisted guys by banging on an empty garbage can as it rolled down the aisle. Then we'd do our exercises and take off on a five-mile run." Bakri got tired of the regimentation and came to the conclusion that he was basically "a conscientious objector at heart." He separated from the Army in 1984, after three years, and returned home to attend the University of Wisconsin. One class short of receiving his degree in radio/TV/film, he accepted a job as a traveling puppeteer. The job appealed to him because of his long interest in animation. For the next eight years, he criss-crossed the country with itinerant companies, making and performing with puppets. "I had passed through Albuquerque many times while working as a puppeteer and had made a lot of friends," he says. "About 1994 I decided to put down roots. I liked New Mexico, so I came here." Bakri worked for a number of years as a film developer for Kodak, and then in various retail jobs, finally settling in comfortably at the supermarket. In 1999, feeling a creative need to combine his interests in film, communications and marijuana, Bakri went through the orientation class at Channel 27 to learn the equipment. He subsequently became director for several years of the program, "Hemp TV," which focuses on issues such as the drug war, the products and medicines made from hemp plants, and public measures to push for the legalization of marijuana. Bakri struck out on his own and for the last six months has been producing "Reeferhead." "Hemp TV" continues to air on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. A third program likely to appeal to the pothead demographic, "All God's People," will join the station lineup on Mondays at 7 p.m., starting April 5, says Zack Freeman, programming coordinator at Channel 27. According to a producer's description, that show will take a "divinely inspired look at cannabis consumers" and at "people who have been healed by this holy herb." Reaction to the pro-pot programs now airing has generally been positive, Freeman says. "Nobody has called up and complained about Brian smoking pot on the air. If a show has adult content, we run it usually after 10 p.m. In view of shows like 'Baywatch,' 'Sex in the City' and 'The Sopranos,' I'd have to say 'Reeferhead' (airing at 6 p.m.) does not have adult content." Besides, the real purpose of Channel 27 is "to serve as a free speech podium where anybody in the community can come and voice their opinions," Freeman notes. "It's more about giving the community access to the public airways than anything." For Bakri's part, he doesn't concern himself with the legal subtleties of smoking dope in his own home, or with issues of broadcasting and social responsibility. "It's not my intention to be a role model," he says firmly. "Marijuana is my only vice, and I don't grow it or sell it. Even though it may be illegal— for the moment— the law is not the sole determinator of what's moral or immoral. "After all, slavery was legal at one time."Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)Author: Rick Nathanson Of the JournalPublished: Friday, March 19, 2004Copyright: 2004 Albuquerque JournalContact: opinion abqjournal.comWebsite: http://www.abqjournal.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 20, 2004 at 09:50:04 PT
NPR Radio Interview With Neil Young on Greendale
I know here I go again! LOL!http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=1780267
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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on March 19, 2004 at 23:19:23 PT
Chenoa Stilwell Jensen
The only truthful statement she made was telling us her name, but considering all of the lies she tells I don't even believe that.Impotence? Let's just say I don't need your pharmaceutical erection drugs after 28 years since my first spliff. No cancer, lung problems, addictions to hard drugs, I rarely drink alcohol, can't stand cigarettes, never had a vehicle accident except when totally straight, can kick most peoples' asses when it comes to playing guitar *including* improvisational jazz, where everything except the basic chord progression is created spontaneously.We have to FORCE THEM TO DEBATE! The lies just get more outrageous when they aren't countered by the truth.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on March 19, 2004 at 21:43:53 PT
Can this Betty spew, or what?
"Marijuana is not harmless. It can cause lung, throat and other cancers, similar to tobacco use, in addition to causing impotence in men, and delayed reaction time, which can be risky while driving. Marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to the use of other drugs— legal and illegal— and to risky behaviors." Does she ever tell the truth?
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