History's Dumpster = GLORIOUS trash! Kitsch, music, fashion, food, history, ephemera, and other memorable and forgotten, famous and infamous pop culture junk and oddities of yesterday and today. Saved from the landfill of time...
On Saturday nights at 11:15pm in early 1971, after the 11PM evening newscast was over and the older folks were likely going to bed or watching the last late movies on other channels. KIRO TV & Radio in Seattle, Washington got psychedelic with their briefly run locally produced live music TV show series Telephonic Happening.
With then contemporary rock hits such as "Black Magic Woman/Gyspy Queen" Santana, "My Sweet Lord" George Harrison and "Honey Tonk Women" Rolling Stones and Matthews Southern Comfort's rendition of "Woodstock" (not heard on this clip) and guest appearances on this surviving episode by local acts Adam Wind and Cold Trane, Telephonic Happening was presented in experimental 4 channel Quadraphonic sound with color psychedelic visuals, filters, imagery and garden gnomes courtesy of local psychedelic light show producers, Retina Circus on the TV screen for freaky visuals.
It was a bold and overlooked first in broadcasting because unlike the pioneering Quad radio broadcasts, which began at Classical stations WGBH and WCRB in Boston in 1969, used the Stereo signals of the two FM radio stations, thus requiring two costly FM stereo receivers to hear the full program in Quad sound.
The experimental KIRO Quad system in Seattle for this program used all three of their AM/FM and TV signals. And it was awkward and uneven sounding. But it was simple, had a visual component and used equipment you already had; Your TV tuned to KIRO-TV 7 in front of you for a mono front-center channel and visual stage. An FM Stereo radio with separating speakers (tuned to KIRO-FM's then-frequency of 100.7 MHz) with the speakers placed directly at your left and right sides. And for the rear speaker, your AM tabletop or portable radio set to KIRO-AM (710 kHz) for Quad sound in an unusual diamond shaped pattern that probably would have impressed Pink Floyd if they saw it.
And at the very birth of the home theater experience, you took whatever you could get.
But psychedelia, rock music and experimental visual and audio voodoo in diamond patterns were not things KIRO was particularly known for back then. Owned then by Bonneville, the media division of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, neither KIRO-AM or FM even played rock music either in 1971. Which makes this all the more interesting an artifact.
Unfortunately, the audio on this clip is in mono.
The elegant sounding announcer you hear on this clip is the late Hal Willard. For decades, he was "Mr. Announcer Man" at KIRO-TV who read the weather reports during the J.P. Patches morning show.
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Listen at the end of the Telephonic Happening program where he recommends you send a postcard to the station telling them your requests and suggestions for future Telephonic Happening programs, but "suggest gently"....
Bonanza '88' Stores were a discount chain that dominated much of the Western half of the US from 1967 to 1987.
They began as an all 88¢ store. Everything in the store, 88¢. Or 2 for 88¢ (many cheap budget label record albums were offloaded this way.) Over time, they began offering a mix of higher and lower price items.
In the late 1980s, Bonanza '88' was renamed simply Bonanza and also offered a pharmacy. They were bought out by the Seattle based Bartell chain in the late '80s.
From the outside of it, Go 'n Joy convenience stores looked like your typical early 1980s convenience store chain.
As well as the inside of it. They made fresh deli sandwiches, had a full selection of potato chips, beer, candy and soda. As well as various other quick must-buys like milk, bread and eggs. They had a cold soda/Icee fountain. There were a couple of arcade video games in the front of the store. Pretty average stuff for a convenience store chain in 1981.
Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. Except that this chain literally went from idea to 17 locations that sprang up within a period of a few months in western Washington State in early 1981 (something even your most ambitious retail chain doesn't do.) They had further plans of expansion of up to 30 stores at this time.
What are these places?, people began to ask. And how did they get so big, so fast? It seemed pretty strange. But nothing to be concerned over really, just odd.
The Washington State Liquor Control Board wanted to know too, as they were licensing each store for beer and wine sales (Hard liquor was still sold in state-run liquor stores at that time.) Their concern was knowing who actually owned the chain.
But after wandering through a maze of various shell companies and people who seemed to change positions within the company on a dime, the investigations revealed one common link; the various operatives of Go 'n Joy, from distributors to several franchise operators revealed ties to Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church.
The Unification Church is a religion with a large worldwide membership (known as "Moonies"), but is still considered a cult by many. But this was a cult with a difference. While most cults were considered dirty Commie free-love hippies who are against capitalism by most people in post 1960s America, the Unification Church not only embraced capitalism, but made it front and center in it's various operations. They hated Communism. Members were clean and upstanding people.
One of my neighbours was a Moonie. He drove a nice car and owned a restaurant. At no time during my first two months of knowing him had I ever suspected he was a Moonie. But one day, religion snuck into our conversation and he casually mentioned he was a member of the Unification church. I wasn't upset or nervous about it. He didn't try to convert me. It was his thing, not mine.
But alternative religions were not looked upon kindly in 1981. We were a nation still in shock over the 1978 People's Temple mass suicide and anti-cult groups sprang up for families to "deprogram" other family members who were inducted into them.
The revelation of this chain being owned by the Moonies led to assorted accusations of the true intent of Go 'n Joy stores. Some parents believed the Unification Church was actively using the store chain as a front to lure young people into the religion.
While many young people (including myself at that time) occasionally stopped at a Go 'n Joy for a burrito and a soda, maybe played a video game, no one there ever gave me any leaflets. Nor do I remember seeing any. No one there ever asked me if I heard of Reverend Moon, that kind of thing. They wouldn't have lasted ten minutes if they did in that more religiously partisan time.
Unable to control the negative publicity, the Go 'n Joy chain was quietly sold. Some locations were sold to 7-Eleven, which used some locations as expansion outlets for their then recent acquired Hoagy's Corner chain of deli/convenience stores. Others to independent operators. In 1982, Rev. Moon was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
The Unification Church still owns lots of businesses. But today, the same outrage there was in 1981 doesn't exist now as people today are less concerned with the religion of a business operator and more eager for a good deal.
Most of you have probably never heard this UK single before and technically, it's not even a Christmas song, but an anti-war song.
Yet if you live in the Seattle area, you definitely know it. It gets regular airplay on Seattle's Warm 106.9 radio during their annual holiday music format. For decades, it was a holiday season radio hit in the Puget Sound. An earworm that never seems to leave your brain once you hear it. It reached #3 on the British pop charts in December 1981. But there was never an American release of the song at that time. Either it wasn't considered or no American record label was interested in licensing the track for the U.S., thinking it wouldn't sell to American record buyers.
So how did this song get to be such a huge hit in Seattle and pretty much nowhere else outside of the UK?
Well first, we're weird here in Seattle. That said, there's a fascinating back story (here) to how this record was nearly lost forever and how it was finally saved.
The original label the record was on, Stiff Records, was a British independent specializing in "pub rock", new wave and punk (Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Madness, Lene Lovich, Tracey Ullmann and Ian Dury & The Blockheads were among Stiff's best known artists.) It became one of the most influential independent labels in the world in the early 1980s, ushering in the punk and new wave genres to the UK and the world.
This song however was clearly none of the above genres.
It was originally recorded by Jona Lewie (another Stiff artist), but it was The Cory Band's cover of the song that became the Seattle hit.
The Cory Band is a Welsh brass band and one of the longest continuous running bands in the world. They were founded in 1884 (The Rolling Stones have nothing on these guys) and are recognized as one of the world's most innovative and popular brass ensembles.
However somewhere along the way from the song's initial release, Stiff had erased and reused the original studio master tape of The Cory Band's version of this song (being a low-budget independent record label, that is not uncommon.) So when a Seattle record producer heard the track and contacted Stiff in 1997 to license an American re-release of this extremely rare single because of overwhelming demand from Seattle area radio listeners, Stiff looked in their vaults. Then told the producer the awful news.
A makeshift workaround had to be arranged with a vinyl copy of the song. Luckily, there were a few mint copies remaining from the original pressing. The producer made a decent transfer suitable for the re-release and sold 13,000 copies of the reissue locally.
It still remains one of the perennial holiday favourites in Seattle. Enjoy.
A lost indie pop classic, "TV" was a song by The Judy's, Texas' (Pearland, specifically) most famous New Wave band.
This song got airplay on some wavy Seattle radio stations and this was where I first heard this song. But being on a local Houston area independent label, getting a copy of their album Washarama was nearly impossible since the label didn't have any national distribution. But The Judy's were unquestionably popular in the Lone Star state in the early 1980s. Their other hits included "Guyana Punch", "Her Wave", "Grass is Greener" and "Milk"
And "TV" is perhaps the only song to ever mention Allied TV Rentals, which was a famous national TV rental company, where you rented TVs by the week. A model that grew into today's rent-to-own businesses, such as Rent-A-Center, ColorTyme and Aaron's. Allied TV Rentals itself however went out of business nationally in 1987.
In spite of some worthy press and incredibly catchy singles, The Judy's never got the national fame and chart success they deserved. However, they still maintain a website where you can order their albums.
Sorry for the lack of action, I'm caring for a terminally ill kitty right now. Mr. Smokey Gato has feline cancer and it's advanced. He is getting weaker and thinner. And this kitty has been my buddy, always there for me. So I'm paying a lot more attention to him. Because I don't know how long I will have him.
I recently made a list of vanished retail chains, mostly in Puget Sound, I had a few requests to post about some chains. But it's not easy to find information on most of them. There are a few chains that have simply no hard information I could research on them and others I have memories of shopping at, but little else overall to go on.
One of those is Six Star Factory Retail Outlets (best known as Six Star) Six Star was a discount store from 1987 to 2009 that also specialized in craft supply merchandise. Six Star was once a rising chain in the Western America, mostly in suburban areas as far east as Colorado. My local Six Star was in Lynnwood, WA
Six
Star was mostly a dollar store, with some items going as high as $6.
But no higher for most merchandise. Some products, such as an aluminium cookware set were available for $6, plus the balance in "Bonus Bucks" coupons, which for each $5 of things you buy, you got one Bonus Buck coupon.
Six Star also expanded full tilt into craft merchandise in the early '90s by opening Super Star locations (there was one in Lynnwood across the parking lot from the Six Star), which offered craft supplies only. These were meant to offer all craft supplies and an employee there once told me they were planning to transition the craft supplies out of the Six Star stores and into the nearby Super Star locations, freeing up shelves for even more general merchandise in Six Star locations.
But there was one thing I looked for specifically at Six Star and it were these.
On the cashier counter, there sat a rack of compilation cassettes, mostly of the cornball country/religious crud that Gusto Records specializes in as well as warmed over mini-compilation cassettes from any given major label's special products division. But amongst them were Canadian compilations from Quality Records. They sold for $4.00 each
They were K-Tel like and offered a pretty good mix of pop tunes. Including at least 3 Canadian tracks. OK, so Zappacosta, Frozen Ghost and The Parachute Club aren't exactly the first names that jump off American tongues when you bring up '80s pop music. But they were a pretty good deal for the money. And I could only find them at Six Star.
Today, I'm going to give folks in other states and around the world a primer into the world of legal marijuana here in Washington State. In Colorado, the rules and particulars are pretty much the same with not too many variables. And future state legalization laws and the cannabis sales systems in other states will likely follow ours and our friends in Colorado's example.
Support for legalizing recreational marijuana is spreading. And there is a lot of curiosity about it. Especially amongst those who are completely inexperienced with cannabis. Or haven't used it in many years in other states and countries. Or haven't used in many years, or even decades.
To help give cannabis users of all stripes an idea of the new world of legal recreational marijuana that is coming nation wide. And yes, that includes new users too. I'm going to talk about legal marijuana here in Washington State. Consenting adults have the right to choose and have proper information given to them to help make informed choices. "Just say no" is not a choice. (And terrible manners too. Why not just politely say "No, thank you"?)
I-502 And it's Effect
Recreational marijuana has been legal in Washington State for nearly three years and we've learned this much:
1. The world didn't end.
2. Marijuana is safer than alcohol
3. The crime level has fallen significantly.
4. The state economy is booming with thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new businesses. With more opening weekly.
5. Tourism has increased.
6. Drug and alcohol overdose rates have fallen dramatically.
When marijuana was legalized in Washington State, social conservatives automatically assumed the worst. They predicted millions of stoners laying about on the dole, eating chips and watching Netflix all day long. And stoned out drivers clogging up the highways. And the stoners would be demanding the legalization of cocaine, heroin, crack and meth.
Absolutely NONE of that has happened here.
And as far as the so-called "gateway drugs" are concerned, that's usually the salt, sugar and high fructose corn syrup in nearly everything and/or the caffeine in coffee and sodas. To say nothing of alcohol and tobacco. Are we going to ban these things?
Good luck with that.
Bottom line; The legalization of recreational cannabis in Washington and Colorado in 2012 was an experiment in social freedom gone wonderfully right. And the critics were wrong.
More states have legalized. Alaska is the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana. Washington DC has also legalized it and California and Vermont may be next. Expect more in all but the most extremely conservative states in the next 10-20 years. But even they will fall with time.
And finally, marijuana is a plant. It is NOT a "drug". Coffee is a plant. It contains a mind altering, sometimes disorientating substance (caffeine). Yet coffee is not called a "drug". Why is cannabis?
You can effectively end the underground black market, the dangerous synthetic drugs, increase tax revenue and help stamp out the gangs and drug cartels while SAVING resources, untold billions in tax dollars and unclogging courts and prisons. With common sense regulations and taxation. Like here in Washington State.
And I'll admit while I-502, which legalized recreational marijuana in Washington State was an excellent decision on the part of voters, the bill left a LOT to be desired and it's very heavy handed, I'm hoping the law will eventually be amended to reflect the actual realities of today's cannabis user rather than decades of false and negative stereotypes.
Preparing:
An excellent source of information, including dispensary menu prices, selection and where to buy is Leafly. Leafly is one of the very best sources of information about cannabis and related products available online and your first stop before you shop. It's full of information on the various strains/products, their availability, dispensaries in areas around the US where both medical and recreational cannabis is legal, plus current news and feature articles.
And the Leafly information pages on the various cannabis strains/products are generally spot on with the descriptiveness of them and their effects.
There is also WeedMaps, which is more Washington State specific.
They often have the menu selection for each dispensary. Be aware that some dispensaries that affiliate with Leafly may not have menus available on WeedMaps or vice versa. And some dispensaries don't publish their menus online at all. Or keep them updated. But most do. Also read the reviews for each dispensary.
(Note: Some dispensaries also do not publish their prices online. That's because prices can also fluctuate depending on availability of some products.) It's not like a convenience store, where you can find the same products in each store day after day.
The Dispensaries:
First, many of you who smoke pot illegally in your state have probably never seen an actual recreational cannabis dispensary. Or have any clue of what one looks like.
Most look something like this.
The big video screens in most dispensaries have the current menu selection and other information. Worth a glance.
They are professional retail establishments. But mostly obscure, hidden in light industrial zones and office parks. You'll never see big flashy signs, they're required to keep a low visual profile on their facades. But they are very clean and very safe. Not much different than a finer shop of any kind. Their staffs are often really friendly people.
The products are always sold from behind the counters. There are no consumer accessible shelves. This is for security reasons. And required by law.
Recreational cannabis can be an intimidating thing to buy if you're not used to it. Even for longtime cannabis users like myself were when I first started shopping at a legal dispensary. On the streets where it's illegal, you got what you could get off the streets with questionable potency (too low for some people, too high for others.)
Now we have a full market selection of not only THC levels, different strains and even flavors of pot to smoke. But the different gourmet food and drink products as well as concentrates.
You can vape it in special oils through an e-cigarette. You can eat it in specially made candies and cookies. You can drink it in infused drinks. And there are other cannabis products.
If you're new to dispensaries:
- You MUST be 21 or older to purchase at or even enter a recreational marijuana dispensary in Washington State. There is a doorman/woman at most dispensaries (some have locked access doors and they have to unlock it before you can come in.) They are there to make sure you're of age. Legal marijuana dispensaries are very classy, upstanding places and they pride themselves on maintaining that image.
- Don't be shy. Or scared. You don't need any special card. Or have to sign up for anything or join any club. After you're screened at the door, just walk in. Someone will always greet you.
- Most dispensaries also sell heatproof glass smoking pipes, bongs, vaporizer systems and of course, lighters. If you prefer pre-rolled, they have those too in selected varieties (they cannot open a bag and roll any for you. However you can buy a grinder and rolling papers at most dispensaries and do it yourself at home.)
- Don't be embarrassed by the selection. Marijuana comes in many varieties. Each strain of cannabis or cannabis infused product has a different effect and level of THC content. Pre-rolls tend to have the lowest. BHO waxes the highest.
There are three main varieties of cannabis that you should know about.
Hybrids - Hybrids are "the best of both worlds". They have both distinct body and head highs and can vary from one type to another.
If you're not sure of anything, ask for the best sellers on the menu.
Be aware of this:
- You can't legally buy more than an ounce of smokable recreational marijuana from a dispensary. There are also limits to edibles and concentrates. Always ask before you buy a larger amount of these.
- There are also no free samples. Don't ask.
- Please be aware that the dispensary staff cannot legally give you any medically related advice. So don't be offended if they rebuff any medically related question. That's not what they are there for. Only your doctor can help you in that category. Please understand and respect this.
- Taking selfies or photos in/of the interior and around the premises without express permission from management is frowned upon. Always ask first before you whip out your phone. Even though cannabis is legal here, many users are still sensitive to their privacy. Please respect that.
- You also can't consume cannabis in any form anywhere on or near the premises of a dispensary. They are not hangouts. Feel free to browse the selection, ask questions and buy. But you can't stay and consume anything there.
The Selection:
Pre-packaged recreational cannabis and cannabis product come in thick plastic, foil backed, vacuum sealed packages. It preserves the freshness of the cannabis and unopened, it can keep for a few years. They are also foil-backed for security reasons.
You have to remember this is not your uncle's stash. This is Top Shelf stuff. No stems or seeds. And quality product. All prices include tax.
You might notice 3.5 grams (on the streets, it's called an "eighth" or 1/8th of an ounce and the standard street distribution amount) for $60 for some popular strains is a LOT to pay for good cannabis (on the street, eighths usually sold for $40 and there are eighths that still sell for $40 at most dispensaries.) Some products however do not come in sizes higher than 2 grams. Check for availability.
But the good thing going in the legal market out here is you know exactly what you're getting, it's very high quality and the weight is correct. Plus you have a wide selection of products and prices. So you're not getting ripped off. If $60 is too expensive, look for lower cost eighths. But $40 is usually the lowest price for an eighth of cannabis in most recreational dispensaries.
Flowers
Also called "buds", this is the prime cannabis product and the vast majority of what is sold. There are hundreds of varieties of sativas, indicas and hybrids to choose from. They are sold in 1 gram, 2 gram, 3.5 gram and 7 gram (quarter ounce) packages and also in pre-rolled packages. Again sizes and availability differ from product to product and place to place
Storing Cannabis Cannabis, like tobacco, tea, coffee or any other plant based material needs to be stored in an airtight container and in a cool dark place away from sunlight. Black plastic 35mm film canisters were often the best for storing small amounts. But any good, airtight container will do.
Advanced Cannabis Products
Eating Cannabis Infused Products:
If you've never tried them before, eating a cannabis product is like eating any other brownie, cookie or candy. Kick back. Relax....You won't feel a thing at first. But depending on your metabolism, you'll be feeling the effects anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. And when you start to feel it, it will be instant. Like "Hit you like a train" instant. You'll be talking with someone in mid conversation and suddenly, everything will get funny. Or you'll forget what you were just talking about.
It might not be the thing you want to happen in public though. The sudden high can go in any direction. But some people can get panicky and/or really disoriented (and sometimes both when you're in a crowded party full of strangers.) It can get really scary and bum your whole trip. So stay in a nice comfy place with good friends or by yourself if you're new to the edibles and drinks.
Be aware the edibles are usually very expensive. But they're usually also very potent. You may think four small candies for $12 is crazy. But eat just one of these and you won't.
Vape Pens:
The vape pen concentrates are not for lightweights. With a 40% - 80%+ THC content, it's for the advanced stoner.
The packages containing vape oil cartridges look like hardly anything (the photo of the vape cartridge above is only slightly smaller than actual size) and a total rip off for $35-60 or more. But this isn't plant material, it's concentrated THC.
Since pure vaping oil is VERY thick, use a 350 mAh, 510 thread e-cigarette battery, which is the best power for these cartridges. Higher regular e-cigarette ones, 650 mAh and above, can ruin them. You can find these for cheap on eBay and other sources for $7-25.
These are pure cannabinoids you're inhaling, not burning plant material or e-liquid. So the clouds won't be as fluffy when you exhale like with e-cigarette liquid. Take gentle tokes and inhale it slowly and hold it as long as you can. You may not even see any significant vapor when you exhale, but give it a few seconds and you WILL feel it.
The vaping oil cartridges are very strong concentrates. And stealth too. You can puff them almost anywhere discreetly. That's why they're so popular today. But as always, be careful.
BHO wax
- BHO
BHO (or "dabbing") is smoked through a special pipe that requires a blowtorch. I don't have any personal experience with this method. Besides, that's a lot to buy and prepare when all you simply want is a good stone.
For this, I defer to the Ultimate Cannabis Authority; High Times magazine.
Another thing to remember is BHO waxes are extremely strong, 70% THC and beyond. It's absolutely not for the squeamish.
Finally
If you're a cannabis user living in a state or country where cannabis is illegal, join a pro-cannabis legalization group (Google for the ones in your state/country.) Get to know your state/country's laws on cannabis and volunteer to collect signatures to put a legalization bill on the ballot in your state/country. Or donate money to help the cause.
We live in changing times today. Public attitudes about marijuana are changing in favor of legalization. And it's important we keep fighting the good fight for cannabis legalization nationwide and around the world. And vigorously defend our rights once it is legalized.
And the best defense is to always set a good example of responsibility.
There are forces who will do anything to push us back into the dark ages of prohibition for nothing more than vicarious control over the lives of people who disagree with them and we must never allow that. Because if they can succeed in doing that, they will be emboldened to attack other rights we fought long and hard to gain (such as LGBT rights, which they already are.)
But for now, let's light up and celebrate what we have gained. Which is a LOT compared to even 3 years ago. But never give up the fight.
The Controla-Tone was an early do-it-yourself TV remote control, The Controla-Tone was a TV volume controller that worked by the user first removing the back of the TV set and connecting the lead wires of Controla-Tone to the speaker leads. The user could then control the volume output through a small knob on the Controla-Tone unit from his/her easy chair.
It only worked for sound. The Controla-Tone did not power on/off, change channels or adjust picture. It could also work for radio.
Not much else is known about The Controla-Tone Co. of Tacoma, WA other than this is believed to be their only product. It was advertised in the June 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics.
Although initial sales were good, TVs with dedicated remotes that could do far more than control volume were lowering in price and becoming increasingly affordable to the average consumer, making the Controla-Tone pretty much doomed.
