Bro. It’s 4/20. We’re high. You can find out what this is about by listening, probably. Have fun. Party on.
In this episode: News- 1:35 || Main Topic (4/20)- 13:18 || Gayest & Straightest- 55:32
Donate to the Last Prisoner Project by visiting https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/donate. It’s a non-profit working to free the tens of thousands of individuals still unjustly imprisoned for cannabis.
See our 6th anniversary live show tour dates, venues and tickets at www.gayishpodcast.com/live.
On the weekly bonus Patreon segment, we ask each other questions from the internet you should ask your friends while high Get bonus audio, video, and other great benefits by joining our Patreon at www.patreon.com/gayishpodcast.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
INTRO MUSIC [MIKE JOHNSON SINGING]
When you know that you are queer but your favorite drink is beer, that’s Gayish. You can bottom without stopping but you can’t stand going shopping, that’s Gayish. Oh, Gayish. You’re probably Gayish. Oh life’s just too short for narrow stereotypes. Oh, it’s Gayish. We’re all so Gayish. It’s Gayish with Mike and Kyle.
MIKE JOHNSON
Hello, everyone in the podcast universe. This is Gayish.
KYLE GETZ
The podcast that’s created by humans, for humans.
MIKE JOHNSON
But only the gay ones.
KYLE GETZ
Only gay humans. [Mike laughs] Sorry, straights, if you’re listening, you get outta here.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Get out. Go on, get!
MIKE JOHNSON
What’s up, you cool straight person? [Kyle chuckles] Um, I’m Mike Johnson.
KYLE GETZ
I’m Kyle Getz.
MIKE JOHNSON
And we’re here to bridge the gap between sexuality and actuality. And, today…
KYLE GETZ
Today, what are we talking about, Mike?
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] 420!
KYLE GETZ
420!
MIKE JOHNSON
Happy 4/20!
KYLE GETZ
Happy 4/20!
MIKE JOHNSON
…Or 4/19, if you’re not cool and in Patreon. [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
Oh, yeah, [chuckles] that’s true. Some people are getting this episode on 4/19, which, don’t get high yet. Hang on to it for a day. Um, yeah, fortuitously, this episode comes out on 4/20 and we decided to celebrate that.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. How…?
KYLE GETZ
Howm?
MIKE JOHNSON
…You’re gonna find out.
KYLE GETZ
We… [Mike laughs] took edibles, I think we should just go ahead and say.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Um, so, yeah, starting to- We’ll see how this goes.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. We were recording our Patreon episode about prison and had to get high to get through it.
KYLE GETZ
Mhm. Yes.
MIKE JOHNSON
Or at least start, like, the getting high process.
KYLE GETZ
Yes, yes, so we’re a little bit into our edible, where… you know… Um, but first?
MIKE JOHNSON
But first, here’s the news.
KYLE GETZ
This is gonna go great.
MIKE JOHNSON
This is gonna go great, I can tell.
[News segment intro plays, sung by MIKE JOHNSON]
Shut your mouth hole it’s time for your ear holes, news, news, news.
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, news the first: San Diego County has settled with a transgender woman who was beaten by a fellow inmate after being placed in a cell with three men at a men’s prison in 2020.
KYLE GETZ
Ugh.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, Kristina Frost was put in jail and, despite the fact that she uses she/her pronouns and has “Female” on her driver’s license-
KYLE GETZ
Mm. So, legally, she is female.
MIKE JOHNSON
-she was put into a cell with men in it, and they- they beat her up. So, without- While admitting no guilt or liability in the case, San Diego County agreed [Kyle scoffs] to pay $275,000 for the incident that took place on November 20th, 2020, at the Central Jail in downtown San Diego. Frost said she had been arrested for a book and release crime, where suspects are immediately released on the condition that they appear at a later time to be officially booked, fingerprinted, and photographed. Instead, she was housed with three male suspects in the men’s facility, in violation of county policy, even though she presented as female at the time of her arrest and her driver’s license listened to her gender as female. “Sadly — and foreseeably — one of the men in the cell viciously attacked Ms. Frost,” The lawsuit said. “His closed-fist punches to Ms. Frost’s face resulted in serious bodily injuries, including a broken jaw, so far requiring two surgeries to repair,” and-
KYLE GETZ
Wow. That’s horrible.
MIKE JOHNSON
The sheriff’s department, of course, said that she was making part of it up. Uh, quote-
KYLE GETZ
Oh, sure.
MIKE JOHNSON
-“The person who allegedly assaulted Miss Frost stated he was assaulted by Miss Frost first and stated that he acted in self-defense,”-
KYLE GETZ
Oh, fuck that. That’s- That sounds like a trans panic defense.
MIKE JOHNSON
-spokesperson Lt. Amber Baggs said at the time. “Additionally, Miss Frost declined to press charges.”
KYLE GETZ
That’s not an admission of guilt.
MIKE JOHNSON
She claims she was denied medical treatment when deputies further detained her for 12 hours before taking her to a hospital. She also alleged that she was repeatedly misgendered by deputies.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
And, uh- Yeah, it’s interesting. Like, this is the kind of shit that happens all of the time, and shit that, like, Republicans apparently fuckin’ think that we should be doing.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, and, uh, it’s- I don’t know. Like, I feel awful for her that that situation happened, obviously, and it’s nice for there to be some kind of repercussions for-
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
-like, being dickbag fuckface assholes about it.
KYLE GETZ
Seems like not enough, but…
MIKE JOHNSON
Right. Right. Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Um, also…
MIKE JOHNSON
Mhm.
KYLE GETZ
I was gonna say something else…
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh, you’re high, it’s great.
KYLE GETZ
No I’m not. [chuckles] [Mike laughs] I’m regular. It sucks that the idea- Like, we’ve been making progress by allowing legal gender changes, and it also sucks that that didn’t protect her in this case. That should be- That’s part of the point of that, is to be- And maybe, hopefully, why she won her case. Like, that- Part of the point is to be like “No, look. Like, legally, I am a female. What do you want from me? Like, you-”
MIKE JOHNSON
Right.
KYLE GETZ
“You have to put me in the female side.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. Yep.
KYLE GETZ
That sucks.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep, I agree. Yep.
KYLE GETZ
[sighs] If you want to learn more about prison, check out our Patreon [chuckles] $5+/month level and you can hear our bonus episode about prison.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s magical.
KYLE GETZ
This was heavy.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] Okay, news the second. So, Emmy award-winning Pose star Billy Porter is going to be playing renowned writer and activist James Baldwin in an upcoming feature. He also helped write the script with Dan McCabe. But James Baldwin, outspoken gay black writer born in Harlem in 1924, and wrote a lot about black identity, sexuality, race issues, he wrote books called “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, “Notes of a Native Son”, “Another Country”, and “The Fire Next Time”. But uh, yeah, so, Billy Porter, who- When you see their pictures side by side, like… I see it. This is a good casting, I think.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Also, an actual queer person playing a historical queer, uh, you know, person. So-
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah. Billy Porter, like, he’s one of the people that can make that happen, because of how big his name is.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. And, uh- And- Who knows? Maybe, you know, maybe this- Maybe this’ll get him his Oscar.
KYLE GETZ
Ooo…
MIKE JOHNSON
He’s won an Emmy, a Tony, and Grammy [Kyle gasps] so he only needs the Oscar to EGOT.
KYLE GETZ
No way! Damn! Alright, we’ll be watching that one.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, absolutely. I- You know, if Billy Porter EGOTs… can we just- can we do a whole episode about that?
KYLE GETZ
Yes! We could do a Billy Porter episode. That would be cool.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Okay. Alright. Quote, “As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time.’ I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come,” Billy Porter said in a statement.
KYLE GETZ
Aw. That’s beautiful.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. News the last?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Alright, so, Zillah Washington…
KYLE GETZ
What?! This is- Hold on. [Mike laughs] I’ve been there.
MIKE JOHNSON
The principal of Zillah Middle School has sent out an apology email to parents over a, quote, “modernized” version of Romeo and Juliet that was performed at an eighth grade field trip on Thursday. This made local news. It made Yakima news, KIMA-TV news covered it.
KYLE GETZ
Are you telling- gonna tell people?
MIKE JOHNSON
Tell people what?
KYLE GETZ
That you’re from there?
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m from there. I’m from- Like, I-
KYLE GETZ
That’s- That was- Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
I went to Zillah Middle School, everybody.
KYLE GETZ
Right, right, right. [Mike laughs] You gotta tell people!
MIKE JOHNSON
I mean- The play was performed by a traveling company from the Seattle Shakespeare Company at Zillah Nazarene Church, also known as “The Church of Godzilla”, I believe.
KYLE GETZ
Mhm, I’ve driven past that with you.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. Uh, and the field trip flyer stated that, quote, “The group will present a slightly modernized version of the play,” and then…
KYLE GETZ
Gay.
MIKE JOHNSON
Well, apparently people- Some of the kids told some of the parents some of the things and they all freaked out, wrote-in to the news, wrote-in to the principal. The principal, um- Uh- God. They give his last name: Torres. I wonder if I know that kid. Hold on.
KYLE GETZ
I’m sorry, are you Facebooking the principal?
MIKE JOHNSON
Mhm.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Yeah, you gotta do your conflict of interest disclosures.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh, Mike Torres. I know him but he’s not who I was thinking of. Mike Torres, the principal, sent out an email and said, basically, quote, “There were some scenes and back-drop art depictions that may have caused the students to feel uncomfortable,” the play was “not done in a manner that we anticipated,” and he apologized for any students that were negatively impacted. Here’s the thing: I’ve dug and dug and dug to try to figure out what was so fucking egregious that it required the news to get involved and for the principal to have to send out a letter. The two things that I had found were: number one, apparently part of the modern, like, ghetto citified like backdrop it says “trans rights”. Like, it’s a big piece of graffiti art and then, like, in one place it says “trans rights”.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, in the bottom corner where, [Mike chuckles] like, you really have to squint.
MIKE JOHNSON
And, apparently, the actor that was playing Romeo was a gender-nonconforming and appeared to be either nonbinary or perhaps trans. The reports are conflicting, possibly because nobody that’s from there knows how to talk about this stuff.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, but yeah. So, the actor that played Romeo was assigned female at birth and is gender-nonconforming in some way.
KYLE GETZ
Do they know, like, Shakespeare at all? Like-
MIKE JOHNSON
No, they don’t! That’s the thing, right?
KYLE GETZ
[scoffs] Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, they just absolutely don’t understand it. Lots of people on Facebook were saying lots of really hilarious things about the whole thing, like “Do you even know Shakespeare? All of the actors would have been men back in the day.”
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, what the fuck is the problem?
KYLE GETZ
You would have freaked out about that! [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
And, uh, one of- One of them said, quote, “God forbid the eighth graders see something regarding trans rights in the play about *checks notes* teenagers committing suicide”. [both laugh] Right?
KYLE GETZ
That’s so true.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s absolutely true. Just absolute insanity. Much ado about nothing. [Kyle chuckles] But it was- It’s interesting. Being from there, I’m not surprised.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
And, the number of, like, parental rights things that people are hiding their bigotry behind.
KYLE GETZ
Yes.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like “I just- I should have been informed before knowing whether to send my kid to go be indoctrinated by transgenderism.”
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s ‘cause you- You hate- It’s not because you wanted to be informed, it’s because you hate trans people.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right? Like, if- You didn’t bitch about the fact that we took your eighth grader to a fuckin’ church. That’s indoctrinization- indoctrination, right?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah, and parents have a right to opt their kid out of that.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. Um, anyway, it’s just- It really- It really pisses me off that it’s just that you think trans people are icky. And they did not add trans content to the play. The play was done exactly as written. The changes were only casting and only what was in the backdrop, and costuming.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
And uh, there was nothing overtly trans about it. Not pushing a trans agenda, just merely the existence of a trans person on that stage and “trans rights” written on the backdrop in graffiti was enough to, like, people lose their goddamn minds. What the fuck is wrong with this country, Kyle? Also, you’d think that the church would kick them out if it was like…
KYLE GETZ
Mm. Oh, yeah, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
What I mean is… it was subtle enough that the church didn’t freak out. I’m sure that if, when they got there, they found out that it was like… Romeo, like, gets bottom surgery or something…
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] Yeah, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, that would- You know, they would freak out and say “No, you can’t do your fuckin’ gay-ass play here.”
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
But they didn’t, because it wasn’t egregious at all.
KYLE GETZ
Wasn’t even overt? Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, anyway… fuck you, Zillah!
KYLE GETZ
[sighs] The place you grew- I mean, I- Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Also, reading through the people that were on the side of-
KYLE GETZ
Oh my god.
MIKE JOHNSON
-trans rights.
KYLE GETZ
Oh!
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, there’s way more of them than I ever thought possible. I think that, like, that town has changed some and that was very heartwarming to read, to read through some of the things. Yeah. And also, like, one of the, like, people on Facebook that was most angry is a guy who was an upperclassman when I was- when I was- when I was there.
KYLE GETZ
Mhm.
MIKE JOHNSON
He’s hoooot.
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] Oh no.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] Yeah, it’s the worst.
KYLE GETZ
Still that, like, trope of the bully that’s hot?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Who claims to have a gay son, which, like, so therefore he gets to say whatever bigoted shit about trans people that he wants to?
KYLE GETZ
Oh, yeah, yeah. I was like “I bet that appeared at the beginning of a sentence where he said something homophobic or transphobic.”
MIKE JOHNSON
That’s the news!
KYLE GETZ
That’s the news! Um, people that we would… celebrate in a church [chuckles] are the following Patreon members: David Clement…
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Or “Clement”, if it rhymes with “cement”. Uh… Keith Whisenhunt.
MIKE JOHNSON
What?
KYLE GETZ
Um… hut. [chuckles] What? Hut. Um, and… squagle.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] Is there a question mark in there or is that just-
KYLE GETZ
Nope, [in a questioning tone] that’s my inflection! [Mike laughs] And it’s a lowercase s if that matters. squagle, [said like “SKWAUH-gull”] squagle, [like “SKWAA-gull”] squagle, [like “SKWAY-gull”] squagle, [“SKWAUH-gull” again] squawkle… Joan of Arc.
MIKE JOHNSON
Keep going. [both laugh]
KYLE GETZ
Uh, if you want a bonus episode segments, content, if you want to have me try to say your name, join at patreon.com/gayishpodcast. We also have our Patreon happy hour coming up soon.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah we do.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, that is May the 3rd at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. So, if you- Anyone, at any level, gets to join that. So, either if you’re already a member get to hang out with us, or join for just two bucks and you get to join in on the happy hours. They’re a lot of fun.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. The link gets posted to the Patreon app, so if you were wondering, like, how you get access: that’s how.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
And, um- Yeah, use the Patreon app, people. Fill in your address so I can send you a Christmas card.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Patreon, do it!
MIKE JOHNSON
Do it. You wanna talk about 420?
KYLE GETZ
[sighing] Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
I feel like we’ve been talking for forever. [laughs] So-
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. It’s been 17 minutes and 57 seconds, Kyle.
KYLE GETZ
This feels like the l- Okay, I’m ready.
MIKE JOHNSON
Are ya high?
KYLE GETZ
Nnn…
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay, great. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Nooooooo…
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh no. Okay, well, [clears throat] um, you know what?
KYLE GETZ
What?
MIKE JOHNSON
You’re right it does feel like we’ve been talking forever, because the planning about who was gonna say what and in what order is so far long ago I’ve forgotten all of it.
KYLE GETZ
You start!
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m gonna start.
KYLE GETZ
Yes! [chuckles] I do remember that part.
MIKE JOHNSON
Alright, well, I’m going to start… like, exactly like we planned…
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Poof! No plans.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] …with the history of 420!
KYLE GETZ
Great.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, back in the Weed episode, which, that was season one, um, uh, we got similarly high- [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
-and I talked more about, like, the history of marijuana because that episode was called “Weed” but I don’t believe I covered 420. Like, why is 420 marijuana time, Kyle?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, why is 420? I actually started to, like, accidentally run into descriptions of why, and I had to keep avoiding it because I knew you were gonna do this.
MIKE JOHNSON
I love how predictable I am.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] I mean… As am I. But I don’t know why. Something about teenagers? I don’t know.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, some of the ideas that are not true but persist as like urban legend are that 420 was the police officer code for marijuana smoking in progress.
KYLE GETZ!
Mmm. Hm!
MIKE JOHNSON
Not true, in any jurisdiction.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
At least, not at the time that 420 got this meaning.
KYLE GETZ
I wonder if that has then- Like, it’s the other way around. I wonder if that has become a code anywhere.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, it might be. I didn’t look it up. Feel free to follow up, Kyle, if you want to.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] No, I was just- I was just talking. Just a general wonderment.
MIKE JOHNSON
I mean, on your own time. I don’t want to hear it.
KYLE GETZ
Oh. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] Uh, number two: some people say that there’s a connection to April 20th being Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
KYLE GETZ
What?!
MIKE JOHNSON
It- No.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s- That is not why. Why? What do you think? Do you have any theories of your own?
KYLE GETZ
[sighs] No. I mean, I kind of ran into general-
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Like, that it’s a good time to smoke. Like, right after school.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep, that’s true. Um, the timing of it is basically- It’s because of teenagers and because of high schoolers, and I’m gonna talk about that but uh, the reasons for meeting at that time, it turns out, aren’t super complicated. School ends around 3 o’clock, then come sports practice, and it would be about 4:20 that you could be done with practice, and changed, and ready to get high.
KYLE GETZ
I forgot about, like, after school we had band practice and we had football practice. God, I forgot about that being a thing.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
Ah, childhood.
MIKE JOHNSON
I love it when shit like this happens, especially something that’s such a cultural touchstone, right? Like, 420 is fuckin’ famous.
KYLE GETZ
Everyone knows that, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Every-
KYLE GETZ
A-list! [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
At least in the English speaking world, it is an A-list phrase. [Kyle laughs] But, normally-
KYLE GETZ
Finally, we can agree!
MIKE JOHNSON
Normally, those things – because internet, because printing or whatever – we don’t actually know like where it started or why.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
This is five high school students in 1971 made this shit happen.
KYLE GETZ
Wow. Can you imagine being, like, the creator of 420. That would be, like, very cool.
MIKE JOHNSON
Well, Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich absolutely can! [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] Thank you to our following Patreon members.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, they know because they did it.
KYLE GETZ
Wow.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, they would get together at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana by a statue of chemist Louis Pasteur at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California. So, it was actually- Initially, they would say “4:20 Louis” and that was the time, 4:20, and the place, at the Louis Pasteur statue.
KYLE GETZ
Ohhh. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
The “Louis” part got dropped over time, but, um, yeah. So, they would say “4:20 Louis” and that was the, like, “Who’s down- Who wants to have that be a thing that we do today?”
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
And people would, like, nod their head and they would do it. They called themselves the “Waldos”.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, I kept seeing “Waldo” show up and that’s when I had to stop reading about…
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Don’t know why.
KYLE GETZ
Hm.
MIKE JOHNSON
Maybe- Maybe this-
KYLE GETZ
Because they’re like hiding in plain sight?
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] I don’t think “Where’s Waldo?” was the thing in 1971.
KYLE GETZ
It wasn’t?
MIKE JOHNSON
I don’t know.
KYLE GETZ
Derek!
MIKE JOHNSON
When was- When was “Where’s Waldo?”?
KYLE GETZ
When did “Where’s Waldo?” start? [chuckles] Urgent.
MIKE JOHNSON
Now, none of those people are named Waldo, but High Times Magazine-
KYLE GETZ
…Started in 1987.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great. Great.
KYLE GETZ
Alright.
MIKE JOHNSON
High Times magazine incorrectly reported that Steve Waldo formed the Waldos, which, that would be kind of a dick move to like gather a bunch of friends and being like “We’re called the ‘Johnsons’ now, enjoy,” right?
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] I mean, that’s like presidential campaigns.
MIKE JOHNSON
Well, that’s true. Is that true?
KYLE GETZ
I mean, it’s like the Trump campaign. That’s a ton of people…
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, okay.
KYLE GETZ
…that are all centered around one person’s name.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, they started doing this in high school and “4:20 Louis” was how they would say “We’re gonna go get high after school” blah, blah, blah. And Dave Reddix, who was one of the Waldos, had a brother who was working for the Grateful Dead and he got his brother a job as a roadie for bassist Phil Lesh, and he brought with him this “4:20 Louis” thing. The Grateful Dead picked up, and so then- The Grateful Dead is sort of- The Grateful Dead and High Times magazine are how it got distributed then to the world and became this cultural phenomenon that it is. It went far enough that, on- By the time 1990 rolls around, Deadheads in Oakland had flyers inviting people to smoke 420 on 4/20 at 4:20 [Kyle chuckles] and, uh, that made sense. And then that’s when High Times magazine picked it up. Steve Bloom, who was a reporter for them, published the flyer and continued to reference the number. And then, ultimately, that’s how it became this thing. The Waldos are all still alive, they all still live in Northern California in Marin County or Sonoma County, they’re still good friends. There’s a whole documentary that Time did. And yeah, he said, quote, “We got tired of the Friday-night football scene with all of the jocks. We were the guys sitting under the stands smoking a doobie, wondering what we were doing there.” [Kyle chuckles] And then they had, like, adventures.
KYLE GETZ
That’s kind of weird how, like- I mean, it’s getting more- It’s getting less and less counterculture, but it still is counterculture 30 years later, it’s still something we’re fighting about.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. 50 years later, man.
KYLE GETZ
50 years later. Fuck!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Yep, for sure. And people still have the most fucked up ideas about marijuana and what it does to you.
KYLE GETZ
Oh yeah, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
We forgot to say, at the top of the episode, “Kyle and I are high,” [Kyle chuckles] “and it’s legal for us to do that here in the state of Washington.”
KYLE GETZ
We’re a little high, so we forgot to say something. [Mike laughs] Go figure. Yes, it is legal. I purchased this from a store where I could order online-
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
-and then pick up in store like I was ordering a fuckin’… takeout noodles.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mmm, noodles.
KYLE GETZ
Ooo, I want noodles. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
That sounds good. Um, yeah, uh-
KYLE GETZ
That’s cool you can trace back so directly.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, you can trace it back direc- Now, there are- [chuckles] There’s another group of people that claims that they were the ones that invented it…
KYLE GETZ
[gasps] Ooo.
MIKE JOHNSON
…who also went to San Rafael High School in Marin County, California. They were like a rival gang- Not a rival gang, they were just another- like, another lunch table.
KYLE GETZ
Another clique. Yeah, like one table over were like-
MIKE JOHNSON
That claims that they said at first and that the Waldos stole it from them.
KYLE GETZ
[gasps] Drama!
MIKE JOHNSON
To which a journalist was like “What fuckin’ difference does it make? None of you are getting paid.”
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. [laughs]
MIKE JOHNSON
Right? Like- [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
Well, you just said a documentary was made about them or somethin’. I want a documentary made about me.
MIKE JOHNSON
You have one.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, I made it.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Fuck.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
I want a better one. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, did I have anything more to say about them? Oh no.
KYLE GETZ
Oh what?
MIKE JOHNSON
Just, this is-
KYLE GETZ
Just you’re high?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
Hi.
MIKE JOHNSON
Hiiii. Uh-
KYLE GETZ
Should I go?
MIKE JOHNSON
Why did I want to talk about Hot Tub Time Machine, Kyle?
KYLE GETZ
Ooo! You have to be high to enjoy it?
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughing] Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
It was made by high people?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
You use it to hold your… spliff?
MIKE JOHNSON
Mhm. Mhm. Go ahead, Kyle.
KYLE GETZ
Okay. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s your turn.
KYLE GETZ
Um, High Times magazine showed up bunch.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah!
KYLE GETZ
Uhh, do gay people smoke weed more than- or do marijuana more than straight people?
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m gonna guess absolutely, 100%, yes.
KYLE GETZ
That’s a good guess. We’ll find out if it’s- We’ll find out that it’s true, very soon.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Um-
MIKE JOHNSON
Survey says!
KYLE GETZ
Hold on to your- What?
MIKE JOHNSON
Hold onto your butts?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh, okay… [quiet sound of movement] I did it. [Kyle chuckles] Um, no- Yeah, okay.
KYLE GETZ
What?
MIKE JOHNSON
Gay people- I assume gay people, if it’s like, you know, risky, or illegal, or…
KYLE GETZ
A drug?
MIKE JOHNSON
…a drug, are like supes totes more on board than straight people, who have, like, scared themselves into a boring life.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, or like don’t have to numb out so much of the pain.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Great. [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
Um- I mean, that’s why.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
We live, like, harder lives then numb it out with shit. Umm… So, there was an article in High Times by Benjamin M. Adams that I found that references these two studies that I’m gonna mention. So, there was a 2009 study where respondents were asked about their marijuana use, and the answers were- turned into then either they’ve never- Oh, in the past year never used it, or- have not used it or have used it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
And they also asked-
MIKE JOHNSON
Have. Did. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Have. Gay people said “have”. Oh, you. Your answer is “have”.
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m a gay people, it’s fine.
KYLE GETZ
You’re a gay people. Um, you’re one of the best gay people.
MIKE JOHNSON
Thanks.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, no problem. Sexual orientation was also a question. They asked them both to self-identify and state their behaviors recently, so they know a little bit of both. That’ll- That’ll come up.
MIKE JOHNSON
‘Kay.
KYLE GETZ
Um… the results is that-
MIKE JOHNSON
So, like, if somebody came and they’re like “I’m straight,” then, like, I had to also hear all of the straight shit that they did last week?
KYLE GETZ
Well, they didn’t ask for like a chart. [chuckles] They didn’t ask for an enumerated list.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
They were just like asked about like “Have you been with a woman in the past 12 months? Have you been with a man?” Like, they asked about sexual behaviors.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
Not just how you self-identify. Okay, great.
KYLE GETZ
Which I think is interesting, because heterosexual women who have had same-sex partners, as well as bisexual women and lesbians – so basically all the kinda gay, gayish women – were significantly higher- more likely to have [Mike chuckles] used marijuana than heterosexual women.
MIKE JOHNSON
They were higher! [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Oh, that kinda worked.
MIKE JOHNSON
Significantly higher chance of being higher!
KYLE GETZ
Yes, exactly. For bisexual woman, they were the most likely-
MIKE JOHNSON
Sure.
KYLE GETZ
-out of the three different various women we’re talking about. [chuckled] I wrote “They were most likely to smoke wet.” [both chuckle]
MIKE JOHNSON
I mean…
KYLE GETZ
Which, maybe. I don’t judge. I don’t judge. Bisexual women getting high and fucking sounds hot. Um, heterosexual women next in order. Heterosexual women who had had same-sex partners were four times more likely than exclusively heterosexual women.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah!
KYLE GETZ
That seem-
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Gays- Yeah, gay-
MIKE JOHNSON
I mean, you can- You can- …I am high. Okay, so, the thing is, Kyle, being gay, you’re told your whole life by society, overtly or otherwise, that it’s bad, and it’s wrong, and it’s- it’s not something for you, and you just- you don’t want to be that. And then you come out and you do, and you’re like “Oh, this gay sex shit is pretty fuckin’ fantastic,” [Kyle laughs] “and I feel better about myself and my life.” So, like, you got lied to a whole bunch. Then you think about marijuana, which, at least as a kid that grew up in the 80s and had the D.A.R.E. program, you thought that, like, marijuana you’re gonna do- like, black tar heroin was next, right?
KYLE GETZ
Yep, yep. Yep.
MIKE JOHNSON
And that it was this horrible, awful, ruin your life gateway drug, and then like the first time you get high you’re like “Oh my god, they’re fucking lying to me.” [Kyle chuckles] It just- It seems related to me…
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
…that gay people who are out enough to like do gay shit realize by now just, like, “Society’s full of shit. I’m gonna do some stuff, or be a braver, or, like, explore more.”
KYLE GETZ
Reevaluate the expectations of us and the norms.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. So that’s- Queer people do marijuana ‘cause, you know, they’re tired of the lies that they were told by society.
KYLE GETZ
Tired of lies, Mike.
MIKE JOHNSON
Tired of ‘em.
KYLE GETZ
I absolutely bet that’s it. Apparently these were not in order, I lied. Lesbians were six times more likely than heterosexual women to use marijuana.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
So, like, it goes lowest likelihood to most likelihood. Heterosexual women, then heterosexual women with same-sex partners, then lesbians, than bisexual women.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Bisexual woman, you’re on top!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeaaah!
KYLE GETZ
You always have been. For gay men, gay men were the only ones that had a difference versus other groups, which surprises me because I would- Bisexual men often, in these kinds of things, stand out for more difficult, like, mental health issues and higher rates of things- I don’t know. Like, they just tend to be higher on- when we talk about mental health and drugs. So yeah, it just said that gay men were the only ones that had a difference. Gay men were four times more likely than exclusively-heterosexual women- No. [chuckles] …Than exclusively heterosexual men, to have used marijuana. A different study then, just by comparison- Because that’s saying, you know, four times, six times higher. Like, those are big rates. A little bit different study, a 2017 study that asked if respondents had done any kind of marijuana during their lifetime.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mmm. Mhm.
KYLE GETZ
And it was just- This one was the past year, so now we’re talking about one that’s your lifetime. 49% of heterosexual respondents said they had. 64% of LGBTQ respondents had. So that’s 15 percentage points.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
Which, that is a far cry from four-to-six times more likely. So my theory is: if both of these studies are true, then that means gay people, in particular, use it more regularly.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
It’s not that just more of us have done it. Some perce- You know, a decent number more of us have done it, but not hugely different, and we may be more likely to do it regularly.
MIKE JOHNSON
I think that’s true. I think you’re right.
KYLE GETZ
I think a lot of straight people have tried it and then they went back to-
MIKE JOHNSON
Bu they didn’t inhale? [both chuckle]
KYLE GETZ
Yes, exactly. Man, that MTV special… Um, but then they went back to, like, “That’s something I did in college, and now I’m back to my marri- I’m straight and married to someone, like, a woman, and I’m happy in my home…” you know, “…and I have kids, and marijuana is somethin’ I did once.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep, yeah, yeah. Wacky tobaccy.
KYLE GETZ
Yep. That’s the gayta.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
What do you got?
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckling] …A fear that we don’t have enough content for the show now. [Kyle laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Oh. I feel like we’ve been recording for… 13 days in a row.
MIKE JOHNSON
No, just a half hour.
KYLE GETZ
Okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] We got further to go. Well, first- Okay, so, briefly, before I go into this, I want to talk about the difference between legalization and decriminalization-
KYLE GETZ
Okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
-because they often get, like, conflated, right? So, decriminalization just means it is illegal, but that it’s not going to lead to criminal charges. So it might be an infraction like a fine or something, or it might be, like, “Technically illegal, but I’m not gonna do anything about it,” kind of space as far as, like, policing is concerned.
KYLE GETZ
For a while in Seattle, yeah, it was like the lowest thing on the list of things they should care about. Like, if they see someone smoking weed and someone jaywalked, they would go up to the jaywalker instead, like, they- before it was legal. Now it’s just legal, so…
MIKE JOHNSON
And then, legalization is… it is legal.
KYLE GETZ
I didn’t really understand that difference between those two. Thank you, Michael. Oh, I learned something from this podcast.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great. Great. Um- Great. So… it’s complicated the United States because, state by state, like, the states get to decide shit but then there’s still like federal- So, it’s federally illegal. So, in the United States, nationwide, from our national government, it is illegal, but the state of Washington has legalized it under Washington state law… in really direct, defiant opposition to the national law. Anyway-
KYLE GETZ
At some point, it’s gonna have to go to the Supreme Court.
MIKE JOHNSON
…Yeah. Well, Colorado and Washington were first, and then 19 other states have followed [chuckles] so far. So-
KYLE GETZ
I think so much of it is motivated by, like, “Oh, look at that state revenue they’re getting.” I don’t- Which is fucking annoying that that would be the reason. It’s like “Oh, now once there’s- I could get money out of this, now I think it’s fine.” I don’t- I’m not- That’s just my own personal, like, thing that I just- My opinion on it.
MIKE JOHNSON
No, Republicans love money more than they care about-
KYLE GETZ
Their values? [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
-saving people from themselves. [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Or their values, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
I think money is their value, so not all- #NotAllRepublicans. I’m so sorry. Sorry, Cleveland, while we’re at it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. [both chuckles] Don’t apologize for them.
KYLE GETZ
I am sorry, I care so little about you that the only reason I made fun of you was because I remembered 30 Rock.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] Okay-
KYLE GETZ
Did I make up for it?
MIKE JOHNSON
I think so.
KYLE GETZ
Okay. Okay, weed.
MIKE JOHNSON
Weed. Well, no, 420. The episode’s 420.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, right.
MIKE JOHNSON
That’s important ‘cause I also wanted to talk to you about why the number 420 is badass.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, okay!
MIKE JOHNSON
420 is a cool number, Kyle.
KYLE GETZ
Is it?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yes.
KYLE GETZ
Well, other than for the weed reason?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yes.
KYLE GETZ
Okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, so, here are ways in which 420 is special, the number: it’s the sum of four consecutive primes.
KYLE GETZ
1-2-3-4… Oh, oh, not 1-2-3-4. [chuckles] It could be different primes.
MIKE JOHNSON
101+103+107+109.
KYLE GETZ
That’s a weird- How do- How do people figure that shit out?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah!
KYLE GETZ
Does someone just divide a bunch of stuff by a bunch of stuff, and then anything they find they’re like “That’s a neat thing?”
MIKE JOHNSON
A bunch of math dudes got together, and probably got stoned as fuck, and they were like [in a dumb voice] “Let’s figure out the ways that 420’s cool.”
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] [in a slightly less dumb voice] “You know what I wanna do? Multiply consecutive prime numbers, [chuckles] bro.” [Mike laughs] Everyone’s like “You’re so high. That’s a weird thing to do.”
MIKE JOHNSON
It is the sum of the first 20 positive even numbers?
KYLE GETZ
No way!
MIKE JOHNSON
2+4+6+8+10… The first-
KYLE GETZ
That’s a fun fact we can all enjoy.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. And number three: it is a zero of the Mertens function, and is sparsely totient. We’re not going to div- I don’t know what that means.
KYLE GETZ
Okay. [chuckles] Some mathematician just fucking jizzed themselves. Like, someone fucking loved that shit so hard.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
They’re like “I didn’t know anyone would talk to me about the McMartins numeral factorial.” [Mike laughs] “I’ve never never thought that could come up in a podcast that I listen to.”
MIKE JOHNSON
You’re welcome…
KYLE GETZ
You’re welcome… nerd!
MIKE JOHNSON
…now very messy mathematician. [both laugh] Uhh, it is 20×21, so it is- It’s the multiplication of two numbers in order, which make it a pronic number.
KYLE GETZ
Pronic!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. I’m pro-Nick… Lachey! [both chuckle]
KYLE GETZ
God, he’s still so hot!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Get in my booty. Um, uh, it is the smallest number that’s divisible by all of the numbers 1 to 7.
KYLE GETZ
Oh!
MIKE JOHNSON
And, as a consequence of that, it is a harshad number in every base from 2 to 10, except base-5. Fuck.
KYLE GETZ
Sorry, round two, mathematicians! You gotta-
MIKE JOHNSON
[both chuckle] Yeah. Hope your refractory period is as short as it needed to be.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] You just got to come twice in five minutes.
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, it’s also a balanced number, which, I don’t know what that means.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, and then- And then, last… Uh, okay, I worked really hard, Kyle, to find like any gay connection to, like, a fuckload of this shit.
KYLE GETZ
Oh. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
I have a limited amount of time that I go and do research for the show, and I was like “Were any of the Waldos gay? Was- Was-” No. “Was, uh, Louis Pasteur, the statue that they were going to, was he gay?” [Kyle chuckles] [Did he have opinions about gay people?” [Kyle chuckles] I looked up the guy that sculpted the statue, to figure out whether [Kyle laughs] he was gay or not.
KYLE GETZ
You were reaching. You were reach-arounding.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s San Rafael High School so I was like “San Rafael? Is that kind of- some kind of religious person? Were there gay rumors about that person?” Turns out it’s the Archangel Raphael, and not a person that had a sexuality. Just, I kept looking and looking so I was very happy when I discovered that 420 is the country code for the Czech Republic, and-
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] [Mike laughs] The clearest connection that I can imagine.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yes, yes.
KYLE GETZ
We have country codes for things?
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, we’re +1.
KYLE GETZ
Ohhhh. There’s a country that you dial- “Please Dial 420” first?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yes, Czech Republic… or Czechia, if you’re from Czechia.
KYLE GETZ
Sure.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, and- So, first of all, in the Czech Republic, marijuana is decriminalized, it is not legalized. That’s why the distinction there. So, you can have a small amount of marijuana for personal use and not suffer any, like, consequences. But it’s interesting-
KYLE GETZ
I would think-
MIKE JOHNSON
Go ahead.
KYLE GETZ
I would think Amsterdam would have this radiating effect outwards to like anywhere, like just a radius surrounding it, of…
MIKE JOHNSON
I read, somewhere but I didn’t save it, that the Netherlands, Amsterdam, it’s actually not legal, it’s just decriminalized.
KYLE GETZ
Really?!
MIKE JOHNSON
That’s- Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
That’s like the most famous place to… to 420.
MIKE JOHNSON
Apparently that’s just- That’s a function of decriminalization, not legalization.
KYLE GETZ
Interesting.
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, the Czech Republic- So, wh- When you think Czech Republic, Kyle, what do you think?
KYLE GETZ
Boy, I think, like… I should have paid attention in history. Like, I just think about like- I’m- I think I know where that is on a map. I think it hugs Russia, maybe?
MIKE JOHNSON
So-
KYLE GETZ
Like, this- These are- I- Very little, Mike. I think very little, because I’m so bad at geography.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. It doesn’t border Russia, but that’s okay. Um-
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] Thank you.
MIKE JOHNSON
But it wasn’t- It’s eastern Europe and was an Eastern Bloc country. So, when the Soviet Union was chugging along, it was, like, Czechoslovakia. And, when it was Czechoslovakia, it was on the Soviet side of the equation. So I associate it with like conservative, backwards, like long ways to go when it comes to LGBT stuff, like Russia.
KYLE GETZ
Like Florida.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like Florida. And I- I’m surprised. So, the Czech Republic is the most progressive former Eastern Bloc country in regards to LGBT rights.
KYLE GETZ
Wow!
MIKE JOHNSON
They have had registered partnerships since 2006 for same sex couples, and the, uh- They don’t have same-sex marriage but same-sex marriage has been, like, discussed in-
KYLE GETZ
Decriminalized? Oh.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] -in their legislature for a while. It went all the way…
KYLE GETZ
…Up?
MIKE JOHNSON
Parliament. Parliament- Parliament was discussing it this year- or, 2021, sorry. A couple years ago. They have laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and 80% of Czechs in a Pew Pew Pew Research Center [Kyle chuckles] poll thought that homosexuality should be accepted by society.
KYLE GETZ
Damn, that’s better than us.
MIKE JOHNSON
And that’s one of the highest rates among countries surveyed. And more than 67% of Czechs support legalization of same-sex marriage, as of 2020.
KYLE GETZ
Damn.
MIKE JOHNSON
Which, prior to 2015 when it was legalized by the Supreme Court, we had- our numbers were worse than that.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, but have gone up since then. They allow adoption regardless of sexual orientation and regardless of marital status, so gay people can adopt just fine in the Czech Republic. Transgender people are allowed to change gender, but they have to have surgery.
KYLE GETZ
Mm.
MIKE JOHNSON
But that’s still more progressive than a lot of-
KYLE GETZ
Many places, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
-a lot of parts of the world. [clears throat] Looking at you, UK. [Kyle laughs] And, uh, LGBT people are allowed to serve in their military. Um, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
If you had an area code for yourself, what would it be?
MIKE JOHNSON
69.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
I very much enjoy 69. Okay, I- Our friend Kelly, I went to her birthday and it was at a trivia bar and it was straight people trivia, and we were had this whole conversation about, like, “Is 69 good?”
KYLE GETZ
Oh.
MIKE JOHNSON
“Do people actually like to 69?”
KYLE GETZ
Oh!
MIKE JOHNSON
And the straight people seemed kind of divided on that. I’m like, “No, it’s amazing. What’s wrong with all of you?”
KYLE GETZ
Really? Huh! I would expect every gay person to be like “Yeah, that’s cool.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Anyway…
KYLE GETZ
Huh. Mine would be… 811. Two holes, two sticks.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] Great.
KYLE GETZ
Everyone mix.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Um… Should I tell you stuff?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, tell me stuff.
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] I’m gonna tell you about bro culture in weed.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
So, weed- This-
MIKE JOHNSON
Brah.
KYLE GETZ
Brah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Brah. Hacky sacks and… um, white people dreadlocks, [Kyle laughs] and patchouli. Like, these are-
KYLE GETZ
Yes. Absolutely. Um, have you heard “420 friendly”, like, on profiles?
MIKE JOHNSON
I’ve seen that. I’ve seen that before, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
There were a ton of articles that were like “What does ‘420 friendly’ mean?” and I was like… “Isn’t that obvious?” Do people need- I guess people ask that question, because it’s a website.
MIKE JOHNSON
It seems obvious.
KYLE GETZ
It seems obvious to me, right?
MIKE JOHNSON
Right.
KYLE GETZ
Okay. Hm. Okay, bro culture. Weed. That means either you smoke weed- “420 friendly,” you smoke weed or you’re cool with people that do.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
On a dating profile.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Um, bro culture and weed. Uh, LGBT- One of the things that I think I mentioned last time, that is worth repeating when we talk about weed, is that LGBT activists were leaders in the fight to legalize it, in part because of AIDS/HIV.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Because the government did not give a shit about them and they needed to find their own ways to treat what they were going through. Marijuana was a useful thing, and they- One of their successes, they passed California’s- helped pass California’s Proposition 215 in ’96.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
So, one of the- Sometimes people are like “Oh, yeah, LGBT people lead the way in that!” and sometimes I’m like “Did they really, or do we just want to- Are we just trying to give us credit for so-” You know, like, that seems like a cool, PC thing to say, but it’s like, I want to know, like- Okay, then tell me. Help me, like, get to why that’s true. And, in this case, because of AIDS, it like very much is true and is connected. So-
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Do you feel like that? Do you sometimes feel like people are, like, pandering to be like… “This group has led the way?”
MIKE JOHNSON
Um.. some- I mean, sometimes, obviously. And I think, also sometimes, or most of the time, it’s just true.
KYLE GETZ
And then it ends up being true, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right? Yeah. Like, “Did you know that this group, that you don’t think would be good, was?” [both laugh]
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. That’s very true. That’s very true.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh no, Kyle.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh no, I think I just sound dumb.
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, nearly 14% of people working in the cannabis industry are LGBT.
MIKE JOHNSON
My pot store’s LGBT-owned.
KYLE GETZ
Really?!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
That’s awesome. Oh, I’ll talk a little bit more about ownership. There, I think, are a lot of- And do you, like, notice seemingly gay people that work there?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Well, and the progress pride flag is, like, in the window, and it’s pretty great.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Apparently, there are a decent number of gay people in the industry, but then a lot of them are the ones that are the lower wage people that are working with desk, or, like, not at the executive level.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So- Oh, that survey that said that was done by Vangst, a cannabis industry recruiting platform.
MIKE JOHNSON
Hm!
KYLE GETZ
There are so many weed-based things. Like, when I was looking it up, there so many- Like, the weed industry is like fucking booming.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Everything- There was, like, this weed magazine, or this weed-specific advertising firm, or this weed-specific this thing…
MIKE JOHNSON
Because of all the places it’s legal, right?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
It’s new. [Mike chuckles] We need a lot- It puts money into the economy. Anyway, Kassia Graham, who is the director of community strategy for Cannaclusive, a cannabis advocacy and marketing firm- Because that’s a thing, based in Brooklyn, New York. [Mike chuckles] Kassia’s also black and nonbinary. They didn’t use their pronouns, so I’m gonna use- they/them is what I’ll default to. Kassia says, quote, “Cannabis revolves around bro culture,” “Even within the queer community, there’s still lots of white, cis people at the helm.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So that makes sense to me that there are limited people at the executive level, and those that are would be the gay cis white men.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep. For sure. That’s the, like- We get- You know, we get one pass. You’re allowed- These days, you’re allowed to be a cis gay white man, and that’s more accepted than any other identity or if you have something plus, you know, some other, you know, identity.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
Also, LGBT is not the only issue. According to Marijuana Business Daily… Every fucking brand. [Mike laughs] I’m like, sure. Marijuana Business Daily says that women account for just 22% of executive positions, which… should be 50, so we’re- and racial and ethnic minorities make up 13%.
MIKE JOHNSON
Wow.
KYLE GETZ
So, they’re- They’re- Like, seeing all of those numbers that, again, not one of them- Like, they’re all numbers we hear, you know, even just general industry, so it’s not that surprising, but also reinforced that, like, okay, that would make sense then if the people that are getting the money from this are bros, or like finance bros, or, like, you know, straight stoner bros, or something.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, do you think- So, tying that to bro culture is really interesting to me.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, it sort of implies, in a way, that, like- On the one hand it’s privilege, and that’s what you’re touching on, but also, like… bros took over marijuana because bros are pot smokers. Right? Like, it’s part of- Is- Is it part of bro culture to get high?
KYLE GETZ
I- I guess so. I think there’s a stoner bro culture.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So I think there’s at least a subset of that. Like, I think, you know, bros could do a lot of things. Like, you know, like, there’s like fratty bros and there’s gym bros, and sometimes they overlap but sometimes they’re like different kinds of bros. I think, like, “stoner bro” is one of them.
MIKE JOHNSON
Skaters.
KYLE GETZ
And I think stoner bro- Like, a white stoner bro, then it is more acceptable for certain groups in our society than a black person smoking weed.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Like, we then place our stereotypes and biases on people and “Oh, it’s just a-” It’s nonthreatening when it’s a straight white dude.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So that’s the group that I’m imagining, that are kind of running this.
MIKE JOHNSON
And then- And then use it to put a bunch of black people in jail.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
MIKE JOHNSON
Despite not hurting anybody.
KYLE GETZ
Yep. Yep. Um, I mean, part of the- I really like the- The place that I go to, you can select- 5% of your spend is donated, and you can select, and I always pick the Last Prisoner Project because if- Like, legalizing weed needs to come with lots of pardons for people that – especially black people – that are in prison for weed, for nonviolent drug offenses that should- Like, now this shit is legal and we’re talking about it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Like, no one should be in prison for it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right.
KYLE GETZ
It’s legal. Like-
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So, that- Unfortunately, I don’t know that that’s gonna come along with legalization, but it should.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Anywhomsles, uh, Weedmap, which is a website, had a 2021 cannabis in America report that found that-
MIKE JOHNSON
I it a map of where the weed is?
KYLE GETZ
Weedmaps? Um, I think they have info on, like, different local, like, shops.
MIKE JOHNSON
Looks like Amazon.
KYLE GETZ
Amazon for weed?
MIKE JOHNSON
For weed!
KYLE GETZ
Wow, that’s a great- That’s a great logline, right there.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
“Amazon for weed.” Um… In their survey, more than a third of people said they wanted to shop with an LGBTQ-owned cannabis business.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah!
KYLE GETZ
So people are looking- Which, it’s cool that you have one, so you know for sure that you’re doing that. People want to, but only 13 percentage of- 13% of people know if their cannabis retailer is LGBT or not.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right. Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Which, I don’t know, actually. Like, as I was writing that I was like “Oh, that’s-” I don’t know if my place is LGBTQ-owned. I know they’re the more- Like, they’re not the big corporation. They’re, like, the smaller kind of shop that also donates money, so I like them a lot.
MIKE JOHNSON
But then, I’m also gonna bet… It’s Seattle, there’s probably fuckin’ pride flags everywhere.
KYLE GETZ
Yes, there’s pride flags. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Like you, basically- Like, you just have to do that, as a business here in this- [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
That’s true. Even Uncle Ike’s, the big corporation one that I try to avoid, throws up so many pride flags. Like, yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Um… so, I will- Maybe I will figure out who are the owners of this shop. That’s something I should do, and maybe more of us should do if you buy illegally.
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m also realizing that I’m just taking their sign’s word for it. When it says “LGBT-owned business” on a sign in there I just assumed that- Why would they lie about that?
KYLE GETZ
Oh. Oh, owned! Yeah, not just hanging flags, saying you’re LGBT-owned. Yeah, I think that’s fair. Like, that would be some major deception. That’d be really shitty, manipulative people that I think is- Like, that’s on them, not you.
MIKE JOHNSON
Republicans!
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Um, so, apparently-
MIKE JOHNSON
‘Cause they love money [chuckles] more than they’re more than their values. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] That’s- I mean, I know we make fun of Republi- Ugh, fuck them. That’s fine. You’re attacking the trans community, fuck off. Apparently, we have a very big purchasing power so we are worth marketing towards. This is one of those times where it’s like, it sucks. Some people care about money more than their values, so sometimes you have to give the numbers to help convince people to care about our rights.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
And that’s a shitty order to have to do things in, but sometimes it just works, so here it is. Uh, 2016 estimates from LGBT Capital – that in… capital, it’s a proper noun – puts global purchasing power, the global purchasing power of the queer community, at 5.4 trillion. And, of that, US and Canada- How much of that is US and Canada?
MIKE JOHNSON
92%.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Not that much. 20%. Over 1 trillion of it is estimated to be from the US and Canada.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh. ‘Kay.
KYLE GETZ
That’s a shit-ton of money that- And, we don’t even- It’s not even legal in every state here, so, like, that’s-
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s a growth market.
KYLE GETZ
It’s a growth- [Mike chuckles] It is definitely a growth market, and once things- Do you- I just see, like, we are going to legalize eventually, it’s just a matter of when. Do you feel that way too?
MIKE JOHNSON
I mean, if you’d asked me before we started debating whether it was okay for drag queens to exist-
KYLE GETZ
That’s true.
MIKE JOHNSON
-I would’ve said “For sure.” It just- Everything feels like it’s going backwards at a high rate of speed right now, and so I have- I had more optimism about the legalization of marijuana… not, like, a year ago.
KYLE GETZ
That’s true. That’s a good point, Mike. I was feeling too good for a second, and you helped me bring me down. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
Gayish. [chuckles]
KYLE GETZ
I appreci- I needed that. I needed someone to ground me in the muck that is reality.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Um, so thank you. Um, I agree, anything that, like- Like I said, like, it’s gonna go to the Supreme Court. Anything now that’s, like, gonna go to the Supreme Court, it’s like “Oh, well, fuck.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
That’s not great right now.
MIKE JOHNSON
Not great right now. Clarence Thomas-
KYLE GETZ
Man, he shouldn’t be there anymore.
MIKE JOHNSON
Man- [chuckles] Man, he should not.
KYLE GETZ
Man, so much of what he did should be illegal.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Or is and he-
KYLE GETZ
Or is.
MIKE JOHNSON
Or, he won’t- Yeah, but they- He won’t suffer consequences.
KYLE GETZ
Because Republicans don’t care as long as you’re a Republican.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right.
KYLE GETZ
[sighs] Um, anyhow- So, part of- You know, like, we were talking about just places that just put up pride flags and you’re just, like- In Seattle, that’s the price of doing business. You just have to- It’s assumed that you have to- Anyway, I think LGBT people are also starting to catch on to some of that, and, you know, that’s not enough. We want to look a little bit deeper. Anyway, so, out of 4000 respondents, they were asked how they felt about corporates that advertise- corporations that advertise to the LGBT community, and the percentage that felt positively towards that- 15% feel positively- feel very positively when companies do pride-themed ad campaigns. That number jumps to over 40% for companies that advertise on a regular basis, not just during pride month.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mm, okay.
KYLE GETZ
So I liked that difference, that big increase that there is if we know you support us year-round and not just during June.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. No-
KYLE GETZ
That should be important. That’s a big distinction.
MIKE JOHNSON
That makes sense, yeah. It’s the- How sincere are you when July 1st is when you, like, roll back your logo as quickly as you can?
KYLE GETZ
Yep. Yep. How sincere are you? I like that. Because you can still mean it during Pride month, but is that embedded into your core values? Like, how much do you care? How much are you talking about it outside of that month? Those all matter.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So yeah, I wrote down a link to brands that support- that are LGBT-owned and I didn’t write down any of the names on my actual paper.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mm. Okay. Okay.
KYLE GETZ
So, I don’t know what’s on this link because I print out my paper. [sound of paper flapping]
MIKE JOHNSON
Mhm.
KYLE GETZ
So I’m not gonna read this link, but I’ll give to Derek the link so that we can post on Instagram the LGBT-owned brands.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great. Excellent. …Follow the link, everybody. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Click on it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh, God, Kyle, what have we done? I don’t have anything more.
KYLE GETZ
Are we- Did we finish?
MIKE JOHNSON
420.
KYLE GETZ
Wow. I feel like we should be talking more about it. What’s your- What’s your personal marijuana use?
MIKE JOHNSON
Rarely, and usually in edible form. Smoking it is just- First of all, I quit smoking and it was like the hardest thing that I have ever done. And I… just nervous about inhaling anything.
KYLE GETZ
Any kinda- Huh.
MIKE JOHNSON
Or like I have weird PTSD flashbacks to smoking cigarettes. It just- Eh. And, it is so harsh. Like someone in our life [both chuckle] used to say, you don’t get off until you cough.
KYLE GETZ
Oh yeah. [laughs]
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s just- Like, it feels like your lungs are on fire. Like, why sign up for that? No amount of fun is worth that.
KYLE GETZ
You do, like, figure that- You’d get used to that and know how to do it a little bit more.
MIKE JOHNSON
Ehh.
KYLE GETZ
It’s not always horrible.
MIKE JOHNSON
Thank God for vape pens, that’s make it a lot easier than, like, inhaling burning leaves. But-
KYLE GETZ
That, I fear, would lead more to actual, like, vaping, like, of nicotine than other things.
MIKE JOHNSON
Hm. Maybe.
KYLE GETZ
I hate- Like, you mentioned up front, like, we were trained. I went through D.A.R.E. in Texas where I thought that if you do a drug once it’s the same as doing them all. Like they are all on a equal footing of “All drug bad.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Which fucked with my brain about what drugs to use and “What’s the difference?” and “What’s a sometimes, and what’s a never, like, drug?” So, I don’t know. Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
How about you? What’s your… you know?
KYLE GETZ
I- It’s also rare for me. I think, during the pandemic, I like used weed way too much and then, at a certain point, I was like “Ahh, I’m just doing this because I don’t want to feel stuff.” So I had- I feel like I’m in the process of like unlearning a lot of things that I picked up during COVID.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mhm.
KYLE GETZ
So, I’m- That, and alcohol use, I’m trying to like cut back on and be a reasonable human, and I think I’m still in that. Like, Joe Biden says the pandemic is over so, like, no one- I don’t know. People don’t talk about some of these lasting effects.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
And I think this is one of those lasting effects that I’m working through, of not needing stuff to just numb out everything.
MIKE JOHNSON
For sure.
KYLE GETZ
And I’ve had to, like, wean myself off. So it’s rare. It is- Like, on the scale of what bad things I could do to numb things out, it’s not the worst thing. I might just do it, sit at home, and like eat too much food.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep.
KYLE GETZ
Like, which, on the scale of bad things, that’s- you know, you can come back from that. So, like, I don’t know. It still is, like, I think, for me, not a super healthy thing to do with any kind of regularity. So yeah, very rare.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, not opposed? You’re not like-
KYLE GETZ
No, no. Fully support legalization, full legalization, and release of prisoners who are in jail because of it.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s like impossible to overdose on, and it’s not like everybody like gets high and then jumps behind the wheel of a car and drives out. Like, they just want to sit on their couch and eat nachos.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
God, I want nachos so bad right now.
KYLE GETZ
Ooo!
MIKE JOHNSON
Um, anyway, so- But yeah.
KYLE GETZ
Derek.
MIKE JOHNSON
What? No. No, don’t put that on him.
KYLE GETZ
…Get us nachos. [chuckles] [Mike laughs] I’ll pay you double. I will pay you any amount of money for nachos. Um, from the Gayish account. Um, yeah, legalize it. What were we talking about?
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, legalize it. It’s safe, that’s the thing.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah!
MIKE JOHNSON
Like, alcohol- The- Just-
KYLE GETZ
It’s more dangerous. Or, less dangerous than alcohol.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s worse for your body, it causes more like car crashes than anything, and people get violent, and you have to listen to their stories. Like, just-
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] I don’t know, sometimes when you get high you have to listen to people’s stories, but they’re like rambling stories that they don’t know where they started.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right? Gayish. [both laugh]
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Is that it?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. We confirm, like, that the stereotype is gay, and… it is.
MIKE JOHNSON
It is.
KYLE GETZ
That’s the- That’s the final verdict?
MIKE JOHNSON
Although, 420 itself… nothing to do with gay people. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Oh, oh, yes, just the weed part. 420… [chuckling] well, there’s one connection and that’s to the Czech Republic.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right. Right.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, okay, I think we did it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great! Okay, so should we take a break?
KYLE GETZ
Yeah, let’s take a break.
MIKE JOHNSON
Let’s take a break.
KYLE GETZ
Break.
[Break music plays, sung by MIKE JOHNSON]
This is the part where Mike and Kyle take a break!
KYLE GETZ
You said- You’ve said you get quiet when you get high.
MIKE JOHNSON
I do get quiet when I get high.
KYLE GETZ
Thank you for not doing that on our podcast, where we talk.
MIKE JOHNSON
I try. I’m trying. Are we back?
KYLE GETZ
We’re back!
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] We’re back!
KYLE GETZ
We’re gonna do our Gayest & Straightest.
MIKE JOHNSON
We’re gonna do our Gayest & Straightest, but first, hey!
KYLE GETZ
Hey.
MIKE JOHNSON
Hey!
KYLE GETZ
Hey.
MIKE JOHNSON
We’re going on tour.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah!
MIKE JOHNSON
we’re doing our 6th anniversary tour, and, finally, the shit is, like, for reals now.
KYLE GETZ
Locked in.
MIKE JOHNSON
For realsingtons.
KYLE GETZ
Mhm.
MIKE JOHNSON
So, you can write these down. All of this is listed at gayishpodcast.com/live, and you can get tickets off of our Eventbrite. But here’s the- Here’s the what we’re doing, and a couple of these are different than what I said before, so just pretend I didn’t say it before.
KYLE GETZ
Brand new information to you.
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m saying it now.
MIKE JOHNSON
Sunday, June the 4th, at 7pm in New York City we will be at The Spot, which is a gay bar in Hell’s Kitchen. Friday, June 23rd, at 3pm we will be in Seattle, Washington at the Hula Hula. That’s a collaboration with Derek and Romaine. It’s gonna be magical.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah.
MIKE JOHNSON
Saturday, July 29th, at 1pm we will be in Chicago, Illinois at Sidetrack there in Boystown, Northalsted neighborhood. Sunday, August the 13th, at 1pm in San Francisco, California at OASIS. Sunday, September 10th, at 4pm Pacific in Los Angeles, California at Akbar, in the Silver Lake neighborhood. And Sunday, October 15th, at 12:30pm we’ll be in Houston, Texas at [in a high-pitched voice] KIKI. And I can’t not say [high-pitched] “KIKI”, [Kyle laughs] which is a newer venue that’s attached to BUDDY’S, if you know where that is, in Montrose. So come- Come see us.
KYLE GETZ
It’s gonna be a lot of fun. We’re gonna do… I don’t know, just our show. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
And you should come see it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yep! Come see it.
KYLE GETZ
Nnn…
MIKE JOHNSON
I’m gonna- I’m not gonna do Local Gay Bar Review, I’m too stoned.
KYLE GETZ
Okay. [in a singsong voice] Local Stoned Mike Review.
MIKE JOHNSON
[laughs] Uh…
KYLE GETZ
Very. I’ll rate you as “very”.
MIKE JOHNSON
“Ver-” Oh. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
That’s my Mike Gay Stoned Review.
MIKE JOHNSON
You win.
KYLE GETZ
Okay.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Gayest & Straightest?
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, no. Our website is gayishpodcast.com.
KYLE GETZ
[chuckles] You can find our Discord, Instagram, Spaces, all the things, at gayishpodcast.com/contact.
MIKE JOHNSON
Our hotline, you can send us text messages or leave us voicemails, is 5855-Gayish. That’s 585-542-9474.
KYLE GETZ
Got it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Standard rates apply.
KYLE GETZ
Our email is gayishpodcast@gmail.com.
MIKE JOHNSON
And our physical mailing address is Post Office Box 19882 Seattle, Washington 98109.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. HMU. Umm, Gayest & Straightest.
MIKE JOHNSON
Now Gayest & Straightest!
KYLE GETZ
Great. I’ll go, because I’ve been eager, I guess.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay, great.
KYLE GETZ
Um, my straightest is: going to the Optimism brewery here in Seattle, where it is- I think it’s like people that play board games and then straight couples that go on dates.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. That checks out.
KYLE GETZ
And they, like, serve beer. They have- Their whole thing is they have all this beer on tap.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
So, just a very straight- Just a straight venue. The gayest is checking out all the straight bros that were there.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] Yeah. Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
There were so many hot ones. I feel bad for the person I was with, because I kept looking around at all the, like, hot straight bros. So it was like “No, I’m focused.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Aw.
KYLE GETZ
“I’m paying attention. I’m here. I’m with you.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. And the fact that they’re not paying attention to you makes it- [Kyle laughs] makes you even hornier.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, true. See our episodes on assholes. Uh, what about you?
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, the straightest thing about me this week is not caring about the RuPaul finale.
KYLE GETZ
Oh, right.
MIKE JOHNSON
Paid zero attention. Did not-
KYLE GETZ
You even asked, like, “Is there something going on?” [Mike chuckles] Someone was like “I’m here,” and-
MIKE JOHNSON
One of our friends [unintelligible] and I was like “Yeah,” and he was just like “What?”
KYLE GETZ
I also- To be fair, I did not know it was the finale either.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. And I don’t know who won, and don’t want to look that up either.
KYLE GETZ
Someone said their name to me because I was like “Oh, just tell me who won so I, like, have a social touchstone with other people that are into this,” and I forgot.
MIKE JOHNSON
Uh, the gayest thing about me this week: I was at the pharmacy picking up some pills yesterday and I was just staring out the window at this boy’s ass in these pants. [Kyle chuckles] He was waiting at the crosswalk. He was with a couple of other straight bros. I think they were all straight, except, maybe not. I don’t know. But this boy’s jeans were painted on him, and his booty- All of a sudden, I hear “Sir, can I help you!?” [laughs] The pharmacist tried to get my attention. I was, like, holding up the line.
KYLE GETZ
Wow.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah.
KYLE GETZ
That’s a lot.
MIKE JOHNSON
That boy’s aaaass.
KYLE GETZ
Ass. Ass, ass, ass, ass. Um, I have a listener’s Gayest & Straightest. Every week, Derek, our production assistant, posts a question to Instagram to get you to post your Gayest & Straightest there, and you can follow other people there. So, follow us @gayishpodcast. But one of the gayests that I really liked: “I listened to a Love Is Blind podcast. I could feel myself getting dumber by the minute.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, you can.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] Don’t listen to that podcast, listen to ours. And, what’s your straightest? Someone said that they saw an ad for Death Do Us Part… Anything? Uh-
MIKE JOHNSON
I love that show.
KYLE GETZ
You like the documentary featuring Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker?
MIKE JOHNSON
No.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] [Mike chuckles] That’s the one they were talking about. They saw an ad for Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis and had “no clue what I was looking at.”
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh, okay. [both laugh]
KYLE GETZ
I kind of- I saw that on Hulu and I kind of want to watch that.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay, well, do it and let me know.
KYLE GETZ
She got- She got together with the Blink-182 guy. Isn’t that crazy?!
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah. And he died, right?
KYLE GETZ
No. He’s alive.
MIKE JOHNSON
Oh. Are we sure?
KYLE GETZ
Did he die?
MIKE JOHNSON
I don’t know!
KYLE GETZ
Oh my god, did he die?! [both chuckle] Hold on. “Is Travis Barker dead?” No. Okay. Everybody, [both chuckle] calm down. He’s still alive.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great.
KYLE GETZ
Because then I was like, oh [quietly] “’Til Death Do Us Part”, then maybe he did die.
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s over. [chuckles] They parted. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
You parted. No. Nope, still live. We’re all good. Anyway, um… that is it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Yeah, that’s it. A special thank you to the Waldos for giving us 420. 420 Louis.
KYLE GETZ
Thank you to… all the queer people that are in upper level management positions in the weed industry. I guess and in lower level positions, I don’t know why- And all gay people. And everyone. Thank you, everyone.
MIKE JOHNSON
Thank you for the weed, Kyle.
KYLE GETZ
[laughs] No problem. [Mike chuckles] Sorry, everybody. I also want to thank our following Super Gap Bridgers: Andrew Bugbee, Christopher M, John Crawley, Stephen Portch, Joh Stoessel, Harry Shaw, Josh Copeland, Jonathan Montañez, Waddu, Forrest Nail, Patrick Martin, James Barrow, Steve Douglas, Explosive Lasagna, Michael Cubbington, Just Jamie, Kevin Henderson, Tomas B, Timothy Saura, DustySands, AE Coleman, and… Chris Khachatourians, and Jerome York.
MIKE JOHNSON
[chuckles] That’s it. This has been Gayish. From the Chris Khachatourians, I’m Mike Johnson.
KYLE GETZ
I’m Kyle Getz. Until next week, be butch, be fabulous, be high… Be bi. Bye.
MIKE JOHNSON
Bye. [both chuckle]
[Outro music plays, instrumental]
MIKE JOHNSON
[sighs]
KYLE GETZ
How’re you feelin’?
MIKE JOHNSON
A little high. I don’t know the difference between CBD and THC-
KYLE GETZ
Mmm.
MIKE JOHNSON
-to know if I’m actually gonna get high.
KYLE GETZ
It might- 5 milligrams is pretty small for THC.
MIKE JOHNSON
Right.
KYLE GETZ
I don’t think CBD…
MIKE JOHNSON
Should I do more? [chuckles] This is also a problem. Like, sometimes I go back and do more and then I sleep in the Jeep. [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Give it- Well, that- Up to you.
MIKE JOHNSON
Okay.
KYLE GETZ
And, given you said one of the risks is you want to go sleep in your Jeep, and we have to record a podcast, I would- I would be less comfortable if you did another one. [chuckles]
MIKE JOHNSON
Great. Let’s do it! [laughs]
KYLE GETZ
You’re gonna do it?! Oh no, please stay awake, Mike!
MIKE JOHNSON
I will.
KYLE GETZ
You could, like, do half of it.
MIKE JOHNSON
Half of it! You could do the other half.
KYLE GETZ
I could.
MIKE JOHNSON
Do you want to?
KYLE GETZ
No. [sound of Mike opening packaging] Oh no.
DEREK TELLIN
What is it?
MIKE JOHNSON
It’s a truffle.
DEREK TELLIN
Oh…
KYLE GETZ
It is… a hybrid cookies and cream truffle.
MIKE JOHNSON
Mmm. Mmm, it tastes like magic. Okay, ready.
KYLE GETZ
Yeah. Good news, now I have the outro easter egg done. That was fun.
MIKE JOHNSON
Great. [chuckles]
[Transcriptionist: C Dixon, CMDixonWork@gmail.com]