Bono Dissed Me For Pot

You heard it. Yeah its true. He totally dissed me. But maybe that’s a good thing…

My buddy’s a great musician, but back in the day he never toured. At the time that’s all my band did. I took pride in rocking the Cali coast to the Rockies playin the frontman role. And at the time, I was a living, breathing, and more importantly: inhaling stereotype.

Man you could pinpoint me as a pothead from anyone’s POV: the dreadlocks, the free attitude, the permasmile, the classic lack of backbone… I was livin the dream, I thought.

Well my buddy was and still is sober, and since then I’ve hopped on the horsey myself, for 6 years. When offered a hit I always say “I’m right where I need to be but thank you 🙂 When asked about why I quit smoking weed I say “I simply downloaded it” 😉

I kept the dreadlocks and continue to stay free:-D

N e way I was on a rare break from my band’s never-ending tour, so I joined my buddy on his 1st small tour. We played a handful of shows, and one was at a random bar in LA. He strummed and I hand-drummed. We both sang, and I was sportin my beard and grinnin and laughin.

After the show, from the shadows, emerged a clean shaven, sunglasses in the dark wearin, U2 frontman: the one and only… Ladies and gentlemen: Bono.

my buddy and I stood there, cool but star-struck. Bono looks straight past me (I guess, he was wearing dark shades in a dim room), and says to my buddy: “Nice job, next time play freebird, I know you smoke pot”, and walked away.

I was like, “Hello the spotlight was on me too!” when I realized he had just dissed me. I mean, what other info would make Bono believe my buddy smoked weed, other than he was with me.

I mean, I’ve since given up pot, but not because I think it’s bad or because I’m stereotyping everyone with dreadlocks like Boner did. But because it didn’t work for me personally anymore. It brought me laughter and peace for years until it didn’t. Sometimes we grow out of things.

Not Bono, but my own personal paranoia forced me to quit pot. In the words of the wise Bobby Brown, quitting was my perrogative, as was smoking it in the 1st place. Be yourself! It effects everyone differently! In fact, everyone experiences the world differently, period… so how can I accurately judge anyone? So I try to keep a sense of humor… and gratitude. I think they run hand and hand…

Like when I was called last minute to play the Teipan Jazz Festival in Taiwan before 20,000 people! But they needed my passport THAT DAY and it had expired. I had to laugh, and be grateful they asked. And although that’s big I’m grateful for the 10,000 friends I got to rock for at Hermosa Beach Concert Series the next year 🙂

Humor and Grattitude. like when Grateful Dead drummer Billy K. brought me onstage for 8 hours on my 26th Bday! And surprise, again for 8 hours the next night! I was super grateful!! But the humor was that I’m not really a Grateful Dead fan while some extreme Deadhead would have died for that experience. The universe is funny.

But the wisdom of performing live since age 3 has taught me one thing: be fully in the moment, and happy for the moment. That wisdom trickles into real life… For instance this recent invitation to play at Chris Tucker’s wedding I received: that alone rocks!! I am happy and grateful his fiancee invited me, but As a veteran, I’m not green to think he won’t choose his fav. in the end: Price… Naturally 🙂

But back to my Bono run-in… everyone runs into Bono’s in their lifetime. Folks that make you feel you aren’t good enough. In fact, be grateful for them: They help you find the real you! It’s cliche but Be yourself I say!

So in the spirit of “Be Yourself!”, I… A sober dude w/dreadlocks is going to sing you “Smoke Two Joints”. It’s not for sale and it’s free as a thank you for being one of my subscribers and listeners 🙂 no strings attached. But I will ask you who wrote “Smoke Two Joints”?

Please don’t say Bob Marley… and it’s also not by Sublime although that’s the version everyone knows. It’s by a little band from southern Oregon. I know because I was their drummer for 8 years 🙂 If you know who wrote ‘Smoke Two Joints’ please leave a comment! and enjoy my free version here:

Download Brian’s Smoke 2 Joints

Thanks again everybody for listening! Means the world! Be yourself and be grateful if you meet Bono!! You might also consider checking out my latest album ‘Single’.

It’s about many meanings of being single. Of course as a relationship status, but right now it means you are the only single version of you out there, so live it up, we need you!

Cheers,
-B
PS- I used to sing “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Lookin Foooooor!!!”… in the shower.

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