Are We Really This Blatant?

I'm a huge fan of music, as you may know. Most specifically, I like real music; not that Top 40 crapola like Brittany Spears and the like. True rock and old country and stuff that has some heart and soul - that's what I dig!

I scour the net looking for places to get great concert footage. The best, most extensive site for finding some of the best rock shows of all time is, hands down, Wolfgang's Vault.

I've been checking out the Vault for a good long while now. Every week or so, I get an E mail update about what's new in the vault. The following is the message that came out today:

This Weekend in the Concert Vault
What's up loyal Friday newsletter readers? Get your crazy baldhead over to the local "legal" distributor of the green stuff and tell them we sent ya. Yourmission is to get loose with a little kind and laze away to today's Buried Treasure. Yup, the emperors of reggae, the immortal Bob Marley and the Wailers.

We're also gonna drop some B-Side and Indie Monday knowledge on you this week. Due to your surprisingly positive response to Treasure, we're bringing outsome more. We're rascals here in the Vault (I couldn't resist) and we know that Felix and his band of Treasure buddies will push the soft-yacht-rock allthe way into Saturday. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

For those who want to hear a band that is seriously blowing minds right now, you cannot miss the White Denim Daytrotter concert. These dudes are for real.

Cheers - Your Friday newsletter installment. It's miller time!
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Ya know, marijuana consumption has become so widespread these days. I don't necessarily subscribe to legalization, but any substance abuse expert will surely inform you the dangers of marijuana aren't nearly as damaging as those of excess alcohol consumption.

And yet? Pot is still illegal. You can write your Congressman if you want to change that... but this kind of message? It's just sticking it in the face of all law-abiding citizens: Hi! I'm here! I smoke weed! I'm proud of it! I don't care what you think!

I always tell my stepkids: I don't make the laws-I just obey them.

I wish more people would realize the message we send when substance abuse is encouraged, not unlike in this newsletter. Yes, it's veiled in words like "green" and "kind", but is there any musical group more known for marijuana consumption (okay, okay, ganja) than Bob Marley? Unlikely.

Whether it's veiled or blatant, is it too much to ask people to obey the law?

Parents-this is the kind of message kids get all the time. You've worked hard, it's the weekend, get loose, it's all good. This is why it's so, SO important to discuss the general use of pot with kids-you don't make the laws, it's just our job to obey them.