Lower Freakuencies: Gothique Blend Gives Away Marijuana on Mondays

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Aleck Z. Woogmaster, GoLocalPDX Contributor

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Post-legalization culture is alive and thriving in Portland, though it might be fair to say that the community is in the early stages of of its cultural evolution.

Free Marijuana Mondays at the Analog Cafe & Theater is brought to the Southeast by Gothique Blend and Fight Church TV. Every Monday, the cannibis community of Portland gathers at Analog for free giveaways and entertainment ranging in the form of vaudevillian game show-style party games to lapdances, karaoke, and more.

The show is split into two core events. Downstairs at the club, from 9-11 PM, the event is hosted by Jessie Sponberg with music provided by DJ Biggz. At this point its basically a variety show, inviting performers and audience volunteers to participate in the kind of interactive games that double as prize giveaways and sloppily endearing lounge-style enetertainment. Sponberg is casual, to say the least, as an MC, giving the impression that he's comfortable being the loudest guy in the room as he goads the audience and continually reminds them of the event's golden rule: No consumption on the premises.

This regulatory provision by the OLCC is an indication of how, despite the obviously mainstream appeal and success of recreational marijuana legalization, it's not exactly accepted as a cultural inevitability. Federal laws, and even steadfast conservative perspectives on the substance, mean that there are still hurdles in the way of recreational marijuana use. Despite this, Analog has a booth set up in the back where they are giving away samples to ticketholder who have not yet redeemed the ticket they received just for attending.

At the booth, they inform people that medical marijuana distributors will be able to sell recreationally in October, and its quite clear early on that clamoring for a free sample of weed is all the event is about for many people. Most of the attendant's time spent at the booth is invested in informing inquirers about when they will be able to obtain giveaways throughout the night.

As the early portion of the night winds down and a woman wins a free bag by showing her bare bottom to the packed crowd while on stage, the host scrambles to find the "headlining act." Needing to kill time, Sponberg stumbles for things to say as the duet rushes in from outside and onto the stage.

The act is a couple of youngish performers, one male and one female. They go by something that sounds like Sex Bots or Sexpots, though their act consists of two songs performed solo, one by each. First, the young man dressed in tight-ish jeans, a cleverly sloganed t-shirt, and a fancy moustache performs a straight-forward Hip-Hop track over a synthy, repetitious beat. The content of his lyrics seems moderately insightful and adequately motivational, though they are performed somewhat unintelligibly and with the endearingly awkward stage presence of a rusty robot who just got caught masturbating.

He finishes his song as the DJ stands still behind his tables, checking his phone, then the young male half of the Sex Props(?) duet quietly moves to the side of the stage as his female half takes over. She's dressed in nerdy, chic clothing which includes suspenders, a white-collar shirt, glasses, and bright, red lipstick. Her song is a humid dance track complete with lush, barely-there vocals delivered in a hushed, but cleverly sensual, tone. Like her partner, the performance smacks of post-masturbational undertones, except in this case there's an atmosphere of relaxation... as if she actually got to finish.

After the Sex Mops finish, there's a palpable burst of energy in the air as people realize the show is moving upstairs for the marquee event: An elaborate game show along with the bigger marijuana giveaways. Usually this is hosted by Gothique (Lisa Rife) and Jon Dutch & The Mad Marquis, but on this night The Mad Marquis is going it alone, and the absence of Gothique is painfully obvious. Dutch holds his own as a solo Master of Ceremonies, doing the job of two with relative comfort and ease, but at times the show is wanting for an alternative, feminine energy.

What starts as sincere enough fun with adult aesthetics in place in the form of an open-ended talent competition becomes something more primal over the next couple hours. As contestants attempt to continually up the ante of the show, it eventually turns into a series of familiarly-dismaying "shock" acts, such as women flashing the stage to be chosen as volunteers and teams exchanging the clothes on their back. Dutch stokes the fires of scandal and not-so-subtly invites audeience members to debase themselves on stage in exchange for, as he continually states, so much "free weed." The unfolding dynamic between event host and participants is an unfortunately easy trapfall at any nightlife event.

Highlights from the game show include a karaoke rendition of Bohemiam Rhapsody in which the young man attempting it didn't know a single word, so instead resorted to screaming incomprehensible gibberish halfway through. The DJ's half-hearted attempt to create a EDM-inspired instrumental track to accompany a version of "Freebird" earns some points.

When the announcement is made for a break in the show, so that more giveaways can happen for ticket-holding audience members, attendees rush to the giveaway table and pack against each other like so many nuggets jammed into a mason jar. The folks from Medible Edibles who are working the table screen those pressing them by asking if they want edibles or flower. Ticketholders choose from the two options, are given their choice, and then they struggle to work their way out of the throbbing horde.

The show goes on with more games and contests, and though certain moments may not be the classiest options in entertainment, they are still rich with a genuine desire for community gathering and celebration of acknowledgement and validation. Surely it won't be long before the cannibis community of Portland is gathered around artisenally-grown "home strains" and socially-conscious, recycled glass-blowing parties, so for now let ust accept and appreciate this lascivious, larval form it currently inhabits.

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Related Slideshow: Ten Things to Know About Marijuana Legalization in Oregon

Here are ten things you need to know now that pot is legal in Oregon.

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1) Drug testing will continue

Despite marijuana being as legally permissible as a pint of beer, many of the largest employers of Oregonians will continue to include marijuana in their employee drug screens.

Fred Meyer, one of the largest employers across the state, said the company plans to continue drug testing its Oregon employees regardless of the new law.

Melinda Merrill, Fred Meyer communications director, said the company employs truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and other positions that require drug screening.

“We have to make our employees safe,” Merrill said.

Companies that employ heavy equipment operators are required to buy insurance. Companies that employ workers who operate machinery while simultaneously employing workers who do not are sometimes offered a lower monthly deductible if they test all of their employees across the board, as opposed to only testing a portion.

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2) Your neighborhood dealer may be able to stay in business

The average price for marijuana in Oregon is among the lowest in the nation at sightly over $9 per gram, according to data collected by priceofweed.com.

The economy for recreational pot in Washington failed to gain the footing that was expected by some experts. The notion of Seattle being crowned as the new Amsterdam went up in smoke after consumers saw how the state’s taxes increased the price of marijuana - three joints can run a Washington customer $75, while a gram of the plant’s dried flowers cost around $30.

While the taxation in Oregon isn’t expected to bump prices that high, customers who have grown accustomed to the state’s high quality, low-price buds and hash oils may turn their noses up at even the slightest increase.

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3) Taxes on pot will be different than Washington and Colorado laws

Marijuana sold from licensed vendors in Oregon will carry taxes of $35 per ounce on marijuana flowers, $10 per ounce on all marijuana leaves and trimmings and a $5 tax on all immature plants or clones. The tax rates will be reevaluated every two years and adjusted for inflation. The revenue will be allocated to support government services - 40 percent will support public schools, 20 percent will support law enforcement, 20 percent will support mental health and 5 percent will support the Oregon Health Authority.

State-licensed vendors may still face obstacles, however, when it comes to their federal income taxes. Internal Revenue Section code 280E denies any tax deductions and credits for businesses that traffic any controlled substances that are prohibited under federal law.

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4) You can’t smoke up wherever you please

The law stipulates that use of marijuana, including injection, ingestion and inhalation of the drug is prohibited in public places. In other words, you won't constanty be seeing (or smelling) people lining sidewalks lighting up a joint.

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5) There are also restrictions on growing

No one is permitted to have more than four marijuana plants at a time - considerably less than the 12 plants that Washington residents are allowed to grow. The law also restricts plants being grown in public view.

Sorry, window-sill gardeners.

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6) Marijuana DUIs may be addressed in future legislation

Unlike the Washington law, which included attached regulations concerning driving impairment, Oregon’s law has more room for interpretation.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is classified as a class b traffic violation, which carries a presumptive fine of $260 and is not to exceed maximum fine of $2,000. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has been tasked with researching the subject of drugged driving and presenting its finding to the Oregon Legislative Assembly no later than January 2017.

After reviewing the OLCC report, the state legislative assembly will decide whether passing more extensive driving regulations will be necessary.

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7) Legalization won't take effect until summer.

Anyone over 21 will be allowed to possess small amounts of marijuana for their personal use from July 1, 2015.

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8) Crossing the Columbia River with a state-licensed spliff will catch you a felony

Although marijuana is simultaneously legal in Oregon and Washington, it's illegal to transfer the drug between the two states.

Measure 91 is only applicable to Oregon and marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Even with a physician’s subscription, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance - meaning that anyone transporting it across state lines is prosecutable by federal agencies.

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9) Legalization could mean big money for financial service startups

It’s not just the vendors whose businesses will grow under legalization - companies like Greenpay are expected to expand rapidly once the new legal market gets its footing. Greenpay would allow consumers to instantly purchase marijuana using their smartphones.

Greenpay is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MyEcheck - a publicly traded company whose shares typically trade for less than ten cents on the New York Stock Exchange. With legalization efforts gaining momentum around the country, companies providing auxiliary services for the marijuana industry may create an economic boom.