Songs About Pot, Rock Doctors & Angie McMahon
As of January 1, 2020, Illinois joins several states in legalizing recreational marijuana. Jim and Greg acknowledge the numerous songs about weed and share some of their favorites. Plus, Jim and Greg are the rock doctors, finding walk up music for a martial artist. They also find out what unique song got singer-songwriter Angie McMahon hooked on sonics.
Songs About Pot
Marijuana is a drug that has inspired tons of music across a variety of genres, including reggae, doom metal, country and hip hop. Jim and Greg discuss classic songs about weed and share some of their favorites.
Greg
- Cab Calloway, "Reefer Man"
- Rita Marley, "One Draw"
- Electric Wizard, "Dopethrone"
- Missy Elliott, "Pass That Dutch"
Jim
- Peter Tosh, "Legalize It"
- Black Sabbath, "Sweet Leaf"
- Cypress Hill, "Hits From The Bong"
- The Moles, "What’s The New Mary Jane"
Shannon
Shannon is a science teacher in Chicago, but for the past 25 years, she's been a student of martial arts. For the last five, she's been studying muay thai, Thai boxing, and thriving. She asked the Rock Doctors for a walk up song to play before fights to pump up herself and the crowd. Greg suggests a thrash metal song by the band Power Trip called "Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)" to get the people going. Jim, admittedly more of a lover than a fighter, chooses The Gossip's "Standing In the Way of Control," an empowering female anthem.
After trying out the songs before sparring matches, Shannon has made her decision. Which one did she choose? Listen and find out.
Hooked On Sonics: Angie McMahon
Angie McMahon is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter hailing from Melbourne, Australia. That scene has launched some fantastic artists, some of whom have been guests on Sound Opinions, like Courtney Barnett. In summer of 2019, Angie released her debut album, Salt. It's full of thoughtful songwriting, rollicking guitar and beautiful, emotional vocals. She was on the road touring last year, opening for Irish artist Hozier.
On her Chicago stop of the tour, our producer Alex Claiborne caught up with Angie to talk about the Meatloaf song "Bat Out of Hell" that got her Hooked On Sonics.
Featured Songs
- Cab Calloway, "Reefer Man," (Single), Brunswick, 1932
- Peter Tosh, "Legalize It," Legalize It, Columbia, 1976
- Rita Marley, "One Draw," Who Feels It Knows It, Shanachie, 1981
- Black Sabbath, "Sweet Leaf," Master of Reality, Vertigo, 1971
- Merle Haggard, "Okie From Muskogee (Live in Muskogee, Oklahoma/1969)," Okie From Muskogee, Capitol, 1969
- Musical Youth, "Pass The Dutchie," The Youth Of Today, MCA, 1982
- Electric Wizard, "Dopethrone," Dopethrone, Rise Above, 2000
- Cypress Hill, "Hits From The Bong," Black Sunday, Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1993
- Missy Elliott, "Pass That Dutch," This Is Not A Test!, Elektra, 2003
- The Moles, "What's the New Mary Jane," The Moles (EP), Seaside, 1992
- Guns N' Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle," Appetite for Destruction, Geffen, 1987
- Power Trip, "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)," Nightmare Logic, (RED) Southern Lord, 2017
- Gossip, "Standing in the Way of Control," Standing in the Way of Control, Kill Rock Stars, 2006
- Angie McMahon, "Slow Mover," Salt, AWAL, 2019
- Angie McMahon, "If You Call," Salt, AWAL, 2019
- Meat Loaf, "Bat Out of Hell," Bat Out of Hell, Cleveland International/Epic, 1977
- Fana Hues, "Icarus," Icarus (Single), Westminster, 2019
- Juice WRLD, "Hear Me Calling," Death Race for Love, Interscope, 2019
- Malibu Ken, "Corn Maze," Malibu Ken, Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2019
- Horace Bones, "Mercy Bullet," Terra, Thirds Music, 2019
- Arcade Fire, "The Suburbs," The Suburbs, Merge, 2010
- Lupe Fiasco, "WAV Files," DROGAS WAV, Thirty Tigers, 2018
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!