Have you listened to your favorite album—on cannabis?
It’s cliche to say herb can increase art appreciation, but that’s because it’s so true.
Listen along as one of the most iconic cannabis journalists of all time, Ricardo Baca—founder of The Cannabist at The Denver Post— details the top five cannabis-tinged songs of his life, and the role they played in his career. It’s part of a recurring segment The Hash podcast calls “High Five.” Baca now operates the Grasslands content agency.
Subscribe to The Hash podcast for free via iTunes or Stitcher.
The Hash, Season 4, Episode 8: Ricardo Baca.
Songs from this episode:
Peter Tosh – “Legalize It”
Most folks don’t know Baca came over from being the Post’s music critic for ten years. He didn’t even get into cannabis until his 30s.
“This takes me back to like sixth grade, Ricky Baca, Westminster, Colorado, 1989. … It was probably the first time I thought about drug policy. That’s meaningful. Really that was the beginning of who I am now as a 41 year-old,” Baca said.
Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here” (Wyclef Jean version)
In 2013, Baca had begun eating edibles a few times a week. He traveled southeast Asia, and proposed to his now-wife.
“For some reason ‘Wish You Were Here’ was following us around South Asia,” he said. “Wyclef’s gotten cheesy over the years, but this version is so thoughtful, meditative, and insightful.”
The Avett Brothers – “Murder in the City”
Cannabis can help you feel all the feels, and “Murder in the City”, from one of Baca’s favorite bands, cut him to the core.
Margot Price – “The Hands of Time”
Baca calls this an even bigger ‘sad bastard country song’ than “Murder in the City”. Edibles helped him understand why Margot Price can’t sing it every night.
The White Stripes – “The Hardest Button to Button”
A longtime Jack White fan, Baca’s newfound edibles use deepened his love for the seminal album. “That song just clicked into this giant puzzle that made me understand the record better than I ever had,” he said.
About Leafly Podcasts
Leafly has four podcasts for different skill levels:
- The Hash is NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’ — on cannabis. It’s top-shelf audio journalism tracing cannabis’ crossover into the mainstream; weekly on Tuesdays.
- Every Friday, The Roll-Up keeps you abreast of each week’s big cannabis news.
- What Are You Smoking? rounds up cannabis product trends for true aficionados.
- And Canada’s legal rollout gets covered by The High Life.
Catch Leafly Podcasts LIVE at Austin, TX.’s South By Southwest Festival March 14-16!
About The Hash Podcast
The weekly, scripted, news and lifestyle podcast’s guests this season include New York State Sen. Diane Savino, drag queen Laganja Estranja, and Mimicking Birds’ Adam Trachsel. Each edited, ten-minute Hash episode is co-hosted and produced by award-winning journalist and best-selling author David Downs, and Max Savage Levenson (Pitchfork, NPR).
Subscribe to The Hash on iTunes or Stitcher. Watch the making of The Hash on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For editorial, contact david.downs@leafly.com. For advertising, contact Leafly here and request “The Hash”.
And join us next week when The Hash reports from Portland’s first Listen Up podcast festival! Special guest, Broccoli founder Anja Charbonneau takes us inside the making of the magazine’s latest issue. She details the first-ever Broccoli Festival this May in Portland. And we talk about how to confront problematic cannabis brands.
