session #2: the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night
exploring kid cudi's iconic line in 2008's 'day 'n' nite'
Happy Oscars Eve everyone! Since the ceremony will be falling on when I would typically have my newsletter out on Sunday (how rude of the Academy, truly), I decided it would be better to light up your inboxes on Saturday night, as a treat.
Now that 4/20 has passed, there’s a lot of great articles and essays circulating on weed, which I’ll make sure to link for you to check out down below. Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who engaged with and checked out my discussion thread on the beloved holiday! As a reminder, always feel free to leave comments on my posts and feel free to email or message me on Twitter if you have any questions, comments or concerns, or if you just want to chat.
OK, now that the housekeeping is out of the way, let me dive into one of the most (if not thee most) iconic lyrics in stoner history: Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite.”
from memes to spiritual healing: examining the “lonely stoner”
I must admit, I’ve wanted to write about this specific lyric from “Day ‘n’ Nite” ever since I started this newsletter, and particularly when I debuted my new series “sessions.” There’s something so universal, so salient and so compelling about “Day ‘n’ Nite” in general, but the second line of its chorus is particularly awe-inspiring.
It’s almost unfathomable to think about the fact that the song was released back in 2008, yet its impact — even today — shows how the track has stood (and will always stand) the test of time. From countless memes and beyond, Twitter has taken this line and sprinted with it. According to the influential rapper himself, the “lonely stoner” is himself.
Cudi said he penned the line when he was going through a dark time, where a “gloomy shadow” was continuously cast over him. The sole lightbulb in his room often went out, and he didn’t have a lamp, so once the sun set, he was alone in the darkness. During that time, he would often stay in his room for days, only leaving to go to the bathroom or record a verse.
His explanation for the line seems to go at the heart of what every smoker has experienced at least once or twice — cannabis as solace and cannabis as a coping mechanism. In the video, Cudi says that he is grateful to those who connect with the lyric: “Anybody that connects with that, thank you for connecting with that ‘cause I am you and you are me type shit.”
Sure, the line is humorous, easy to craft into meme-able moments and share with fellow stoners. But it’s also so much more than that, which I think is a large factor in why it has become a cultural moment in and of itself, beyond the song and Cudi himself. The line has spawned a life of its own, with T-shirts, artwork, Reddit threads and more inspired by the lyric.
Behind the humor, there’s a large grain of truth: the lonely stoner does indeed seem to free (their) mind at night. How often have you been in bed, staring at the ceiling or window, high as a kite, just thinking about things? Smoking at nighttime — before bed, after a long day of work — is a form of self-care. You get to slow down, process the day, reflect on the bigger picture. Your mind, previously preoccupied by the stressors of the day and life in general, is free — to explore, to drift off. And I think this is why “Day ‘n’ Nite,” in addition to its cultural salience as a meme, is so poignant.
and now, a song to light up to
I mean.
Equal parts hysterical and heartwarming, “Ted Lasso” wasn’t something I expected to absolutely fall in love with until I did. Starring Jason Sudeikis as the eponymous ever-cheery, good-natured, semi-idiot American football coach, the series (which just released its Season 2 premiere date set for July 23) traces Lasso’s highs and lows as he adapts to coaching professional English soccer, a sport he knows nothing about. In the interest of full disclosure, I did watch the series sober for work purposes, but I can’t imagine having a bad time while adding some greenery to the mix.
further reading
One of my favorite things to come out of this 4/20 cycle is Refinery29’s “High Impact,” a package covering all things related to Black women and weed. Check it out here.
For a list of things to do while high, check out Vulture’s guide to 101 movies, books, albums and series to explore, dubbed as their curated Stoner Cannon.
If you want to learn more about the history of 4/20 and where cannabis is going next, check out Forbes’ feature “Welcome To The Last Illegal 420.”
Here are some more recs on what to read this week (and there’s plenty):
“Welcome to the world of craft weed” — This Vox Q&A delves into what the future of a large, legalized, federal weed market may look like
“Stoners just don’t need this much stuff” — Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of paraphernalia available on the market? Look no further than this piece from Vox’s The Goods, which separates the must-haves from the luxurious distractions
“Why robots just can’t grow good weed” — Mashable
“Who’s Getting Rich From Weed Legalization in New York?” — New York Magazine
“How Federal Prohibition Is Turning Cannabis Into a Climate Villain” — Rolling Stone
“Potency limits are the next frontier in marijuana debate” — Axios
as always
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your bud, Natalie