Ah, those halcyon days of yesteryear when I smoked two packs a day.Eventually
I quit in nliterally one day April 3, 1978. My ten favorite smoking memories.
10) At the Fillmore. few things were better than a cig after a fantastic set
of rock and roll played by one of the greats. The Who, ten years After,
Hendrix. After seeing Janis belt out Ball and Chain you practically had to
salute the blues. We used to go out the side door or just outside the front
door and the mixture of a great cig and the cold air was fab.
9) In the army: Sometimes the only pleasure you had between 100 pushups and
some redneck sergeant yelling at you was the obligatory 10 minute cigarette
break for the boys in the unit. I particularly remember the ones I snuck on
guard duty in the middle of the night at 3am in freezing weather.
8) Card games in college. the ones that went all night. Pedro, Poker. Gin,
you name it. A pack of cigs each was mandatory just to improve your mental
calculatory skills.Besides which you had to have a screen of smoke to hide
the look in your eyes and give you an excuse for sweating.
7) Sunday Morning coffee and folk music on the FM radio. Dylan smoked. Joni
smoked. So since I was playing all their songs. I smoked. So there.
6) Heavy Political discussions. Sitting around and listening to your best
friends plot the overthrow of the US government provided overwhelming impetus
to smoke copious amounts of cigs.Had to make sure there was only one candle
going inthe entire room along with some jasmine incense. Just to assume that
revolutionary look and get the army jackets in fitting odiforous form.
Veeeeeery 60's that was.
5) Smoke ring contests. Amidst the one-candle light we had smoke ring
contests. I had a friend who could make a ring that was so big and thick that
it would slowly fly about three feet into the air and just stay there for
about an hour. We used to call them used tires. "Hey Mickey how about a used
tire". Out it would come after a huge sucking hit of the old Marlboro.
4) Discussing Hegel, Nitzsche, John Stuart Mill, Marx, and Yosarians role in
Catch 22, among other weighty subjects with a black light and some indian
music going. All night discussions before we would ecide to skip class
entirely just to keep the discussion going.
3) After a great set of playing and singing in one of the many clubs I played
in. Some of those cigarettes were very memorable. Particularly along with a
big hit of Tequila a squeeze of lime straight out of the fruit and a gob of
salt poured onto a saliva patch i had puyt onthe back of my hand.
2) Then there were all those cigarettes I cant relate the story of because of
the circumstances they occurred after but im sure you will figure out what
they were since I changed my phone number years ago to get the witnesses off
my trail.
1) Perhaps the best of all however were those very special ones that were the
product of the special preparation method that has been passed down through
many generations of smokers especially those who are in the service during
wartimes and work on carson the stock car circuit in the 50's.. (1)You took a
pack of filterless Camels and opened the pack up to expose the tips on one
end. (2) allow to sit on your dashboard in the heat for at least one week
until they get almost stale. (3) Enjoy. Feel that burst hit your chest like
athe kick of a mule. (4) get real dizzy. (sound of the theme to all in the
family) "Those were the days....
marcel
