Richard Belzer continues to be pissed off, and he’s nonetheless humorous as hell. The sharp-tongued comic/actor has been holding a lamp of reality as much as the darkish foibles of politicians and popular culture icons for a few many years now, and although he’s discovered consolation and refuge in a contented marriage, his world-view exhibits no indicators of mellowing.
Belzer’s comedian profession started in New York, when he auditioned for the video manufacturing of The Groove Tube and received a number of roles, together with one of many leads in a sitcom parody known as “The Sellers.” Having grown uninterested in paying the hire as a college trainer, census taker and journalist, Beizer jumped on the probability to be a part of the underground movie scene, and his success within the video and the later movie model of The Groove Tube gave him the boldness to begin doing standup.
Belzer’s mixture of untamed slapstick, heady rants and political diatribes have made him one of many nation’s most significant comedian commentators, but it surely appeared that the Hollywood world of prime-time TV and have movies by no means fairly knew what to make of him. That modified when Beizer scored the function of Det. Munch on NBC’s cop-cranking psycho-drama Murder. Final season, on an episode titled “And the Rocket’s Lifeless Glare,” Belzer’s worldweary Munch grew to become the primary prime-time character to ship considerate, explicitly pro-hemp arguments as a part of a debate over Drug Battle methods. At current, Beizer is in Baltimore capturing new episodes of Murder. He’s additionally making ready a one-man present based mostly on his view of the Kennedy assassination and cover-up.
HIGH TIMES: You appear to have a blast with the character of Munch it doesn’t matter what he’s as much as, however his pro-hemp speeches had been fairly a breakthrough. How did that come about?
Richard Belzer: The present is unbelievable. It’s a dream to have the ability to discover points and make it entertaining. Final season, the producers informed me they had been speaking about doing an episode the place some folks argued in regards to the legalization of medicine. They wished to make use of Munch as a pro-spokesman vs. a DEA man who’s in opposition to. I requested the producer if he knew why marijuana was unlawful, and he actually didn’t know the historical past of it. I gave them some literature on it, they usually superbly wrote that into my dialogue. I assumed it was completely unbelievable {that a} community, prime-time present would focus on these points. I obtained to speak in regards to the Declaration of Independence being written on hemp paper. That’s undoubtedly by no means been stated on prime-time.
HT: Was there any resistance from the producers or the community to any of the concepts you introduced in?
RB: By no means. As a matter of truth, they had been delighted to have the actual and historic info relatively than simply making shit up. The reality is at all times higher.
I’ve examine these things for a few years—about how up till World Battle II, hemp was used for cloth and gas and protein. The flowering tops occur to get you excessive, however the remainder of the plant is an incredible factor. Possibly hemp wouldn’t actually save the planet, but when we used it as an alternative of bushes for paper, we may go away the forests alone. Hemp paper lasts a whole lot of years, and the vegetation develop wherever and are available again yearly. The argument goes on and on, and the truth that hemp is against the law is an entire absurdity.
HT: Why do you assume hemp grew to become an “evil weed?’’
RB: Initially, the DuPonts and the Hearsts had lots to do with it. In 1937, the patent for nylon was utilized for by the DuPonts, and that’s after they stated “Fuck this.” They didn’t need hemp rope in the marketplace. The Hearsts owned paper mills and forests, so in fact they didn’t wish to use hemp paper. It was too low cost. The DuPonts and Hearsts teamed as much as deny even industrial use for hemp. In spite of everything this time, there are lastly some indicators of frequent sense reappearing. In France, they simply legalized marijuana for industrial use. Which means utilizing industrial seeds, which aren’t value a lot smoke. The stuff they use for ropes and canvas doesn’t come from extremely cultivated, people who smoke’ vegetation. They’re extra “workman” vegetation. The THC may be very low. They’re simply used for the fiber, and never the hemp per se.
HT: As a scholar of hemp historical past, I’m positive you’ve gotten a kick out of oddities just like the Hemp for Victory movie.
RB: Oh yeah. We legalized hemp at some stage in WWII, however the Japanese took over all our hemp plantations within the Philippines. That’s the place that Hemp for Victory newsreel got here from. Keep in mind that aircraft that George Bush needed to bail out of in the course of the conflict? The parachute that allowed him to drift to the water was made from hemp. The boat that picked him up had an engine utilizing hemp oil. The raft that rescued him was made from hemp, and the rope that pulled him out of the water was made from hemp. With out hemp, George Bush could be useless. What an ungrateful bastard he turned out to be.
HT: Within the Murder episode, you appeared to have an actual mastery of the function hemp performed within the early historical past of america. Thomas Jefferson in all probability would have loved that present fairly a bit.
RB: Jefferson had hemp plantations within the late seventeen-hundreds and early eighteen-hundreds. At the moment, should you obtained caught taking hemp seeds out of China, it was the demise penalty, however Jefferson used two secret brokers to smuggle hemp seeds out of China, by means of Turkey, and again to his plantation. There are tales about him being a smoker, which may’t actually be proved. However I believe they drank numerous hemp tea. It was the primary crop within the nation. George Washington was the richest man within the colonies when he was elected President, and he had big hemp plantations. It was used everywhere in the world for all kinds of functions. Folks prized their hemp seeds, and in some locations the seeds had been truly used as cash. And, satirically, cash is why there’s an irrational concern and hatred of hemp at this time.
HT: Greed and enterprise pursuits clearly had the whole lot to do with outlawing hemp within the first place, however at this time there appears to be an actual ethical outrage in direction of drug use. The place do you assume that comes from?
RB: That’s an offshoot of the Drug Battle. However that concern doesn’t actually apply to marijuana anymore. Everyone is aware of it’s a joke. Everyone is aware of that folks don’t smoke a joint and run out and kill 5 folks. It’ll by no means occur. Pot’s been round for hundreds of years, and there’s nothing fallacious with it. If something, the issues that it does which can be good to your well being ought to make folks cease and assume. There’s stuff in marijuana that’s truly good to your lungs, however you received’t learn that in The New York Instances. Marijuana is sweet for glaucoma, for urge for food, for temper, as a relaxant. It’s not like these things simply obtained whipped up and we’re making an attempt to determine it out. It’s been round perpetually. The concept that it results in worse medicine is absurd. I imply, perhaps milk results in heroin. Each heroin addict had milk at one time.
HT: One of many newer DEA arguments is that after all of the years of cultivation, marijuana has develop into a potent and harmful drug.
RB: That’s bullshit too. While you smoke actually robust grass, you don’t wish to bounce out a window or kill anyone. You sit in your home and veg out. It’s not the type of drug the place you inhale it a couple of instances after which run out and chew somebody’s face. I don’t know what “harmful” marijuana means. Possibly it’s harmful should you journey over the bag. Go forward and provides me probably the most “harmful” marijuana.
HT: Your present got here out at a time when a pro-hemp stance is changing into an increasing number of trendy. Are you content to see that type of a motion taking form?
RB: Yeah, there’s t-shirts, hats—an entire new era of bands shamelessly speaking about hemp. I don’t discover that distasteful in any respect. I believe that if we get out the message of “non-lethal, non-toxic, non-dangerous”—it might even assist to get folks off the actually dangerous shit.
HT: Are you hopeful about any modifications within the legal guidelines?
RB: Hemp received’t be legalized, however I believe it’ll be decriminalized. If you happen to’ve obtained lower than an oz, it’s a parking ticket. If it’s to your personal use, simply overlook about it. I believe judges sooner or later will throw out all marijuana instances just because the prisons are too crowded they usually wish to put away extra harmful folks.
HT: You’re one of many few standup comics who persistently work troubling political points into your materials. You appear notably disgusted by the hypocrisy of the Drug Battle.
RB: When the federal government cracked down on marijuana a couple of years in the past, that’s when cocaine grew to become in style. Folks simply wish to get excessive, they usually’ve been eager to get excessive for the reason that starting of fucking time. And to make one thing as innocuous as grass much less obtainable makes folks attempt different issues. So the federal government is liable for the elevated use of cocaine.
Across the similar time marijuana was made scarce, tons of cocaine got here into this nation to assist finance the Contra conflict. I’d say there was a system there. It’s not a fantasy. It’s not left-wing paranoia. Our authorities makes use of medicine to lift cash for covert actions. That’s an equation you don’t hear an excessive amount of about whenever you discuss marijuana use. I assure that if marijuana had been simpler to export and promote, the federal government would have used that to finance the Contras. It simply occurs to be too cumbersome. It’s not a powder.
HT: Are you disturbed or disillusioned that the Iran-Contra scandal fizzled out with no full accounting of the federal government’s practices?
RB: The mainstream press handed on it from the start. The Democrats and Republicans obtained collectively and stated, “Look, we are able to’t have one other President impeached.” Reagan was impeachable. The Structure says the President must see that each one legal guidelines are obeyed, and Reagan had one thing like 100 and eleven folks in his administration breaking legal guidelines. By definition, he ought to have been impeached. Congress wished to guard him, and saved the drug facet out of it. The entire thing was a complete fraud.
HT: That’s miserable, however I suppose that each main authorities all through historical past has tapped into some type of drug commerce to assist cement its energy.
RB: It’s at all times been there. It’s simply that you just don’t find out about it at school and it’s not within the mainstream newspapers. However medicine are a giant a part of authorities. When the Afghanis had been combating the Russians, we allow them to run heroin into america in order that perhaps they’d prevail over the Communists. While you see the sheik and all these guys making an attempt to explode the World Commerce Middle, you’ve obtained to imagine that there’s a CIA connection. These heroin sellers and cannabis sellers that we propped up are coming again to hang-out us.
HT: Talking of being haunted, your new one-man present offers with the Kennedy assassination. You’re clearly nonetheless very bothered by what passed off in Dallas.
RB: It’s unbelievable. It’s been thirty years, over 600 books have come out, and there are nonetheless no passable solutions. We will’t let it go. It was a coup d’etat. Each authorities after Kennedy’s is against the law. That’s why the mainstream press isn’t too comfortable to speak about it—they had been complicitous. My piece is humorous, but additionally illuminating. I’m obsessive about the topic, and it by no means goes away. It’s my nightmare. There are some fantastic books from credible folks making an attempt to make sense of all of it, however they by no means get press. My piece comes out of numerous frustration.
HT: Basically phrases, does the Clinton Administration offer you any type of hope for the longer term?
RB: Whoever’s in energy, I’m the opposition. As a political comic, it’s my job to not go to the White Home. You possibly can’t be seduced.
HT: When Ned Beatty’s character requested Munch if he was a smoker, Munch begged off the query. Are you able to inform HIGH TIMES should you nonetheless benefit from the pleasures of hemp?
RB: Wherever it’s authorized, I smoke it. I heard William Buckley say that he smoked a joint on his yacht, off the coast of the US in worldwide waters. Even with all his buddies within the DEA, he didn’t wish to say that he simply lit up at a celebration. So let’s simply say that Mr. Belzer has experimented below strictly authorized situations.
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