We watched The Wall on weed and reviewed the cannabis and the movie

Disclaimer: This month’s edition of the column may risk coming off like an advertisement for the Pink Floyd exhibition at Arsenal Contemporary Art. Why? Because it kinda is — I went to the exhibition right as it was opening, and it’s 100% worth the price of admission. As such, I’ll be getting myself comfortably numb off of that reefer — turns out there’s also a weed strain named Pink Floyd, though it’s tragically not what I’m smoking here — and watching the 1982 film adaptation of The Wall.

Some readers may not be aware, but that album’s connection to Montreal runs surprisingly deep. While flying back to England from the band’s final show of their 1977 North American Tour here at the Big O, Roger Waters started to feel a heightening disconnect between himself and his fans when he played — more specifically, like a wall had stood between him and the crowd (after all, Roger did spit in a fan’s direction during that show). He dreamed up the concept for the album mid-flight, and the rest is history. The movie also has a reputation for being especially good to watch stoned, so I’m using this column to not only promote the exhibition, but to review both the film and yet another strain of Quebec-grown, CAQ-approved ganja. Enjoy the review, and run like hell to your nearest SQDC!

Original Stash OS Fleur Hybride

This only cost me about $19 or so for the weed alone (not including shipping and delivery charges when bought online), so I initially wasn’t sure what I’d be in for. Luckily, this gives you a pretty decent bang for your buck. Clocking in at just a little over 24% THC, this bad boy isn’t just good value for your money, it’s also quite the head high if ever there was one. More than that, it feels like one of the more fast-acting bargain strains you can find at the SQDC. That term “bargain strain” is also not meant as a pejorative here at all — it’s quite strong and powerful, and can leave you lying down for the count on your bed in no time if you smoke too much at once and throw too much caution to the wind. This is the kind of high that can sneak up into the recesses of your brain real quick.

The lightish-green buds smell decent, but not exceptional, and they also feel dry and easy to break apart. But what it lacks in texture, freshness and presentation, it makes up for in potency, and smoking it can often feel like it’s giving your face a warm hug. The overall sensation you feel is a nice balance between relaxed and euphoric, though leaning more toward the relaxed side. Even if you’ll start to feel wavy after you’ve smoked a lot of it, this is a versatile hybrid that definitely gets the job done, and especially for those on a budget.

Does it make the movie better? I mean, sure. Pink Floyd — The Wall is a film that doesn’t necessarily need to be watched while high, but it’s a more intense and visceral experience if you are. In reality, the movie comes across like a feature-length music video for the album as a whole (though I still don’t know why “Hey You” was completely excluded from the film). The music syncs up extremely well with the imagery, especially during its multiple animated sequences from legendary illustrator Gerald Scarfe that feel psychedelic, chaotic, subversive, and horny all at once.

Despite its fantastic audiovisual component (which absolutely delivers on the watching-while-stoned front), the film feels like a victim of unfulfilled potential. Again, it feels a bit too much like a glorified music video, and also somewhat underdeveloped. Had there been more of a focus on dialogue, had every songs from the album actually been used, and had they extended the runtime by half an hour to an hour to let the songs breathe a bit, the result would’ve been a much tighter and more compelling movie. There’s also a lot of… weird Nazi overtones at one point? And a cartoon trial that Roger Waters probably should’ve written for a Broadway musical or something? Regardless, this movie is like if Disney’s Fantasia had a lovechild with George Orwell’s 1984, with its soundtrack of songs from the album as its undisputed driving force. Not a cinematic masterpiece necessarily, but still a must-watch for any Pink Floyd-loving pot enthusiast.

The weed: 8.5/10

The film: 7.5/10

For more on cannabis in Montreal and the ROQ, please visit the SQDC website.

To read previous editions of Best Buds, please click here.