Today is the anniversary of 420, and since we’re sitting in the producer’s chair on the actual date, it’s only right we clear the air on the history. Most people think “420” is some cryptic police code for a marijuana bust. It’s not. That’s just urban legend static.

The real story is much more grounded—it’s about a group of high schoolers in San Rafael, California, back in 1971 known as “The Waldos.” They’d meet up at a statue of Louis Pasteur at 4:20 PM to go on a hunt for a legendary lost cannabis crop. They never found the field, but they found a frequency that stuck. It wasn’t about the law; it was about showing up at a specific time and place to see what the universe had to offer.

The Gateway Frequency

I’ll be honest: putting together a three-hour show strictly about one plant is a monumental task that would’ve left me cross-eyed by Hour Two. So, we pivoted. This playlist isn’t just about the “green”—it’s about the whole spectrum of altering substances.

The politicians and the “Just Say No” crowd used to call it a “gateway drug.” Maybe they were right, but not the way they thought. For most of us, it was a gateway to expanding the mind, a way to tune out the plastic simulation of the modern world and tune into something a bit more authentic.

We’re kicking off with the German-language interpretation of Hunter S. Thompson—because nothing says “altered state” like hearing Fear and Loathing in a language that sounds like a series of rhythmic hammer strikes. From there, we dive into the gritty reality of The Pusher, the soulful defiance of Bob Marley, and the unapologetic riffs of Black Sabbath.

We’ve got the comedians, the prophets, and the musicians all standing at the edge of the desert, looking for that lost crop. Buy the ticket, take the ride. The gate is open.

HOUR ONE
Artist — Song — Album — Label — Year
Hunter S. Thompson — Irgendwo bei Barstow am Rande der Wüste — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Der 300 $ Klau in Beverly Hills — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Seltame Medizin in der Wüste — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Scheußliche Musik und der Lärm vieler Schrotflinten — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Eine Nacht unterwegs in der Stadt — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Paranoider Terror und das Schreckgespenst der Sodomie — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — No Sympathy for the Devil — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Augen wie feurige Glut — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Hunter S. Thompson — Eine schreckliche Erfahrung mit gefährlichen Drogen — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — Random House Audio — 2001
Black Sabbath — Sweet Leaf — Master Of Reality — Vertigo — 1971
Steppenwolf — The Pusher — Steppenwolf — Dunhill — 1968
Bob Marley — Get Up, Stand Up — Rebel Music — Island — 1973
Grateful Dead — Brown-Eyed Woman — Europe '72 — Warner Bros. — 1972

HOUR TWO
Artist — Song — Album — Label — Year
Denis Leary — Drugs — No Cure For Cancer — A&M Records — 1993
Bill Hicks — War On Drugs — Dangerous — Rykodisc — 1990
Bill Hicks — Drugs Have Done Good Things — Relentless — Rykodisc — 1997
Bill Hicks — Rockers Against Drugs Suck — Relentless — Rykodisc — 1997
Denis Leary — More Drugs — No Cure For Cancer — A&M Records — 1993
George Carlin — Drugs — FM & AM — Little David Records — 1972
Soul Asylum — Summer Of Drugs — Black Gold — Columbia — 1993
Talking Heads — Drugs (Alternate Version) — Once in a Lifetime Box — PMEDIA — 2003
Toby Keith — Weed With Willie — Shock'n Y'all — DreamWorks — 2003
Willie Nelson — Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die — Heroes — Legacy — 2012
Peeping Tom — Mojo — Peeping Tom — Ipecac — 2006
Cypress Hill — I Wanna Get High — Black Sunday — Ruffhouse — 1993
Cypress Hill — Legalize It — Black Sunday — Ruffhouse — 1993
Cypress Hill — Hits From The Bong — Black Sunday — Ruffhouse — 1993
Sublime — Smoke Two Joints — 40oz. to Freedom — Skunk Records — 1992

HOUR THREE
Artist — Song — Album — Label — Year
Jimi Hendrix — Purple Haze — Are You Experienced — Reprise — 1967
Johnny Cash — Cocaine Blues — At Folsom Prison — Columbia — 1968
Eric Clapton — Cocaine — Slowhand — RSO — 1977
System of a Down — This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song — Mezmerize — American — 2005
Kenny Brown — Cocaine Bill — Goin' Back to Mississippi — Fat Possum — 2003

Rolling with Scissors airs live every Tuesday from 2–5 AM on 89.9 FM in Madison and streams at wortfm.org. Missed it? You can catch the episode for two weeks after broadcast at archive.wortfm.org or at rwsradio.com.

While the audio disappears after two weeks, the episode notes and playlists don’t. Every deep dive, rant, and full album breakdown stays right here — so you can revisit the details any time.

Spin the dial — we’re probably on it. Lock onto your frequency. Pick your favorite antenna below and ride the signal back to us.

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