Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Snoop Doggy Dogg

– Urban Legends

“A few urban legends come to mind when I think about mary jane.  Two of them have to do with Purple Haze.  The first thing I heard was that purple haze doesn’t exist anymore.  The second thing I heard was that Jimi Hendrix was inspired by it when he was writing his hit single, Purple Haze.  I’ve also heard from a few people that Snoop Dog hired a professional blunt roller.  Even more shocking, I hear that Bob Dylan demanded a pound of weed for every venue that he played at. ” (C.C.)

Informant Analysis:

“Alright well… first of all, I hear friends tell me all the time that they smoked some purple haze, but I’m always suspicious when I hear it.  Cause… Well uh lets see. I guess first of all, Jimi Hendrix obviously did a song called Purple Haze.  So I figure that’s just a common name that uh many people might just associate with weed.  So they see a purple looking herb, and just assume its P-haze cause that’s the first thing that comes to mind.  But I hear that the strain first appeared like fifty some odd years ago.  So therefore, I’d assume that if it did still exist, it would suck.  Weed today is so much stronger than back then, so how would an old strain like that still be considered so popular?  Umm… but I guess it might be safe to assume that new versions of it might exist.  However, I highly doubt they are the same as the first original p-haze plant.   I don’t know for sure what Jimi was talking about in Purple Haze, but I’d assume it was marijuana. Bob Dylan was a crazy SOB, so I guess that’s possible, but he played a lot of venues, so that is a shit load of weed.  And coming from Snoop, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.  But who knows?” (C.C.)

Collector Analysis:

Most of the tales and rumors that surround legendary figures like Hendrix and Dylan are impossible to decipher as fact or fiction.  However, what is interesting to note is that the theme of cannabis serves as a unifying link between these artists.  Despite the fact that all three stars were likely consumers of marijuana, it is of paramount importance to note that their audiences are just as likely to be consumers.  This is what invites so much discussion as to what is true or false.  The fact that the audiences of these artists often partook in the act of smoking might lead one to believe that these legends spawned from the fans.  Then again, the obvious usage of cannabis by these artists certainly grants the stories a sense of credibility.  As the informant stated above, she would not be surprised to learn that any of these stories were true.

As far as Jimi Hendrix is concerned, however, I had heard that his song was inspired by a dream that he had.  If this is not the case, it is far more likely that his song had to do with LSD than with marijuana.  Bob Dylan and his outrageous desires, on the other hand, are a complete mystery to me.