Favourite Cinema of my yoof
When we were in the 6th form me and my mates were part time stoners. We were also regular patrons of the Pheonix Cinema in East Finchley for their late night double bills (no idea whether they still do them & can't be arsed to google). We had plenty of faves, 'Fritz the Cat' & 'Heavy Traffic'; 'Aguirre Wrath of Gods' & 'Fitzcaraldo'; 'Dirty Harry' & 'Taxi Driver'; 'Eraserhead' & something or other; 'Apocalpse Now' & 'Last Tango in Paris' (now there's a double bill); 'Pink Flamingoes' & some other Divine film - you get the picture.

One fine Saturday night, my brother had some magic mushrooms and, as you do, he said: "Let's eat the mushrooms then go to the late night double bill". That sounded like a plan. My bro had a red Renault 4 at the time - the one with the really odd gear stick - and, being a couple of years older than me must have been about 20. Yes, he should have known better.

At around 10.30pm we set off in his little car for the short journey to the cinema, having previously ingested the mushrooms. I don't think either of us were prepared for the speed and strength of the hallucinatory experience: the road was bending as went round curves - he managed to clip an island going round a very big roundabout (5 Bells). We got to the final juction by the Bald Headed Stag and he slowed as we approached the lights:

"Are the lights red or green?" he asked
"Errrr, not sure, it looks like all the lights are on"

He checked both way and drove on, parking nearby.

I can't remember what the films were that night, what I do remember is that I couldn't really see the screen, as the walls were undulating and giving off bright coloured lights and the screen looked to be a couple of miles away. If you've ever seen the plasticine video that went with Frank Zappa's 'City of Tiny Lights' from 'Sheik Yerbouti' you'll have a fair idea of what the journey home was like. We made it safe and sound somehow, but when my brother wrote off the car some time later, by backing hard into a concrete bollard, I can't say I was totally surprised.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 10:11, 1 reply)

IT IS NAUGHTY
but remembering what one used to get up to whilst quite literally off ones head is quite amusing, how did we get there whilst wrecked? why i drove of course - no recollection of the journey or anything, good fun times
(little lord muthafuckin fauntleroy, Fri 18 Jul 2008, 11:14, closed)