[billycw]

I originally wrote this up after reading Jerry Beisler's book "the Bandit of Kabul" and doing a grow journal with a couple of bodhi's Cali O crosses. Original thread here https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=304028

His story really stuck with me, so I wrote this up. Deserves a repost on this thread...

A Ode to Batman

Many people walk past history everyday not skipping a step at once was. Walking down a historic street like Fillmore in San Francisco I'm guessing the Starbucks at 2222 Fillmore seldom gets a second glance.


Once home to Batman Gallery circa 1960, this was Billy Batman's gallery and hangout with the beatnik's, poet's, artist's and outcasts of the time.

Nicknamed Billy Batman for his early love of the batman comics, Batman grew up without need of money coming from a wealthy "to do" family. Given Batman gallery by his family to "stay out of trouble". Batman was a significant artist himself playing with early xerox, copy art or known as xerography.

Piece by Billy Batman from "Rose Birth"



Later Batman found himself with the Diggers in San Fran. He even had the birth of his child documented in classic form in the Realist Issue No. 81 - August 1968 { Page 10 } link if you would like to read here https://www.diggers.org/digpaps68/birthdig.html

But what brings him to our attention was his love of hash. I will let Jerry Beisler tell of his meeting.



With so many stories about smugglers that needed money here you have someone that loved hash. Well enough to risk his privileged life, travel to the ends of the earth to live a rustic dangerous life to not only participate but to improve something that was obviously dear to him.

Billy Batman never made it home from the adventure of the hippy trail. His undoing captured in Ira Cohen's poem from "The Moroccan Journal - 1987"

"And Billy Batman, who made the best hash in the world,
he dropped a loaded pistol in Kabul, shot himself in the balls,
took some heroin and lay down to die."

Billy Batman's Gravestone in Kabul, Afghanistan



When your walking past the overlooked Starbucks down that historic street, stop for a moment and pay tribute to a hash pioneer.

I'd like to think passion over greed is what pushes our dedication to this plant, Billy Batman's story reminds me of this belief.

[billycw]

“Cabaret des Assassins” late 18th century


“Cabaret des Assassins” / House of the hashish smoker's opened its doors in 1860 in Paris catering to the Hashish smokers of the time writers, poets, painter's, musicians and soul travelers alike.


Au Lapin Agile ou le Cabaret des assassins 1905

Give me a time machine put me back in time, Paris late 1800's and pre ww1, good time.



The "Eden Hashish Centre" in Napal gets all the attention as being a famous hash house but there seems to be so many Hash destinations around the world throughout history.
If your going to visit Paris, maybe a little Hash history stop is in order

22 rue des Saules, Paris, France

The Lapin Agile of today

[billycw]

One of the many that frequented the “Cabaret des Assassins” besides names like Picasso, was poet/artist Charles Baudelaire. He was also one of the original members of Club des Hashischins.


Charles Baudelaire. Daguerréotype de 1850

Drawing self portrait's in the corner like this one that is toted as being drawn "while under the influence of hashish"


Charles Baudelaire - self drawn "while under the influence of hashish"

[billycw]

One more from inside the Cabaret des Assassins, looks like it was a good time...

Au Lapin Agile ou le Cabaret des assassins, à côté de Modigliani, Francis Carco, Gaston Couté, Paul Fort écoutent le père Frédé 1905

[billycw]

Popular Science, magazine
September 1875
article titled: The Use of Narcotics

Only one paragraph about cannabis, and I'm not a big fan of the point of the article, but poetic none the less. Talks about opium, cocoa, hasheesh and amanita muscaria(which is described in the last sentences of the paragraph before I left on for comedic value). Love the way everything was described so vividly and with new eyes.

"An intense feeling of happiness, which attends all the operations of the mind. The sun shines on every thought that passes through the brain, and every movement of the body is the source of enjoyment."

[billycw]

A woman smoking hookah in Cairo, daguerreotype, c. 1843.
By Joseph Philibert Girault de Prangey

[billycw]

anti-drug PSA, 1972
titled: "Ten Little Indians"

Those PSA's really went hard in the 70's & 80's, sure the 80's also brought the softer side with gems like peewee's.

"4 little indians on lsd, 1 freaked out then there were 3"

"Ten Little Indians" anti-drug PSA, 1972
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbHSuvyia6M

[Pinball Wizard]

Last public execution in the Untied States: 1936 Kentucky

[billycw]

Jeffersonian Republican, newspaper
July 16, 1846
titled: Lock Jaw Cured

[billycw]

Popular Science, Magazine
February 1884
Titled: An Overdose of Hasheesh
Written by Mary C Hungerford

Quite the poetic article... Its kind of long to post so I will just post the ending. Some O Captian, My Captian type writing back then...