Thanks so much for taking some time to speak with me!
Adrian: Absolutely! Thank you all! We love the Purple Hatters Ball community! The roots of the entire Dubconscious existence kind of always comes back this. I talk about it a lot but I don’t even think we’d be together if it wasn’t for PHB. This makes us come home. This makes us unite even though we’re all doing all kinds of stuff in other places.
It’s nuts to me that such is true. I’m observant of a lot of things and I see you guys RE-connecting. You know what I mean? To the naked eye it appears that y’all are with each other all the time, but in reality that’s not true. Y’all are doing your own things and living your own lives. What does it mean to you when you come back each year for this event?
Adrian: For me, it is definitely about why the great mystery of life makes really catastrophic, weird, hard things happen and how the will to live has to overcome those things. And Rachel’s experience to me represents more than thinking she was just someone that got caught in a bad situation. I feel like she was so nice, and her mom is so passionate about everything that it happened for a reason even though it was so dark and very heavy. I want to honor that reality. I felt a deeper calling with Rachel’s situation from the minute I heard about it. You know, I had a good feeling it would have something to do with cannabis legalization and I think it still does. I think there is a way to kind of get creative as we evolve out of the pain process into the positive energy.
Scott: I guess on a similar note for me I think, through a rough situation that it is a reminder, since Dubconscious doesn’t get together as much, that there are people that you love in your life and those people appreciate you, and this allows us to come together. Life can get crazy and you can easily get caught up in your own things and PHB gives us a reason to come together and be thankful for life and the connections that we have.
For 10 years now we’ve held PHB as our annual family reunion. What’s the reunion like for you Jerry?
Jerry: It’s exactly as these guys said! It’s something so horrific over a plant and a plant with such medicinal value. But PHB allows Dubconscious to come back to its roots.
‘Roots’ is the word I use to describe our community. I mean I haven’t seen you guys in years but it feels as if we picked up right where we left off. What does it mean to you guys to, in 10 years, see the growth of our community and of the new PHB community as well?
Adrian: For me it’s been incredible but there has been sadness along the way too. I mean, not seeing Scott Campbell this weekend has hit from a whole different angle. I had to process that he wasn’t going to be here. He was a dear friend of mine from Tallahassee. But at the same time we’ve got friends like J.B. (Lawrence) that have grown in such a positive, radiant spirit that is traveling the world. All of these types of things to go through, with all of us.
You guys have always been very eco-friendly. What does it mean to know that the Dubconscious mantra of “leave the smallest footprint” has influenced the way PHB operates?
Adrian: That’s good to know for me. I definitely always hope for that but I never want to feel preachy. I don’t really live it as much as I should these days. I mean I was drinking bottled water earlier and was like “dammit,” when I realized what I was doing. I mean I walk around every day and recognize wasteful moments and I’m still not at the point where I’m at my peak of understanding of it all. So it’s good that the message is out there but I also don’t want to be too critical of it because it’s hard to get there.
Well thanks so much for taking some time to speak with me guys! I love y’all and I’m so happy to finally be surrounded by the Dubconscious crew! Y’all are great!
Scott: Thank you! So good to see you bud!
