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High Times Presents Paul Krassner's Pot Stories for the Soul
To solicit these stories, Paul Krassner contacted 250 friends and acquaintances and announced the project in High Times and on the air. Including "The Bust at Ken Kesey's Place, " "How the Yippies Mailed 30,000 Joints to Perfect Strangers, " and "The Acid Trip of a Death Row Prisoner, " these true tales range from funny to bizarre to poignant.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
About the author
Paul Krassner
115 books29 followersPaul Krassner was an American author, journalist, comedian, and the founder, editor and a frequent contributor to the magazine The Realist.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 29, 2012
Wildly uneven, of course. Duuuuuude, ya, think? Um, yeah, duuuude. The best piece, for my money, is Harlan Ellison's cranky-ass forward. Ellison is adorable, and never so adorable as when he's on his high horse. The following essays range from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous.
February 21, 2008
Oh my goodness, some of these short stories made me laugh out loud....seriously....who would think smoking dog poo will get you high???
February 3, 2022
In the early’90s motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen collaborated on a book in which they compiled inspirational, true stories they had heard from their audience members. They sent it off to multiple publishers to no avail. Finally, in 1993 they published the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book. It was an immediate success and spawned a publishing business that continues today. There have been 275 titles that have sold more than 110 million copies in the U.S. and Canada.
In 1999, inspired by but unrelated to the Chicken Soup franchise, High Times Presents Paul Krassner’s Pot Stories for the Soul was published. Krassner was an activist, journalist and editor. He was founder and editor of The Realist magazine, a member of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, and co-founder of the Yippies.
The Stories, are mostly anonymous or unattributed but some are by some familiar names including counter-culture luminaries such as Allen Ginsburg, Ken Kesey, Steve Gaskin, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Wavy Gravy, and Hunter S. Thompson.
The satire, the stories and the fun begin with some of the chapter names: “Munchies,” “Laughing Fits,” “Customs,” “Varieties of Paranoia,” “Not Busted,” “Almost Busted,” “Busted,” and “Serving time,” The stories are funny and for me a bit nostalgic.
In 1999, inspired by but unrelated to the Chicken Soup franchise, High Times Presents Paul Krassner’s Pot Stories for the Soul was published. Krassner was an activist, journalist and editor. He was founder and editor of The Realist magazine, a member of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, and co-founder of the Yippies.
The Stories, are mostly anonymous or unattributed but some are by some familiar names including counter-culture luminaries such as Allen Ginsburg, Ken Kesey, Steve Gaskin, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Wavy Gravy, and Hunter S. Thompson.
The satire, the stories and the fun begin with some of the chapter names: “Munchies,” “Laughing Fits,” “Customs,” “Varieties of Paranoia,” “Not Busted,” “Almost Busted,” “Busted,” and “Serving time,” The stories are funny and for me a bit nostalgic.
June 10, 2026
Big buddies with Epstein is all you need to know.
October 11, 2013
A long time ago, I had a neighbor... who lived with his mom. He was probably about 25... ancient to me! His mom did NOT approve of "being all doped out" and other cute Mom-variations on the theme. So he had this genius idea to ask me to hold onto his stash. Then... when he wanted it... he would somehow have forgotten it was his, even when I reminded him, and he'd insist on buying it from me. Every.Single.Time. At the time... hey, I was a teenager and money's money. Now? I mean, I know we've gone beyond the "kills brain cells" thing, but I have to wonder just how much he'd smoked, if he kept buying the same pot twice... Anyway, that's the guy I had in my head when I first picked up this book. Turned out... maybe I shoulda been thinking of his mom.
I blame Harlan Ellison for the fact that I own this book. Harlan's such a wonderful asshole... I learned the word "vituperative" because of him. If it wasn't for his foreword, I might never have picked it up. Then I'd have missed... well, ok, I would've survived without reading this book. I'd probably feel a lot cleaner if I'd never read Krassner's contribution of The Disneyland Memorial Orgy, for example.
And I'd feel a lot less robbed of my rebellious teen years if a huge chunk of the stories weren't told about "when I was in my 30s" or didn't include phrases like "my wife/husband and I..." It felt a bit like the That 70s Show episode when the parents got high. Sure, it was funny... but it was funny because it wasn't what you expected. Expect it with this book. Of course, you may be an adult now, and some guy in his 30s sounds like a young'un, but still.
That grievance aside... it's an all right book. Mostly funny (or funny-ish) tales, plenty that missed the mark... This is a good bathroom reader, actually, but I have a new library standard... I am certain to die in some Darwin Award winning fashion, but my bookshelf can at least make me look smart! ...this one just doesn't make the cut.
I blame Harlan Ellison for the fact that I own this book. Harlan's such a wonderful asshole... I learned the word "vituperative" because of him. If it wasn't for his foreword, I might never have picked it up. Then I'd have missed... well, ok, I would've survived without reading this book. I'd probably feel a lot cleaner if I'd never read Krassner's contribution of The Disneyland Memorial Orgy, for example.
And I'd feel a lot less robbed of my rebellious teen years if a huge chunk of the stories weren't told about "when I was in my 30s" or didn't include phrases like "my wife/husband and I..." It felt a bit like the That 70s Show episode when the parents got high. Sure, it was funny... but it was funny because it wasn't what you expected. Expect it with this book. Of course, you may be an adult now, and some guy in his 30s sounds like a young'un, but still.
That grievance aside... it's an all right book. Mostly funny (or funny-ish) tales, plenty that missed the mark... This is a good bathroom reader, actually, but I have a new library standard... I am certain to die in some Darwin Award winning fashion, but my bookshelf can at least make me look smart! ...this one just doesn't make the cut.
December 10, 2008
Like listening to a crowd of burnout hippie uncles tell each other ancient pot stories that you know they've told many times to many others.
Maybe my expectations were too high. Or perhaps the contributors to this book were. Either way, with most of the tales of Zany Marrywanna Hilarity in this book, the authors seem to be setting up page-length pot jokes, only to have forgotten the punchline by the end.
Yawn.
Maybe my expectations were too high. Or perhaps the contributors to this book were. Either way, with most of the tales of Zany Marrywanna Hilarity in this book, the authors seem to be setting up page-length pot jokes, only to have forgotten the punchline by the end.
Yawn.
March 5, 2014
High Times Presents Paul Krassner's Pot Stories for the Soul by Paul Krassner (High Times Books 1999) (Nonfiction) is a collection of essays and short stories from various authors concerning marijuana and its place in society. I looked for some of the classic High Times magazine articles, but none are featured in this volume. My rating: 7/10, finished 4/3/14.
May 19, 2008
Should be MUCH more entertaining than it is! If you're one to keep a bookshelf in the bathroom, put this on it. Not the same type of pot, you understand, just that it's a good restroom reader. hahaha
January 22, 2016
You'll be surprised who contributed stories, some hysterical like hemp fest procedes, munchies stories; the changes in laws since the 1920's; the counter-cultures and beatniks...these are not stoner stories - these are life experience stories.
March 3, 2008
This book is hilarious, whether you're a stoner or not. :) Lots of good tales from the 60's, 70's, and today.
September 28, 2008
This book was a gift, and boy did I love it when I first got it! (Thanks Marfa). The stories are hilarious. This is definitely a must read!
September 16, 2009
Here's my review of Paul's pot book:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...
September 21, 2009
Basically what you would expect from any book that features the phrase "for the soul" in the title . . . shitty!
September 27, 2009
fun, good read.
December 10, 2010
LMAO! The Forward by Harlan Ellison is worth it alone! Funny. --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
May 1, 2012
Old Stoner stories. Cute
December 5, 2013
You probably had to be there for a lot of these stories. Most are un-funny and boring. Some good moments though.
November 4, 2014
Uneven
September 3, 2015
Flashes of the stoned life, with a dissenting opinion foreword by Harlan Ellison! Ah, to live in self-inflicted absurdity for a change . . .
April 29, 2009
very good and very funny
April 1, 2017
Totally trippy and unusually funny. Will def. read again
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews