Vivian Medithi

A Glimpse of the Future: LA’s Inaugural Weedrave

One might be forgiven elsewhere in the country for thinking of weed smokers in prototypical terms, couchlocked and snackish, dazed day to day. But here in California, where marijuana has been a source of public debate and policy for years, it becomes clear there's no single type of cannabis consumer. From grandmas doing monster dabs on youtube to patients with chronic pain, the face of pot has changed dramatically over the past decade. So it seems inevitable we get Weedrave, a 12 hour rave for the self-professed stoners among us. Founded by Michelle Lhooq, a journalist with bylines at the L.A. Times and GQ Magazine and a book about weed due out next spring, the 12 hour event featured panels, rooftop yoga, CBD tonics, a dab bar, THC gummy samples, and a free pre-roll and bite-size edible with the purchase of a ticket. Performing DJs included False Witness, Kosmik, Mesmé, and Kokonut, among others....

A Night With Tommy Genesis

38 minutes after we arrive at No Vacancy on a Thursday night, we're allowed to enter the venue. The bouncer warns us not to take photos until we're in the bar, and we proceed upstairs, filing into a small bedroom where a lone blonde reclines on a twin bed. She launches into a practiced monologue about the unearthly realm we'll be entering as she pulls a lever; the bed slides away from the wall on a hidden track to reveal a staircase beneath. I briefly wonder if the only reason we'd been forced to wait so long before entering is for the setting and resetting of this gimmick, charming but probably overwrought for a sold-out album release party....

My Best Advice? Don’t Come to LA

Vivian Medithi is an Iowa native who recently moved to Los Angeles. Since moving to the Golden Coast, he’s been exploring not just the tourist traps but the local haunts, trying to understand just what makes the city tick. In this piece for Annenberg Radio, he discusses what makes L.A. so different from other cities he’s lived in, as well as the ways he’s assimilated into Angeleno culture....

Vivian Medithi

Managing Editor

Vivian Medithi is a writer and journalist from Iowa who has previously worked for NewHive, The Daily Iowan, and 1833.fm. Notable problem solver, questionable comedian. @perlucidum