Recently 00individual had resurrected his 1970’s LSD writing experiment with his good friend and writing partner on the east coast, only without the LSD.
His friend would write a few paragraphs or page and then 00individual would do the same. Neither knew where the plot / storyline was going or of the characters that emerged, yet they wrote a very cohesive and fantastic 40-50 page story full of action, dialogue, and fun.
00individual decided to try to do the same technique but by himself; he had the main character, The Stoned Private Eye, the time period, the 1970s, and the Noir Vibe as inspiration.
But as he began something truly amazing happened as 00individual wrote, the episodes wrote themselves!
Written in a mock treatment style, and other than grammatical corrections, spelling, and a tad of clean-up, these words were laid out as written; the sentences unfolded, dialogue came about when needed, action as well, all written spontaneously.
Each episode was completed well within a normal workday, around eight pages including intro, with approximately 3,500 words, which equals about a fifteen minute read.
There was absolutely no planning, no story; these episodes developed as they were written. There were no rewrites. He just wrote as the plot unfolded with endings mostly unknown until the last paragraphs were written. Tribal Truth.
00individual has been blessed with many past and present special cosmic experiences, and a couple transcendent “meaning of life” ones; but never has 00individual experienced an ongoing Trip like this.
This is what magick feels like.
So, travel back to the psychedelic swingin’ ’70s and spend some time with The Stoned Private Eye – episodes as told to 00individual.
The STONED PRIVATE EYE
Experi-Mental 1970’s Noir Thrillers with a Psychedelic Twist
SEASON ONE – 13 EPISODES – STREAMING NOW!
The following preview / sample is from season 1 episode 7:
“The ROCK CONCERT”
Episode Intro:
The 1960’s were a historic era of cultural and political upheaval worldwide, and Los Angeles along with San Francisco were at the west coast epicenters.
The 1970s amped the Vibe; from the grit of L.A, and glitz of Hollywood, to the sunny beach-lined communities north and south of the Los Angeles International Airport.
There was a thriving evolution of new ways to live, to expand one’s mind, and new ways to do business. And one of the rising big businesses was within the Drug Culture. The times were ripe for anyone to grab the reins and take hold of whatever they could. All ideas, trends, and concepts if not new, were brought forward from the past to be celebrated. With these near daily new enterprises and concepts came great ideas implemented for the good and some for the bad.
William Trent, a young private investigator, maintains his office and living space above the garages of an adjacent apartment building in the “Ghost Town” area of Venice, California. The rickety, but sturdy stairs to Will’s office were open for anyone who needed his services.
Will was experienced in both deductive reasoning and altered states of consciousness. He had taken nearly every drug, hallucinogen, and psychotropic known, and used those experience’s benefits to become successful enough to hold down his own one man investigation business.
There was much to be said for certain stoners’ abilities to use their clouded stoned appearance to actually gain detailed insight on those who momentarily let their guard down due to thinking that they were dealing with just another stoned Hippie.
Tonight’s Episode: “The ROCK CONCERT”
By 1972 the California Cocaine Rush was on, everyone was doing Coke.
The thing with Cocaine addiction is equal parts craving and cost. Will knew how to handle his drugs as did many people he knew. The lurid details of drug addiction served as great deterrents for those easily impressionable, for Psychonauts like Will, addiction was never a threat.
Even though the cost and consumption was greater than any drug prior; Cocaine was a constant commodity. These were the precursor “Rocker” days of Cocaine before the Disco-Culture’s ‘round the clock partyin’ and dancin’ became Cocaine’s Top Customer.
When Cocaine became known as “Nose Candy” Will moved on to Heroin – but Will had a serious joke to those who did neither; and that was that, “he never shot, only snorted.”
Will always kept a small stash of Cocaine for “business reasons” which for him could mean anything from entertaining a client, to assisting in a moment of clarity of deductive reasoning, and as a catalyst for accessing detailed memories. But tomorrow night Will was going out for pure rockin’ fun – he was going with a few friends to see The Rolling Stones at the Hollywood Palladium. This was the Stones’ “Exile on Main Street Tour” and Will was hyped and had some righteous Coke to take and share.
Will’s friend Mike was a deal-maker and drug dealer and he had a pad near Will’s at the beach and one on Lookout Mountain Road in Laural Canyon. Will occasionally handled non-drug tasks for Mike and agreed to a quick job; deliver a package left with Mike to a specific party in Century City. This worked out as it was on his way to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up a good friend who was in for the concert.
Will met with Mike at his pad, got the package, and headed to Century City.
Will soon noticed that he was being followed, it wouldn’t be because of the package as whoever they were had the opportunity to snag it back at Mike’s, so no, he was being tailed to find out to who or where this package was destined. Will was a very good driver experienced at 360s, 180s, and evasive vehicular maneuvers. He figured he’d have some fun with them before spoiling their plan.
Will’s fun didn’t last long, he lost them just zig-zaging through a few streets. Will was actually kinda disappointed. He knew Mike wouldn’t knowingly put him in danger, yet investigation sometimes involved some form of danger. Will shook off the intrigue and focused on the delivery, the Airport, and the Concert.
As he neared Century City he felt the need to allude unseen forces, he knew he was being tailed but saw no one, even after some special evasive moves.
As he entered the underground parking lot groups of office workers emerged from the elevators to their cars.
Will backed-in a parking spot – Will always backed-in for easy fast-forward getaways.
He took the parking lot elevator to the lobby and then non-stop to the fifth floor. As the door opened Will leaned back against the doors edge to the left and right, all was clear. He approached the Lawyer’s office, opened the door and could see a man at his desk through the open door. Will walked through the door and held out the package and as the man reached for it, Will pulled it back: “I need to see some I.D.”
The Lawyer made a smirky face, pulled out his wallet and handed his license to Will. He checked out. Will handed him back his license and then the package. Then Will left, took the elevator to the parking lot, and hit the road to the Airport with plenty of time to spare.
Instead of taking the freeway he decided to take a leisurely cruise and turned off Santa Monica Boulevard onto Sepulveda Boulevard south which would take him straight into the Airport.
Will pulled a nice cigarette-sized personally-rolled joint, one of a dozen he rolled for the hours up to, during, and after the concert, and with his left hand on the wheel and the joint ready to inhale between his lips, with his right hand he dexterously opened a matchbook, separated one single match, closed the book with the one match outside the cover, folded it over with his thumb, positioned it directly over the top edge of the striker, then with pressure from the flick of his thumb the match head slid along the striker, ignited the match, which Will used to light the joint with a deep inhale and with a quick flip of the wrist, the lit match was out.
By the next year, 1973, all matchbooks were Federally mandated to have the strikers put on the back panel for safety; thus the classic one-handed technique was history.
About halfway there Will noticed a car following him – it was the same car from before. This made no sense. He had nothing of interest anymore, nor did he experience any interference with the package delivery, so why the tail?
Will pulled into a gas station and up to a pump, the attendant came out to the driver’s side: “Fill’er up?” This would be a term and a service that would also end the following year. Due to the historic gasoline shortages of 1973 many gas stations closed, and those gas stations that survived did so by eliminating full-service and adopting the self-service station.
As the “gas jockey” filled the tank Will eyed the car parked on the side of the road through his side view mirror. This was starting to bug him.
Will saw that there wasn’t a car parked in front of them but there was one behind.
Will paid for the gas, started up his car, and backed it up and out into the street, but instead of taking it out of reverse to go forward he kept going in reverse and before the guys in the other car knew it, Will had backed-up to their front grill – they were trapped.
Will got out and boldly approached the driver: “What?”
The Driver: “We know who you are.”
Will: “And?”
The Driver shows Will his Federal Bureau of Investigation badge and photo ID.
Will’s personal knowledge of what to look for in fake IDs and his own reading of their vibe tells him that these guys are Feds.
The Driver/Fed Agent: “Now, move your car . . . please.”
Will knows when to quit, and the fact that he’s not a person of interest enough to bring in and interrogate now, only means that there’s something going on that he better know about before it bites him in the ass.
Will pulls away from the curb and heads for the Airport. The Feds continue to follow.
Will does not like this, but as his mind reels with possibilities it only came down to him, something, someone that he is yet to interact with will more than likely be who the Feds want.
This seemed reasonable, however, he did not want to become implemented in some royal Federal crime bullshit, so he had to think ahead; who and or/what would he be intersecting with? Nick would be the first on the list, was his friend in trouble?
As he pulled up in front of the Airport’s airline flight arrivals doorway he parked curbside and ran inside to check the ETAs. His friend Nick’s plane had landed. As he walked back to park his car and then walk back to the arrivals to greet his friend he glanced down to the terminal’s next doorway, there were the two Feds.
Will thought, ”They must be after Nick. What did he do?” There wasn’t much Will could do, he did not even know what was going on, or even if Nick was in trouble, it could be anything.
Will got in his car and waited, just then his friend Nick came through the doorway with a girl and they were laughing and talking until the Feds pulled her aside, and read her her rights as they cuffed her. Nick started to protest and interfere.
Will bolted out of his car and yelled: “NICK!”
That broke Nick’s possible actions worthy of being arrested long enough for the Feds to usher her into their car and drive off leaving Nick flabbergasted.
Will runs over to Nick: “Nick, shit man, you alright?”
Nick: “What was that?”
Will: “Whatever that was be glad you were not considered a part of it, we’re both lucky of that.”
Nick: “I just met her waiting to board the plane for L.A.. Then we sat together and I was maybe gonna blow off the Stones as we were clickin’.”
Will realizes that the truth is whatever she was into she was just using him as cover. The Feds identified Nick but not the girl’s alias, and probably phoned to agents in L.A. to pick up the girl with Nick. Tailing Will was just a precaution in case either of them were involved.
It wasn’t like Will hadn’t had run-ins with the Feds before, they knew his little operation, he was easy to keep tabs on, and apparently they had bugged his phone.
But Will stayed upbeat: “Hey Man, it’s good to see you, c’mon, there’s nothing we can do, shake it off, I’ve got a righteous joint with your name on it for the ride back.”
Back at Will’s place in Ghost Town, Nick and Will talked and laughed over past good times while smoking some stash of the last of the Afghani Hashish made available through connections with The Brotherhood of Eternal Love. This potent Hash was some of the last since the Afghan government made hashish production and sales illegal in 1973.
After listening to some choice albums they both crashed-out to be fresh for tomorrow night with the Stones.
When they awoke it was around 10 AM, Friday June 9, 1972 – in ten hours the concert would begin with Stevie Wonder opening for the Rolling Stones.
There were six of them going in different cars, Will and Nick would pick up Mike at his Laurel Canyon pad and meet the others at the concert. They had their floor positioning already laid out – whoever got there first laid claim with the “wave-over-thru-a-crowd” which people allowed, and didn’t see it as taking advantage but as regrouping with their friends who got there before them.
Will suggested that they head over to Mike’s early – he could attribute this to enthusiasm, excitement, or something else. Nick agreed and after taking out two Cocaine loaded capsules Will tossed one to Nick. Then Will filled an antique cigarette case with about a dozen of the cigarette-styled joints he rolled and was locally-famous for, and then he laid out a line each for the road.
They were good to go.
Will, Nick, Mike, and three other guys were friends since junior high school and reconnected when they could; they were all Stoners and the Stones concert was the perfect place to have a mini-reunion.
As they drove into the city the marine layer faded, and was replaced with a mid-day “June gloom” hazy cloud layer.
When they pulled up down the street from Mike’s pad there were police and an ambulance.
Nick: “What’s goin’ on.”
Will, being cautious: “I don’t know, just hang.”
Will felt a presence, and turned to look over his right shoulder to see Mike crouched down outside the car, his eyes just above the bottom edge of the car window.
Mike taps on the rear door window’s glass: “Will, let me in!”
Will nods to Nick to unlock the back door, Mike crawls in the back: “Go, go!”
Will pulls away and hangs a U-turn.
Mike explains that he was having a good time entertaining a young lady until he realized that she was a runaway.
Will: “Underage?”
Mike sitting up in the backseat: “No, worse.”
Will, not liking where this was going asks: ”What then?” Knowing that it will involve the girlfriend of some bad guy.
Mike: “She ran away from a real bad guy.”
Will does a mental eye roll.
Will: ”Wait, let me finish this for you; her boyfriend showed up, he threatened you and her, you obviously hospitalized the guy, and the girlfriend is sad to see him beat to a pulp and hates you for it and called an ambulance and the police.”
Mike: “I love you, Man,” Mike leans forward and gets Nick’s attention and points to Will: “The Stoned Private Eye.”
Will continues: “I’m not done, you weren’t gonna let a little thing like aggravated assault, attempted murder, or leaving the scene of a crime keep you from seeing the Stones tonight.”
Mike: “Well, yeah, I mean, it was self-defense, I can sort that out later, tonight it’s Jagger, Richards, Watts, Wood, and Taylor.
Will pushes the cassette play button as “Bitch” from the Stones ‘71 album “Sticky Fingers” begins and Will cranks up his state-of-the art sound system.
All three rock out as they drive to the Hollywood Palladium.
There was no search at the door, just show your ticket and you were in. Drugs, alcohol, and whatever, even barely concealed, were allowed entry.
Once inside the trio headed for center right and just as it got thick Will spotted their other three friends who waved them on.
Stevie Wonder opened with a rousing set during a definable high point in his career with his “Talking Book” and “Innervisions” albums.
Once the Stones took the stage, there was Will, standing less than twenty feet away from the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.
Will’s group would dip down and do little Cocaine pow-wows and come up to see these Rock Gods, these guys that they grew up with listening and groovin’ to their music, performing live – it was like an insane party.
Out of millions that wished to be there that night only 3,500 Rockers made the cut, which meant that the Stones were performing before one of the Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Audiences; true hard core Stones fans.
Will and friends had epic fun, and left with deafened ears; always worth it.
Mike asked if he could stay at Will’s just for the night, he’d straighten everything out tomorrow, cops were probably at both of his places and he didn’t want to come down after such a historic concert.
Will agrees: “Good idea.”
As they’re leaving, Will is approached by a young woman, a Hippie Rocker Chick.
HR Chick: “You’re William Trent.”
Will, a bit surprised: “Yes.”
As they walk, HR Chick: “I saw your ad in the L.A. Free Press”
Will wasn’t into anymore business tonight and feigned catching up with his friends: “Yes, call that number and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
HR Chick stops walking: “Will, it’s me, Melody.”
Will slows and turns, walks up to her and sees her face clearly as the girl he knew with ponytails and cut-off jeans. And as if from a movie, Will’s memory brings up scenes of his friend’s little sister when they were kids, she was always in the way.
Melody was no longer a little girl but a young lady and Will hoped he wasn’t visibly stunned by her beauty.
Will, grasping for words: “Melody!” “Hi, how are you?”
As they walked toward the exit she took his hand and firmly squeezed it.
Part of Will’s powers of deduction and observation included the knowledge of body language, which is just that, a language, and Melody just told Will that she needed his help and was in possible danger right then.
Once in the parking lot, Will looked around and asked her why she was so scared and just then from behind a car a big guy pushed Will away and grabbed Melody and began to walk away nearly dragging her in the process.
Will liked to play fair but he still had plenty of Cocaine in his system, so without asking a single question he walked over, tapped the guy on the shoulder and handed him a phony one hundred dollar bill: “Here, I think you dropped this.” The big guy stopped, turned, looked at the Franklin, then at Will, then back to the Franklin and reached for it and as he did Will grabbed his outstretched arm and immediately bent his hand and fingers back flat against the back of his arm at the wrist followed by a nasty throat jab and seeing one of the parking space bumpers behind him merely stood on his foot and pushed him backward, his heel immediately caught and he fell over backward snapping and breaking his ankle while then hitting his head on the steel bumper of a 1951 Buick Super 8. The big guy was unconscious and would come to in great pain and would need an ambulance.
Just then Will realized the usual outcome in a situation like this where, like Mike, he’d end up being the bad guy.
He turned to Melody expecting just that.
But instead she ran up to him, hugged him, then kissed him.
Melody: “Thank you.” “You know Will, I always had a crush on you.”
Will “Melody we were just kids.”
Melody: “We’re not now.”
Will smiles at Melody, then gets serious: “Who is that guy?”
Melody: “A short-time ex-boyfriend who wouldn’t leave me alone, he thinks he owns me.”
She motions at the still unconscious mess of the big guy: ”Thank you.”
Mike and Nick approach.
Mike: “So we were over there watching you kick ass, and I see your rescue didn’t end with “no good deed goes unpunished.”
Mike grins.
Will smiles back: “We need to clear out. Melody do you have a car here””
Melody nods yes.
Will tosses his keys to Mike: “You guys go on, we’re gonna stay in town tonight.”
Will takes Melody’s hand, they look at each other smiling fondly, and walk to her car.
Mike, still feeling the excitement of the night’s epic Rolling Stones concert and kick-ass shenanigans yells from the bottom to the top of his lungs; “ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!” with echoes that seem to reverberate down the concrete canyons of Hollywood up through the Hollywood Hills and out into the cosmos.
.
Written spontaneously over a few hours on June 11 and 12, 2018 with only The Stoned Private Eye, The 1970s, The Rock Concert, and a Noir Vibe as inspiration.
For those who made it this far, and enjoyed this episode of The Stoned Private Eye
and would like more ’70s Psychedelic Noir fun
please take advantage of streaming Season 1 Episodes at
THE STONED PRIVATE EYE
“The Stoned Private Eye” and all characters, names, and entities Copyright 2018 00individual TLL
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“Born To Be Wild – September 1968” copyright 2018 00individual TLL
Sep 16 Richard Nixon appears on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in”
“The Psychedelic Train Dives Deep!” Copyright 2018 00individual TLL
00INDIVIDUAL 