Marcel Proust had his madeleine. Shavo Odadjian has Church weed.
In his early 20th century novel, “Swann’s Way,” Proust’s main character dips a madeleine into hot tea, takes a bite and experiences a rush of memories. For Shavo, bassist for the metal band System of a Down, a key to recollection is Church weed, so named because, when burning, it smells like frankincense.
Currently, Shavo heads up a legal cannabis company called 22Red. Self-described as “a connoisseur” of pot, he routinely smokes the best stuff out there. But things were not always so cush.
Back in 1996, Shavo was 22 years old and working with his band mates to get System of a Down off the ground. They smoked pot illicitly and bought their stuff from a guy named Phil who dealt out of his home garage in North Hollywood.
“Phil grew it himself,” Shavo tells The Post, speaking of his first exposure to Church weed. “You’d go there and jam with him sometimes. He might roll a joint and pass it around. Then we’d buy an 8th [of an ounce] for $55 — and split it [to defray the cost]. It could take 40 minutes to make a buy. But that was what we did and he had the best pot in LA.”
Back then, the smell and taste say Shavo, “brought back memories of being young and going to church and singing in the choir.” Phil’s frankincense-smelling grass was christened Church weed and heartily enjoyed.
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Traditional frankincense from his childhood was the inspiration for 22Red’s Church. Shutterstock
But then, in 1996 or ’97, “some stuff went down and Phil was no longer around. We had to scavenge [for pot].”
For nearly 20 years, Shavo would ask people if they knew where to get weed that smelled like frankincense. Continually, he came up empty. Then, in 2016, after the bass player had launched his licensed marijuana operation, a grower friend dropped by with some new strains for him to try.
“We rolled six joints and started smoking,” says Shavo. “We lit the third one, and, suddenly, the room smelled like frankincense. It was like smelling a perfume you haven’t smelled in 20 years.” Skipping over memories of the choir, he says, “It brought me back to North Hollywood and being 22 years old, with all kinds of passion, hanging out in Phil’s garage.”
The Church strain — which Shavo describes as being “in the middle of a body high and a head high” — is now a staple of 22Red. These days, Shavo can indulge whenever he pleases but he admits that the time-tripping capacity has dissipated: “It brings me back but not as much as it once did. I smoke a lot of Church.” Credit: nypost.com