I wish my friend John Popper was less in love with firearms.
Blues Traveler singer and harmonica player John Popper was arrested after the vehicle he was riding in was clocked going 111 mph, the Washington State Patrol said Wednesday.
Popper, 39, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 90 near the Spokane/Lincoln county line, the Washington State Patrol said.
Inside the black Mercedes SUV, officers found a cache of weapons and a small amount of marijuana, the Patrol said. A police dog searched the vehicle, finding numerous hidden compartments containing four rifles, nine handguns and a switchblade knife. Authorities also found a Taser and night vision goggles. The vehicle was seized.
Popper, who lives in Snohomish, Wash., is the owner of the vehicle, which was being driven by Brian Gourgeois, 34, of Austin, Texas, said state patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney. The vehicle also had flashing emergency headlights, a siren and a public address system, the Patrol said.
“Popper indicated to troopers that he had installed these items in his vehicle because (in the event of a natural disaster) he didn’t want to be left behind,” the Patrol said in a news release. He also told officers he collected weapons, the Patrol said.
I went to high school with John and he is one the kindest, smartest, most talented people I have ever met. He’s also the greatest harmonica player to ever live. He’s been in trouble before for possessing illegal firearms. I hope he doesn’t go to jail.
Doing weed alone wouldn’t make him go off like that.
Well said. John Popper is in his mid 30s. Anyone with a gun fixation at his age is either: a) an idiot. b) a cocaine addict or a) and b).
Too bad.
He sounds like a nut case to me. Don’t care if you smoke dope or own guns but you set you vehicle up as a mini assault vehicle, it seems like there might be some issues.
there are definitely some issues here.
and wtf is wrong with the hippies in your neck of the woods?
It doesn’t sound like there were any weapons charges, just minor drug offenses. I remember first hearing them freshman year of college, 1990 — the guys across the hall were very into this bootleg tape of them and some band called “Phish” that I had never heard of. Man, I listened to Junta a lot that year.
“Drugs in the car? BAD.”
“Enough guns in the car to take over Nicaragua? OK.”
This is America, after all, and having all those weapons–well, it’s all perfectly legal.
I’d much rather Popper had a brick of marijuana the size of a hay bale in the back of his SUV than all those weapons. But then again, I’m not writing the laws.
POPPER… dude.
mini assault vehicle? so what? aren’t there a few thousand Hummers on the road which fall into the same category?
as far as the hippie lettuce, yeah, could be a big problem. but having money means you can afford good representation.
Sorry to hear this, especially about a dear friend.
In his defense…the current state of inhumanity requires some form of numbing, the state of the government makes me want to set up my own little fortress on wheels (if I had the money)…and I know it looks alarming on the surface, but one time I accidentally drove 110 mph when I was late for an out of state meeting and the rental car was a much smoother ride than my own. (and yes, that was one hell of a ticket, but it was a long, straight freeway where one can easily lose track of the speed)
Keep good thoughts… as mentioned in a comment above, Popper can afford great representation. (although, when I first read the comment, thought the poster was referring to having the money for great weed representation) 🙂
good night and be well…
Err … right . It’s the government’s fault my SUV is filled with illegal firearms and it is the government’s fault I accidentally exceeded the speed limit by 60 mph.
Of course.
How stupid of the government.
It’s all the fault of the current state of inhumanity.
Of course.
Please lecture us some more on quantum electro-dynamics, oh super massively intelligent person disguised as Richard Feynmann.
um…okay…just trying to offer up a little support to Martin.
Good day Doug!
…do you “accidentally” drive 110 mph?
I’m sorry, but I would NOTICE if I was driving double the speed limit.
If you really don’t realise you’re driving 110 mph, your licence should be revoked and replaced with a bus pass. Truly.
okay…okay…I exaggerated – on all counts – I get the message, folks!
I was merely trying to lighten things up a little for Martin, in a diary that I mistakenly thought would fade into the night. Seems I should have been just a bit clearer that my comment about “in his defense” was a reaching for the moon gesture for Martin’s benefit only, and not intended as a legal strategy. oops…
Guess it also would have been helpful had I read the details of the situation prior to commenting, but I was on the fly and just wanted to share a little support. Lesson learned. Mea culpa.
Peace :^)
Popper always amazed me with his musical skill, and was always thoughtful and kind.
I would like to suggest that the laws of the land be suspended for him given how he bends the laws of physics when making music.
I understand the motivation to prepare for the worst in this country and in this world, but am not, myself, into weapons.
Best wishes for Popper, and hope he works on taking it easy.
-S Bent
It’s ok, we already have that in the US.
Popper has nothing to fear. He’s not an ordinary mortal and consequences, as we are reminded daily, are for us ordinary folk, not celebrities and rich guys.
For god’s sake, if your friend is selling guns illegally — in a vehicle hyped up to look like a police car, for society’s well being I should hope that you would want him arrested. You have every right to feel bad about the fact that your friend is in big trouble, but surely not to the extent that you wish he could avoid arrest and be allowed to get away with a serious crime.
but he’s not the greatest harmonica player to ever live. He’s not even the greatest harmonica player in the 21st century. And now it’s looking like he’s not even particularly bright.
Little Walter, hands down. But I share your concern about your old high school buddy.
?? In the way that Robert Johnson is better than Jimi Hendrix.
The guy is obviously an idiot. A car full of guns, carrying weed, and with cop-type accessories?
He’s doing some time.
Paranoia like this is definently a sign of mental illness.
Just take a look at this. Dedicated to one of my closest high school friends. There is more to a person than their worst mistakes.
upon occasion, and have much sympathy for that.
But gun nuts, carrying dope, and in a vehicle trucked out to fake a cop car?
I suspect that there may be some very long-ignored issues involving mental health here, and I say so as a person who has some tangential knowledge there.
Dunno, his car sounds like a high school kid’s fantasy ride to me.
Might not be smart, but doesn’t neccessarily smack of paranoia – then again, I don’t know the guy so …
In Washington State, you are not prosecuted for small amounts of pot. Some cops will even let you keep it.
The guns are another matter.
Jail time? Naw. That’s for poor people, especially poor people of colour. And hell, he’s a celebrity!
He’ll do “community service” and pay huge lawyer’s fees and a whopping fine.
We’re worried about Mr. Popper for what reason, exactly?
he’s a friend of mine.
But it’s ok, he’ll get away with it.
If my friend broke the law (well, actually I do have some friends who are in prison), I’d be there to offer support and so forth, but this guy was blasting down the highway with weed and enough guns to film a re-enactment of World War Two–I understand the impulse for him to get out of this mess, but I don’t think he’s going to learn anything if he escapes from this without jail time.
But I wouldn’t worry–Popper is NOT going to jail. Not because he doesn’t deserve it (he does), but because he’ll hire some fancy lawyers to buy his way out of the jam.
Doesn’t that sort of piss you off, Booman? The fact that justice is a commodity to be bought and sold? Granted, Popper’s crime is nothing compared to those committed by Bush, Cheney, and their henchmen, but isn’t the principle supposed to be that all are equal before the law?
A test of integrity–perhaps THE test of integrity–is how much we respect the principle of “all are equal in the eyes of the law” when it affects us, our friends and our family.
Take that as you will.
I’m concerned that he is going to jail, your assurances notwithstanding.