Singer Shares Story About Being Locked Up in 'Disney Jail' for Smoking Weed at Disneyland

Punk rock isn’t exactly part of the Disney brand, which was bad news for a young Kim Gordon.

Gordon — a singer, guitarist, and co-founder of the punk-inspired, indie-rock band Sonic Youth — recounted an experience she had at Disneyland back when she was a teenager in the 1970s. It seems like Gordon was just as much of a rebel in her early years as she is today considering she was once put in “Disney Jail” for smoking marijuana in the Anaheim, California park.

According to The Guardian, Gordon and her friend were lighting up a joint in a cave on Tom Sawyer’s Island when they were caught by security, or “Disney cops,” as Gordon called them.

“They took us underground,” Gordon told The Guardian. She described a truly bizarre scene which included “Mickey Mouse with a walkie-talkie,” and officers asking her invasive questions like, “Does your mother know you’re not wearing a bra?” According to Tone Deaf, she ended up spending the night in a juvenile jail cell.

%image1

So much for the happiest place on earth.

Gordon said her experience really just confirmed her beliefs about Disney, corporations, and “American consumerism” in general. “I was writing this paper in my head about Disneyland and how fascist it was,” she told The Guardian. It’s unclear whether Gordon ever visited the park again after that, but we’re guessing she’s not a big fan today.

Gordon still has some strong beliefs that she’s busy expressing, particularly with her new album, "No Home Record." According to Dazed, one of the most striking songs on the album is called “Air BnB.” The music video for the single, which was not filmed at an Airbnb, can be seen on YouTube. The album will be released on Oct. 11.

Gordon isn’t the only celebrity to have had run-ins with the Disney law. Back in 2018, former President Barack Obama confessed that he he had been thrown out of Disneyland, but he was only smoking cigarettes.