Bibliophilia - The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Today I would like to take a closer look at one of my favorite books, the story of how a group of artists brought LSD out of the obscurity of psychiatric laboratories and made it the most popular drug of the 1960's, before it was made illegal as one of the most vilified substances of its time. The author of this highly entertaining nonfiction work is none other than the genious Tom Wolfe, and the main character the story centers around is no one less than his fellow novelist Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
From Psych Wards to Acid Tests
In The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Wolf tells the whole story from the beginning... including not only how Kesey made friends with people in the mental institution, doctors and patients alike, to collect material for his book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, but includes images of modernity, such as malls, housing developments, and superhighways shaping the Californian landscape of the mid 20th century. It was this insanity of modern life Kesey and his friends tried to get their heads around... and eventually out and beyond of, when they first tried the LSD samples Kesey brought them from the psych labs.
What followed were a couple of crazy parties, which only grew in size as well as weirdness, as Tom Wolfe illustrates so expertly. And it was not just the crazy beatniks who came. Everyone was invited, from the Hell's Angels to the Beatles, though not all of them actually came. Eventually, when Kesey was invited to a book-signing in New York, him and his friends, who by now called themselves the Band of Merry Pranksters bought an old school bus, painted it in bright colors, and drove it "furthur" across the country, taking and giving out LSD wherever they went.
By the time they made it back to California, the cat was out of the bag, and every young "head" wanted to get more of the good stuff. A proper pilgrimage of hippies started pouring into California, which sparked the Acid Tests, communal LSD trips taken as part of a large audio-visual experience. As one would most likely expect, by this time LSD had also captured the attention of the authorities, who did everything they could to make the stuff illegal. Before they had a chance, however, Kesey was charged with marijuana possession, and fled to Mexico. Tom Wolfe relates the story all the way up to his return to the States, the criminalization of LSD, and the end of the Acid Tests.
Famous Faces Everywhere
One of the best things about this book is Tom Wolfe's serious style, especially relating events that were so comical in nature. In what is commonly referred to as New Journalism, he places the reader right in the middle of scene, painting a characteristic (though admittedly subjective) picture of the individuals and the whole scenario. This way it reads almost like fiction, or at least much more fictional than a classic journalistic report.
Shining this kind of light on the participants of the stories, the reader tends to associate with them, feeling a strong sense of familiarity. Now imagine finding out that you at least heard or read about them before. Wolfe's book is filled to the brim with these names, such as Neil Cassidy, the real life person Dean Moriarty was based on in Kerouac's On the Road, who became the driver of the Furthur Bus. Or Jerry Garcia, singer and guitarist of The Grateful Dead who became famous for performing at the Acid Tests. Other famous names that are mentioned include beat poet and philosopher Allen Ginsberg, and LSD researcher and guru Timothy Leary, who refused to meet the Pranksters when they stood outside his gates. Mostly, however, it is the Merry Pranksters who receive the most detailed description by this talented wordsmith. It is not only their eccentric personalities, but the way Wolfe describes them, which made me laugh so much reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
Books and Videos
One of the reasons I decided to highlight this book today, was a VHS tape I have, which I'd been wanting to auction off on Steembay. It is a copy hand-signed by Ken Kesey and fellow Prankster Ken Babbs, showing original footage of their Furthur trip across the USA. It is just as jumbled and chaotic as one would expect, which doesn't make watching it any less entertaining.
For those who prefer a more coordinated, and edited approach, I recommend the 2011 documentary Magic Trip. For those who are interested in the history of LSD, I suggest The Substance: Albert Hofmann's LSD. But if you want a neat collector's item, my videotape may be the right thing. (Since Steembay didn't work, I'll try putting it on an alternative auction site... or just make me an offer if you're interested!) Finally, if you want to get a detailed and very entertaining account of the Merry Pranksters, I can highly recommend The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe.
Join LBRY To Get Your Own Copies!
If you are interested in reading these books, you can find them on my stortebeker channel at LBRY. If you are interested in joining LBRY, please follow my invite. You may also be interested in my other book reviews in my Bibliophilia series:
My 12 Most Recommendable Permaculture Readings
Another 12 Permaculture Books - Specialized Readings
Riane Eisler – The Chalice and the Blade
William McDonough and Michael Braungart - Cradle to Cradle
Charles Eisenstein - Sacred Economics
Ken Kesey - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Charles C. Mann - 1491
Tom Wolfe - From Bauhaus to Our House
Ideas and Concepts of Daniel Quinn
B. Traven - The Death Ship and The Cotton Pickers
Books by Wladimir Kaminer
Remembering the Good Doctor Gonzo - Hunter S. Thompson
Tom Wolfe - The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Robert A. Wilson Expanding His Readers' Minds
Gary Jennings' Head-dive into Mexican History
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An enjoyable, intelligent review. I've never read any of Tom Wolfe's stuff but now you've made me want to seek this one out. It definitely seems rich in terms of this time in history.
Oh please do! Tom Wolfe is probably the most entertaining non-fiction writer. This book is great because of its trippy subject matter, but other works of his are equally well written. I just don't really like his novels. That's not the area he shines in.
any idea why Leary refused to meet them?
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Well, he didn't say, but I think he had a different idea of LSD use. He used to research it at Colombia University, before opening his private retreat. There he would hand out LSD indiscriminately too, but I think he liked to provide somewhat of a guided experience, whereas the Pranksters just threw people into the deep end, and let them have their own trip. For Leary there was supposed to be a greater purpose of a spiritual awakening, while for Kesey it was more chaotic, everyone was supposed to get out of it what was meant for them. If you get enlightened, great. If you just have a moment of good time, so be it.
But all this is just my own speculation. Leary in turn got his share of criticism from Albert Hofmann and the psych community, for his Tune-in, Turn-on, Drop-out, that is endorsing LSD for the masses.
A good review. It is interesting how the change refers to the status of some things, including drugs: legal for some purposes and illegal for their extension and "lack of control".
Oh, I think halucinogenic drugs were made illegal for the effects they have on the mind. They basically shatter all the propaganda and mind-wash, be it political, religious, or commercial in nature. They never were as lucrative as a business as the really addictive things, and talking about the harm they cause... one of the most harmful substances, alcohol, is well on the loose out there, not to mention prescription mind drugs (the types that dull the senses, making you more susceptible to manipulation).