| Date: | 2003-07-28 21:35 |
| Subject: | once more into the fray... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  exhausted | | Music: | Pernice Brothers, "Yours, Mine & Ours" |
Check...test...is this thing on? ;)
Hello to anyone that reads this. It's been a long time since I've updated this journal. I wish that I could attribute that to having been occupied with a rich and satisfying day-to-day life; unfortunately that has not been the case. I've been occupied with my day-to-day life for sure; however, it has been anything but rich and satisyfing since my last entry...
To make a long story short, I went to work for the new employer I spoke of in my March 16 entry...and three weeks later, they screwed me over in about the worst way they could have by firing me essentially without cause. With the economy still in a shambles, this left me with little to do in the short-term but swallow my pride, put my tail between my legs and crawl back to my old bosses at CP&S. Thankfully, they know a bargain when they see one, so they rehired me -- albeit for much less money to start, and I had to come back in the door as a new hire (no benefits until I put in 3 months, etc) despite the fact that I'd been with the company for almost five years before this whole fiasco. It's a tremendously unpleasant situation to be sure, but I just can't afford to be out of work while I look for something better.
Anyhow, I've been so preoccupied with trying to work my way back up to a decent status in the workplace (and get myself back in line for a raise) that I just plain haven't had the energy to write about it -- nor the inclination, to be truly honest. It has been a very dark time, definitely the most depressing and humiliating experience I've been through since I put my time as a probationer behind me. Practically the absolute *last* thing I've wanted to do over these last few months is to examine my situation closely enough to be able to write at least semi-coherently about it. ;) I hope the fact that I'm bothering to do this means that I've turned a corner in that regard, at least -- that, I think, would represent real progress in dealing with the situation.
In any case, I just wanted to check in and let anyone who's curious know why I kinda vanished for a while there. I'm gonna try and be more consistent about this from now on... ;)
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My Real Astrology forecast for this week:
"You will soon have the power to see what has been invisible and to decipher codes that have been impenetrable. You'll shed a belief that has been crippling your intelligence, and you'll lose a "friend" who has been undermining your understanding of yourself. And that's not all, Aquarius. Just in time, you will shake yourself free of a curious numbness, allowing you to tune in to feelings that you desperately need to experience. And you will finally find the words to name truths that have been dangerously fuzzy."
Rather heavily serendipitous in the context of my last entry, eh? ;)
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| Date: | 2003-03-16 01:46 |
| Subject: | Take This Job and... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  relieved | | Music: | just the voices inside my head... ;) |
Hello Friends,
Well, it's official. I have just resigned from my position as Director of Daily Purchasing at Computer Products and Services.
This was done in response to their recent reduction of my salary by 10% without bothering to tell me. When I got my paycheck yesterday, I saw a note stating that my pay had been cut and realized that they had allowed me to work for two weeks under the impression I would be paid the sum we had mutually agreed upon for my services while having changed the deal without having had the decency to tell me personally beforehand. I had been courted recently with a very attractive job offer from a company made up of ex-CPS employees, and ironically had spent all of last week searching my soul for a good reason to stay at my current job. If they'd come to me before they made the change and spoken with me about it to my face in advance, I would honestly have given it serious consideration. However, these developments have dramatically simplified the situation for me. I simply can no longer continue to work for people who are willing to treat me with the utter lack of consideration and respect that is evident from the way this situation was handled. I formally accepted the other company's offer this morning and sent my boss a long email detailing my reasons for resigning in writing a few minutes ago (I will resign in person on Monday.)
So depending on whether or not they want me to put in a final two weeks (they might not,) I will start work either Tuesday or two weeks from Monday for a new employer...for more money...in a better, more comfortable environment (my own private office!)...with people I trust. Though still angry at being slighted in the way I was, I'm ultimately more thankful that CP&S showed their true colors when they did - while this offer was still on the table! :) I'll keep you informed about what transpires; now, however, I must go to bed...
Good night! :)
4 comments | post a comment
| Date: | 2003-02-11 20:41 |
| Subject: | FROM an absent friend... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | exhausted | | Music: | n/a, just the voices in my head... ;) |
Hello friends --
Just a quick note: if you've made a comment in my journal, sent me email, or otherwise tried to communicate with me and have received no response, don't fret. It's not on purpose, and it's not due to any particuarly terrible mishap or any other worrisome cause. I'm just plain old downright BUSY AS HELL between my day job and the book project I'm assisting with (a non-fiction history of underground LSD manufacture, more info in past posts.) Anyhow, I hope you won't hold it against me. Know that you all are in my thoughts and in my heart, even when I am without the energy to demonstrate it... ;)
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Thanks to all who responded to my last entry on this topic [as well as those who sent me birthday wishes. :)] Replying to your responses inspired more good thoughts on the topic, enough for me to compile them in their own entry...
So, the major factors giving me pause are:
1. The job market out there is pretty scarifying. I mean, I just think "If all of my genius lerifamily members have had such a hard time finding work, then what chance is lil' ol' me gonna have?" So I'm feeling a very strong message from my intuition not to go out there without some sort of job prospects already worked out...otherwise I could eventually end up less a good rental property with nothing to show for it if I put all that money into moving and keeping myself afloat while I look for a job opportunity that may or may not materialize in time.
2. My reservations WRT the weather, which are not insignificant -- weather is a profound influence on my moods, and thus I fear moving out there, falling into a light-related depression (to which I am abnormally susceptible,) and becoming a burden to my chosen family. I know I can be extremely 'difficult' when depressed, and I fear that in that state of being I could easily alienate myself from my only support network in that area...
3. I've been getting another very strong intuitive message that no matter how hard I try, a scenario that would allow me to make the move work *sensibly* will not present itself until I fully and truly release myself to being *here*. Ever since I was forced to move down to Boca to attend my "state sponsored vacation," it seems that I've always been hoping and waiting and planning for the day I could finally *leave*. As a result, during my entire time in South Florida I never really accepted and fully surrendered to really *being* here, and I think the universe is hinting that it would be a waste of an important learning experience to leave before I made it over that hurdle. I've been trying for the past week to honestly evaluate whether or not this is just a rationalization, an excuse not to move because I'm scared...and I honestly don't think it is. Don't get me wrong...on a certain level I am scared about my prospects for moving right now; the idea of voluntarily leaving a steady, secure job in this economy is pretty scary. But I really feel that there's something to this...
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Well, suprisingly enough, I made it to the end of my 33rd year on the planet without getting nailed to a cross. ;) Yes, that's right - today is my 34th birthday. At best, this is the *last* year of my early 30s! Yikes!
In other news, I finally sold my rental property in Tallahassee (and did pretty well on the deal, too.) This would potentially give me all the capital I'd need to move to Seattle, which was the original motivation to put it on the market. Now that it's a done deal, though, I am having second thoughts (about the move, not about the sale.) As much as I love my Seattle friends and all that the area has to offer, my three visits there in '02 have given me a much more realistic sense of what I will have to adjust to climate-wise...and I have serious doubts about my ability to withstand the constant grey sky, drizzle and lack of light. I fear that it could push me back over the edge into active depression -- and god knows, I don't want that! Also, the employment opportunities out there still seem pretty scarce, and I don't want to move out there, piss away all of my profit from this house keeping myself fed while looking for work, and wind up broke & unemployed out there six months from now.
(more later)
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I can't believe I forgot to include this in my previous entry:
Make it to Burning Man 2003!
D'oh! ;)
In other news, I'm psyched to have scored third row center seats for Aimee Mann's February 01 concert at the Carefree Theater in West Palm...and it looks like I've scored a *date* for the show taboot! Will update when it seems prudent... ;)
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learn to read music
start & maintain a physical/spiritual discipline (ie yoga, tai chi, qi gong, etc)
write more criticism and get it published
find a more satisfying job in a place that can fill my cultural needs
meditate more
trust myself more
trust my intuition more
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| Date: | 2002-12-17 18:21 |
| Subject: | long-overdue update |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  amused | | Music: | Gov't Mule, 10/24/02, Set I |
Damn, sure did let a lot of time elapse between entries there! I've just been too busy with *life* to have much time on my hands to observe/record/reflect upon it, etc...
To begin with, things have been really good lately as far as my job is concerned. My boss Robert, who up until recently was kinda famous around the office for being unreasonable & impatient, has been making a serious effort to be a nicer person to work for -- and it has made my life at the office a thousand times easier to bear. It's so nice to feel valued & respected at work -- goes a long way towards making up for the fact that I don't have much of a personal investment in our business or my job when the rubber meets the road. Heck, it's just nice not to *dread* going in anymore...
(to be continued)
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Ugh...so, in their infinite wisdom, Floridian voters have opted to continue the ongoing nightmare of concurrent Bush administrations. Kinda like being double-penetrated by the Bush brothers, at least on an energetic level. :( Seems like all I've been able to do yet in response is to keep playing the following song over & over again on my guitar, just to *vent*...
Ship Of Fools
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia
Went to see the captain, strangest I could find
Laid my proposition down, laid it on the line
I won't slave for beggar's pay, likewise gold and jewels
But I would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools
Chorus
Ship of fools on a cruel sea
Ship of fools sail away from me
It was later than I thought when I first believed you
But now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools
Saw your first ship sink and drown from rocking of the boat
And all that could not sink or swim were just left there to float
I won't leave you drifting down but whoa it makes me wild
With thirty years upon my head to have you call me child
[chorus]
The bottle stand is empty now, as they were filled before
Time there was and plenty, but from that cup no more
Though I could not caution all, I still might warn a few
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools
[chorus]
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David Black's "ACID: A New Secret History of LSD" is another addition to the ranks of titles that attempt to
recount the basics of modern psychedelic history. Much like Martin Lee & Bruce Shlain's "Acid Dreams", Black's book looks at the role that Global Intelligence Services played in directing the scientific exploration and eventual illicit distribution of good old LSD-25. It tries to distinguish itself from the other books on the subject by focusing primarily on two things. One is the influence that the psychedelic movement and 1960s & 70s radical politics had on each other, an area also well-covered by Lee & Shlain as far as America is concerned, but Black adds a European perspective absent from "Acid Dreams." The other is the enigmatic Ronald Hadley Stark (nee Ronald Shitsky,) a shadowy figure who many say was central to the establishment of international underground LSD distribution networks, supposedly played a key role in organizing the Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Operation Julie acid production teams, and may have been a Western Intelligence asset.
Black offers a lot of interesting speculation and fascinating anecdotes over the course of the book's 208 pages, and improves somewhat on Tendler & May's earlier "The Brotherhood of Eternal Love" by at least including a few footnotes. Although his political speculations seem fairly well researched, many of his psychedelic references are unfortunately secondary & tertiary sources. For example, when I queried Brotherhood chemist Tim Scully while researching this review, I was shocked to find out that Black apparently never contacted him while working on the book. Given that it only took me about five minutes to track down Scully's contact information, I can't help but doubt the thoroughness of Black's research into the psychedelic side of his subject matter.
Conspiracy buffs & those with an interest in radical politics of the past few decades will likely find “ACID: A New Secret History of LSD” an interesting read. However, serious students of Psychedelic History are urged to keep one thing in mind. The events covered in this book are shrouded in the fog of so many cover stories from players on all sides that trying to separate truth and fiction quickly becomes an incredibly frustrating exercise. Many of the participants whom I have been in contact with have alluded to the fact that most of the currently available titles on the subject are riddled with inaccuracies & errors. Hopefully as a result of the recent death of ex-CIA director Richard Helms (head of the agency during the MK-Ultra project,) more of the real truth of the matter will come out in the not-so-distant future. As it stands at present, though, if you truly want to know the real story of the early days of LSD, looking in a book probably isn't going to help all that much.
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If you've seen the Allman Brothers Band or Phil Lesh & Friends in concert recently, you’re aware of the creative rebirth that both stalwarts of the Jam Band scene are currently experiencing. Central to these developments is the prominent presence of guitarist, vocalist & songwriter Warren Haynes in the lineup of both bands. When bassist Allen Woody died in August of 2000, Haynes not only lost one third of his own band, Gov’t Mule, but his best friend and musical soul mate as well. Instead of immediately hiring a new bass player and blindly pushing forward as many bands might have done, Haynes instead took some time to revisit his roots, rejoining the Allmans in the absence of founding member (and past mentor) Dickey Betts. In between his tours with them & Grateful Dead bassist Lesh’s group, Haynes & drummer Matt Abts had some tough decisions to make regarding the future of the Mule.
While they weren't quite ready to choose a permanent replacement for their departed friend, they were accumulating new material steadily that they wanted to record. Then someone had a brilliant idea: why not try and track down some of Woody’s favorite bassists to see if any of them would like to add their skills to one track each? They started with a few of his biggest influences, who each helped them to network with still other important players, until they ended up with twenty-five of the world’s greatest bassists and two full CDs worth of material. The first disc, entitled ‘The Deep End Volume One’, came out last year and featured a diverse roster of Olympian talents including the late John Entwistle, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Flea, Mike Watt, Jack Bruce & Roger Glover. Now ATO Records has released Volume Two in the series, which if anything is an even stronger collection of material than its predecessor.
Haynes has said in interviews that one of his biggest challenges in making these albums was to write songs that could take advantage of each bassist’s individual style & personality, yet still sounded like Gov’t Mule. A lofty goal to be sure, but by and large he succeeds masterfully. New Orleans legend George Porter Jr. of the Meters drops right into the pocket with Abts’ agile bass drum as if he'd been there all his life on the reggae-tinged R&B scorcher ‘Time to Confess’. Art-rock vets Tony Levin of King Crimson & Peter Gabriel’s band and ex-Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas add power & depth to the wailing wall of sound that is ‘World of Confusion’, which manages the difficult task of being deeply personal, highly topical, and universal all at the same time. Jack Casady and Pete Sears of Jefferson Airplane & Hot Tuna sound right at home on the deliciously languorous country-blues ‘Slow Happy Boys’. MeShell Ndegeocello, the only female participant, contributes an irresistible, percolating groove to the sultry shuffle ‘Hammer & Nails’. Bandleader & Sideman trade roles when Phil Lesh adds a breathtaking bassline to the achingly beautiful bluegrass lament ‘Lay of the Sunflower’, which also features piano by their Phil & Friends band mate Rob Barraco, mandolin by David Grisman, and an exquisite Robert Hunter lyric whose narrative takes place in the same mythical ‘forest of Fennario’ as did the Dead’s ‘Dire Wolf.’
Unfortunately, the formula doesn't produce uniformly stunning results. ‘Sun Dance’, featuring Yes’ Chris Squire, finds them falling into the trap of overly imitating the bassist’s primary band. ‘Greasy Granny’s Gopher Gravy’ sports a wicked, funky groove and some impressive slapping & popping courtesy of Les Claypool; unfortunately, the track is also saddled with a typically puerile, adenoidal Claypool rap. And the traditional jazz-influenced instrumental ‘Babylon Turnpike’, the only track on either disc to feature stand-up bass (played commendably by Alphonso Johnson,) just sounds generic to my ear, though pleasantly atmospheric. The first pressing also comes with a bonus disc featuring four extra audio tracks (one of which, "Driving Rain," features Metallica's James Hetfield on vocals.) Those with computer access will also be able to view a flash movie on the disc, "Weekend with Warren," which is a documentary shot over the course of a single weekend in which Haynes had gigs to play with the Allmans, Phil & Friends, and the Mule!
With all of these dominant musical personalities guesting on the different tracks, it would be very easy for albums like these to feel somewhat choppy to the listener. Even without a permanent bass player, however, Gov’t Mule’s muscular, brawny, blues-based meat & potatoes approach remains intact and provides plenty of continuity from song to song. Matt Abts is one of the most ferocious yet flexible drummers in rock, and Haynes just continues to grow as a songwriter & guitarist (especially on bottleneck.) But ultimately it’s his voice that really distinguishes all of his efforts for me, including the Mule. For my money, Haynes is the most authentic white blues/soul singer of his generation, and that voice is the glue that binds everything together here into a coherent whole.
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I remember being surprised when I first encountered resistance after bringing up the Grateful Dead in conversation among younger members of the psychedelic community. Even in light of some annoying public perceptions shaped by the embarrassing behavior of part of their audience and their own personal disintegration towards the end, I always assumed that their crucial contributions to the tapestry of American Psychedelia were well understood. Perhaps I was naive to think that of a generation of young ravers who never had the option of attending a show; although they have plenty to offer musically, none of the current crop of jam-bands has ever been on a social/spiritual mission of comparable power. In any case, while it is undeniable that they have helped inspire certain stereotypes that remain an albatross around the community's collective neck, the fact remains that for anyone seriously interested in a comprehensive understanding of Psychedelic History, the Grateful Dead's story represents an essential chapter that cannot be overlooked. Dennis McNally's 'A Long Strange Trip' tells that story more accurately and completely than ever before.
The Dead were an utterly unique aggregation among rock bands, and in documenting them McNally has fittingly crafted a book that is unlike any other of the many rock biographies I've read over the years. For example, the traditional narrative approach to the history of the band is cinematically intercut at crucial points with interludes that attempt to explain how the Grateful Dead touring machine operated by describing a composite "archetypal" Dead show from load-in to load-out. As the band's publicist for many years, McNally obviously gained a special insight into the behind-the-scenes alchemy that facilitated what no less astute an observer as Joseph Campbell recognized as one of the great unsung mystery religions of 20th century America. Being the first band-authorized title of its kind, the book is practically bursting at the bindings with fascinating backstage tidbits, illuminating perspectives on well-known countercultural figures & events, and exciting dope tales that add up to a tremendously entertaining read.
Speaking of dope tales, although the GD story is sadly not without its share of tragic rock & roll excess, most of the drug-related content in this book is of an entirely different order than what one encounters in the average episode of "Behind the Music". Few other recent books contain this much detailed, accurate information on Psychedelics that wasn't aimed specifically at the entheogen community. Then again, this is a band whose name was chosen out of the dictionary by Garcia after smoking DMT, which shows up frequently over the course of the narrative (most often in connection with bassist Phil Lesh, for those of you keeping score at home.)
That's not all there is for psychonauts to appreciate here, either; inside one will find plenty of first hand information & revealing anecdotes about many legendary Psychedelic people. When they weren't making some of the finest LSD ever known, uber-chemists Tim Scully & Owsley Stanley were key members of the Dead's sound crew (who revolutionized the design of high-end concert audio in their own right.) Ken Kesey's Perry Lane residence in Palo Alto was one of the loci around which the group came together, so we see a good deal of him & the various Merry Pranksters, of which the band were considered junior members (Kesey called Garcia & Co. the Prankster Spaceship’s "faster than light drive".) Also well-represented are the Diggers, and many of the rest of the colorful cast of characters that made the Haight-Ashbury scene what it was. The detail in which the birth of Bay Area acid culture and the early days of ludibund psychedelic experimentation in America are covered compares favorably with the readily available popular works on Psychedelic History. Indeed, this book makes an excellent complement to titles like "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" or "Storming Heaven" in that regard. Terence McKenna and Timewave theory also merit mention, as Garcia & Lesh especially were early supporters and long time fans of the departed bard.
“A Long, Strange Trip” also clarifies many aspects of the Grateful Dead legend that have been fodder for considerable myth & innuendo over the years, given their roles as unofficial spokesmen for the Psychedelic Community during the late 60s & 70s and the fact that for much of that time, none other than Owsley “Bear” Stanley was first their patron and then their soundman. As to the ubiquity of psychedelic substances at shows, there has remained some speculation about what role if any they may have had in LSD trafficking. McNally helps to debunk such myths by explaining that Bear actually took voluntary sabbaticals from ‘professional’ chemistry during his stints behind the board so as not to add to the already considerable legal pressures on the group. However, although they weren’t trafficking in acid, they apparently gave it away in spades, as McNally reveals in detail. Even though the Acid Tests ostensibly stopped in the fall of 1966, according to some insiders & concertgoers complimentary LSD was at times discreetly gifted (and sometimes not so discreetly, according to McNally) to fortunate patrons at the occasional Dead show up through the early 70s. Another point about the band that McNally admirably makes clear is that contrary to popular opinion, a convincing case can be made that the Dead’s sensibilities were intrinsically more beat than hippie. The future Grateful Dead family came of age at a time that found them perfectly poised to pick up on some free-floating energy left in the air from the recently deceased beat era. Indeed, many of their biggest extra-musical heroes were beats, with the larger-than-life figure of "Cowboy Neal" Cassady playing an especially important role as the living bridge connecting the two.
Of course, the story did not end happily for either the band or the hippie movement that cherished them, and McNally pulls no punches when insightfully exploring the tragic decline that befell them both. In this regard, the Dead’s saga can be viewed as a valuable cautionary tale that contemporary psychonauts could learn much from. Garcia’s story is a vivid and powerful reminder that simply taking entheogens is no express train to enlightenment, especially when one has all of the pressures & temptations of the entertainment industry constantly pulling them in the other direction. Speaking of entertainment, if anyone's wondering when I’ll get around to seriously discussing the music, you’re unfortunately out of luck. People tend to have rather strong feelings about it, and I don’t want them to cloud the issue; love the music or hate it, there is still plenty between the covers of this book for any Psychedelic person to enjoy. Suffice to say that for those with an interest, McNally provides a wealth of detail about their methods of working, the conditions under which their style developed & their albums were recorded, the origins of significant songs in their repertoire, and the Hunter-Garcia & Weir-Barlow songwriting partnerships. Ultimately, I feel confident that if you're enjoying this magazine, you will find McNally's Long, Strange Trip well worth taking.
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Just in case you happen to know anyone looking for a cheap new machine or an upgrade, the reseller I am a Purchasing Agent for just got in a lot of factory-refurbed, hardly used Pentium 4 desktops that we're letting go for really cheap. Config is:
512MB DDR SDRAM
80 gig Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM IDE HD
Nvidia Geforge MX400 video card with video in & tv/s-video out
Mitsumi 32X IDE CDRW
Liteon 16X DVD
4 USB ports (2 front, 2 back)
2 Firewire ports (1 front, 1 back)
Front A/V input panel
56K modem
Onboard 10/100 NIC & sound
Units with 1.8G P4 CPUs are $565, 2.0G units are $610 (plus tax & shipping.) Mfg is a European company called Medion. Caveat Emptor: The motherboard is limited (3 total PCI slots,) the onboard sound isn't great, and the case doesn't leave much room for expansion. However, IMHO these would make a great source of components for a P4 system build, which is what I'm doing - I bought one of the 2.0 units, and am putting it in a new case with an ASUS P4PE mobo...quite a step up from my Athlon 700 indeed. ;)
I'm not making anything off these, as I'm not in Sales - just figured I'd throw it out there in case any of you or anyone you know might be looking for a cheap machine...
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| Date: | 2002-10-10 22:07 |
| Subject: | LST Review Intro |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  creative | | Music: | none |
I remember being kind of surprised the first time that I encountered resistance when bringing up the Grateful Dead in conversation among younger members of the contemporary psychedelic community. Even in light of some annoying public perceptions that had been shaped to a large degree by the behavior of part of their audience and their own personal disintegration towards the end, I suppose I always assumed that their crucial contributions to the tapestry of American Psychedelia were well understood. Perhaps I was naive to think that of a generation of young ravers who never had the option of attending a show; though they have plenty to offer musically, none of the current crop of jam-bands has ever been on a social/spiritual mission of comparable power. In any case, while it is undeniable that they have helped inspire certain stereotypes that remain an albatross around the community's collective neck, the fact remains that for anyone seriously interested in a comprehensive understanding of Psychedelic History, the Grateful Dead's story represents an essential chapter that cannot be overlooked. Dennis McNally's 'A Long Strange Trip' tells that story more accurately and completely than ever before.
The Dead were an utterly unique aggregation among rock bands, and in documenting them McNally has fittingly crafted a book that is unlike any other of the many rock biographies I've had occasion to read over the years. For example, the traditional narrative approach to the history of the band is rather cinematically intercut at crucial points with chapters that attempt to explain how the Grateful Dead touring machine operated by describing a composite "archetypal" Dead show from load-in to load-out. As the band's publicist for many years, McNally obviously developed a special insight into the behind-the-scenes alchemy that facilitated one of the great unsung mystery religions of 20th century America. Being the first band-authorized title on the subject, the book is practically bursting at the bindings with fascinating backstage tidbits, illuminating perspectives on well-known countercultural figures & events, and exciting dope tales that add up to make a tremendously entertaining read.
Speaking of dope tales, although the GD story is sadly not without its share of tragic rock & roll excess, most of the drug-related content in this book is of an entirely different order than what one encounters in the average "Behind the Music". There are few other recent books that I can think of containing this much detailed, accurate, hard information on Psychedelics that weren't aimed specifically at the entheogen community. And that's not all there is for psychonauts to appreciate here, either. Inside one will find plenty of excellent, first hand information & revealing anecdotes about legendary psychedelic chemists Tim Scully & Owsley Stanley, who when they weren't making some of the finest LSD ever known were key members of the Dead's sound crew (who revolutionized the design of high-end concert audio in their own right,) the various Merry Pranksters (Ken Kesey called Garcia & Co. the Prankster Spaceship’s "faster than light drive",) the Diggers, and the rest of the colorful cast of characters that made the Haight-Ashbury scene what it was. The detail in which the birth of Bay Area acid culture and the early days of unauthorized psychedelic experimentation in America are covered compares favorably with the readily available popular works on Psychedelic History; indeed, this book makes an excellent complement to titles like "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" or "Storming Heaven" in that regard. Terence McKenna and Timewave theory also merit mention, as Garcia & bassist Phil Lesh especially were early supporters and long time fans of the departed bard.
4 comments | post a comment
| Date: | 2002-10-10 17:36 |
| Subject: | Another point for LST review |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | creative | | Music: | 'Estimated Prophet', GD w/Branford Marsalis, 3/29/90 II |
The people who would come to make up the GD weren't just any Bay Area proto-hippies. This was an exceptional bunch of incredibly talented social misfits who were unsatisfied with what the culture at the time had to offer, and seemed almost destined to effect changes in that regard. Well groomed by fate for their roles they were indeed:
- Garcia transcribed recordings of Lenny Bruce's act while working in his 20s for a lawyer who defended LB in the obscenity trials
- Aldous Huxley visited Bill Kreutzmann's boarding school (the Orme school in Arizona) & lectured on psychedelics...AH & BK had an interaction during the visit. BK was a regular at the Perry Lane household as a teen, mingling with Kesey, Lovell, et al.
- Phil & TC involved with revolutionary serial music experiments with Steve Reich & Luciano Berio -- bore fruit with the "performed mix" of 'Anthem...'
All of them were poised perfectly to pick up on some free-floating energy still zipping around in the air from the stil-recently deceased beat era, and indeed it can be persuasively argued that the GD's sensibility was intrinisically more beat than hippie...
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| Date: | 2002-10-04 18:30 |
| Subject: | Something to think about.... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  contemplative | | Music: | GD, Dick's Picks 14, 'Playin' in the Band' |
My friend Sam recently posted the following question to a mailing list we're both on:
"please consider the proposition:
an author's interpretation of hir work has more intrinsic validity than
the interpretations of observers and critics.
I would very much like to hear your reactions to it, and what you
recognize as behind those reactions.
I note only that the question has possible implications in practical
ontology (that which we're willing to treat as real rather than that which
"is" real), any old sort of epistemology, economics, ethics, and
jurisprudence, just to start somewhere."
This was my answer:
Hoo-boy! There's a real can o' worms there. First of all, is there a reason that you're limiting this to authors? I think the question is equally applicable across art-forms, and will extend it to apply to them in this reply.
I don't buy it. Not only do I not buy it on a gut level, but having spent 25 years of my life involved on some level as a performing artist & writer and also having considerable experience on the other side of the stage as both critic and audience, all of my first-hand experience leads me in the other direction. For example, I've always found it somewhat perverse that when performing as a musician, I always seem to get the most positive feedback after the show on nights that didn't seem to feel right one way or another subjectively as I was playing. But does the fact that I wasn't enjoying myself on stage somehow more valid than the experiences of the audience members who had a great time at the show? Not at all, IMHO, and I think it would be selfish to profess otherwise.
Also, I've had pretty profound revelations in which I've found meaning in works that I did not intentionally put there, yet was obviously part of the piece via someone else sharing their interpretations of them with me. I think any artist who is not open to this sort of thing is closing themselves off from a great source of potential inspiration & understanding.
Finally, I always remember early acting teachers & directors cautioning me that if I overplayed it in a scene, then I would no room left in the moment for the audience to share it with me. One director always used to remind me "It doesn't matter what you feel. What matters is what the audience feels, and if you are feeling it too strongly, you leave no room for the rest of us to get in there with you."
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I believe the true magic inherent in art is a result of a reaction that occurs when the artist's intent meets an audience's personal interpretation in the domain of the imagination. Both seem to be equally important components of the magic that can result, so I personally can't attribute greater intrinsic validity to either.
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| Date: | 2002-10-01 13:54 |
| Subject: | Good, good things... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  excited | | Music: | Allman Brothers, 'Peakin at the Beacon' |
Gawd, the positive effects of the criticism thing just keep snowballing! In the course of my background research into 'ACID' I've been corresponding with a friend of Tom Lyttle's, who published the Psychedelic Monographs & Essays series back in the 80s and early 90s. I knew that he was a SoFla resident, but I never really had what felt like a good enough excuse to bother him with introducing myself...so I never did.
Anyhow, at the urging of my correspondent, I dashed off a quick email to Lyttle, introducing myself, mentioning my work for TRIP and our mutual associate. Well, lo and behold:
- he replied quickly and warmly
- he lives 20 min south of me in Lauderdale
- he is also working on a piece for the new issue of TRIP
- he wants to get together over a bite later this month!
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| Date: | 2002-09-30 16:12 |
| Subject: | A 'BEL' rings... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | creative | | Music: | 'GDTRFB', Grateful Dead, 5/26/72 |
Another positive result of volunteering to Review 'ACID' for TRIP - I finally got my hands on a copy of The Brotherhood of Eternal Love, one of the out-of-print books on psychedelics that I have most wanted to read! I read the whole thing cover-to-cover (ok, it was a digital copy, but still...) last night, and was struck by a flash of inspiration...that book would make excellent fodder for an adapted screenplay! I've always felt that a psychedelic chemist would make an interesting subject for a film, and the tales of the BEL in the US & the "Microdot Gang" in the UK could make for a true epic! "Blow" crossed with Dr. Strangelove crossed with the Quest for the Holy Grail is the best capsule pitch that I can think of on the spot. Use T. Scully as protagonist - most sympathetic figure of the bunch.
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In telling the story of Stark's early days, we are provided with a wealth of fascinating information about SOMA and their efforts towards Cannabis law reform in the UK during the late 60s. None of this material is covered in either 'Acid Dreams' or 'Storming Heaven', and was completely new information for *this* American pot-head, at least... ;)
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