Paranoia Strikes Deep�.

[Audible Nectar]

So what do you have that bends you mind, gives you the heeby jeebies or makes you say whoa, what was that!. thebes, Try reading "The Long Emergency" by James Howard Kunsler. That'll put you in a different world. Unfortunately, depending on what you get out of it there may be no way back out. It makes global warming look like a nice day at Disneyland. Leo Oh, going through all my records I stumbled across Little Feat "Day at the Dog Races" from "Time Loves a Hero." It helps me to temporarily forget about The Long Emergency until the next time I need gas, or electricity to run my stereo. Leo

DAMN. That's depressing. I save things like "The Long Emergency" for sober times. No need to "kill the buzz"[]

I prefer more "positive" forms of vision when in that state of mind....like Grateful Dead and String Cheese Incident concerts.....or maybe Umphrey's McGee for a little more "edge". Zappa music is ALWAYS a hoot (I like Shiek Yerbouti and Joe's Garage - and the Baby Snakes video is a guaranteed enjoyable three hours - the claymation guy is a mind blower, and the music is awesome).

Or maybe a night on Mount Shasta.....

But the ultimate "ride" I ever took was when an old friend of mine "puddled me" at an Allman Brothers concert at Alpine Valley in the late 80's. This was the first tour they did together after some extended time apart - so they meant business. 20 minutes after "the deed", we walked through the main gates as the trees behind the stage waved hello to us and George Thorogood opened the show. It took that whole set for us to get comfortable/used to things, then just as the Allmans opened with "Blue Sky", the sky OPENS UP: A three hour monster thunderstorm accompanies the music (while we sneak into the pavilion on lawn seat tickets). The Allmans played for over three hours - one of those nights where the band is on fyah - including a 30+ minute "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and a 45 minute "Mountain Jam" during which lightning cut the power for 15 seconds (and the crowd does a collective "WHOA" while the band keeps going like nothing happened - when power resumed, the band sounded immediately like nothing happened).

That's a trip you won't see in your AAA guide[]

[meagain]

It still saddens me to this day that I never experienced Mushrooms. I sort of feel ripped off.

How do/did the various acids compare to mushrooms? Purple microdot, Orange Sunshine type stuff?

[Clarence]

Dont eat the brown acid....

[Marvel]

The real problem with acid was that it often had a bit of strychnine thrown in for body rushes. The purer stuff was a great delight to me. Ken Kesey (author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") said the best was what the government made, except for the Owsley (sp?).

Mushrooms were great as long as they were the right mushrooms, or you could end up dead rather quickly. Pretty common along the southeast coast of Georgia. Get them in the early morning before the sun dried them up. Pull them off the cow manure.

Peyote worked okay for me too, but wasn't super common in the midwest. Synthetic mescaline tended to be okay. You just never really knew what you were getting. It's not like the FDA sampled everything (only some of the guys, and they thoroughly enjoyed it I'm sure).

As an aside, ergot, a fungus that has rye as the principle host, was where the first LSD was isolated. If you consume ergot infected grain (not just rye), it can easily kill you. There was a town in France, where the whole town ate the daily bakery goods, and many hallucinated and freaked out so much they jumped out of windows and committed suicide. My mom had a copy of the book that detailed it, which I read back in high school. It took place sometime in the early 1950s if I remember correctly.

[lighting guy]

Fresh mushroom tea DEFINITELY better than any acid trip I ever had. Great visuals, fun time. Maybe a little nausea at the onset, but none of that out of contol, bad acid trip. That was a long time ago in those carefree college days. YMMV []

[garymd]

Lisa,

It all depended on the acid and/or the shrooms. I had great acid and terrible shrooms and vice versa. I always said that everyone should experience them at least once in their life. Good shrooms seemed a little more mellow, you came down more quickly, laughed more in the beginning, but you came down hard and in a REALLY pissy mood. Sometimes with acid it would take 10 hours to come down and the last 5 or so were a real drag. Bong hit after bong hit or heavy drinking didn't matter.

I talked one of my brothers, who is straight as an arrow, into eat acid at a Dead show in the early 80s (the stuff was extremely clean) and he still talks about that night. Most fun he's ever had, so he still says. It's just something that can't be described. It has to be experienced. Oh yeah, sex was great too, assuming you could actually..........nevermind.

Some of the strangest and most incredible things have happened to me and my friends while tripping. 28 straight swishes from 20 feet away from the basket. I could actually see the path the ball needed to take. Shooting bumper pool, my friend Denny and I hit the ball a split second apart, one clearing the bumpers in the middle of the table (almost impossible) just before the other and both balls going in. Impossible shots for one person, let alone two at the same time. I could go on and on. It also makes you superhuman. Unlimited strength, or so it seems.

Like anything, it's not something you want to do too aften and the last time I did it, I was about 23 (I was 13 the first time - way too young). I wouldn't consider doing it once I was past my early 20s.

The above is totally fictional, based on information obtained from those with actual experience.[]

[Marvel]

Personality would play a huge part in how a person responds to any given hallucinatory drug. If you tended to be depressed most of the time, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go tripping. So I've heard anyway.

[meagain]

Some of the strangest and most incredible things have happened to me and my friends while tripping. 28 straight swishes from 20 feet away from the basket. I could actually see the path the ball needed to take.

Yup. I experienced such magic. Though we didn't tend to be very 'sporty' during such times. More chilled out magic like amazing convos, miracle level kismit, writing, making fantastic art even it be with pen and scrap of paper. Funny how we never thought those drawings would hold up after we were 'normal' but they sure as heck did. Brilliant stuff.

I just never did 'shrooms and feel like I missed something. Maybe I didn't?

Gosh do people still do acid? I never ever hear of any drug busts involving it, or anyone doing it anymore. Totally dropped out of the media? Maybe because weed has gotten so much better?

[garymd]

Lisa - You didn't really miss out. It was almost identical. Not to worry. If you want to make sure, wait until the Dead come to town. I'm sure if you hang out in the parking lot long enough, some will show up.[]

[Fish]

Ha....I think I'm havin' a flashback.Did Mr. Natural (thebes) ever come down? Ground Control to Major thebes.

[garymd]

Some of the older forum members who grew up in a different generation might have the impression that we're a bunch of drug addicts. In case you're worried about us, I assure you that we were a product of the times and we all turned out alright (most of us anyway).[]

[oldtimer]

Thebes, try Fourth World Vol.1--Possible Musics, by Jon Hassell/Brian Eno.

[oldbuckster]

Mushrooms are enter level, not in the same league as mirco-dot, window pane, or sunshine..............the Doors.....the End.....or Led Zeppelin II........

[pauln]

Or you could do it with just water... get an eyedropper and two cups, one with cool water, one with fairly warm water. Fill one ear canal with cool, the other with warm, then sit down and be real still. The semicircular canals within the inner ear (three on each side oriented to the three orthagonal planes of space) provide your sense of balance/motion. In nomal conditions the corresponding pairs from each side that sense motion in the three planes are always synchronised because they reside in the same physical head. As you sit quietly the cool and warm water in the different ear canals will cause convection currents in the canals, but now they will be in opposite dirrections, meaning that one set will be indicating that your movement is to the right, up, and clockwise, whereas the other will be indicating movement to the left, down, and counterclockwise. Unless you have had an illness that causes this or have used water to clean your ears, it is likely you have never felt these opposing primary sensations before.

Of course, hearing music through ears of water is less than optimal...

[sunburnwilly]

Some of the older forum members who grew up in a different generation might have the impression that we're a bunch of drug addicts. In case you're worried about us, I assure you that we were a product of the times and we all turned out alright (most of us anyway).[][/quote ]

Back in 1951 my father along with 149 other 2nd Lieutenants dropped acid , for the government no less . Kinda scary thinking about it because how did they know how much to give them ? He says the only thing he remembers about the experience is the color purple . He seems fine along with the rest of my family . "I have gotten used to the spiders ."

Anyway , as far as unusual music , Ya'll should check out Richard Cheese . He does lounge lizard versions of todays hits . I have his Appertif For Destruction CD and it's a hoot . It also sounds excellent !!!