The following interaction began because I happened to be reading Ken Kesey's 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest'. The gentleman asked how I liked it and I replied that it was disappointingly slow. He soon revealed that he had spent a great deal of time with Ken Kesey and some of the other 'Merry Pranksters'. Now, I was in the musical 'Hair' and did a great deal of research on the era for that purpose but I had never heard of this group.
My new friend regaled me with tales of his own experiences with drugs and parties with the Merry Pranksters. It was fascinating for me to meet someone who had a very hands on experience with the drug induced 60/70's.
Apparently Ken Kesey's spent a stint in a VA hospital talking psychoactive drugs, including cocaine, lsd, and acid all for the benefit of science. After this clinical stint, Kesey and the Merry Pranksters continued the 'experimentation'. Kesey wrote 'One Flew.." regarding his experience in the hospital while participating in the Army testing. When the first 3000 copies were sold the publishers were pressured to change some of the details about characters that were too real to life and, consequently, the book is no longer the same work that Kesey penned under the influence of psychoactive drugs. What a shame!
My favorite quote from this great guy was when he attended his first party with the Merry Pranksters and he looked out over the yard and....I couldn't help but blurt out, 'realized that you were drugged and were now tripping!!' With straighface he shook his head and said, 'not that time.'
I regret to inform the reader that I forgot to ask my friend if he believed that psychoactive drugs are, in fact, mind-enhancing.
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