1 English 12: English 12: Ken Kesey, The Psychedelic Movement, and Cuckoo’s Nest Berkley High School One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

2 The Counterculture 1960’s: desire for change!1960’s: desire for change! –What kind of change? Anti-corporation feelingsAnti-corporation feelings –Corporations promoting rampant materialism & advertising. Anti-establishmentAnti-establishment

3 The Counterculture, Ctd. Americans were polarized about how to view themselves during the 60s.Americans were polarized about how to view themselves during the 60s. –Dismantle establishment? –Promote hedonism?

4 Timothy Leary As Advocate, Ctd. Leary, the “father” of LSD – –experimented with psychedelic drugs at Harvard, using his students as assistants. – –Over 50% of the participants claimed the experience taught them something about themselves, and 90% wanted to try it again. Is Leary was running a scientific experiment or is he trying to start a cultural revolution? By 1962 Leary was experimenting with LSD himself.

5 Leary’s Millbrook Commune psychedelic commune Millbrook became the center of the psychedelic movement. Leary offered a merging of psychology with a dose of spiritualism and hedonism at Millbrook. – –The weekend drug parties at Millbrook quickly became famous. Leary at Millbrook. The NY estate was on loan from a wealthy supporter, but expenses to run it were high.

6 Social Change In The Sixties Egalitarian philosophy: true social change begins from the bottom – among the masses - and moves up to the elite.Egalitarian philosophy: true social change begins from the bottom – among the masses - and moves up to the elite. –Opposes the more elitist view that change must stem from elites and their institutions, and the masses will follow. The problem with the egalitarian approach: by giving everyone access to acid, there would be many casualties.The problem with the egalitarian approach: by giving everyone access to acid, there would be many casualties. This debate relates to a deeper debate:This debate relates to a deeper debate: –Goal of the movement: Utopia or Nirvana? Utopia Visionaries Nirvana Visionary

7 Personal Politics Versus Institutional Politics Hippies and Radicals were split.Hippies and Radicals were split. –Hippies favored a personal- change emphasis. LSD as the tool for personal introspection.LSD as the tool for personal introspection. Goal: Nirvana.Goal: Nirvana. –Radicals (like the Black Panthers and SDS) favored an institutional-change emphasis. Social activism as the tool for change.Social activism as the tool for change. Goal: UtopiaGoal: Utopia

8 Kesey: The Boy Most Likely to Succeed Kesey was a regular jock athlete with a likeable personality who got good grades in school. As a senior in high school he was voted “most likely to succeed.” Ken Kesey, 1967.

9 Kesey Discovers, Uses LSD Kesey attended the Stanford Writing Program in 1958Kesey attended the Stanford Writing Program in 1958 –He discovered that he was a gifted writer and that he was attracted to the Beat subculture. –He grew a beard, began playing folk songs on his guitar, and started to smoke pot. Later he volunteered as a drug tester at a hospital studying psychedelic drugs.Later he volunteered as a drug tester at a hospital studying psychedelic drugs. –Kesey found that LSD was great and became an instant convert to the cause.

10 Kesey Becomes Famous When he worked at a mental hospital he got his material for his famous novel, “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.” – –A metaphor of 1950s America, where there was no room for individuality. Kesey began to have gatherings for mutual drug exploration in his California home. By 1962, an inner circle of fellow- adventurers had emerged to call themselves the Merry Band of Pranksters, with Kesey at the center of it all. This 1962 book captured an emerging theme of the counterculture – that society and its institutions were over- rationalized and had become quasi-totalitarian as they denied individual free will.

11 The Acid Test Parties The Acid Test - Kesey’s experiment on the nature of “group mind.”The Acid Test - Kesey’s experiment on the nature of “group mind.” A total party experience, complete with lights, music, cameras, theater, incense, and LSD.A total party experience, complete with lights, music, cameras, theater, incense, and LSD. Music was provided by the Warlocks, soon to rename themselves “The Grateful Dead.”Music was provided by the Warlocks, soon to rename themselves “The Grateful Dead.” Conditions designed to manipulate the suggestibility of the psychedelic condition – to push people further, and to push people together.Conditions designed to manipulate the suggestibility of the psychedelic condition – to push people further, and to push people together. Ultimately, thousands of people showed up at these parties.Ultimately, thousands of people showed up at these parties.

12 Leary Is Busted In 1966 Politics of LSD were getting repressive by the mid-60s. – –Leary believed that people should be free to feed their minds without government restrictions. Government and medical bureaucracies were portraying LSD as worse than heroin. In 1966, Leary was busted for pot in Texas and received a 30-year jail sentence plus a $30,000 fine. – –He appealed and set up a defense fund, but this was the beginning of the end. Leary was busted for possession of marijuana in 1966 but the verdict was overturned on appeal later. He would be arrested again in 1968.

13 LSD outlawed in 1966 The Psychedelic Movement had grown very large by 1966.The Psychedelic Movement had grown very large by The political reaction was severe.The political reaction was severe. By October of 1966, the possession of LSD had been made illegal in every state in the country.By October of 1966, the possession of LSD had been made illegal in every state in the country. Anti-LSD propaganda helped fuel the rising public concern over hallucinogens. President Nixon’s War on Drugs utilized such propaganda to generate fear that LSD use would cause genetic mutations and other harmful effects.

14 The LSD Backlash It wasn’t until 1965 that concrete evidence of its danger of LSD first appeared. – –Evidence suggested that people with unstable personalities were prone to disintegration when exposed to LSD in uncontrolled settings. – –Some LSD users claimed to have “flashbacks” months after tripping. The media began to portray LSD as a social danger. Authorities released anti-LSD propaganda, much of which made false claims about LSD. In March of 1966, Time Magazine declared that America was in the midst of an LSD “epidemic.” This is an image from an anti- LSD pamphlet distributed by authorities in The copy above this image says, “Dr. Allen Katzenburg, of Southwestern Foundation for Research and Education, San Antonio, Texas has estimated that LSD use has caused more genetic damage to the human race than the atomic bomb.”

15 The Decline Of The Movement In the end, there were two distinct paths within the counterculture: – –hippie – –radical activist By the late 60s, many kids were using LSD for the wrong reasons and in the wrong settings – and bad trips were becoming more common. In the end, the psychedelic movement withered due to: – –1. A new era of Prohibition and ignorance about the nature of LSD. – –2. A split in the movement between hippies and radical activists. – –3. A collapse of idealism by the late 60s, along with rising cynicism and fatalism.

16 Legacy of the Psychedelic Movement What is left of the psychedelic movement is: – –1. Largely underground again due to Prohibition. – –2. Taking new forms in various New Age movements involving spiritualism. – –3. The legacy of new music, art and dance forms that involve wildly expressive or trance like behaviors. – –4. Found in the subcultural legacy of the Dead, Phish, Radiohead, and other post- hippie segments of society. Radiohead is one of many current popular bands that have been influenced by the psychedelic movement.