The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test

I finished the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. I almost didn't start reading it because after Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I was sort of burnt out on drug books and didn't want to read another book where the characters go on ether binges. (Honestly, ether??)

But I had bought a copy of the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test and I was too lazy to get any other books, so I decided that I would give it a go….and I'm glad I did.

It turns out that this is a very important book in terms of understanding the whole west coast counter culture revolution and many of today's modern cultural references. Tom Wolfe basically follows Ken Kesey (you'll know him as the author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest") and the band of Merry Pranksters as they discover LSD (which was legal until 1966). Anyway, the Merry Pranksters take a bus trip around the US, Kesey hightails it to Mexico after facing trumped up marijuana charges, the Pranksters deflate a Vietnam rally (yes, the the first hippys were apathetic), they spend a lot of time blowing their own minds, and shifting paradigms of modern society. Wolfe did an extensive amount of research for this book… from what I understand the majority of the dialogue is taken from actual recordings of conversations and/or Wolfe's own experiences with the Pranksters.

While reading Electric Kool Aid, you feel as if though you are along for the magic bus ride with the Pranksters, which is unique, because a lot of what they did was laying the groundwork for the whole counter-culture revolution…the Beatles got their inspiration for the magic bus ride from the Pranksters, the Grateful Dead got their start jamming at acid tests, psychedelic paintings emerged, day-glo was discovered, etc. Kesey describes himself as too young to be part of the beat generation, and yet too old to be a hippy, which makes him an important bridge between the two groups.

Before reading the other books that have sprung from the 1960's - 70's heads, I would recommend reading the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test first, because it will provide a context of the whole scene.

Moral of the Story: Groovy, man.