iBestTravel

Your Gateway to the Best Travel Experiences

Exploring the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test: Insights from Lawrence Schiller and Tom Wolfe

Nicole Potter02 mins

The 1960s LSD Movement Captured by Lawrence Schiller

The 1960s LSD movement was captured by Lawrence Schiller in all its psychedelic forms — from student bedsits at the University of Berkeley to Acid Tests run by the Merry Pranksters.

A loose group devoted to the exploration of LSD, the Pranksters, led by author Ken Kesey, were the subject of Tom Wolfe’s trailblazing content titled “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” This narrative delves deep into the unique experiences and the vibrant culture surrounding the LSD revolution during that era.

Wolfe and Schiller have come together to release a new Taschen special edition, pairing Wolfe’s New Journalism text with some of the era’s most iconic photos. This collaboration serves as an essential bridge between literature and photography, showcasing the transformative power of LSD on people’s lives.

Lawrence Schiller’s Photography

Images from Schiller and fellow photographer Ted Streshinsky capture the hedonism and idealism of the age, when still-legal LSD was being produced by master chemist Owsley Stanley III and spreading from coast to coast.
Images from Schiller and fellow photographer Ted Streshinsky capture the hedonism and idealism of the age, when still-legal LSD was being produced by master chemist Owsley Stanley III and spreading from coast to coast.

The Merry Pranksters’ Journey

The Merry Pranksters barreled around the US on a modified 1939 school bus nicknamed "Further." Painted -- and frequently repainted -- with vibrant psychedelic imagery, the bus crossed the country to the New York World's Fair in 1966, before returning.
The Merry Pranksters barreled around the US on a modified 1939 school bus nicknamed “Further.” Painted — and frequently repainted — with vibrant psychedelic imagery, the bus crossed the country to the New York World’s Fair in 1966, before returning. After that it would be used for West Coast adventures, to Beatles concerts for example, with Pranksters jamming on the roof as they drove.


Related Posts

Back To Top