Timothy Leary Meets Thelonious Monk
Night of the Magic Mushrooms
I have vivid memories of when Timothy Leary emerged as a media figure. Dr. Leary, a former Harvard psychologist and lecturer, was known for his controversial stance on psychedelic drugs. In the early 1960s, he explored the therapeutic possibilities of LSD and similar substances. By the mid-60s, he had become a regular on television talk shows, promoting the mantra to "turn on, tune in, and drop out." As a teenager influenced by beatnik culture and on the verge of embracing the hippie movement, I found Leary's ideas quite captivating. By the time I was a student at NYU, I felt prepared to embark on one of those psychedelic journeys. While I can't claim it was life-altering, it definitely broadened my perspectives.
Leary advocated for embracing cultural shifts and expanding consciousness using psychedelics. His early experiments included administering hallucinogenic mushrooms to creative individuals. Thelonious Monk, a renowned jazz musician, was among those who participated in these experiments, joining one session after a performance in Boston.
Awesome,I met Dr. Leary at a convention in Vegas just before he died.He picked up the necklace around my neck that said LIVE,LOVE,LAUGH,that Jerry Lewis gave to me.He said " Keep it up" I said " I will !!
That's hysterical - the cats were like, well these fungii ain't doin' shit so let's have a taste - end of experiment, LOL.
Once I took some fresh shrooms with Bish and Cliff J at Bish's apt in Manhattan Plaza. I didn't feel anything but they went pretty far out. I remember the phone rang and Bish answered it; I thought to myself, if I was as high as he is I definitely wouldn't be answering the phone.
At one point Bish started playing piano and Cliff was shouting "He's Monk! He's Monk!".
That's all I remember....it was a long time ago😉