Grateful Dead Music Forum

So i just finished Loaded, Electric Koolaid acid tests, and Fear and Loathing, what are some other books along the same vein that are entertaining. By the way, if any of you hasnt read these books they are great and you definitly should read them.

Nice timing. I just finished Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream by Jay Stevens. Fantastic book on the history of LSD. Highly recommended.

Pikhal: A Chemical Love Story by Alexander (& Ann) Shulgin is another pretty good one. He's a pharmacologist who popularized MDMA and loooves psychedelics.

On The Road by Jack Keroauc sp? Great book.

PIHKAL also has a sequel, called TIHKAL. Not as good as the
first one (story-wise anyways), but still a good read.

I really love how in Fear & Loathing some pages seem to have
blood or something spilled on them. It really helps set a mood.

I will definitly read on the road,and i though the pages with blood on them were just printing errors cause the content of those pages has little to do with blood. But it does help to enhance the story.

When you finish On The Road, make sure you follow it up with Dharma Bums.

Living with the Dead by Rock Skully. The facts are questionable, but it's a highly entertaining book, especially from the perspective of their use of "chemicals."

btw who of you read gd: the illustrated trip?
is it worth the money or are there good alternatives?
thx

I read a lot and Hunter has some other great ones to check out like The Great Shark Hunt. Kerouac's Dharma Bums and On the Road are excellent, and here are some others that are worth a look:

Sometimes a Great Notion by Kesey. his greatest book and the main reason I live in Oregon. I met Ken on several occasions and he was always larger than life. A giant. I miss him

Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture by Abbie Hoffman. His Autobiography and one of the best reads. Somewhat dated, but still highly relevant.

Survivor by Chuck Palhaniak (sp?) Everyone knows Fight Club, but I liked this one better.

Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby. He is an incredible author and you should also read Last Exit to Brooklyn and The Willow Tree!

Six Out Seven by Jess Mowry. He is from Oakland and was a gang member, until he found an old typewriter and started banging out gritty urban stories. This is his best, but all of his stuff is good.

The Politics of Ecstacy by Tim Leary. A strange, quirky book, but still fun to read.

Tiger in a Trance by Max Luddington. Finally, a readable book about being a deadhead. Very dark, but very real.

Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. Not as good or accessable as Kerouac, but trippy as all get out. And find out where Steely Dan got their name!

The Revolt of the Cockroach People by Oscar Acosta. Hunter's Samoan attorney writes about being hispanic.

Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey. The funniest book I've read this year. Don't let the cover fool you, this is brilliant.

This list doesn't even scratch the surface. When I was on tour, several books made the rounds, like The Kin of Ata, Hope for the Flowers, The Tao of Pooh, Be Here Now, etc. Enjoy!

Bill Graham's autobiography (he died while writing it and was finished by others) is a great read. Full of insights into the whole 60's to 80's rock and roll scene from someone who knew everybody and wasn't fucked up all the time. He writes about things that happened in his life but you also get added insight from others that were present. So you get to read about the Filmore east and west, Altamont, Woodstock, Dead tours, stones, zepplin etc etc from both the promoter and the muscians viewpoints.
.

Garcia: A Signpost to New Space

Its a two part interview with Jerry done by a Yale Law Professor and the editor from Rolling Stone. The first part of the interview was published in the mag but the second part is where things get really interesting.

First part is more like a Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia background check, gets all the facts straight about how they all got together.

Second part is called the Stoned Sunday Rap. Basically Charles Reich comes over and gets real stoned with Jerry and Mountain Girl and they talk philosphy, politics, drugs, music, etc. Its very personal and you can really hear Jerrys personality coming out in it. Its fantastic.

weedar wrote:PIHKAL also has a sequel, called TIHKAL. Not as good as the
first one (story-wise anyways), but still a good read.

shulgin is dropping another book which he hopes will come out at the end of the year.

OP: one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

Completely agree with amyjared on Sometimes a Great Notion. It is not trippy like some of the other ones, but is probably my favorite novel.

I would also recommend The Rum Diaries by HST. There is a rumor that it is being made into a movie starring Johhny Depp.

How about some Steinbeck? Tortilla Flat was one of my favorites of his.

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five, and Cat's Cradle
are amazing.

Awesome non-fiction: The Botany of Desire: a Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan. Examines four significant symbiotic plant-human relationships that changed history: Apples, Tulips, Potatoes and Cannabis

jazzyjeff wrote:When you finish On The Road, make sure you follow it up with Dharma Bums.

Yes. What exactly are "these kinds" of books?

How about PROMETHEUS RISING ?