Psychedelics, California, and the Cultures of Consciousness - A Talk with Erik Davis.

For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of California informs his oeuvre. In the second half of the interview, we discuss the academic study of “the weird,” perils and possibilities for the psychedelic renaissance, and how BLOTTER is a love letter to LSD.

LINKS

• Blotter book launch event 4/30
• Erik's website
• Burning Shore
• Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium
• Techgnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information
• High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies
• Led Zeppelin IV 33/13
• Nomad Codes: Adventures in Modern Esoterica
• Visionary State