A new book titled "Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America" explores the hidden history of the biggest psychedelic distribution and belief system in the world, featuring a collection of interlocking narratives and a comic-book-colored panorama of the hippie highway. It recounts the story of the LSD-slinging graffiti writers of Central Park, the Dead-loving AI scientists of Stanford, utopian Whole Earth homesteaders, black market chemists, government-wanted Anonymous hackers, rogue explorers, East Village bluegrass pickers, spiritual seekers, Internet pioneers, entrepreneurs, pranksters, pioneering DJs, and a nation of Deadheads.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2018
Publisher: Hachette Books

Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America

Unveiling a concealed chapter in the annals of global psychedelia, "Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America" delves into the enigmatic realm of the largest distribution and belief system the world has ever witnessed. Through a captivating tapestry of interwoven narratives, the book brings to life an alternate America, inhabited by a wide-eyed populace: the LSD-slinging graffiti artists of Central Park, the AI scientists at Stanford who revere the Grateful Dead, utopian Whole Earth homesteaders, black market chemists, government-wanted Anonymous hackers, rogue explorers, East Village bluegrass pickers, spiritual seekers, Internet pioneers, entrepreneurs, pranksters, pioneering DJs, and a nation of Deadheads.

Drawing upon extensive firsthand accounts from numerous individuals who have remained largely unheard until now, as well as a vast trove of deep archival research, WFMU DJ and veteran music writer Jesse Jarnow paints a vibrant and panoramic American landscape. Accompanied by a comic-book-like aesthetic, this captivating journey takes readers on a guided tour of the hippie highway, adorned with illuminated explorers, mind-bending peak experiences, dramatic busts, and awe-inspiring scenic vistas. Spanning from the serene landscapes of Vermont to the picturesque Pacific Northwest, from the historic head capitals of San Francisco and New York to the geodesic dome-dotted valleys of Colorado and New Mexico, "Heads" transports readers through a kaleidoscope of psychedelic landscapes.

Moreover, as psychedelic research enters the mainstream for the first time in decades, "Heads" also chronicles the untold story of the quiet entheogenic revolution that has been simmering resiliently in the shadow of the Grateful Dead. Featuring over four dozen images, many of which have never been seen before, the book weaves one of the 20th and 21st centuries' most misunderstood subcultures into the fabric of the nation's history. Written for anyone who has pondered the fate of the heads after the Acid Tests, the 1970s, the Drug War, and into the psychedelic present, "Heads" serves as a comprehensive and enlightening exploration of this captivating cultural phenomenon.

Weight: 526g
Dimension: 154 x 228 x 39 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780306921988