Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, more commonly known amongst the cool kids as “LSD,” has been the culprit of countless wild adventures since its psychedelic properties were accidentally discovered by Swiss chemist Albert Hofman in 1938. One of the more recent stories involving the hallucinogenic drug brings back memories of the San Francisco music scene of the 1960s, when musicians and adventurous minds alike would use LSD for liberation from the squares of normal society.
According to a fascinating new report from San Francisco-based news outlet KPIX 5, one of their own Broadcast Operations Managers recently stumbled upon a vintage Buchla Model 100 synthesizer. While attempting to repair it, the technician unexpectedly ingested a dose of LSD from residue which had apparently remained on the digital instrument from many years ago.
Last year, a technician manager named Eliot Curtis had volunteered to repair a vintage synth owned by Cal State East Bay. The instrument was initially brought into the university’s ownership by a pair of avant-garde musicians who taught in the school’s music department back in the 1960s. The synth eventually fell out of favor with the curriculum and was stored in a cool, dark closet where it was left for decades—allowing for the ideal conditions for keeping LSD’s potency intact over a long period of time.
While attempting to repair the old piece of music equipment, Curtis discovered a crystalline-like residue stuck under one of the knobs and attempted to remove it using his fingers. It turns out that residue was leftover LSD from the bygone era, and within an hour Curtis had begun to feel the effects of the mind-altering substance. What began as tingling in his fingers eventually stuck around for nine hours as Curtis continued to feel how the drug was impacting his nervous system. Fun times, right?
Hear the entire story in the video below.
KPIX 5 – Synth Repair Leads To LSD Trip Report
[Video: KPIX 5]
Don Buchla, the inventor of the Buchla Model 100 and known user of LSD in the 1960s, happened to be friends with Grateful Dead sound tech and LSD supplier, Owsley “Bear” Stanley. It hasn’t been confirmed whether the LSD that got into Curtis bloodstream by way of skin contact came from the same legendary supply cooked up by Stanley, but it certainly makes for a fun possibility to think about during your next trip.
At the very least, the report should bring an optimistic smile to the faces of Deadheads to know that some of the high-quality, pure LSD which circulated around the San Francisco area back then, is still around and active in some hidden parts of the world in 2019.
[H/T KPIX 5]