Support
Looper's Delight
|
Support |
|
|
On Friday, May 23, 2003, at 07:53 AM, Geoff Smith wrote: >> At 12:16 PM +0200 5/23/03, Stuart Wyatt wrote: >>> I would be very interested to share my ideas about pot and music, >>> and would be very interested to hear other people's experiences on >>> the subject. I agree that a serious discussion about drugs and looping could be useful. Maybe more about how to reach that "zen" state where you are the loop. Or maybe there is no loop... I know there's a spoon, I just ate some ice cream with it. >> this state and was impressed by how well this psychedelic rehearsal >> "took" and showed lasting results. I've always felt like LSD and similar drugs serve as a "reset" switch. I think it's easy to get bogged down by our interpretations of the electrical signals from our senses. We start to act in a conditioned way. Cause and response. Too easy to fall into a rut. Drugs are often a cheat to break that cycle. A cheat or a creative use of resources? Depends on the type of use and intent, I imagine. Never had much use for pot, as it seemed to encourage a certain deadness I didn't enjoy. The amazing thing about doing a small amount of acid is that I've *never* felt like doing it again the next day, or even the next week or month. No matter how fun or good the experience was. It was like I had a peak at the answer, so I could easily find the path without the cheat. Again, life would creep in and distract me from that perfect moment, and after 6 mo. to a year, I'd try it again. Finally I got to a point where I rarely think about it or crave it. I think crave is a bad word... not sure what the right one is. The down low is that after LSD I knew the goal much better, so getting there without the cheat became easier. I naturally just lost interest. Grew out of it, if you will. Could I have gotten here another way? Not likely. A boy from suburban New Jersey's got a rather limited view on life and spirituality. Good resources were few and far between. My father threw away my copy of the Bhagavad Gita when he found it. (I started reading that before I had tried any psychedelics) and the catholic church only just forgave Galileo a few years ago... I think the experience that really got me was when I was in a big quandary about whether or not to play guitar, or to move to bass due to the greater need for bass players. I liked bass a lot, but it felt wrong in ways, but a good way into a band, as a good bass player is much harder to find than a good guitar player. Anyway, a jam with my brother (who's an amazing musician) while under the influence made it all so clear. I was asking the wrong question. I was putting a choice in front of my self that didn't have to be there, but in the world I was emmersed in, I couldn't see it. It let me get a bird's eye view of my situation. Anyway, I think the same clarity came through in the notes chosen. I was asking "what note should I play next?" and a drug got me to the answer "just play" faster than I could have gotten there on my own. Maybe with the right mentor/teacher I could have, but that person is a rare find, I think. Mark Sottilaro >> Interestingly, my guitar teacher would also stress the importance of >> focusing awareness on the brain stem while practicing - he told me >> this about a year after my LSD experience, and without my telling him >> about it. >