The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Consider how Ken Kesey and the setting on Perry Lane evolved after he began taking part in the experiments with psychotomimetic drugs at the Veterans Hospital. What is Wolfe’s attitude to Kesey’s enthusiasm for psychedelic drugs?

Explain and discuss what Kesey means by his repeated metaphor of “being on the bus.”

Explain and discuss what Kesey means by his repeated metaphor of the “Great Movie” or being “in The Movie.”

How does Wolfe elaborate the idea that religiosity is an important component for Kesey and the Pranksters?

Why did La Honda become like an intellectual tourist attraction after the Hell’s Angels party there? What does this say about the Counterculture?

Consider the reasons why more high-brow LSD proponents such as Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert were against the Acid Tests. Were their programs better, or were they only in competition, and why?

Discuss the ethical problems that Wolfe mentions regarding Ken Babbs after the Watts Acid Test and their significance for the book overall.

Discuss the changes that took place in Haight-Ashbury and the psychedelic movement during the eight months that Kesey was on the run in Mexico.