barbiturate
a drug that slows the senses and depresses the individual
Beat Generation
a counter-cultural group of the 1940s and '50s epitomized by authors including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs
beatnik
a term that describes a person related to the counter-culture
Big Sur
a range of mountains on the California coast
Canadian Royal Mounties
Canadian law enforcement officials
Day-Glo
a kind of neon paint used by the Pranksters
Federales
Mexican law enforcement officials
Haight-Ashbury
a neighborhood in San Francisco that stood at the center of the psychedelic movement
heads
acidheads; persons who take acid
Hell's Angels
a motorcycle gang notorious for violence and drug use
I Ching
a Chinese philosophical text; also known as "The Book of Changes"
intersubjectivity
a state of transcendence during an LSD trip where one mind connects with another
jug band
a folk music band
Low Rent
a term used to describe a person of lower socioeconomic standing
LSD
also known as "acid"; a mind-altering drug taken by the Pranksters
Nietzsche
19th century philosopher; Kesey identifies Nietzsche's philosophy of the eternal return with his own goal of transcendence
psychedelic
a term that describes the counter-cultural movement of the hippies in 1960s California
psychokinesis
the ability to control objects with one's mind
Richard Alpert
a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD
satori
a Buddhist term for enlightenment
speed
a drug that gives a rush of adrenaline to the user; also known as dexedrine, or "dex"
strobe
a flashing light that can simulate the experience of tripping on acid
Timothy Leary
a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD; started a commune in New York state to experiment with the drug
trip
the state of being on acid (as in "an acid trip")
Trips Festival
a large gathering of people for the purpose of taking acid and having an acid trip together
Unitarian
a liberal religious denomination
Watts
a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles; site of the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
