GREG REESE
Arts Editor

Richard Alpert was a professor at Harvard when he and the infamous Timothy Leary flew to Mexico and took psilocybin for the first time, the unique effects of which set them on a mission with huge ramifications from the ’60s onwards.

Remember, Be Here Now is a combination of autobiography, educational comic book and guide to higher consciousness. But, despite this bizarre combination, it makes for a fascinating and entertaining read.

Alpert (now called Ram Dass) documents his and Leary’s expulsion from Harvard, after other faculty members and administrators called their experiments with LSD into question. They were, in fact, experimenting on themselves and probably got carried away as people on acid are wont to do.

LSD was declared illegal in the late ’60s. Subsequently, Leary and Alpert were forced to continue their work outside of the system.

Timothy Leary promoted unchecked LSD use throughout his life, championing the time worn slogan: “turn on, tune in, drop out.” Alpert, on the other hand, travelled to India and became completely taken with esoteric Hinduism.

The biography includes some colourful (sometimes fantastical) accounts from an ashram where guru Neem Karoli Baba teaches. Actually, to be clear, he just sits around and says funny things and, occasionally, blasts his disciples with profound wisdom. He makes for a wild and highly unusual character.

Despite seeming moderate in comparison to Timothy Leary — even speaking about the triviality of drug use in comparison to meditation, yoga and other spiritual exercises — Ram Dass still glorifies psychedelic drug use in Be Here Now. And I’m sure this will turn off a lot of potential readers.

Admittedly, many people who take psychedelic drugs are not trying to (and do not) learn about themselves. More than a few people have not been enlightened, in any way, by their experiences with psychedelics.

On the other hand, the war on drugs is clearly ridiculous and a waste of money and time — easily creating as many problems as the ones it pretends to solve. And, as Ram Dass demonstrates, drug use can have positive consequences.

Besides, Be Here Now serves as a great insight into the generation no one can forget.