The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Encyclopedia
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a work of literary journalism by Tom Wolfe
, published in 1968. Using techniques from the genre of hysterical realism
and pioneering new journalism
, the "nonfiction novel" tells the story of Ken Kesey
and his band of Merry Pranksters
. The book follows the Pranksters across the country driving in a psychedelic
painted school bus dubbed "Further," reaching what they considered to be personal and collective revelations through the use of LSD
and other psychedelic drugs. The book also describes the Acid Tests
, early performances by The Grateful Dead, and Kesey's exile to Mexico.
In 1968, Eliot Fremont-Smith of The New York Times
called The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test "not simply the best book on hippies… [but also] the essential book."
, produced by Richard Gladstein, and have screenplay by Dustin Lance Black
and Gustin Nash
. Fox Searchlight Pictures
and FilmColony will produce.
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
, published in 1968. Using techniques from the genre of hysterical realism
Hysterical realism
Hysterical realism, also called recherché postmodernism, is a term coined in 2000 by the English critic James Wood in an essay on Zadie Smith's White Teeth to describe what he sees as a literary genre typified by a strong contrast between elaborately absurd prose, plotting, or characterization and...
and pioneering new journalism
New Journalism
New Journalism was a style of 1960s and 1970s news writing and journalism which used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. The term was codified with its current meaning by Tom Wolfe in a 1973 collection of journalism articles he published as The New Journalism, which included...
, the "nonfiction novel" tells the story of Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
and his band of Merry Pranksters
Merry Pranksters
The Merry Pranksters were a group of people who formed around American author Ken Kesey in 1964 and sometimes lived communally at his homes in California and Oregon...
. The book follows the Pranksters across the country driving in a psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
painted school bus dubbed "Further," reaching what they considered to be personal and collective revelations through the use of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
and other psychedelic drugs. The book also describes the Acid Tests
Acid Tests
The Acid Tests were a series of parties held by Ken Kesey in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid 1960s, centered entirely around the use of, experimentation with, and advocacy of, the psychedelic drug LSD, also known as "acid."...
, early performances by The Grateful Dead, and Kesey's exile to Mexico.
In 1968, Eliot Fremont-Smith of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test "not simply the best book on hippies… [but also] the essential book."
Film adaptation
A film adaptation of the book is in development for a 2011 release. It will be directed by Gus Van SantGus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
, produced by Richard Gladstein, and have screenplay by Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer, and LGBT rights activist. He has won two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the television series Big Love and an Academy Award for the 2008 film Milk.-Early life:Black was born in Sacramento,...
and Gustin Nash
Gustin Nash
Gustin Nash is an American screenwriter best known for writing the 2007 film Charlie Bartlett and the 2010 film Youth in Revolt.-Life and career:...
. Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
and FilmColony will produce.