Synopses & Reviews
From the literary wonder boy to the countercultural guru whose cross-country bus trip inspired The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, this candid biography chronicles the life and times of cultural icon Ken Kesey from the 1960s through the 1980s. Presenting an incisive analysis of the author who described himself as "too young to be a beatnik and too old to be a hippie," this account conducts a mesmerizing journey from the perspective of Mark Christensen, an eventual member of the Kesey "flock." Featuring interviews with those within his inner circle, this exploration reveals the bestselling author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in his many forms, placing him within the framework of his time, his generation, and the zeitgeist of the psychedelic era.
Review
"A fascinating hybrid . . . an excellent cultural history that will also stand, perhaps ironically, as a valuable companion to the very book that inspired [Christensen] to take drugs, Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"Everybody is down on the 1960s except those of us who went up in smoke when they happened. The cultural cops will never forgive us. Mark Christensen takes you there, the good, bad, and ugly. . . . Kesey is the right door to open if you want to put down your cyber toys and leave the plane without one of those pesky parachutes." Charles Bowden, author, Down by the River
Synopsis
From the literary wonder boy to the countercultural guru whose cross-country bus trip inspired
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, this candid biography chronicles the life and times of cultural icon Ken Kesey from the 1960s through the 1980s. Presenting an incisive analysis of the author who described himself as -too young to be a beatnik and too old to be a hippie, - this account conducts a mesmerizing journey from the perspective of Mark Christensen, an eventual member of the Kesey -flock.- Featuring interviews with those within his inner circle, this exploration reveals the bestselling author of
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in his many forms, placing him within the framework of his time, his generation, and the zeitgeist of the psychedelic era.
About the Author
Mark Christensen is the author of The So-Cal Speed Shop, Super Car: The Story of the Xeno, and The Sweeps: Behind the Scenes in Network TV. He is the former editor of Oregon Magazine and a media columnist for Rolling Stone. He has contributed articles to American Film, Connoisseur, the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, Playboy, TV Guide, and Wired. He lives in Laguna Beach, California.