Timothy Leary

After Timothy Leary recovered from his LSD-induced fog, he went on the lecture circuit, and twice spoke in Austin. One speech was about space exploration, and the other was about exploring inner space. The subject of drugs never came up.

He was one of the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard. It was back in the day when microphones had cords, and he cracked it like a whip as he paced around the stage. He was on his own the first time, in the UT ballroom, but The Fabulous Thunderbirds were his opening act at Armadillo World Headquarters. He was inspiring and uplifting (no pun intended). There was a book-signing at Grok books during his second visit. Do any of you Austin old-timers remember Grok Books, on the drag? I was standing in line, baby in backpack and book in hand. The line curved around, so I was a lot closer to him than to the front of the line, when somebody handed him a copy of "Secrets of the Illuminati" by Robert Anton Wilson to sign. I had read that book, and it was very nicely dedicated to Timothy Leary. He held it up, telling the crowd what a good book it was and that he highly (no pun intended) recommended it.

Before I had time to think about it, I piped (no pun intended) up, loud and clear: "Yeah...he's the only writer who has anything good to say about you!"

He let loose with a belly laugh, and was still chuckling when I got to the front of the line. The autograph in my book is a bit shaky because of it.

...And that's how I made Timothy Leary laugh.