My first acid trip was taken back in the summer of '93 in Golders Green North West London in the garden, or, that at least is where it began, of the traveller dos house where I began my break away from wife,religion and South Africa.
It was a beautiful day one that England occasionally throws at you from time to time and the house occupants were pretty much all there. Kiwi Glen with his moustache and stove pipe jeans, James with his moods and wavy long hair, me with my eye patch and various other reproachable miscreants of either gender who occupied Ambrose Avenue at that time.
It was a Sunday and I was working that evening as a security guard at the Barbican centre. Having never done acid or any research into it before I had no idea it was a twenty four hour commitment but oh boy I was about to find out and HOW!
Glen came swaggering over grinning at me and with outstretched hand offered me a tiny bit of cardboard with a bit of Bart Simpson on it. Ere Richie boy 'av one of these they're great. OK I said and swallowed the trip with a sip of cider.
I then decided to sit down and roll a joint as I wanted to come up on the acid through a familiar high trying to bring reason and good judgement to a whole new dimension. In the middle of this one of the girls went past and stuck some poppers under my nose. Well the top of my head opened up and became momentarily one with the cosmos although my senses returned fairly quickly and I managed to complete the joint.
The sweet smell of the skunk permeated the garden and soon I had a small circle around me all expert students in the art of spliff politics. I had my few tokes and passed the joint. Suddenly I noticed as I passed the joint that my arm kept on stretching for about five feet like one of the fantastic four. Cool I thought, freaky but cool.
I walked away from the circle and as I kept walking the sound of everyone there stayed with me as if I had a set of earphones on. It was really odd I went into the house and the same group of people were still talking to me. I sat down and tuned into the music and that really lifted me into another world. Suddenly I was sweating so off came my shirt and then I was part of everything and everything was a part of me. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My body was moving and my head kept changing shape. I was not freaked but fascinated by this and stared at myself changing shape for ages.
I suddenly remembered I had to go to work and it was already four in the afternoon. I was now really high but I still tried to get myself ready for work. Of course by now loads of people were also tripping and knew I had to get to work, well I had a few spectators watching me try to get dressed one or two I think were even trying to help me as I was finding it nearly impossible. Trying to put my tie on completely defeated me.
Somehow I pointed myself in the direction of the tube station and walked the fifteen minutes or so all the while hearing noises from far away and not the ones that were surrounding me. I suddenly found the pavement fascinating and kept declining invitations to live just underneath it. I was sure there was some secret entrance there and I promised wholeheartedly that although I did not then have the time I would return to discover the pavements secret in the future.
As I sat on the tube I remember seeing the floor disappear and watched the tracks whiz past trying not to fall through the floor.
As we approached Kings Cross I saw what appeared to be panic on the platform. Oh my god I thought there had been a bomb explosion and people were in a blind panic. I saw an underground employee help an aged woman in to the carriage. I noticed the public that were in the carriage with me seemed to give not one bit of notice. Well I thought how callous people are and as I could take it no longer I stood up and announced" Doesn't anyone care?" Obviously no one did as the bomb had only gone off in my head and not on the Kings Cross platform. Luckily as I had now attracted some strange looks my stop came soon and I got off telling myself to be quiet and formulate a quick story to get the hell off work as there was no way on earth that I was going to do a twelve hour night shift with the thoughts and hallucinations that were running through my head.
I arrived at the building and clutching my stomach ran into the entrance hall past the security guards into a little side office where I lay on the ground until one of the guards came in. Oi, mate you all right? Nah, terrible stomach pains must be a dodgy take away I ate. Better get yourself off home then. Don't worry we will get someone to cover. Thank god, I picked myself off the floor and stumbled out. Just as well really as the walls were melting in a lava like fashion.
I don't remember much about the return journey except thinking When I came out of the underground that I had been in it for twenty four hours.
When I arrived back at Ambrose Ave the house was empty as everyone had gone down to the pub. Autopilot took over once again and I found myself there with everyone from the house in full swing. A cheer went up in recognition of my adventure and a pint was suddenly in one hand and quite soon a nice girl was in the other.
All in all a wild experience.
