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 altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture. It is used mainly as an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose, although in rare cases adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety or delusions are possible.

LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine, a chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye. The short form "LSD" comes from its early code name ''LSD-25'', which is an abbreviation for the German "Lysergsäure-diethylamid" followed by a sequential number. LSD is sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in solution, though its potency may last for years if it is stored away from light and moisture at low temperature. In pure form it is a colorless, odorless, and mildly bitter solid. LSD is typically delivered orally, usually on a substrate such as absorbent blotter paper, a sugar cube, or gelatin. In its liquid form, it can also be administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. LSD is very potent, with 20–30 µg (micrograms) being the threshold dose.

Introduced by Sandoz Laboratories, with trade-name Delysid, as a drug with various psychiatric uses in 1947, LSD quickly became a therapeutic agent that appeared to show great promise. In the 1950s the CIA thought it might be applicable to mind control and chemical warfare; the agency's MKULTRA research program propagated the drug among young servicemen and students. The subsequent recreational use of the drug by youth culture in the Western world during the 1960s led to a political firestorm that resulted in its prohibition. Currently, a number of organizations—including the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, Heffter Research Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundation—exist to fund, encourage and coordinate research into the medicinal and spiritual uses of LSD and related psychedelics.

Effects

Physical

LSD can cause pupil dilation, reduced appetite (for some, it increases), and wakefulness. Other physical reactions to LSD are highly variable and nonspecific, and some of these reactions may be secondary to the psychological effects of LSD. The following symptoms have been reported: numbness, weakness, nausea, hypothermia or hyperthermia (decreased or increased body temperature), elevated blood sugar, goose bumps, increase in heart rate, jaw clenching, perspiration, saliva production, mucus production, sleeplessness, hyperreflexia, and tremors. Some users, including Albert Hofmann, report a strong metallic taste for the duration of the effects.

LSD is not considered addictive by the medical community. Rapid tolerance build-up prevents regular use, and there is cross-tolerance shown between LSD, mescaline and psilocybin. This tolerance diminishes after a few days without use and is probably caused by downregulation of 5-HT_2A receptors in the brain.

Psychological

LSD's psychological effects (colloquially called a "trip") vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength. They also vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a single trip. An LSD trip can have long-term psychoemotional effects; some users cite the LSD experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life perspective. Widely different effects emerge based on what Timothy Leary called ''set and setting''; the "set" being the general mindset of the user, and the "setting" being the physical and social environment in which the drug's effects are experienced.

Some psychological effects may include an experience of radiant colors, objects and surfaces appearing to ripple or "breathe", colored patterns behind the closed eyelids (eidetic imagery), an altered sense of time (time seems to be stretching, repeating itself, changing speed or stopping), crawling geometric patterns overlaying walls and other objects, morphing objects, a sense that one's thoughts are spiraling into themselves, loss of a sense of identity or the ego (known as "ego death"), and other powerful psycho-physical reactions. Many users experience a dissolution between themselves and the "outside world". This unitive quality may play a role in the spiritual and religious aspects of LSD. The drug sometimes leads to disintegration or restructuring of the user's historical personality and creates a mental state that some users report allows them to have more choice regarding the nature of their own personality.

If the user is in a hostile or otherwise unsettling environment, or is not mentally prepared for the powerful distortions in perception and thought that the drug causes, effects are more likely to be unpleasant than if he or she is in a comfortable environment and has a relaxed, balanced and open mindset.

Sensory

LSD causes expansion and an altered experience of senses, emotions, memories, time, and awareness for 6 to 14 hours, depending on dosage and tolerance. Generally beginning within thirty to ninety minutes after ingestion, the user may experience anything from subtle changes in perception to overwhelming cognitive shifts. Changes in auditory and visual perception are typical. Visual effects include the illusion of movement of static surfaces ("walls breathing"), after image-like trails of moving objects ("tracers"), the appearance of moving colored geometric patterns (especially with closed eyes), an intensification of colors and brightness ("sparkling"), new textures on objects, blurred vision, and shape suggestibility. Users commonly report that the inanimate world appears to animate in an unexplainable way; for instance, objects that are static in three dimensions can seem to be moving relative to one or more additional spatial dimensions. Many of the basic visual effects resemble the phosphenes seen after applying pressure to the eye and have also been studied under the name "form constants". The auditory effects of LSD may include echo-like distortions of sounds, changes in ability to discern concurrent auditory stimuli, and a general intensification of the experience of music. Higher doses often cause intense and fundamental distortions of sensory perception such as synaesthesia, the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions, and temporary dissociation.

Potential use

LSD has been used in psychiatry for its perceived therapeutic value, in the treatment of alcoholism, pain and cluster headache relief, for spiritual purposes, and to enhance creativity. However, government organizations like the United States Drug Enforcement Administration maintain that LSD "produces no aphrodisiac effects, does not increase creativity, has no lasting positive effect in treating alcoholics or criminals, does not produce a 'model psychosis', and does not generate immediate personality change."

Psychotherapy

In the 1950s and 1960s LSD was used in psychiatry to enhance psychotherapy. Some psychiatrists believed LSD was especially useful at helping patients to "unblock" repressed subconscious material through other psychotherapeutic methods, and also for treating alcoholism. One study concluded, "The root of the therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender," presumably by forcing the user to face issues and problems in that individual's psyche.

In December 1968, a survey was made of all 74 UK doctors who had used LSD in humans; 73 replied, 1 had moved overseas and was unavailable. Of the 73 replies, the majority of UK doctors with clinical experience with LSD felt that LSD was effective and had acceptable safety: 41 (56%) continued with clinical use of LSD, 11 (15%) had stopped because of retirement or other extraneous reasons, 9 (12%) had stopped because they found LSD ineffective, and 5 (7%) had stopped because they felt LSD was too dangerous.

End-of-life Anxiety

From 2008-2011 there has been ongoing research in Switzerland into using LSD to alleviate anxiety for terminally ill cancer patients coping with their impending deaths. Preliminary results from the study are promising, and no negative effects have been reported.

Alcoholism

Some studies in the 1950s that used LSD to treat alcoholism professed a 50% success rate, five times higher than estimates near 10% for Alcoholics Anonymous. A 1998 review was inconclusive.

Pain

LSD was studied in the 1960s by Eric Kast as an analgesic for serious and chronic pain caused by cancer or other major trauma. Even at low (sub-psychedelic) dosages, it was found to be at least as effective as traditional opiates, while being much longer lasting in pain reduction (lasting as long as a week after peak effects had subsided). Kast attributed this effect to a decrease in anxiety; that is to say they were not experiencing ''less'' pain, but rather being ''less distressed by'' pain. This reported effect is being tested (though not using LSD) in an ongoing (as of 2006) study of the effects of the psychedelic tryptamine psilocybin on anxiety in terminal cancer patients.

Cluster headaches

LSD has been used as a treatment for cluster headaches, an uncommon but extremely painful disorder. Researcher Peter Goadsby describes the headaches as "worse than natural childbirth or even amputation without anesthetic." Although the phenomenon has not been formally investigated, case reports indicate that LSD and psilocybin can reduce cluster pain and also interrupt the cluster-headache cycle, preventing future headaches from occurring. Currently existing treatments include various ergolines, among other chemicals, so LSD's efficacy may not be surprising. A dose-response study testing the effectiveness of both LSD and psilocybin was planned at McLean Hospital, although the current status of this project is unclear. A 2006 study by McLean researchers interviewed 53 cluster-headache sufferers who treated themselves with either LSD or psilocybin, finding that a majority of the users of either drug reported beneficial effects. Unlike use of LSD or MDMA in psychotherapy, this research involves non-psychological effects and often sub-psychedelic dosages.

Spiritual

LSD is considered an entheogen because it can catalyze intense spiritual experiences, during which users may feel they have come into contact with a greater spiritual or cosmic order. Users claim to experience lucid sensations where they have "out of body" experiences. Some users report insights into the way the mind works, and some experience permanent shifts in their life perspective. LSD also allows users to view their life from an introspected point of view. From this point of view, a user can travel back in time to a specific moment or memory and relive that moment again. Some users report using introspection to resolve unresolved or negative feelings towards an individual or incident that occurred in the past. Some users consider LSD a religious sacrament, or a powerful tool for access to the divine. Stanislav Grof has written that religious and mystical experiences observed during LSD sessions appear to be phenomenologically indistinguishable from similar descriptions in the sacred scriptures of the great religions of the world and the secret mystical texts of ancient civilizations.

Creativity

In the 1950s and 1960s, psychiatrists like Oscar Janiger explored the potential effect of LSD on creativity. Experimental studies attempted to measure the effect of LSD on creative activity and aesthetic appreciation. Seventy professional artists were asked to draw two pictures of a Hopi Indian kachina doll, one before ingesting LSD and one after.

Adverse effects

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Whilst there have been no documented human deaths from an LSD overdose, LSD may temporarily impair the ability to make sensible judgments and understand common dangers, thus making the user more susceptible to accidents and personal injury. It may cause temporary signs of organic brain damage-impaired memory and attention span, mental confusion or difficulty with abstract thinking. However LSD is physiologically well tolerated and there is no evidence for long-lasting effects on the brain or other parts of the human organism.

Adverse drug interactions

There is some indication that LSD may trigger a dissociative fugue state in individuals who are taking certain classes of antidepressants such as lithium salts and tricyclics. In such a state, the user has an impulse to wander, and may not be aware of his or her actions, which can lead to physical injury. Anonymous anecdotal reports have attributed seizures and one death to the combination of LSD with lithium. SSRIs noticeably reduce LSD's subjective effects. MAOIs are also reported to reduce the effects of LSD.

Panic and anxiety

LSD may trigger panic attacks or feelings of extreme anxiety, colloquially referred to as a "bad trip".

Suggestibility

While publicly available documents indicate that the CIA and Department Of Defense have discontinued research into the use of LSD as a means of mind control, research from the 1960s suggests there exists evidence that both mentally ill and healthy people are more suggestible while under its influence.

Psychosis

There are some cases of LSD inducing a psychosis in people who appeared to be healthy before taking LSD. In most cases, the psychosis-like reaction is of short duration, but in other cases it may be chronic. It is difficult to determine whether LSD itself induces these reactions or if it triggers latent conditions that would have manifested themselves otherwise. The similarities of time course and outcomes between putatively LSD-precipitated and other psychoses suggest that the two types of syndromes are not different and that LSD may have been a nonspecific trigger.

Estimates of the prevalence of LSD-induced prolonged psychosis lasting over 48 hours have been made by surveying researchers and therapists who had administered LSD: Cohen (1960) estimated 0.8 per 1,000 volunteers (the single case among approximately 1250 study volunteers was the identical twin of a schizophrenic and he recovered within 5 days) and 1.8 per 1,000 psychiatric patients (7 cases among approximately 3850 patients, of which 2 cases were "preschizophrenic" or had previous hallucinatory experience, 1 case had unknown outcome, 1 case had incomplete recovery, and 5 cases recovered within up to 6 months). Malleson (1971) reported no cases of psychosis among experimental subjects (170 volunteers who received a total of 450 LSD sessions) and estimated 9 per 1,000 among psychiatric patients (37 cases among 4300 patients, of which 8 details are unknown, 10 appeared chronic, and 19 recovered completely within up to 3 months).

However, in neither survey study was it possible to compare the rate of lasting psychosis in these volunteers and patients receiving LSD with the rate of psychosis found in other groups of research volunteers or in other methods of psychiatric treatment (for example, those receiving placebo).

Cohen (1960) noted: :"The hallucinogenic experience is so striking that many subsequent disturbances may be attributed to it without further justification. The highly suggestible or hysterical individual would tend to focus on his LSD experience to explain subsequent illness. Patients have complained to Abramson that their LSD exposure produced migraine headaches and attacks of influenza up to a year later. One Chinese girl became paraplegic and ascribed that catastrophe to LSD. It so happened that these people were all in the control group and had received nothing but tap water."

Flashbacks and HPPD

"Flashbacks" are a reported psychological phenomenon in which an individual experiences an episode of some of LSD's subjective effects long after the drug has worn off, usually in the days after typical doses. In some rarer cases, flashbacks have lasted longer, but are generally short-lived and mild compared to the actual LSD "trip". Flashbacks can incorporate both positive and negative aspects of LSD trips, and are typically elicited by triggers such as alcohol or cannabis use, stress, caffeine, or sleepiness. Flashbacks have proven difficult to study and are no longer officially recognized as a psychiatric syndrome. However, colloquial usage of the term persists and usually refers to any drug-free experience reminiscent of psychedelic drug effects, with the typical connotation that the episodes are of short duration.

No definitive explanation is currently available for these experiences. Any attempt at explanation must reflect several observations: first, over 70 percent of LSD users claim never to have "flashed back"; second, the phenomenon does appear linked with LSD use, though a causal connection has not been established; and third, a higher proportion of psychiatric patients report flashbacks than other users. Several studies have tried to determine how likely a user of LSD, not suffering from known psychiatric conditions, is to experience flashbacks. The larger studies include Blumenfeld's in 1971 and Naditch and Fenwick's in 1977, which arrived at figures of 20% and 28%, respectively.

Although flashbacks themselves are not recognized as a medical syndrome, there is a recognized syndrome called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) in which LSD-like visual changes are not temporary and brief, as they are in flash-backs, but instead are persistent, and cause clinically significant impairment or distress. The syndrome is a DSM-IV diagnosis. Several scientific journal articles have described the disorder.

HPPD differs from flashbacks in that it is persistent and apparently entirely visual (although mood and anxiety disorders are sometimes diagnosed in the same individuals). A recent review suggests that HPPD (as defined in the DSM-IV) is rare and affects only a distinctly vulnerable subpopulation of users. However, it is possible that the prevalence of HPPD is underestimated because most of the diagnoses are applied to people who are willing to admit to their health care practitioner that they have previously used psychotropics, and presumably many people are reluctant to admit this.

There is no consensus regarding the nature and causes of HPPD (or flashbacks). A study of 44 HPPD subjects who had previously ingested LSD showed EEG abnormalities. Given that some symptoms have environmental triggers, it may represent a failure to adjust visual processing to changing environmental conditions. There are no explanations for why only some individuals develop HPPD. Explanations in terms of LSD physically remaining in the body for months or years after consumption have been discounted by experimental evidence. Some say HPPD is a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder, not related to the direct action of LSD on brain chemistry, and varies according to the susceptibility of the individual to the disorder. Many emotionally intense experiences can lead to flashbacks when a person is reminded acutely of the original experience. However, not all published case reports of HPPD appear to describe an anxious hyper-vigilant state reminiscent of post-traumatic stress disorder. Instead, some cases appear to involve only visual symptoms.

Uterine contractions

Early pharmacological testing by Sandoz in laboratory animals showed that LSD can stimulate uterine contractions, with efficacy comparable to ergobasine, the active uterotonic component of the ergot fungus. (Hofmann's work on ergot derivatives also produced a modified form of ergobasine which became a widely accepted medication used in obstetrics, under the trade name Methergine.) Therefore, LSD use by pregnant women could be dangerous and is contraindicated. However, the relevance of these animal studies to humans is unclear, and a 2008 medical reference guide to drugs in pregnancy and lactation stated, "It appears unlikely that pure LSD administered in a controlled condition is an abortifacient."

Genetic

Beginning in 1967, studies raised concerns that LSD might produce genetic damage or developmental abnormalities in fetuses. However, these initial reports were based on ''in vitro'' studies or were poorly controlled and have not been substantiated. In studies of chromosomal changes in human users and in monkeys, the balance of evidence suggests no increase in chromosomal damage. For example, white blood cells of people who had been given LSD in a clinical setting were examined for visible chromosomal abnormalities; overall, there appeared to be no lasting changes. Several studies have been conducted using illicit LSD users and provide a less clear picture. Interpretation of these data is generally complicated by factors such as the unknown chemical composition of street LSD, concurrent use of other psychoactive drugs, and diseases such as hepatitis in the sampled populations. It seems possible the small number of genetic abnormalities reported in users of street LSD is either coincidental or related to factors other than a toxic effect of pure LSD. A 2008 medical review concluded, "The available data suggest that pure LSD does not cause chromosomal abnormalities, spontaneous abortions, or congenital malformations."

Antidotes

Adverse effects of psychotropics are often treated with fast-acting benzodiazepines like diazepam or triazolam that have calming and antianxiety effects but do not directly affect the specific actions of psychotropics. Theoretically, specific 5-HT_2A receptor antagonists, which most commonly means atypical antipsychotics (quetiapine, olanzapine, risperidone, etc.) or other 5-HT_2A antagonist such as trazodone or mirtazapine, would be direct antidotes, although some anecdotal reports claim otherwise. Also, some people have reported that taking an SSRI such as fluoxetine will counteract the effects of LSD. Some reports indicate that although administration of chlorpromazine (Thorazine) or similar typical antipsychotic tranquilizers will not end an LSD trip, it will either lessen the intensity or immobilize and numb the patient, a side effect of the medication. While it also may not end an LSD trip, the best chemical treatment for a "bad trip" is an anxiolytic agent such as diazepam (Valium) or another benzodiazepine. As the effect of the drug is psychological as well as physical, any treatment should focus on calming the patient. Limiting stimuli such as bright lights and loud noises can help in the event of an ill reaction.

Many rumors about home remedies to counteract psychedelic effects are circulated, including vanilla essence, and anti-histamines. These may have a placebo effect, working by making the taker think they have done something to make it better.

Chemistry and structure

LSD is an ergoline derivative. It is commonly synthesised by reacting diethylamine with an activated form of lysergic acid. Activating reagents include phosphoryl chloride and peptide coupling reagents. Lysergic acid is made by alkaline hydrolysis of lysergamides like ergotamine, a substance derived from the ergot fungus on rye, or from ergine (lysergic acid amide, LSA), a compound that is found in morning glory (''Ipomoea tricolor'') and Hawaiian baby woodrose (''Argyreia nervosa'') seeds.

LSD is a chiral compound with two stereocenters at the carbon atoms C-5 and C-8, so that theoretically four different optical isomers of LSD could exist. LSD, also called (+)-D-LSD, has the absolute configuration (5''R'',8''R''). The C-5 isomers of lysergamides do not exist in nature and are not formed during the synthesis from D-lysergic acid. Retrosynthetically, the C-5 stereocenter could be analysed as having the same configuration of the alpha carbon of the naturally occurring amino acid L-tryptophan, the precursor to all biosynthetic ergoline compounds.

However, LSD and iso-LSD, the two C-8 isomers, rapidly interconvert in the presence of bases, as the alpha proton is acidic and can be deprotonated and reprotonated. Non-psychoactive iso-LSD which has formed during the synthesis can be separated by chromatography and can be isomerized to LSD.

A totally pure salt of LSD will emit small flashes of white light when shaken in the dark. LSD is strongly fluorescent and will glow bluish-white under UV light.

Reactivity and degradation

"LSD," writes the chemist Alexander Shulgin, "is an unusually fragile molecule." It is stable for indefinite time if stored as a solid salt or dissolved in water, at low temperature and protected from air and light exposure.

LSD has two labile protons at the tertiary stereogenic C5 and C8 positions, rendering these centres prone to epimerisation. The C8 proton is more labile due to the electron-withdrawing carboxamide attachment, but removal of the chiral proton at the C5 position (which was once also an alpha proton of the parent molecule tryptophan) is assisted by the inductively-withdrawing nitrogen and pi electron delocalisation with the indole ring.

LSD also has enamine-type reactivity because of the electron-donating effects of the indole ring. Because of this, chlorine destroys LSD molecules on contact; even though chlorinated tap water contains only a slight amount of chlorine, the small quantity of compound typical to an LSD solution will likely be eliminated when dissolved in tap water. The double bond between the 8-position and the aromatic ring, being conjugated with the indole ring, is susceptible to nucleophilic attacks by water or alcohol, especially in the presence of light. LSD often converts to "lumi-LSD", which is totally inactive in human beings (to the best of current knowledge).

A controlled study was undertaken to determine the stability of LSD in pooled urine samples. The concentrations of LSD in urine samples were followed over time at various temperatures, in different types of storage containers, at various exposures to different wavelengths of light, and at varying pH values. These studies demonstrated no significant loss in LSD concentration at 25°C for up to four weeks. After four weeks of incubation, a 30% loss in LSD concentration at 37°C and up to a 40% at 45°C were observed. Urine fortified with LSD and stored in amber glass or nontransparent polyethylene containers showed no change in concentration under any light conditions. Stability of LSD in transparent containers under light was dependent on the distance between the light source and the samples, the wavelength of light, exposure time, and the intensity of light. After prolonged exposure to heat in alkaline pH conditions, 10 to 15% of the parent LSD epimerized to iso-LSD. Under acidic conditions, less than 5% of the LSD was converted to iso-LSD. It was also demonstrated that trace amounts of metal ions in buffer or urine could catalyze the decomposition of LSD and that this process can be avoided by the addition of EDTA.

Dosage

A single dose of LSD may be between 100 and 500 micrograms—an amount roughly equal to one-tenth the mass of a grain of sand. Threshold effects can be felt with as little as 25 micrograms of LSD. Dosages of LSD are measured in micrograms (µg), or millionths of a gram. By comparison, dosages of most drugs, both recreational and medicinal, are measured in milligrams (mg), or thousandths of a gram. For example, an active dose of mescaline, roughly 0.2 to 0.5g, has effects comparable to 100 µg or less of LSD.

Typical doses in the 1960s ranged from 200 to 1000 µg while street samples of the 1970s contained 30 to 300 µg. By the 1980s, the amount had reduced to between 100 and 125 µg, lowering more in the 1990s to the 20–80 µg range, and even more in the 2000s.

Estimates for the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of LSD range from 200 µg/kg to more than 1 mg/kg of human body mass, though most sources report that there are no known human cases of such an overdose. Other sources note one report of a suspected fatal overdose of LSD occurring in November 1975 in Kentucky in which there were indications that ~1/3 of a gram (320 mg or 320,000 µg) had been injected intravenously. (This is a very extraordinary amount, equivalent to over 3,000 times the average LSD dosage of ~100 µg). Experiments with LSD have also been done on animals; in 1962, an elephant named Tusko died shortly after being injected with 297 mg, but whether the LSD was the cause of his death is controversial (due, in part, to a plethora of other chemical substances administered simultaneously).

Pharmacokinetics

LSD's effects normally last from 6–12 hours depending on dosage, tolerance, body weight and age. The Sandoz prospectus for "Delysid" warned: "intermittent disturbances of affect may occasionally persist for several days." Contrary to early reports and common belief, LSD effects do not last longer than the amount of time significant levels of the drug are present in the blood. Aghajanian and Bing (1964) found LSD had an elimination half-life of only 175 minutes. However, using more accurate techniques, Papac and Foltz (1990) reported that 1 µg/kg oral LSD given to a single male volunteer had an apparent plasma half-life of 5.1 hours, with a peak plasma concentration of 5 ng/mL at 3 hours post-dose.

Detection in biological fluids

LSD may be quantified in urine as part of a drug abuse testing program, in plasma or serum to confirm a diagnosis of poisoning in hospitalized victims or in whole blood to assist in a forensic investigation of a traffic or other criminal violation or a case of sudden death. Both the parent drug and its major metabolite are unstable in biofluids when exposed to light, heat or alkaline conditions and therefore specimens are protected from light, stored at the lowest possible temperature and analyzed quickly to minimize losses.

Pharmacodynamics

LSD affects a large number of the G protein coupled receptors, including all dopamine receptor subtypes, and all adrenoreceptor subtypes, as well as many others. LSD binds to most serotonin receptor subtypes except for 5-HT₃ and 5-HT₄. However, most of these receptors are affected at too low affinity to be sufficiently activated by the brain concentration of approximately 10–20 nM. In humans, recreational doses of LSD can affect 5-HT_1A, 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2C, 5-HT_5A, and 5-HT₆ receptors. 5-HT_5B receptors, which are not present in humans, also have a high affinity for LSD. The psychedelic effects of LSD are attributed to its strong partial agonist effects at 5-HT_2A receptors as specific 5-HT_2A agonists are psychedelics and largely 5-HT_2A specific antagonists block the psychedelic activity of LSD. Exactly how this produces the drug's effects is unknown, but it is thought that it works by increasing glutamate release in the cerebral cortex and therefore excitation in this area, specifically in layers IV and V. LSD, like many other drugs, has been shown to activate DARPP-32-related pathways.

History

LSD was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland as part of a large research program searching for medically useful ergot alkaloid derivatives. LSD's psychedelic properties were discovered 5 years later when Hofmann himself accidentally ingested an unknown quantity of the chemical. The first intentional ingestion of LSD occurred on April 19, 1943, when Hofmann ingested 250 µg of LSD. He said, this would be a threshold dose based on the dosages of other ergot alkaloids. Hofmann found the effects to be much stronger than he anticipated. Sandoz Laboratories introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug in 1947.

Beginning in the 1950s the US Central Intelligence Agency began a research program code named Project MKULTRA. Experiments included administering LSD to CIA employees, military personnel, doctors, other government agents, prostitutes, mentally ill patients, and members of the general public in order to study their reactions, usually without the subject's knowledge. The project was revealed in the US congressional Rockefeller Commission report in 1975.

In 1963 the Sandoz patents expired on LSD. Also in 1963, the US Food and Drug Administration classified LSD as an Investigational New Drug, which meant new restrictions on medical and scientific use. Several figures, including Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, and Al Hubbard, began to advocate the consumption of LSD. LSD became central to the counterculture of the 1960s. On October 24, 1968, possession of LSD was made illegal in the United States. The last FDA approved study of LSD in patients, ended in 1980, while a study in healthy volunteers was made in the late 1980s. Legally approved and regulated psychiatric use of LSD continued in Switzerland until 1993. Today, medical research is resuming around the world.

Production

Because an active dose of LSD is very minute, a large number of doses can be synthesized from a comparatively small amount of raw material. Beginning with ergotamine tartrate, for example, one can manufacture roughly one kilogram of pure, crystalline LSD from five kilograms of the ergotamine salt. Five kilograms of LSD—25 kilograms of ergotamine tartrate—could provide 100 million doses, according to the DEA, more than enough to meet what is believed to be the entire annual U.S. demand. Since the masses involved are so small, concealing and transporting illicit LSD is much easier than smuggling other illegal drugs like cocaine or cannabis.

Manufacturing LSD requires laboratory equipment and experience in the field of organic chemistry. It takes two to three days to produce 30 to 100 grams of pure compound. It is believed that LSD is not usually produced in large quantities, but rather in a series of small batches. This technique minimizes the loss of precursor chemicals in case a step does not work as expected.

Forms

LSD is produced in crystalline form and then mixed with excipients or redissolved for production in ingestible forms. Liquid solution is either distributed in small vials or, more commonly, sprayed onto or soaked into a distribution medium. Historically, LSD solutions were first sold on sugar cubes, but practical considerations forced a change to tablet form. Appearing in 1968 as an orange tablet measuring about 6 mm across, "Orange Sunshine" acid was the first largely available form of LSD after its possession was made illegal. Tim Scully, a prominent chemist, made some of it, but said that most "Sunshine" in the USA came by way of Ronald Stark, who imported approximately thirty-five million doses from Europe.

Over a period of time, tablet dimensions, weight, shape and concentration of LSD evolved from large (4.5–8.1 mm diameter), heavyweight (≥150 mg), round, high concentration (90–350 µg/tab) dosage units to small (2.0–3.5 mm diameter) lightweight (as low as 4.7 mg/tab), variously shaped, lower concentration (12–85 µg/tab, average range 30–40 µg/tab) dosage units. LSD tablet shapes have included cylinders, cones, stars, spacecraft and heart shapes. The smallest tablets became known as "Microdots".

After tablets came "computer acid" or "blotter paper LSD", typically made by dipping a preprinted sheet of blotting paper into an LSD/water/alcohol solution. More than 200 types of LSD tablets have been encountered since 1969 and more than 350 blotter paper designs have been observed since 1975. About the same time as blotter paper LSD came "Windowpane" (AKA "Clearlight"), which contained LSD inside a thin gelatin square a quarter of an inch across. LSD has been sold under a wide variety of often short-lived and regionally restricted street names including Acid, Trips, Uncle Sid, Blotter, Lucy, Alice and doses, as well as names that reflect the designs on the sheets of blotter paper. Authorities have encountered the drug in other forms—including powder or crystal, and capsule.

Modern distribution

LSD manufacturers and traffickers in the United States can be categorized into two groups: A few large-scale producers, and an equally limited number of small, clandestine chemists, consisting of independent producers who, operating on a comparatively limited scale, can be found throughout the country As a group, independent producers are of less concern to the Drug Enforcement Administration than the larger groups, as their product reaches only local markets.

Mimics

Since 2005, law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere has seized several chemicals and combinations of chemicals in blotter paper which were sold as LSD mimics, including DOB, 2C-I, DOC, a mixture of DOC and DOI, and a mixture of DOC and DOB. Street users of LSD are often under the impression that blotter paper which is actively hallucinogenic can only be LSD because that is the only chemical with low enough doses to fit on a small square of blotter paper. While it is true that LSD requires lower doses than most other hallucinogens, blotter paper is capable of absorbing a much larger amount of material. The DEA performed a chromatographic analysis of blotter paper containing 2C-C which showed that the paper contained a much greater concentration of the active chemical than typical LSD doses, although the exact quantity was not determined. Blotter LSD mimics can have relatively small dose squares; a sample of blotter paper containing DOC seized by Concord, California police had dose markings approximately 6 mm apart.

Legal status

The United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances (adopted in 1971) requires its parties to prohibit LSD. Hence, it is illegal in all parties to the convention, which includes the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe. However, enforcement of extant laws varies from country to country. Medical and scientific research with LSD in humans is permitted under the 1971 UN Convention.

Canada

In Canada, LSD is a controlled substance under Schedule III of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Every person who seeks to obtain the substance, without disclosing authorization to obtain such substances 30 days before obtaining another prescription from a practitioner, is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years. Possession for purpose of trafficking is an indictable offense punishable by imprisonment for 10 years.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, LSD is a class A drug. This means possession of the drug without a license is punishable with 7 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, and trafficking is punishable with life imprisonment and an unlimited fine (''see main article on drug punishments Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).''

In 2000, after consultation with members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Faculty of Substance Misuse, the UK Police Foundation issued the Runciman Report which recommended ''"the transfer of LSD from Class A to Class B"''.

In Nov 2009, the UK Transform Drug Policy Foundation released in the House of Commons a guidebooks to the legal regulation of drugs, ''After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation'', which details options for regulated distribution and sale of LSD and other psychedelics.

United States

LSD is Schedule I in the United States, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This means LSD is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, process, or distribute without a DEA license. By classifying LSD as a Schedule I substance, the Drug Enforcement Administration holds that LSD meets the following three criteria: it is deemed to have a high potential for abuse; it has no legitimate medical use in treatment; and there is a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision. There are no documented deaths from chemical toxicity; most LSD deaths are a result of behavioral toxicity.

There can also be substantial discrepancies between the amount of chemical LSD that one possesses and the amount of possession with which one can be charged in the U.S. This is because LSD is almost always present in a medium (e.g. blotter or neutral liquid), and the amount that can be considered with respect to sentencing is the total mass of the drug and its medium. This discrepancy was the subject of 1995 United States Supreme Court case, ''Neal v. U.S.''

Lysergic acid and lysergic acid amide, LSD precursors, are both classified in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Ergotamine tartrate, a precursor to lysergic acid, is regulated under the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act.

Notable individuals

Some notable individuals have commented publicly on their experiences with LSD. Some of these comments date from the era when it was legally available in the US and Europe for non-medical uses, and others pertain to psychiatric treatment in the 1950s and 60s. Still others describe experiences with illegal LSD, obtained for philosophic, artistic, therapeutic, spiritual, or recreational purposes.

See also

ALD-52, chemical analogue of LSD

Ergine Lysergic acid amide (LSA), chemical analogue of LSD

Methysergide, headache medication, chemically related to LSD

Psychedelic drug

Psychedelic experience

Unethical human experimentation in the United States

Urban legends about LSD

References

Further reading

BBC News: Pont-Saint-Esprit poisoning: Did the CIA spread LSD?

Bebergal, Peter, "Will Harvard drop acid again? Psychedelic research returns to Crimsonland", The Phoenix (Boston), June 2, 2008

Grof, Stanislav. ''LSD Psychotherapy''. (April 10, 2001)

Lee, Martin A. and Bruce Shlain. ''Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond'' (1992) ISBN 978-0-8021-3062-4

Marks, John. ''The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Control'' (1979), ISBN 0-8129-0773-6

Roberts, Andy. ''Albion Dreaming: A Popular History of LSD in Britain'' (2008), Marshall Cavendish,U.K, ISBN 1-905736-27-4

Stevens, Jay. ''Storming Heaven: LSD And The American Dream'' (1998) ISBN 978-0-8021-3587-2

Hofmann, Albert. ''LSD My Problem Child: Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism and Science'' (1983) ISBN 978-0-9660019-8-3

Henderson, Leigh A. and William J. Glass. ''LSD: Still With Us After All These Years: Based on the National Institute of Drug Abuse Studies on the Resurgence of Contemporary LSD Use'' (1st edition 1994, 2nd edition 1998) ISBN 978-0-7879-4379-0

de Rios, Marlene Dobkin and Oscar Janiger. ''LSD, spirituality, and the creative process'' (2003, Inner Traditions) ISBN 978-0-89281-973-7 - "An exploration of how LSD influences imagination and the creative process. Based on the results of one of the longest clinical studies of LSD that took place between 1954 and 1962, before LSD was illegal. Includes personal reports, artwork, and poetry from the original sessions as testimony of the impact of LSD on the creative process."

External links

Erowid Vaults: LSD-25

The Lycaeum Archive: LSD

LSD entry in TiHKAL • info

InfoFacts - Hallucinogens NIDA

Scholarly bibliography on the histories of LSD use

LSD Returns--For Psychotherapeutics (Scientific American Magazine article)

U.S. National Library of Medicine: Drug Information Portal - Lysergic acid diethylamide

LIFE on LSD - slideshow by ''Life magazine''

''My LSD Trip: a non-cop, non-hippie report of the unvarnished facts'', by Robert Gannon, Popular Science Magazine, December 1967.

WWW Psychedelic Bibliography, MAPS - large database of scientific publications on LSD and other psychedelics, fulltext PDFs

Documentaries

''Hofmann's Potion'' a documentary on the origins of LSD

''Power & Control LSD in The Sixties'', documentary film directed by Aron Ranen, 2006

''Inside LSD'' National Geographic Channel, 2009

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LSD Category:Entheogens Category:Eli Lilly and Company Category:Mind control Category:Novartis Category:Serotonin receptor agonists Category:Swiss inventions Category:Withdrawn drugs Category:Light-sensitive chemicals

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name	The Pretty Things
background	group_or_band
alias	Electric Banana
origin	London, England
genre	British Invasion, garage rock, rhythm and blues, beat
years active	1963–present
label	FontanaColumbia (UK)LaurieRare EarthHarvestWarner Bros. RecordsSwan SongSnapperCote Basque
current members	Phil MayDick TaylorFrank HollandGeorge PerezMark St.JohnJack Greenwood
past members	Viv AndrewsViv PrinceBrian PendletonJohn StaxSkip AlanJon PoveyWally WallerJohn C. AlderVic UnittPeter TolsonStuart BrooksJack GreenGordon EdwardsHans WatermanRoelf ter VeltBarkley McKayTom SowellDarrell Barfield
notable instruments	}}

The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful period was the mid 1960s, although they continue to perform to this day. David Bowie covered two of their songs on his album ''Pin Ups''.

History

Early stages

The Pretty Things were preceded by Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys, which consisted of Dick Taylor, fellow Sidcup Art College student Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger. When Brian Jones was recruiting for his own band, all three joined Brian and Ian Stewart and were dubbed "Rollin' Stones" by Jones. Taylor would briefly play bass guitar in the nascent Rolling Stones who employed a variety of drummers during 1962.

Taylor (born Richard Clifford Taylor, 28 January 1943, Dartford, Kent) quit the Stones several months later when he was accepted at the London Central School of Art, where he met Phil May (born Phillip Arthur Dennis Kattner, 9 November 1944, Dartford, Kent) and they formed The Pretty Things.

Taylor was once again playing guitar, with May singing and playing harmonica. They recruited Brian Pendleton (born 13 April 1944, Heath Town, Wolverhampton – died 16 May 2001, Maidstone, Kent) on rhythm guitar; John Stax (born John Edward Lee Fullagar, 6 April 1944, Crayford, Kent) on bass; and Pete Kitley, replaced by Viv Andrews (on drums) and then by Viv Prince (born Vivian Martin Prince, 9 August 1941, Loughborough, Leicestershire) on drums.

A fellow student at the Art College May and Taylor studied at, Bryan Morrison, was recruited as their manager. Morrison was to manage them for the rest of the 1960s, building his own Bryan Morrison Agency. This agency represented Pink Floyd amongst many other bands.

Early career

The Pretty Things first three singles — "Rosalyn" #41, "Don't Bring Me Down" #10, and the self-penned "Honey I Need" at #13 — appeared in the UK Singles Chart in 1964 and 1965. They never had a hit in the United States, but had considerable success in their native United Kingdom and in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands in the middle of the decade. Their appearance was designed to provoke, with May claiming to have the longest hair in the UK.

Their early material consisted of hard-edged blues-rock influenced by Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed. The first of what would be many personnel changes over the years also began, with Prince the first to go in November 1965. He was replaced by Skip Alan (born Alan Ernest Skipper, 11 June 1948, Westminster, London). In early 1966 the band made a short film ''Pretty Things On Film'' which featured live footage and a music video prototype for "Can't Stand The Pain", which also featured their manager, Morrison. Rarely screened at the time, it can be found as a bonus multimedia item on the Snapper CD re-issue of ''Get The Picture''. 1966 saw the R&B; scene fall into decline and The Pretty Things began moving away, flirting with soul music. In mid 1966 saw them make the UK Singles Chart for the final time with a cover of The Kinks song, "A House In The Country". In December 1966 came the single "Progress", where the band were joined by a brass section.

Pendleton left in December 1966, and Stax followed in January 1967. Jon Povey (born 20 August 1942, London) and Wally Waller (born Alan Edward Waller, 9 April 1944, Barnehurst, Kent), both former Fenmen from Bern Elliott and the Fenmen, joined and made the band a five piece once again.

Their final album for Fontana Records was a contractual obligation produced by Steve Rowland and the subject of controversy since ''Emotions'' was laden with brass and string arrangements arranged by Reg Tilsley. EMI producer Norman Smith expressed interest in working with them and at the end of September 1967, The Pretty Things signed to EMI's Columbia label. In November 1967 they released "Defecting Grey", a psychedelic effort that failed to sell. This was followed three months later by a double A-side single "Talking About The Good Times" / "Walking Through My Dreams".

That single marked the beginning of sessions for the ''SF Sorrow'' album. Released in December 1968, it was the first rock opera, preceding the release of The Who's ''Tommy'' in May 1969. It was recorded between December 1967 and September 1968 at the Abbey Road Studios, whilst Pink Floyd were working on ''A Saucerful Of Secrets'' (also produced by Norman Smith) and The Beatles worked on the ''White Album''. In March 1968, drummer Skip Alan left the group. Twink replaced him to help the band to complete the album.

In March 1969, the British music magazine, ''NME'' reported that Motown Records vice-president Barney Ales had visited London to sign the Pretty Things as the U.S. label's first British act.

''S.F. Sorrow'' was commercially unsuccessful, with no immediate release in the US. However, the album was subsequently picked up by Motown and issued with a different cover on its Rare Earth Records label. The work received only modest support from EMI, and its depressing narrative probably did not help sales.

1969 saw the band feeling disillusioned by the failure of ''SF Sorrow'' and that June, Taylor left the band. The Pretty Things borrowed guitarist Victor Unitt from The Edgar Broughton Band to replace Taylor. Shortly after he joined, Twink left. Alan returned to the drumstool in time for the band's return to Abbey Road to start work on ''Parachute'', which kept the psychedelic sound. During this period they also recorded an album for a young French millionaire Philippe DeBarge, which was intended only to be circulated among his social circle. The acetate has since been bootlegged.

Shortly after the release of ''Parachute'', Unitt left and was replaced by Pete Tolson. Despite much stage work and acclaim, their records were still failing to sell at all well.

During the late 1960s, the band made some extra money by recording for music library company DeWolfe. Some of these songs ended up in low-budget films including ''What's Good For the Goose'' (1969), ''Haunted House of Horror'' (1969),''The Monster Club'' (1981) and a couple of softcore porn films. Not intended for official release, these songs were later compiled on a number of records and released under the alias Electric Banana: ''Electric Banana'' (1967), ''More Electric Banana'' (1968), ''Even More Electric Banana'' (1969), ''Hot Licks'' (1970), and ''Return of the Electric Banana'' (1978). The initial releases featured one side of vocal and one side of instrumental tracks. Subsequent releases of these albums generally keep the true identity of the band secret.

1970s

By late 1970, the group had gone their separate ways due to commercial failures, and Alan was in a group called Sunshine. May, Povey, Alan, Tolson and Stuart Brooks signed with Warner Bros. Records, and released ''Freeway Madness'' at the end of 1972.

1974's ''Silk Torpedo'' saw them being managed by Led Zeppelin's Peter Grant. ''Silk Torpedo'' was the first album release on Zeppelin's own label Swan Song. Also around this time, Brooks left and was replaced by Jack Green and a second keyboardist Gordon Edwards was added. In 1976, after the release of ''Savage Eye'', May quit the band before a major London gig, and the band split up.

1980s

Reforming for 1980s ''Cross Talk'' did not improve their sales figures, and the Pretty Things split up again in 1981. Reforming in 1984, May and Taylor used various session musicians to release ''Out Of The Island'' (1988). Mark St. John joined on drums, but by the end of the decade their profile had almost disappeared. May and Taylor reformed the band for a successful European blues tour in late 1990 with Stan Webb's Chicken Shack and Luther Allison. This outfit included drummer Hans Waterman (formerly of Dutch rock group Solution), bassist Roelf ter Velt and guitarist/keyboardist Barkley McKay (Waco Brothers and Pine Valley Cosmonauts) with Jon Langford ex-Mekons. This line-up regularly toured the European mainland until late 1994.

1990s

May and Taylor, together with former Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty, recorded two albums in Chicago as The Pretty Things & The Yardbird Blues Band. They were ''The Chicago Blues Tapes 1991'' and ''Wine, Women, Whiskey'', both produced by George Paulus.

The early 1990s were taken up with a battle against EMI. This was over unpaid royalties stemming back to a deal EMI set up with Motown subsidiary Rare Earth in 1968. The band never received any royalties from Rare Earth nor had received any monies from EMI for many years. The band won the legal case, the result being that in 1993 EMI gave them back all their master tapes, copyrights and an undisclosed sum of money as settlement. On friendly terms again, the 1967 line up decided to return with the addition of Pete Tolson (born Peter Tolson, 10 September 1951, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England). After much rehearsal, Tolson grew disillusioned and quit with Frank Holland taking Tolson's place.

Their label, Snapper Music, issued remastered CDs with many bonus tracks, plus a DVD of a live netcast re-recording of ''S.F. Sorrow'' at Abbey Road Studios, with David Gilmour and Arthur Brown as guest players. They played a tour of the U.S. for the first time in decades.

2000s to present

Original rhythm guitarist Brian Pendleton died of lung cancer on 16 May 2001 in Maidstone. The following year their ex-keyboard player Gordon Edwards (born Gordon John Edwards, 26 December 1946, Southport, Lancashire) died of a drug overdose.

In 1999 they released the studio album ''Rage Before Beauty'' and in the early 2000s, they released several compilation albums, a live album and DVD. In 2003, Alan Lakey's biography of the band, ''Growing Old Disgracefully'', was published by Firefly. The book dealt with the long and involved history of the band, and paid special attention to the legal proceedings issued against EMI in the 1990s. An extensively re-written version is planned to be published in 2011.

Skip Alan suffered heart problems in 2001 restricting his commitment to the band, with St. John deputising on the drums as required. In mid 2007, The Pretty Things released their eleventh studio album ''Balboa Island'' on St. John's Côte Basque record label. The album contained a number of Pretty Things originals. Family illnesses meant Waller and Povey were unable to commit to the band, and Jack Greenwood replaced Allan on drums in 2008, a year which also saw the death of their former producer, Norman Smith and ex-manager, Bryan Morrison. In December 2008 saw the re-release on Ugly Things Records of the 1969 album ''Phillipe DeBarge and the Pretty Things''.

In June 2009 May, Taylor, Waller, Povey and Alan reunited to receive the "Heroes" award at the annual ''Mojo'' Awards ceremony.

The Pretty Things continue to gig into 2010 with the line-up revolving around the May and Taylor axis with additional hired help, a return to the Euro-style format of the early 1990s.

Wally Waller, Jon Povey, Skip Alan and Pete Tolson came together in early 2010 to re-record the Parachute album to commemorate its 40th anniversary and to add their vision of what it should have sounded like. Using the Byline 'The Pretties' this album is due out in early 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

''The Pretty Things'' (1965) - UK #6

''Get the Picture'' (1965)

''Emotions'' (1967)

''S.F. Sorrow'' (1968)

''Parachute'' (1970) - UK #43

''Freeway Madness'' (1972)

''Silk Torpedo'' (1974) - US #104

''Savage Eye'' (1976) - US #163

''Cross Talk'' (1980)

''Rage Before Beauty'' (1999)

''Balboa Island (2007)

Live albums

''Live At Heartbreak Hotel'' (1984)

''Out of the Island'' (1988)

''Rockin' the Garage'' (1992)

''Resurrection'' (1998) (''S.F. Sorrow'' performed live at Abbey Road Studios, featuring Arthur Brown and David Gilmour)

Pseudonymous and collaborative albums

Electric Banana was a pseudonymous 1967 album of the band. The band recorded this album and two subsequent ones for the De Wolfe Music Library. De Wolfe provided stock music for film soundtracks. The Electric Banana music wound up on various horror and soft-porn films of the late 1960s, such as ''What's Good for the Goose'' (1969). When the album was released, the stage name The Electric Banana was used to hide the band's identity. ;As Electric Banana (music for films)

''Electric Banana'' (1967)

''More Electric Banana'' (1968)

''Even More Electric Banana'' (1969)

''The Electric Banana: Live at the Grand'' (1969)

''Hot Licks'' (1970)

''The Return Of The Electric Banana'' (1978)

;As Pretty Things & The Yardbird Blues Band (May and Taylor with Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds)

''The Chicago Blues Tapes 1991'' (1991)

''Wine Women Whiskey'' (1994) ;As Phillippe Debarge & The Pretty Things

''Philippe Debarge & The Pretty Things'' (1969)

Compilation albums

''Greatest Hits 1964-1967'' (1975)

''Real Pretty'' (1976) 2 LPs (reissue of ''S.F. Sorrow'' and ''Parachute'')

''The Vintage Years'' (1976)

''The Singles A's & B's'' (1977)

''1967 - 1971'' (1982)

''Let Me Hear The Choir Sing'' (1983)

''Closed Restaurant Blues'' (1985)

''Cries From The Midnight Circus - The Best Of 1968-1971'' (1986)

''Unrepentant - The Anthology'' (1995)

''The EP Collection'' (1997)

''Midnight To Six'' (2000)

''Latest Writs, Greatest Hits'' (2000)

''The Rhythm & Blues Years'' (2001)

''The Psychedelic Years 1966-1970'' (2001)

''Still Unrepentant'' (2004)

''Come See Me: The Very Best of The Pretty Things'' (2004)

Charted singles

UK Singles Chart	Australia	Canada RPM 100	Netherlands	Notes
1964	"Rosalyn"					Released in Australia after "Don't Bring Me Down", in 1965.
1964	"Don't Bring Me Down"
1965	"Honey I Need"
1965	"Cry To Me"
1966	"Midnight To Six Man"
1966	"Come See Me"
1966	"A House In The Country"
1971	"October 26"

References

External links

An Electric Banana release on the Forced Exposure catalog

Brian Pendleton website

Category:English rock music groups Category:Musical groups from London Category:Musical groups established in 1963 Category:Pre-punk groups Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians

bg:Прити Тингс cs:The Pretty Things de:The Pretty Things fr:The Pretty Things it:The Pretty Things nl:The Pretty Things nn:The Pretty Things pl:Pretty Things pt:The Pretty Things ru:The Pretty Things fi:The Pretty Things sv:The Pretty Things

name	Jack Black
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Jacob Black
alias	Jables, JB
birth date	August 28, 1969
birth place	Santa Monica, California, US
instrument	Vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboard
genre	Rock, comedy rock, hard rock, heavy metal, acoustic rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor, comedian
years active	1991–present
label	Epic, Sony BMG
associated acts	Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Probot, Foo Fighters, Meat Loaf
website	www.tenaciousd.com
notable instruments	}}

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. He also hosted the 2011 Kids Choice Awards.

Early life

Black was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of two satellite engineers, Judith (née Cohen), who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, and Thomas William Black. Black's mother is Jewish and his father converted to Judaism. On ''The Tonight Show'', he said his surname may have come from the occupational name Blacksmith. Black's parents divorced when he was 10; Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother’s home. As a child, Black appeared in a commercial for the Activision game ''Pitfall!'' in 1982, which was later shown during an appearance on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'' and again on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien''. When Black entered high school, his parents enrolled him at the Poseidon School, a private secondary school engineered specifically for students struggling in the traditional school system. Black also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. He later attended UCLA but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment, at which point his father discontinued his financial support. Fellow UCLA alumnus Tim Robbins later cast Black in ''Bob Roberts''. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show''.

Career

Acting career

Black's acting career began with prime time television. He played roles on shows including ''Life Goes On'', ''Northern Exposure'', ''Mr. Show'', ''Picket Fences'', and ''The X-Files''. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot ''Heat Vision and Jack'', directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in ''Airborne'', ''Demolition Man'', ''Waterworld'', ''The Fan'', ''Mars Attacks!'', Tim Robbins' ''Dead Man Walking'', and others. He had a small role in ''True Romance'' as a security guard, but the scene was deleted. In 2000, he appeared in ''High Fidelity'' as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role Black considers his breakout.

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as ''Shallow Hal'', ''The School of Rock'', ''Nacho Libre'', ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'', ''King Kong'', ''Year One'' and ''Gulliver's Travels''. His next film, ''The Big Year'', a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and JoBeth Williams is set for release in October 2011. He is referred to in the media as a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.

He guest-starred on ''The Office'' along with Cloris Leachman, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carell in a movie within the show. He also guest-starred in iCarly, in the episode ''iStart a Fan War''.

Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows ''Computerman'', ''Timebelt'', and ''Laserfart''. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy ''Awesometown'', donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). Black also guest starred in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show ''Tom Goes to the Mayor'', as a bear-trap store owner.

Black hosted the 2006 ''Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards'' on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again March 29, 2008, and April 2, 2011. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. Black has made five appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'': three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's Internet video show ''Acceptable.TV''.

Black voice acted for ''The Simpsons'' episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired November 18, 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black took part in the ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'' celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and was handed the prize of US$125,000 in October 2001. On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game, ''Brütal Legend''. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in ''Brütal Legend''. In April 2009, Black also starred in an episode of the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on Nick Jr. vocalized funny kid songs such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends" and "Goodbye Song".

Music career

Black, also known as JB or Jables, is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. Along with Kyle Gass, they have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow-up, ''The Pick of Destiny'', from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video games "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks" from the album "Tenacious D" was played in the music videogame "Rock Band Unplugged", and "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen" and "''Rock Band 2''", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the film ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny''. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film ''Bio-Dome'' where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'' entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film ''Nacho Libre'' with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's ''Probot'' album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's ''Fake Songs'' album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of ''High Fidelity''. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album ''Incredibad''.

Black has also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's new CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The song is called Like a Rose. Meat Loaf has also played Black's father in the Pick of Destiny movie. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features Hugh Laurie, Kara Dioguardi, Brian May, Steve Vai & Patti Russo, produced by Rob Cavallo.

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; and Weezer's "Photograph."

In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment.

Personal life

In January 2006, Black became engaged to Tanya Haden. She is the daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden. Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California. Their son, Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second son, Thomas David Black.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''Bob Roberts''	Roger Davis
1993		Augie
1993		Wasteland Scrap
1994	''The NeverEnding Story III''	Slip, Leader of the Nasties
1995		DJ at Party
1995		Craig Poncelet
1995	''Waterworld''	Pilot
1996	''Bio-Dome''	Tenacious D
1996	''The Cable Guy''	Rick
1996		Broadcast Technician
1996	''Mars Attacks!''	Billy Glenn Norris
1997		Devlin
1997	''Crossworlds''	Steve
1997		Ian Lamont
1998		Fiedler
1998	''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer''	Titus Telesco
1998	''Johnny Skidmarks''	Jerry
1999	''Cradle Will Rock''	Sid
1999	''Jesus' Son''	Georgie
1999		Fisherman	uncredited
2000		Barry	Blockbuster Entertainment Award	Nominated – American Comedy Award>American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Music MomentNominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male PerformanceNominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001	''Frank's Book''	Performance Hipster	Short Film
2001	''Saving Silverman''	J.D. McNugent
2001	''Shallow Hal''	Hal Larson	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Film- Choice Actor, Comedy
2002		Zeke	Voice only
2002		Lance Brumder
2002	''Run Ronnie Run''	Lead Chimney Sweep	DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song in a DVD Premiere
2003	''Melvin Goes to Dinner''	Mental Patient	uncreditedPhoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble ActingNominated – DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
2003	''School of Rock''	Dewey Finn
2004	''Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy''	Motorcyclist	uncredited (cameo)
2004		Nick Vanderpark	Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
2004	''Laser Fart''	The Elegant Hunter	Video
2004	''Shark Tale''	Lenny	Voice only
2005		Carl Denham	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Sleazebag
2005	''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie''	Carl Denham	voiceVideo gameSpike Video Game Award – Best Leading Male Performance
2006	''Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties''	Orson, Booker and Wolf
2006	''The Holiday''	Miles
2006	''Nacho Libre''	Nacho	Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie StarNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best FightNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Actor: ComedyNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice ChemistryNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Rumble
2006	''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny''	Jack "Jables" Black (JB)
2007	''Margot at the Wedding''	Malcolm	Nominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2007	''Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story''	Paul McCartney	Uncredited
2008	''Be Kind Rewind''	Jerry Gerber
2008	''Kung Fu Panda''	rowspan="2"	Voice onlyKids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieNominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
2008	''The Secrets of the Furious Five''	VoiceShort film
2008		Jesus Christ	Viral videoshort
2008	''Tropic Thunder''	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
2008	''Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness''	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy	Video
2009	''Brütal Legend''	Eddie Riggs	VoiceVideo gameSpike Video Game Award – Best Voice
2009		Zed
2010		Gulliver
2011	''Kung Fu Panda 2''		Voice onlyNominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Animated Voice
2011		Bernie Tiede	Premiered on June 16, 2011 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
2011	''The Big Year''	Brad Harris	post-production
2011		Cameo Appearance	post-production
2012	''Frank or Francis''		pre-production

Television work

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1991	''Our Shining Moments''	Teenage Boy	TV Movie
1993	''The Golden Palace''	Taxi Driver	episode "Seems Like Old Times: Part 2"
1993		Skinhead	episode "Incident on Main"
1993	''Marked for Murder''	Car Thief	television film
1993	''Northern Exposure''	Kevin Wilkins	episode "A River Doesn't Run Through It"
1994		Private	television film
1994	''The Innocent''	Marty Prago	television film
1995		Tommy	episode "A Night at the Oprah"
1995		Man	episode "Brenda's Secret"
1995	''The Single Guy''	Randy	episode "Sister"
1995	''Touched By An Angel''	Monte	episode "Angels on the Air"
1995	''The X-Files''	Bart 'Zero' Liqouri	episode "D.P.O."
1995–1996	''Mr. Show with Bob and David''	Various	4 episodes
1995–1996	''Picket Fences''	Curtis Williams	2 episodes
1997–2000		JB	6
1999	''Heat Vision and Jack''	Jack	television pilot
2001	''Space Ghost Coast to Coast''	Himself	episode "Sweet for Brak"
2002	''2002 MTV Movie Awards''	Host
2002	''The Andy Dick Show''	J.D.	episode "Flipped"
2002	''Clone High''	Pusher/Larry Hardcore	episode "Raisin The Stakes"
2002	''Crank Yankers''	Tenacious D	episode "#1.3"
2002	''Jack Black: Spider-Man''	Spider-Man	MTV Movie Awards segment
2002	''Lord of the Piercing''	Jack the Elf	MTV Movie Awards segment''Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition'' easter egg
2002	''MADtv''	Tenacious D	episode "#7.22"
2002	''Panic Room with Will Ferrell''	Himself	MTV Movie Awards segment
2003	''Player$''	Tenacious D	episode "Tenacious D a la Mode"
2003	''Will & Grace''	Dr. Isaac Hershberg	episode "Nice in White Satin"
2003–2004		Computerman	6 episodes
2003–2004	''Time Belt''	Computerman	2 episodes
2004	''Cracking Up''	Brian	episode "Scared Straight"
2004	''Tom Goes to the Mayor''	Trapper JB	episode "Bear Traps"
2005	''Awesometown''	George Washington	television film
2006	''2006 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host
2007	''The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show''	Jables	episode "Break-Up"
2007	''The Simpsons''	Milo	episode "Husbands and Knives"
2008	''Sesame Street''	Himself	episode "The Golden Triangle Of Destiny"
2008	''2008 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host
2009		Sam	episode "Stress Relief"
2009	''Yo Gabba Gabba''	Himself	episode "New Friends"
2010		Buddy	episode "Investigative Journalism"
2010	''iCarly''	Aspartamay	episode ''iStart a Fanwar''
2010–2011	''Take Two with Phineas and Ferb''	Himself	2 episodes, "Jack Black" and "Neil Patrick Harris"
2010	"Space Ghost Coast to Coast special gag ad episode"	Himself (cameo)
2011	''Fish Hooks''	Chief	episode "Labor Day"
2011	''Big Time Rush''	Cupid	episode "Big Time Crush"
2011	''2011 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host, This will be the third time Jack Black has hosted the Kids Choice Awards, the last times being in 2008 and 2006.
2011	''American Idol''	Himself	Performed 'Fat Bottomed Girls' with American Idol contestant Casey Abrams.

References

External links

Margot at the Wedding

Suicide Girls interview

Jack Black in King Kong

The Tao of Jack Black, Steve Ramos, ''Cincinnati CityBeat'', October 8, 2003

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American film actors Category:Jewish American writers Category:American male singers Category:American voice actors Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television writers Category:Actors from California Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish comedians Category:Musicians from California Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:Tenacious D Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

ar:جاك بلاك bg:Джак Блек cs:Jack Black cy:Jack Black da:Jack Black de:Jack Black es:Jack Black fa:جک بلک fr:Jack Black ga:Jack Black ko:잭 블랙 id:Jack Black it:Jack Black he:ג'ק בלאק hu:Jack Black ml:ജായ്ക്ക് ബ്ലായ്ക്ക് nl:Jack Black ja:ジャック・ブラック no:Jack Black uz:Jack Black pl:Jack Black pt:Jack Black ru:Блэк, Джек simple:Jack Black sk:Jack Black fi:Jack Black sv:Jack Black th:แจ็ก แบล็ก tr:Jack Black uk:Джек Блек vi:Jack Black zh:傑克·布萊克

Name	Bad Acid Trip
Background	group_or_band
Origin	USA
Years active	1989–present
Genre	Avant-garde metal, experimental rock, thrash metal, grindcore, thrashcore, crossover thrash, powerviolence
Year active	1989 - present
Label	Serjical Strike
associated acts	Buckethead & Friends, System Of A Down, Municipal Waste
Website	Official site
Current members	Dirk Rogers Keith Aazami Caleb Schneider Carlos Neri
Past members	James GarrenChris MackieJose PerezMike ThrasheadJoe WhitehousePhil from Sepsism }}

Bad Acid Trip is an American metal band, currently signed to System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian's record label, Serjical Strike Records. Their 2004 album, ''Lynch the Weirdo'', was produced by Daron Malakian, another System of a Down member. In 2006 they performed on the second stage at the Ozzfest summer tour. The band has three full-length releases (For the Weird by the Weird, Lynch The Weirdo, and Humanly Possible) and multiple EPs. According to the band's official website, they just released their newest album, titled Humanly Possible on May 3, 2011. The EP Symbiotic Slavery was released on August 18, 2009 in order to fill the large gap between Lynch The Weirdo and Humanly Possible. The band is recognizable as being one of the more coherent grindcore acts.

Biography

Bad Acid Trip

Evolution is a funny thing. Without evolution, life would be boring, bland and predictable. Good thing evolution is inevitable. This is no exception with Bad Acid Trip. Spawned in North Hollywood, California in 1989, Bad Acid Trip was birthed in the burgeoning West Coast Power- Violence scene. With each ensuing year, B.A.T. has continued to progress and evolve from its? roots in that movement into an ever developing, progressing animal. The past fifteen years has seen various members in Bad Acid Trip working together to forge a uniquely eccentric and distinctive musical path. Each individual passing through has left their own indelible imprint on the band's sound, style, and attitude. Currently, Bad Acid Trip is composed of the vocal stylings of Dirk Rogers, the frenzied guitar attack of Keith Aazami, the pummeling rhythmic fury of Carlos Neri, and the bass rumblings of Caleb Schneider. Original members Rogers and Aazami have been infecting minds together with their vision for over a decade now, while Neri and Schneider have solidified the lineup. Bad Acid Trip's current release titled Humanly Possible (produced by Daron Malakian) is a riotously diverse spoonful of insanity that will punch you in the face and make no apologies. With their unique brand of madness, Bad Acid Trip has had some unique touring opportunities, with eccentrically like- minded artists. Over the past two years Bad Acid Trip has treked countless cities of these United States many times over supporting System of a Down, the Mars Volta, Mindless Self Indulgence, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Dog Fashion Disco, Tub Ring, Motograter, Watch Them Die, and Gwar. Throughout the years, Bad Acid Trip earned the privilege to share the stage with other such venerable artists as Slayer, Arch Enemy, Cypress Hill, Hatebreed, Brujeria, Body Count, Buckethead, Tom Morello, Circle One, and Napalm Death. B.A.T. was rewarded for their hard work on the road with the featuring of their video for "Beef Moo" (from Lynch The Weirdo) on MTV 2's Headbangers Ball, as well as appearing as in-studio guests with host Jamey Jasta. These recent experiences have added to the evolution and growth of Bad Acid Trip, inspiring them to create new incarnations of their quirky, aggressive songs with intelligent lyrics that look to inspire their audience, old and new.

Band Members

Current members

Dirk Rogers — vocals

Keith Aazami — guitar, vocals

Caleb Schneider — bass, vocals

Carlos Neri — drums

Former members

James Garren — drums

Chris Mackie — bass

Jose Perez — drums

Mike Thrashead — drums

Joe Whitehouse — guitar

Phil from Sepsism — drums

Danny Walker (Intronaut, Murder Construct, Uphill Battle, Phobia, Bastard Noise, Exhumed, Jesu) - Drums "Humanly Possible" LP

Discography

Albums

1999: ''For the Weird by the Weird'' (Reissued on Serjical Strike Records in 2004)

2004: ''Lynch the Weirdo''

2011: ''Humanly Possible''

EPs

2009: ''Symbiotic Slavery''

7 inch EPS

1995: ''B.A.T. Live at the Fudge : one sided split with anyone''

1999: ''Remember EP''

''B.A.T. split with Laceration''

1995: B.A.T. split with Agathocles''

''B.A.T. split with Kung-fu Rick''

2000: B.A.T. split with Benümb''

2002: Tango and Thrash'' ''B.A.T. split with Municipal Waste''

Tape demos

1989-1992: ''12 Pack and a Dime Demo''

1993: ''4-Ken Demo''

1994: ''Live at the Hong Kong''

1995: ''Bad Acid Trip Demo''

1997: ''Live love songs for repressed apes''

Other appearances

Dirk Rogers and Keith Aazami both appear on the songs "Funbus" and "Nottingham Lace" on the Buckethead & Friends album ''Enter the Chicken''.

References

External links

Official site

Official Bad Acid Trip Facebook

Bad Trip Official Myspace

Serjical Strike Records

Category:Heavy metal musical groups from California Category:Musical groups established in 1989

de:Bad Acid Trip es:Bad Acid Trip hr:Bad Acid Trip it:Bad Acid Trip pt:Bad Acid Trip

Name	Dock Ellis
Position	Pitcher
Bats	Switch
Throws	Right
Birth date	March 11, 1945
Birth place	Los Angeles, California
Death date	December 19, 2008
Death place	Los Angeles, California
Debutdate	June 18
Debutyear	1968
Debutteam	Pittsburgh Pirates
Finaldate	September 29
Finalyear	1979
Finalteam	Pittsburgh Pirates
Stat1label	Win–Loss record
Stat1value	138–119
Stat2label	Earned run average
Stat2value	3.46
Stat3label	Strikeouts
Stat3value	1,136
Teams	Pittsburgh Pirates (–) New York Yankees (–) Oakland Athletics () Texas Rangers (–) New York Mets () Pittsburgh Pirates ()
Highlights	All-Star selection (1971) World Series champion () 1976 AL Comeback Player of the Year Pitched no-hitter on June 12, }}

Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. (March 11, 1945 – December 19, 2008) was a professional baseball player who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, among other teams in Major League Baseball. His best season was 1971, when he won 19 games for the World Series champion Pirates and was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. However, he is perhaps best remembered for throwing a no-hitter in 1970 and later stating that he had done it while under the influence of LSD.

Playing career

Ellis is best-known for several incidents during his career:

Beaning Reggie Jackson

Beaning Reggie Jackson in the face in apparent retaliation for Reggie's monstrous home run off Ellis in the 1971 All-Star Game in Detroit.

June 12, 1970 no-hitter

Ellis pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on June 12, 1970. He would admit in to being under the influence of LSD throughout the course of the game. Ellis had been visiting friends in Los Angeles under the impression he had the day off and was still high when his friend's girlfriend told him he had to pitch a game against the Padres that night. Ellis boarded a shuttle flight to the ballpark and threw a no-hitter despite not being able to feel the ball or clearly see the batter or catcher. Ellis said catcher Jerry May wore reflective tape on his fingers which helped Ellis to see his signals. Ellis walked eight, struck out six, and was aided by excellent fielding plays by second baseman Bill Mazeroski and center fielder Matty Alou. Because the no-hitter was the first game of a double header, Ellis was forced to keep track of the pitch count for the night game.

As Ellis recounted it:

I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher's) glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me.

The incident inspired the songs "Dock Ellis" by indie rock singer Barbara Manning, "America's Favorite Pastime" by folk singer Todd Snider, "Dock Ellis' No-No" by Chuck Brodsky, and "LSD (The Ballad of Doc Ellis)" by Boston rock band Random Road Mother. Robin Williams has incorporated the tale into a standup routine for HBO An animated short film about the game, "Dock Ellis and the LSD No-No", features narration in Ellis's own voice, taken from a 2008 radio interview.

May 5, 1972 macing incident in Cincinnati

Ellis argued with, and was maced by a Riverfront Stadium security guard on May 5, . The guard said Ellis did not identify himself and "made threatening gestures with a closed fist"; Ellis countered that he was showing his World Series ring as evidence of his affiliation with the Pirates.

May 1, 1974 game against Cincinnati

Ellis attempted to hit every batter in the Cincinnati Reds lineup on May 1, 1974, as retaliation for the macing incident in Cincinnati two years earlier. Ellis hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen in the top of the first. The clean-up batter Tony Perez avoided Ellis's attempts, instead drawing a walk, and after two pitches aimed at the head of Johnny Bench, Ellis was removed from the game by manager Danny Murtaugh. Ellis's box score for the game reads: 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

Later career

On December 11, 1975, Ellis was traded to the New York Yankees along with Ken Brett and Willie Randolph in exchange for Doc Medich. Ellis also played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets. While with the Rangers, Ellis led a player insurrection against manager Billy Hunter's authoritarian style, declaring that Hunter "may be Hitler, but he ain't making no lampshade out of me." "In 1977, the Rangers won 94 games -- and finished eight games out of first. Ellis ended his career back in Pittsburgh. He finished with a lifetime record of 138-119 and an ERA of 3.46. Ellis collaborated with future U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall on a book, ''Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball'' (ISBN 0-671-65988-X), which was published in 1976. Although Hall knew of the LSD incident, it was not included in the first edition of the book.

Retirement and death

Ellis retired to Victorville, California, and a career as a drug counselor. An alcoholic, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis in 2007 and was on the list for a transplant at the time of his death. ESPN.com reported on December 19, 2008, that Ellis had died at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles due to "a liver ailment."

See also

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins

References

External links

From Getting High to High Art: The Strange Journey of Dock Ellis Independent Film Channel feature article on Dock Ellis documentary

How to throw a no-hitter on acid, and other lessons from the career of baseball legend Dock Ellis. By Keven McAlester

Weekend America Interview with Ellis: Pitching on LSD by Donnell Alexander and Neille Ilel

Obituary in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Category:1945 births Category:2008 deaths Category:African American baseball players Category:Deaths from cirrhosis Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Baseball players from California Category:National League All-Stars Category:New York Mets players Category:New York Yankees players Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Deaths from liver disease Category:Batavia Pirates players Category:Kinston Eagles players Category:Columbus Jets players Category:Asheville Tourists players Category:Alcohol-related deaths in California Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players

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