10 Psychedelic Nuggets To Enjoy This Bicycle Day

What followed his dose was a psychedelic bicycle ride home, where he experienced the entire gamut of emotions, from extreme fear to pure elation, waking up the next day with the first ever post-LSD glow. It’s a fascinating story, and you can learn the full version with our History of Bicycle Day.

Bicycle Day Today

So, every April 19th, psychonauts and psychedelic fans in general observe this day as special. It’s like a psychedelic 4/20, a day of appreciation for a countercultural icon. And, as psychedelics become more accepted, sashaying from that counterculture towards the mainstream, this Bicycle Day is sure to be bigger than ever. Last year we outlined some different ways it’s celebrated. This year we’re diving down into psychedelic culture throughout history to bring you some trippy nuggets of content and media to enjoy this Bicycle Day. Whether you take a psychedelic, go on a bike ride, both, or neither — these gems are exactly what you need to get in the mood. 

Psychedelics like LSD or magic mushrooms have helped to inspire and expand much of popular culture today — from music to film, fashion to literature, design to philosophy. Settle in and let your mind be delighted by these psychedelic nuggets (perhaps good to enjoy under the influence of another psychedelic nugget — the magic truffle!) We think there’s something here for all tastes…

Jimi Hendrix

No list about anything psychedelic-culture related could ever NOT include Jimi Hendrix. It’s just scientifically, psychically and logically impossible. One the arbitrators of how we visualize both psychedelic music and style today, his legacy can never be overstated. Enjoy this video of The Jimi Hendrix Experience blowing minds in Maui in 1970. Imagine the breeze on your face and the thump of the drums in your chest. Mmmm. For more things Jimi check out our Psychedelic Icon biography of the great man.

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are is a 1963 children’s book by Maurice Sendak. You’ve probably read it, had it read to you or seen the Spike Jonze movie — it’s a cultural cornerstone. But did you know that on its release it was controversial — dismissed as ugly? Today it is a classic, and although for ‘officially’ children, it is a perfect encapsulation of the psychedelic experience for adults. Taking a journey to a magical world, perhaps feeling a little scared at first. Confronting and becoming friends with your ‘monsters’. Returning home safe with new insights. I’m not crying, you’re crying! Check out the gorgeous trippy vintage animation, perfect after a warm mug of shroom tea.

Terence McKenna

Another person you cannot leave out of a psychedelic shindig is of course Mr McKenna. A purveyor of philosophy, expanded thought and (sometimes unusual) theories, he also honed the methods with which we grow psychedelic mushrooms at home today. Watching him speak is a real schooling about opening your mind. So if you’re feeling studious, settle in for a illuminating lecture from a real icon. And for more McKenna, check out his bio as well as a special we did on his theories! We’ve got you covered for all things Terence.

The Simpsons: Homer’s Chilli Trip

The Simpsons. To those born in the 90s and beyond they are a fact of life. Sunrise, sunset, Simpsons. The acceptance of these yellow oddballs into our lives, and their occasionally surreal shenanigans surely owes some part to the mind expansion of the psychedelic era many years before. I mean, what doesn’t?! In one specific episode — Season 8, Episode 9 “The Mysterious Voyage of Homer” — during what purists call ‘the golden age of The Simpsons’ — we see Homer tripping the heck out. But in true Homer-style its due to being… well, Homer. Eating the spiciest chilli at the Springfield Chilli cook-off, he is sent on a psychedelic journey with trippy visuals, strange symbols and a spirit guide in the form of a talking fox. Tune in and drop out!

Bjork Just Being Bjork

Bjork represents a different kind of psychedelia. Ethereal, magical, as if from another world, you can almost imagine encountering her on a psychedelic trip acting as your spirit guide pixie. Queen of the trippy music video, she never disappoints if you want to boggle your eyes. In this particular nugget Bjork is literally doing what psychedelics help us do — connecting with the Earth. Elemental and cataclysmic, at the end she reaches a higher form. Sound familiar? Check it out!

Fractals

Another treat for the studious among us, this short documentary ‘Fractals – The Colors Of Infinity, by Arthur C. Clarke‘ inspires awe whether under the influence of psychedelics or not. You might know that those crazy shapes you see when you close your eyes whilst tripping are called ‘fractals.’ Well it turns out they do not just exist inside your eyelids — they exist in nature and mathematics too. This documentary is a trippy nerd-out for those who want to interrogate reality and the fabric of the world itself.

2001: A Space Odyssey — Stargate Scene

Everything about this movie is quite trippy, especially the conditions of its making. Before man ever set foot on the moon director Stanley Kubrick managed to make a film so incredibly accurate it was spooky… and did he help fake the moon landing?… Well, thats for another day. But! The iconic ‘Stargate Scene’ is always worth a watch, especially while tripping. As astronaut David Bowman hurtles towards Jupiter he is flung into an indecipherable journey of colours, lights, and forms. Trippy as hell in 1968, still trippy as hell now.

The Beatles: Yellow Submarine (1968)

Another classic — The Beatles 1968 animated movie changed psychedelic imagery forever. It’s weird, it’s wacky, the soundtrack is (of course) brilliant, and its actually very funny. The Beatles defeat the Blue Meanies and bring joy and light back to the world, like a four man Liverpudlian shroom trip. Even the trailer is a masterpiece! The perfect evening watch to hunker down with after a celebratory bike ride…

Fantastic Fungi

Fantastic Fungi is a 2019 documentary all about the magic of mushrooms. Bicycle Day is a chance to celebrate all psychedelics, and this documentary is a great place to start, with a section on psilocybin mushrooms and incredible sped-up footage of mushies growing. It’ll blow your mind, tripping or not, as well as bringing you closer to Mother Earth. As titular bike rider of Bicycle Day Albert Hofmann said ‘It’s very, very dangerous to lose contact with living nature.’ You heard the man! Which leads us to…

Albert Hofmann

Finally, it’s only right to pay homage to the man himself — Dr Albert Hofmann. In this interview he discusses his invention, his first psychedelic experience with it, and more. It’s inspiring to watch the man who started it all share his story.

We hope you enjoyed our selection of psychedelic nuggets — some educational, some groovy, some beautiful.

Merry Bicycle Day one and all!