Ep. 12: Disinfo's Thad McKraken on Counterculture, Psychedelics, and More

After a 4th of July break Parallax Views returns!

On this edition I speak with Disinfo's Thad McKraken about counterculture, psychedelics, and more!

We start the conversation by discussing how Thad got involved with Disinfo, which is perhaps the longest running counterculture website on the internet. From the we segue into the subject of counterculture as a whole and how the alt right is now trying to brand itself as "countercultural". Thad goes on to lay the smackdown on why figures like Dr. Jordan Peterson are NOT the voice of an authentic counterculture.

From there we get into the topic of conspiracy theories, and how the right-wing has attempted to corner the market on that genre. We talk shop about how the right-wing noise machine has created a well-funded conspiracy culture. This leads us to talking about figures like Infowars' Alex Jones, Nixon-era dirty trick operative Roger Stone, and the authoritarian wave hitting American politics.

The conversation gets "trippy"...

From there the conversation gets wild as we delve into the realm of the occult. Thad lays out his views on issues related to the topic such as magick and shamanism. This ultimately leads into a discussion of psychedelics as it relates to the Western esoteric tradition. Hear we get into talking about LSD discoverer Albert Hoffmann, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, and even Carlos Castaneda. From there we get into Thad's shamanic experiences with astral projection and weed magick.

We then transition into the topic of UFOs, which is often covered extensively on Disinfo, through the lens of alleged alien abductee Whitley Streiber. From there we delve into the topic more broadly, including the research of Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John E. Mack on the abduction phenomenon and the resurgence of interest in UFOs due to Blink 182's Tom DeLonge.

Christopher Walken as Whitley Streiber in the film adaptation of Communion (1989)

As radio host Jake Dill, who hosts the Disinfocast with Thad every week, would say the conversation with Thad is always bound to get "TRIPPY!" and it's no different on Thad's inaugural appearance on the Parallax Views podcast.

Music for this episode provided by Thad's band, Black Science