Coming Down

In a sunlit glade outside of history's relentless arrow there is a timeless moment in which the golden warmth of revelry hangs effortlessly in the aether. Nathan interfaced with this eternal aeon several times over the course of one long summer. Like a skipping stone over the surface of a swirling psychedelic pool he dips in time after time, slowly sinking further into the spiraling shape that would later become Sane.

Our guest this week, Matt, made a choice as a teenager to take life on its own terms. He hit the freeway with his thumb out, looking for something better down the road. Things didn't exactly pan out the way he hoped, but at least he's still around to tell us all about it.

Happy Birthday 'Murica! We're going bite size again this week. In this festive 4th of July special, Matthew gets a free ride to bummer town courtesy of the PPB. He would like everyone to know that you should not leave your property while intoxicated, no matter what the police say to you.

One fine summer day in Central Oregon, Matthew and a very close friend take a late afternoon hike up to the summit of Black Butte. Their beautiful fungus-enhanced journey to the peak was transcendent and edifying. But the return trip was fraught with peril.

Coachella. Love it or hate it, you have almost certainly heard stories about this towering pile of bands that appears annually out in the California dust. Nathan made it his mission to get his ass out there - twice. The dude was on the front lines for the water shortages rebellion, and he can tell you firsthand that Paul Oakenfold is a total fucking joke.

Having found the nexus at the center of the convergence, Matthew finds himself catapulted into the riot of sounds and colors that make up the world around him. After a short interval spent contemplating circular rhythms that defy mathematics, he rejoins mundane reality and begins the homeward journey.

The middle of this three part saga reads like a laundry list of party times. West coast Phish Tour, Ren Faire, Esalen with Terence McKenna, Burning Man, raves in San Francisco, and four months as a beach bum on Maui. And all of that bookended by Rainbow Gatherings. It's hard to believe Matthew packed it into one year.

Matthew ventures forth from his small mountain town into a forest realm filled with strange folk and mystical wonders. After a near miss at a shamanic circle, he encounters a mysterious stranger who grants a boon and charges him with a quest. Forever changed, he soon embarks on an epic adventure.

Armed with a loose plan and a big score, Nathan and his crack team of professional loadies make an ill-advised foray into the field of fungus smuggling. At first it seems like the perfect crime, but outside the flophouse blacklight glow, trouble is brewing.

In the depths of a vicious hangover, Kimberly gets the call that will change her life forever. Instead of pretending she has the wrong number, she does the bravest thing any twenty-six year old living in a punk rock party house could do in that scenario and learns the true meaning of family.