Ayahuasca and pop culture

[drugo]

Can you think of other examples???

Ayahuasca in film Blueberry

 

Vodka and Ayahuasca -- hiphop

 

Edited April 26, 2013 by drugo

[drugo]

Jennifer Aniston drinks ayahuasca in film Wanderlust.

 

[drugo]

Australian musician Ben Lee's new album 'Ayahuasca: welcome to the work'.

 

[drugo]

UK Celebrities drink ayahuasca T.V.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EOAvnkxPes

[drugo]

Elle women's magazine

http://www.arianneco...a_11-12.pdf.pdf

[drugo]

ABC -- Radio National (Australia). Encounter

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/encounter/ayahausca/4582674

[obtuse]

I've been watching this with absolute fascination.

My only concern is that its not just some pop trend, and is actually indicative of an undercurrent within our culture that things are moving forward.

Given all the other stories popping up in the media about other substances, i.e marijuana, magic mushrooms etc. i think things are changinging, but i am badly placed to be able to see the bigger picture.

I cannot think of any other ayahuasca clips except those from Bruce Parry, "Tribe" and "Amazon". I have read a few pop travel novels on south america lately and there was no mention of it, so i wonder.

Cheers, Ob.

[Micromegas]

Ayahuasca is starting to get around for sure. i've no doubt if you typed it in to you tube you'd find heaps of vids, I personally haven't tried and mostly don't enjoy the usually very cliched way ayahuasca can be portrayed.

An interesting one I came across the other day, however, was this BBC series "funny as". I think it's a series of one hour stand up comedy routines on ABC2 or some ABC channel. Normally I don' watch stand up comedy but there was nothing on the other day and it was this bloke Simon Amstell. So the show was called "Funny as: Simon Amstell."

He was talking about how his routine would be about his social anxiety, depression, up-bringing, he was putting in comedic terms some very difficult topics close to many, and he was gay. I only mention this because it was part of the humour.

Anyway, about 10mins in he started making some insightful and funny comments about how his past had made him the way he was, his relationship with his father and it was, how should i say, phrased in the type of way that ayahuasca can show you about your past, oblique interconnections of past and current events and patterns. They way he discussed it, although being quite funny, was wry, and clever and had the staggered flow of an understanding that comes through a series of ceremonies. That is the way I took it, and I thought to myself - this guy MUST have drunk ayahuasca to make comedy like that.

So, to my shock but not surprise, about 40mins in, he's making a joke about going on a spiritual quest to peru to drink a medicine with a shaman in the jungle. He never used the word ayahuasca, but it is, no doubt, and ten minutes of the routine was about his time there in four ceremonies, quite a funny but also insightful rendition of some of his experiences.

We will see this more and more. This one was more insightful i thought, than most, who want to waffle on but miss the nuance that can be delivered.

Soon, Ellen or Oprah or similar will drink ayahuasca, then the shit will be on, mark my words, it won't all be positive, there will be lot of ego stroking, a whole bucket-load of missing the point, but it will have purpose I am sure.

Cheers, Micro

Edit: that piers gibbon bloke has a show on sbs at the moment called the witch doctor will see you now. Some of the countries are quite good, i enjoyed the one in hong kong, i've only seen a few. the one in peru fell a bit flat for me.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Micromegas

[J Smith]

They did it on the tv show 'weeds'

[Cimi]

I found this sociology thesis on the 'return' of entheogens to modern western pop culture:

http://www.goagil.com/Larkin%20Thesis.pdf

Pretty interesting read! It's crazy to see modern culture incorporating elements of traditional shamanism. The use of technology (eg., digital music) is also a novel element in the ritual. Modern techno-shamanic rituals are a totally new cultural experience.

Hopefully the return of entheogens will gradually improve our society.