The Pot Head Pixies: Drug Utopias in the Music of Gong, 1968–1974

Abstract

The work of musical group Gong illustrates the connection be-tween drugs and utopian thought following the failure of the protests of 198. In their lyrics and interviews, Gong suggested the transformative and revolutionary power of drug use to overturn Western society. More than a political statement, drug use was preached as a method of mental liberation. The band’s promotion of psychedelics and marijuana connect-ed with many of the ideas operating within the French counterculture, including anti-psychiatry, science fiction, and personal liberation. For Gong, the French counterculture could achieve success through drugs. While personal enlightenment of everyone would have the proper psychology to create a new society. The group’s recordings between 1972 and 1974 offered their fullest vision of the new worlds available through drugs. However, the drug utopias painted in the music of Gong eventually faded as the group abandoned its revolutionary project by the mid-1970s due to political pressure in France and disillusionment within the group.

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