I did a fast run through the remote just to see if there was anything worth staying awake for and caught a promo for ‘At one with Keith Berwick’. Berwick was the host of an eclectic late night show that I had seen on a few occasions. That night his guest was Dr. Timothy Leary, a name and face I vaguely recognized but couldn’t quite place."He’s a mad professor/crazy scientist kind of guy, just your cup of tea,” said Susan. How right she was. Within ten minutes I realized that I was hearing things I had never heard before. I was amazed, delighted and fascinated in equal parts. Having just arrived from England I really didn’t know who, what or why this man was and had no previous baggage to attach to Dr T or what he was saying. Half way through the interview Susan woke up from her deep sleep sat bolt upright and said; “You’d better listen he’s talking to you.” Then went back to sleep.
Towards the end of the program Dr Leary looked straight into the camera and said; “If what I am saying is of interest to you then you had better check it out, either I am totally crazy or almost everything you have been told is untrue.”
Well, since he looked like one of the most radiantly sane and intelligent men I had ever listened to, I did just that. 28 years later having studied his work I am still 100% convinced that this was one of the most brilliant men to walk this planet. If you have never studied his ideas on evolution then I sincerely recommend you do the same. Don’t settle for my opinion though (or anyone else) and don’t think you know what he was all about based on a rough idea of what he said/stood for. Check it out for yourself.
