Gnostic Media - Jan Irvin

I thought today that we'd take a completely different direction and switch to the other side of the brain to discuss our creative side and pay tribute to a more beautiful side of life - art. But we're not going to discuss just any art - but mushroom art in particular. My guest is Arik Roper who's here to discuss his new book of mushroom art called Mushroom Magick. Which is a beautiful presentation of water color paintings of psychoactive mushrooms.

And we're going to play music. In an entire year of doing this show I've never once played background music. I guess I just couldn't find the music that I felt fit the mood on many or most of the interviews. But that's going to change on this show. I've gone back through all of the goodies that many of you musicians out there have sent me over the last year and I found some amazing stuff. Most of the background music for this show is by Shen Flindell and you can find out more about him at www.ethnosuperlounge.com. And I'll also be playing some other background music that I found fitting for the occasion. Finally, at the end of this show I'll be playing some music sent to me by a listener back in - get this - February, and it got filed away and not listened to until today. Let me just say that when I found this music on my computer today and clicked play, I was blown away. I'm not sure if it's the album's name or the band's name, but the name is Hand, and it was sent to me by Ryan Sweeney and he runs a podcast called The Common Ear. So do make sure you check out the music at the end of the show - you won't be disappointed.

Arik's website: http://www.arikroper.com/

Order Mushroom Magick here: http://astore.amazon.com/gnosmedi-20/detail/0810996316

Ryan Sweeney's Hand Sounds: http://www.myspace.com/handssounds