Author Catherine Hayes in conversation with BBC broadcaster and music critic, Jonathan Wingate, about a brand new revised edition of the book behind the BBC Sounds award winning podcast Acid Dream.

Catherine and Jonathan engage in a wide ranging conversation about the conspiracy to flood the world with LSD. The 1960’s and 70’s provided a cultural shift that has left an indelible mark on our global culture. The Beatles, The Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Frances Crick, Alan Ginsberg, The Beat poets, just a few of the millions of people whose values and visions were influenced as a result of using LSD. Between 1969 and 1977 Christine Bott and Richard Kemp were at the heart of the manufacturing of that LSD. Having met at the University of east Anglia in 1995, Christine Bott became Catherine’s friend and entrusted her with her story, widely known as a result of the police project called ‘Operation Julie’. 800 police officers embarked on the biggest operation to end the world wide distribution of 100 % pure LSD. Christine grew up in East Anglia and her story takes her all over the world and ended, tragically in Norwich in 2007 where she died at Priscilla Bacon Lodge. Catherine was alongside her as she died and took to heart her friend’s dying wish to have her story heard. Christine believed it was necessary to take the extreme action to wake people up to the climate crisis she and millions of others could see unfolding in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Christine met the key chemist Richard Kemp whilst studying medicine at Liverpool University. Richard was head hunted by the Brotherhood of Eternal Love to manufacture LSD. Christine believed it was necessary to wake people up to the interconnectivity between all things and that LSD was one way of achieving this. Based in a tiny cottage in Wales, their LSD provided 85% of the worlds supply. Christine was convicted and imprisoned in the most secure unit for the 36 most dangerous women in the country in 1978. Why did the authorities deem it necessary to impose such a harsh punishment? Fortunately, Christine made an account of her experience, before , during and after ,what she described as a ‘caper’. Come and join Catherine and Jonathan as they explore the issues, which are still relevant in 2024.