Turn on, tune in, drop out

Turn on, tune in, drop out

"Turn on, tune in, drop out" is a counterculture phrase coined by Timothy Leary in the 1960s. The phrase came to him in the shower one day after Marshall McLuhan suggested to Leary that he come up with "something snappy" to promote the benefits of LSD. It is an excerpt from a prepared speech he delivered at the opening of a press conference in New York City on September 19, 1966. This phrase urged people to cultural changes through the use of psychedelics and by detaching themselves from the existing conventions and hierarchies in society. The phrase was derided by more conservative critics.

The phrase is derived from this part of Leary's speech: "Like every great religion of the past we seek to find the divinity within and to express this revelation in a life of glorification and the worship of God. These ancient goals we define in the metaphor of the present — turn on, tune in, drop out."

Leary later explained in his 1983 autobiography Flashbacks: cquote|'Turn on' meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. Drugs were one way to accomplish this end. 'Tune in' meant interact harmoniously with the world around you - externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. Drop out suggested an elective, selective, graceful process of detachment from involuntary or unconscious commitments. 'Drop Out' meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change. Unhappily my explanations of this sequence of personal development were often misinterpreted to mean 'Get stoned and abandon all constructive activity'.

"Turn on, tune in, drop out" is also the title of a book (ISBN 1-57951-009-4) of essays by Timothy Leary, covering topics ranging from religion, education and politics to Aldous Huxley, neurology and psychedelic drugs.

Other Uses

Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out is the slogan used for the brand Gio-Goi.

ee also

*8-Circuit Model of Consciousness
*Gio-Goi

See Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out (Art : Digital Graphics ) http://artisticked.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/turn-on-tune-in-drop-out


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  • turn on, tune in, drop out — in. a slogan promoting the use of LSD among young people. (Drugs.) □ The key phrase in the heyday of acid was “turn on, tune in, drop out.” □ Millions heard “turn on, tune in, drop out” and did just that …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (Timothy Leary album) — Infobox Album Name = Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out Type = studio Artist = Dr. Timothy Leary Released =1967 Recorded = Genre =Psychedelic rock Length = Label =ESP Disk 1027 Performance Records PERF 389 Producer = Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3|5… …   Wikipedia

  • drop out — vb to withdraw from conventional society, opt out. The motto of the hippy move ment, coined by Dr Timothy Leary in 1967, was turn on, tune in, and drop out (take drugs and/or become enlightened; make contact with like minded people or the life… …   Contemporary slang

  • Tune In (Turn On The Acid House) — Infobox Single Name = Tune In (Turn On The Acid House) Type = single Artist = Psychic TV Caption = DC Records Side A Released = Recorded = Genre = Length = Label = DC Records DC 23 Temple Records TOPY 037 Producer = Reviews = Last album = This… …   Wikipedia

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  • Drop City — For the 2003 novel, see Drop City (novel). Drop City Drop City was an artists community that formed in southern Colorado in 1965. Abandoned by the early 1970s, it became known as the first rural hippie commune .[1] …   Wikipedia

  • tune in — vb to attune to one s environment, achieve harmony with one s peer group, the counterculture and/or the cosmos. This hipster and beatnik term became part of the catchphrase slogan of the hippy movement; turn on, tune in, drop out . Unlike the… …   Contemporary slang

  • turn on — vb a. to take a drug. The term first referred to hard narcotics, but was later applied to cannabis and LSD. It was originally based on the notion of stimulus at the throw of a switch. b. to allow oneself to experience a height ened or more… …   Contemporary slang

  • Dropping out — means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Most commonly, dropping out refers to a student quitting school before he or she graduates. It cannot …   Wikipedia

  • drop — drop1 W2S1 [drɔp US dra:p] v past tense and past participle dropped present participle dropping ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(let something fall)¦ 2¦(fall)¦ 3¦(move your body down)¦ 4¦(become less)¦ 5¦(reduce)¦ 6¦(not include)¦ 7¦(stop doing something)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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