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Fred Seaman, John Lennon, and Magic Mushrooms
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Norbert K
Mar 6, 2021, 8:31:01 AM3/6/21
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In his book The Last Days of John Lennon, Frederic Seaman describes a day he believed he would have to himself at the Lennons' Cannon Hill property. Lennon had left by boat for Bermuda, and Yoko had left with Sam Green for a visit to Palm Beach.
He says that he had brought a bag of psilocybin mushrooms along and had sampled them before lounging by a swimming pool on the property. He worried for a time that Lennon's boat might have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, and then the mushrooms kicked in, giving him waves of euphoria and visual hallucinations.
As Seaman enjoyed his trip, the voice of the Lennon's security guard Douglas MacDougal interrupted, asking Fred if he was sleeping. Fred nodded his head "No" with great effort but found himself unable to speak. He was partially paralyzed: "I lurched to the wooden fence surrounding the pool," he admits, "and hung there like a dying spider," while MacDougal frowned at him.
MacDougal brought Fred a cup of coffee -- which he proceeded to pour down the front of his shirt.
As Fred attempted to fight off the drugs's effect, he received word from the Lennons' office manager that John wanted Fred, Sean, and nanny Uda-San to join him in Bermuda by flight. Fred protested that he needed additional time before embarking on such a trip, and was told he would have to explain this to John himself. Fred says that he eventually got Lennon on the line.
From page 141 of Seaman's book:
"Hi, Fred!" John said cheerfully, "When you coming?"
"Uh, I'll need a day or two to get ready."
"You sound weird, Fred," John said, perceptive as ever. "You're not sick, are you?" Concern and suspicion had crept into his voice.
I knew there was no point in continuing the charade. I could tell from the tense tone of John's voice that he was on to me, and so I blurted out that I'd had "magic" mushrooms for breakfast.
"Oh, really? How are they?" I had piqued his interest. "Do you have any left?"
I told him I had a whole bagful of the psychedelic fungi.
"Great! Maybe you can bring them with the health food Uda-San is bringing."
[End of quotation.]
The ingenuity of John's plan -- smuggling the mushrooms into Bermuda among the Japanese nanny's health food -- cannot be overstated, IMO.
He says that he had brought a bag of psilocybin mushrooms along and had sampled them before lounging by a swimming pool on the property. He worried for a time that Lennon's boat might have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, and then the mushrooms kicked in, giving him waves of euphoria and visual hallucinations.
As Seaman enjoyed his trip, the voice of the Lennon's security guard Douglas MacDougal interrupted, asking Fred if he was sleeping. Fred nodded his head "No" with great effort but found himself unable to speak. He was partially paralyzed: "I lurched to the wooden fence surrounding the pool," he admits, "and hung there like a dying spider," while MacDougal frowned at him.
MacDougal brought Fred a cup of coffee -- which he proceeded to pour down the front of his shirt.
As Fred attempted to fight off the drugs's effect, he received word from the Lennons' office manager that John wanted Fred, Sean, and nanny Uda-San to join him in Bermuda by flight. Fred protested that he needed additional time before embarking on such a trip, and was told he would have to explain this to John himself. Fred says that he eventually got Lennon on the line.
From page 141 of Seaman's book:
"Hi, Fred!" John said cheerfully, "When you coming?"
"Uh, I'll need a day or two to get ready."
"You sound weird, Fred," John said, perceptive as ever. "You're not sick, are you?" Concern and suspicion had crept into his voice.
I knew there was no point in continuing the charade. I could tell from the tense tone of John's voice that he was on to me, and so I blurted out that I'd had "magic" mushrooms for breakfast.
"Oh, really? How are they?" I had piqued his interest. "Do you have any left?"
I told him I had a whole bagful of the psychedelic fungi.
"Great! Maybe you can bring them with the health food Uda-San is bringing."
[End of quotation.]
The ingenuity of John's plan -- smuggling the mushrooms into Bermuda among the Japanese nanny's health food -- cannot be overstated, IMO.
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