Otherppl with Brad Listi | Books & Culture

REPLAY: Tao Lin on Psychedelics, Attention, and Change

Nov 1, 2026

Tao Lin, an American novelist, poet, essayist, and visual artist, discusses psychedelics, cannabis, microdosing, and altered attention. He explores Terrence McKenna’s influence, recovery from depression and harmful patterns, botanical conservation, traditional diets, and the experiences behind Trip, Taipei, and Leave Society.

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ANECDOTE

Voice Memos Became Leave Society

Tao Lin’s autobiographical documentation grew from writing experiments into sustained recording of family life.
He has recorded voice memos with his parents for Leave Society during annual visits lasting two or three months.

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ADVICE

Record Speech Before Memory Smooths It Out

Record conversations deliberately when you need exact speech, subtle conflict, or specific memories.
Tao Lin alternates between prepared questions, passive recordings, and targeted samples such as his parents’ quiet bickering.

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INSIGHT

Strong Recall Comes From Repetition

Detailed recall in Tao Lin’s writing comes from repeated reconstruction rather than photographic memory.
He says he must reread, rewrite, edit, and repeatedly discuss ideas before he can confidently retain them.

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Precision, Coffee, and Drug Effects

06:00 • 2min

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Cannabis as a Daily Baseline

08:07 • 3min

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Tobacco’s Traditional Uses

10:41 • 2min

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Cannabis, Creativity, and Memory

12:18 • 3min

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Research, Notes, and Autobiographical Evidence

15:26 • 11min

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Microdosing and Altered Attention

Nature, Attention, and Psychedelic Context

McKenna’s Psychedelic Worldview

43:51 • 2min

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Terrence McKenna’s Imagination Theory

45:44 • 9min

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Psychedelics, Depression, and Health

55:10 • 8min

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The Alien Origins of Psychedelics

01:03:11 • 3min

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The Trip That Inspired Leave Society

01:05:50 • 52sec

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Leaving Society Through Attention

01:06:42 • 2min

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Hawaii, Conservation, and Botanical Knowledge

01:08:47 • 7min

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Food, Aboriginal Diets, and Recovery

01:15:21 • 5min

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Trip as a Recovery Narrative

01:20:22 • 4min

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A Matching Set of Personal Books

Cure Tooth Decay presents a nutritional theory of dental health based heavily on the work of dentist Weston A. Price. Ramiel Nagel argues that tooth decay is connected to mineral deficiencies, inadequate fat-soluble vitamins, and modern processed diets. The book recommends traditional foods, nutrient-dense animal products, and dietary changes rather than relying solely on conventional dental intervention. Tao Lin cites it as an influence on his shift toward eating more animal foods and studying Aboriginal diets. Its claims remain outside mainstream dental consensus, but the book has been influential in alternative nutrition and oral-health communities.

Leave Society

Tao Lin

Leave Society centers on a writer’s extended visits with his parents and his attempts to understand family, health, and modern life. The novel draws on voice recordings, conversations, memories, and carefully documented everyday details. It expands Tao Lin’s autobiographical project while examining his desire to withdraw from dominant cultural, technological, and consumer systems. Questions about diet, medicine, nature, and social organization become intertwined with questions about love and responsibility. The book continues Lin’s interest in treating lived experience as both research material and a site of philosophical transformation.

Animals and Psychedelics

Tao Lin

Shoplifting from American apparel

Tao Lin

Shoplifting from American Apparel follows a young writer involved in low-level theft, unstable relationships, and literary subculture. Its spare, detached style reflects the emotional flatness and social disconnection of its characters. The novella examines consumer branding, internet-era identity, boredom, and the performance of artistic selfhood. Tao Lin’s autobiographical associations with the work helped make it part of his early public literary identity. The book is also notable for its concise form and its depiction of marginal lives within a highly commercialized culture.

#40692

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Trip

Tao Lin

In 'Trip', Tao Lin delves into his experiences with psychedelics, including psilocybin and DMT, and explores how these substances influenced his life and perspective. The book also examines the life of Terence McKenna, a prominent figure in the psychedelic movement.

#20563

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Breaking Open the Head

Daniel Pinchbeck

#4179

• Mentioned in 16 episodes

Anatomy of an Epidemic

Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America

Robert Whitaker

Robert Whitaker's "Anatomy of an Epidemic" challenges the prevailing psychiatric model for treating mental illness. The book argues that the widespread use of psychiatric drugs has contributed to the rise in mental health problems, rather than alleviating them. Whitaker presents a historical analysis of mental health treatment, highlighting the shift from psychosocial approaches to a primarily biological focus. He emphasizes the complexity of the brain and the limitations of a purely biological approach to mental health. The book advocates for a more holistic and patient-centered approach to mental health care.

Tao Lin's "Taipei" is a novel that reflects the anxieties and alienation of contemporary life, particularly within the context of internet culture. The narrative unfolds through fragmented scenes and stream-of-consciousness passages, mirroring the disjointed nature of online experiences. The characters grapple with issues of identity, relationships, and the search for meaning in a technologically saturated world. Lin's experimental style challenges traditional narrative structures, creating a reading experience that is both engaging and unsettling. The novel's exploration of internet culture and its impact on human connection remains relevant in today's digital age. It's a work that invites readers to reflect on their own experiences with technology and its influence on their lives.

Today on the program, a trip into the archive and a return to Episode 521, my conversation with Tao Lin, author of Trip: Psychedelics, Attention, and Change (Vintage).

Air date: May 20, 2018.

Tao Lin is the author of the novels Leave Society and Taipei, the novella Shoplifting from American Apparel, and other books. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Harper's Magazine, Granta, The Paris Review, NOON, and elsewhere. He was born in Virginia, has taught in Sarah Lawrence College’s MFA program, and is the founder and editor of Muumuu House.

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