SQUAT DUST
issue won? mid-2009 twentythird@badsekta.com
Ketamine was first introduced to
WHATS TONY BLAIR FOR?
INSUFFLATION NATION?
parts of the UK drug culture in the
early eighties, where for several
years it remained very much under-
ground, albeit retaining a small but
loyal following within certain sub-
cultures. Yet more mainstream drug
users were much slower to join the
party, perhaps partially due to the
medias oft-repeated horse tranq-
uiliser line (its actually a disso-
ciative anaesthetic). However, its
recently exploded in popularity,
accelerated by factors such as its
relatively low price, potency & wide
spectrum of effects on the brain &
body. It may also be more attractive
as a recreational drug due to the
apparent lack of concerted police
action to tackle its use & sale
(although this situation has been
rapidly changing since k was re-
classified from a medicine to a
Class C substance in January 2006).
The rise of k as our nations drug of
choice is particularly disturbing
considering its high potential for
dependence (its not known as
psychedelic smack for nothing!)
& also the serious health problems
that can be incurred by regular use.
Worryingly, the majority of govern-
ment drug awareness information
seems to include little or nothing
about the substance, whilst most
drug dependence charities seem
unprepared for dealing with ket-
amine dependence. Oh dear! * We
apologise for the title of this article;
rest assured that notes shall roll...
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair - first
New Labour Prime Minister (1997
- 2007), MP for Sedgefield (1983 -
2007), First Lord of the Treasury &
Minister for the Civil Service.The
only Labour leader to serve con-
secutive terms & to achieve three
general election victories in a row,
during his first six years in office
he ordered troops into battle five
times (more than any other British
PM in history). The day he resigned
from politics, he was appointed
Envoy of the Quartet on the
Middle East, representing the UN,
EU, USA & Russia. In 2008 he lau-
nched the Tony Blair Faith Foun-
dation, to promote respect & un-
derstanding about the worlds
major religions & show how faith
is a powerful force for good in the
modern world. Prof. Michel Schoo-
yans (Catholic University of Louvain
& the Pontifical Academy of Social
Sciences) accused Blair & his wife of
supporting a messianic US plan for
world domination, charging that the
Foundations approach strips reli-
gious identity & that this project...
(continues on page 4)
 CARELESS WHISPERS - SOME THINGS ARE STILL ILLEGAL
Things that Ive seen openly displayed recently on social networking sites & forums:
incriminating photos, arrangements of drug deals, sound system / party line info, lists of
substances consumed last weekend. And so what - the internet is a big place, right? With
millions of global citizens posting a slew of inanities every second of every minute, no-
one gives a shit about little old me... Well, heres a guilty party who begs to differ!
The police are known to frequent certain websites & forums in the hope that they can glean
useful information relating to various activities - activist meetings, free parties, drug deal-
ing, hacking & terrorism being but some areas of interest. Other government agencies
(e.g. Jobcentre & local councils) have also been known to utilise the interwebs for snooping
on potential benefit fraud, etc. & its becoming increasingly common for employers to check
up on unfortunate workers & applicants using both Google & social networking sites too.
If you use Google Mail, Facebook or similar, always bear in mind that your data is kept on
record (generally for a number of years) & that Police may request it from providers as they
see fit. Ditto SMS messages & email (which are also easy to intercept) - phones can be
tapped or used as tracking devices too, so take the battery out if youre paranoid...
DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: LOST IN A K HOLE?
After a brief correspondence via email I the dangers of mugging, sexual assault &
was recently lucky enough to be invited to the like resulting from the loss of physical
a private viewing of the new documentary & mental co-ordination induced by the drug.
Lost in a K Hole? - its a sunny June evening He also touches on the comparatively high
when the crew & I set out for the plush risks of dependence & mental health issues
screening venue in Leicester Square. arising from regular use.
Directed by independent filmmaker The final interview is with Matt Whitton,
Belinda Barnett, the film is a 13 minute a drug worker from Leeds charity Multiple
look at the UKs rising use of the dissocia- Choice. He voices the opinion that there is
tive anaesthetic ketamine, intended to help for those finding themselves with a
stimulate debate & raise awareness. k habit, though more should be provided,
Comprising a series of brief interviews as the current support system in place is
framed by some quirky animations, it geared towards more traditional addic-
covers the basics only, albeit presented in a tions, e.g. to heroin & cocaine.
slick & easy to digest format. In closing Belinda mentions that she would
The first interview is with Gijsbert Stoet, a have liked to have also covered the rising
cognitive scientist, based at the University use of ketamine amongst Eastern Europ-
of Leeds, who has conducted research into eans, more general social consequences of
the effects of ketamine on primate brains. use & profitability. To this end she is hop-
Stoet explains that users often experience ing to secure backing for an expanded,
typical schizophrenic behaviours while feature-length documentary (see interview).
under the influence, resulting in delusions Overall I feel that this is an admirable at-
of grandeur & the like. tempt to both document & raise awareness
Were then introduced to Leeds club pro- of the issues at hand - if youre a total k
moters Ket-aloco, who dont have much to head then you probably wont learn much
offer except that some of their DJs try to rep- from this, but its well thought out, produced
licate the k hole through music. & edited. Definitely worth 13 minutes of
your jaded life. More info from -
Moving on, were introduced to Geebo, a for-
merly Brighton-based user who talks about BBENTERTAINMENT.WORDPRESS.COM
 AN INTERVIEW WITH BELINDA BARNETT
(director of Lost in the K Hole)
Explain a little about your background? originally seen as a hard drug, it is now
I am a graduate of music from the University seen as harmless & is itself a gateway drug.
of Leeds. I have always had an interest in I believe this transition of attitude should be
documentary & in the future I would like to challenged through education, as ketamine
make documentaries about the universality is a strong drug which should be taken with
of music & its evolutionary benefits versus caution.
inexplicable effects on the brain and body. I What, if anything, did you hope to achieve
have however, been told to do what you know by this production?
& fortunately or unfortunately I have been I hope that information gaps will be closed
exposed to the ketamine scene in Leeds & that education & information about the
for some time. In making this short docu- drug should be more readily available
mentary, I have uncovered a whole world than it is now. People will always take drugs,
of ketamine, which is largely unknown to but as ketamine itself is what young drug
anyone not inside this subculture. I would takers seem to be experimenting with
like to therefore make a longer feature before anything else, educational literature
length documentary film which covers this should be available. I also hope to provide
more thoroughly & analytically. a social commentary on the course of it
Why did you decide to make a drugs of the time & explain the reasons why
documentary about k? people are turning to this drug now.
Ketamine is a very interesting drug. Unlike Did you come across any users with
the highs that users feel when taking ecstasy medical issues arising from use?
& cocaine, ketamine is an introspective Yes many. I have spoken to many people &
rather than social drug. From what I have heard many stories. The most common phys-
seen in Leeds, the ketamine scene is huge ical damage is that of the bladder & kidneys.
& has totally superseded other drug cultures, Many abusers have had to have a catheter
due to numerous reasons some financial, fitted due to bladder collapse. In terms of the
others I think are a reflection of the zeit- brain, I have spoken to people who endured
geist of the time. Individualisation or refl- temporary (4 weeks) psychosis from one in-
exive biography whereby people seek to stance of misuse. Long term and permanent
share their identity has become a feature psychosis has also been documented as a
of contemporary society in reality TV, Ipod result of ketamine misuse. I have also met
culture (a soundtrack to someones life). with Gijsbert Stoet, a leading researcher into
Ketamine is the it drug because it allows ketamine who, along with other cognitive
people to experience themselves & find their neuroscientists has discovered links be-
identity through that. The fact that its use tween ketamine and schizophrenia (#)
has increased so rapidly The popularity of
Do you feel that users were on the whole
the sedative has almost DOUBLED over the
well informed of the risks of the drug?
last decade (*) and yet hardly any media
No there is nothing in colleges, universities,
coverage has documented this is also very
drug abuse centres, which are specifically for
interesting. This is what Im trying to ad-
ketamine. The government targets cocaine,
dress. Its demographic pull is also interest-
ecstasy & skunk in their Frank adverts, but
ing. Heroin & crack cocaine is usually abused
ketamine is the most rapidly increasing drug
by a certain demographic, same as ecstasy
& is being used excessively.
& cocaine. However ketamine is used
by all ages, all social networks. The attitude What is your take on K (& drugs in general);
towards ketamine has also changed recently is it just a drug or are users sometimes
accessing unknown spaces (e.g. OBEs /
NDEs)?
Many drugs allow humans to access un-
known spaces, that is probably why we
have always & will take drugs, to seek
the unknown - we are naturally curious.
However, traditionally this type of search
for the unknown is not taken lightly &
not done frequently & is done indoors &
carried out through ceremony. Ketamine is
a powerful drug in allowing its users to
traverse time, space, reality etc. however,
it is not always respected. There will always
be people who abuse drugs, & taking
ketamine to get fucked & not necessa-
rily to access unknown spaces, can leave
people very vulnerable.
Why do you think that humans have altered
their states of consciousness throughout
history?
Humans are wonderers. Through voyage &
discovery, we have mapped the world, creat-
ed trade etc etc. We are also spiritual in our
quest to know the meaning of life. Music,
drugs & quest for knowledge are things that
are found in every culture & are inextricably
linked. Humans in society also feel many
external pressures. Psychology dictates that
we all seek to escape from time to time
drugs help people to do this.
What did you find out about the positive
use of k (i.e. treating alcoholicism,
depression, pain management, etc)?
* www.journal-online.co.uk/article/5315-rave-drug-ketamine-targeted-for-reclassification
# www.volition.leeds.ac.uk/~stoet/pdf/Stoet-Snyder-Neuropsychopharmacology-2006.pdf
Ketamine was developed in the 60s to use
in hospitals & vetinary science. When ad-
ministered in small doses, it is a fantastic
tool in treating alcohol withdrawal & to
lull animals into anaesthesia. Ketamine in
recreational use is administered in much
higher doses (up to 500 times the recom-
mended dose or more). The desired use is
that of hallucination or accessing unknown
spaces, not medical. The 2 uses of the drug
are therefore incomparable. Its like making
an analogy between using alcohol to clean
wounds & getting smashed on a Saturday
night with a bottle of vodka.
What do you feel are negative aspects of
the drug?
Introspective, insular, psychologically ad-
dictive, unsociable, easily mistaken for co-
caine - leading to dire consequences, leaves
people very vulnerable.
Did you research famous users (John Lilly,
D M Turner, Marcia Moore, Timothy Leary)?
What is your view on these psychonauts?
Yes. Each person can choose how they
spend their lives. Ketamine can aid the phil-
osophical leanings of some people, allowing
them to reach super-consciousness. How-
ever, the squalid tale of each of these fa-
mous psychonauts demise & death or near
death brings back the question of freedom.
Although ketamine gives them freedom in
exploration, ultimately they were enslaved
by their very own Goddess ketamine.

(continued from page 1) ...threatens to set us back to an age in which political power
was ascribed the mission of promoting a religious confession, or of changing it. In the case
of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, this is also a matter of promoting one & only one religious
confession, which a universal, global political power would impose on the entire world.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the
historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police
being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties
which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare...
- Sir Robert Peel (founder of the Metropolitan police)
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson said that policing demonstrations
in the capital has hindered officers efforts to combat violence & knife crime(!).
 WE SPEAK WITH A G20 ATTENDEE
Why did you go to the London G20?
I went to observe more than to march, although I do support a lot of the causes represented
there. I also thought that it was a good chance for some photographs.
How did the protestors behave?
I felt that there was a massive division between people who had turned up for the vari-
ous peaceful protests and the ones who had attended expecting confrontation with the
authorities; the latter being clearly identified by the scarves covering their faces. At first it
felt almost like a party, but protestors grew increasingly unhappy as the police got more
aggressive, attempting to separate them. Some protestors tried to push through the police
lines. We saw a policeman smash a peaceful protestor in the face with his shield, breaking
several of his teeth. We also saw an advancing police line trample a fallen woman.
How did the police behave?
It was very clear that they went in looking for a fight, almost egging each other on. They were
beating people indiscriminately, herding them into controlled areas
Do you think that the police acted reasonably?
No, I thought that their actions made the situation worse. Initially there was a peaceful feel-
ing, interrupted when the po-
lice stopped people gather-
ing. From there they started
to herd them like cattle. It
was like they were trying
out their control techniques
and just generally assert-
ing themselves, lashing out
as they saw fit. They repeat-
edly charged with the shields
raised, screaming at us to
get back. Even those trying
to escape were targeted. So
violent. If someone was bol-
shie they carried on beating
them when they were down.
I think that there must have
been a lot of corporate &
government pressure on the
police to make it clear not
to mess with their business.
There probably would have
been a lot less trouble if the
police had actually let the
march go ahead and had also
approached the whole thing
in a sensitive fashion.
art by Roo
(interview with an American tourist)
 STRAWBERRY UN-FAIR
It seems that Cambridges popular Strawberry Fair may be on its way down, at least
according to my experience this year... Held annually on a common in the centre of
the city, the fair has been going since 1974, regularly attracting up to 80,000 visitors
with a mix of live music & stalls. For the last few years the police have taken a
harsh view of the event, last year forcing people disembarking at the station to undergo
a police checkpoint, complete with sniffer dogs (Drug searches with sniffer dogs are
now mandatory for all arriving via Cambridge station, reveller or not). Now I can under-
stand why they wish to be seen to be tackling drug use, especially in such a public
venue, but this year they appeared to be taking a different tack. What I would consider
to be a disproportionate number of officers were present, clad in fluorescent vests &
paramilitary style boots & combats. Many seemed to be videoing the public indiscrim-
inately, blatant drug users being particularly targeted but rarely actually challenged
(e.g. I witnessed them filming people snorting stuff by the main beer tent whilst
waving dodgy bags around in the air, without any apparent intervention). The planned
(legal) after party was also stopped the morning before it was due to take place,
leading some present to suggest that this was because they expected illegal parties
to then take their place, assisting the police / authorities to build up a dossier of
negative evidence intended for future use against the festival. Aside from the
legal considerations, the general tone of the festivities seemed unfortunately commercial
compared to past / similar events (personal peeve: plain white rice was 2!).
CONTROL YOURSELF
It began with a progressive time co-existent, a multi-di- How many times had he sat
increase of insufflation; mensional network in a non- consumed for hours, reluc-
hours into days into weeks, Euclidean reality, located in tant to but determined to
months, years... hyperspace... see it through to the end,
At first it was just an oc- Ready? Open your mind as although of the tale or of
casional foray into those far as it can go and dive right himself he did not yet know.
realms of unknown plea- in! Nature abhors a vacuum Fervently desiring to throw
sure, a measured and and this void gorged itself in the towel but still find-
controlled access to the on every morsel - every ing himself unable, he ral-
sub-molecular levels of our third-hand piece of coun- lied his cohorts, snort the
multiverse, fractured splin- terfeit evidence considered lore... & what a law! Every
ters of shards of potential. as possible proof, perused conceivable fragment &
Thoughts and action all from every perspective and many that just would not
placed out before him, there several more until his mind tally - every little piece of
for the taking if only he begged for respite, interven- half-remembered wisdom,
dared push just that bit fur- tion or insanity, clogged with every glimpse of synchronic-
ther. Do you have a special enough new data to fuck ity & dj vu. Was he relax-
plan for this world? he said up even the most anally ing his grip after all this time
to himself as he stretched retentive worshipper of in- or simply beginning to truly
out his arm. Yes, he did. formation. He couldnt help understand? Half-muttered
After a long period of these it, didnt know if by giving words, automatic actions &
glimpses of the whole, he these things credence he secret handshakes only he
was made aware of the na- was giving them a chance could comprehend. The ple-
ture of things when the uni- to creep in, seeking new asure he derived from these
verse decided to show him a entrenchments, furtively transactions disturbed him
part of itself, the microcosm masquerading as verifiable more than he liked to admit,
/ macrocosm, all points in experience... even to himself...
 MUSIC REVIEWS
HUE JAH FINK? & KIRSTY HAWKSHAW - tive vocals, piano-led orchestration, chamber
OUT OF REACH (Binary Feedback, MP3 EP) music, minimalist operatics & more, all with
First release from Hue Jahs new imprint a polished, almost pop, production style.
sees him teaming up with well-respected VARIOUS - FROGS 06
singer Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III, Or- (Frogs Records, 12 EP)
bital, BT) to deliver 3 varied mixes of the Crystal Distortion - fun little mashup of some
title track. Vocal Mix - light & airy journey old pop funk slop whos name I cant recall.
through chilled rhythms & lushly processed Edit - another light-hearted track; classical
vocals. Darkest Dub Mix - this is definitely wonk & silly samples. Fred Stonka - Frogs
our favourite of the three - a confident, boss brings the party vibe with a summery
sparse arrangement combining an absol- sounding blend of beats & bass, compli-
utely massive bass line with snippets of the mented by nicely varied samples. Ronin
main vocal, some wibbly FX & well punchy - swings his pants with a dementedly excel-
snare action. :) HEAVY! Silent Partner Mix - lent reimagining of an old standard. Stitch
A relatively straight DNB mix here; atmosph- - South Park provides the k-related vocals for
erics evolve into heavy duty bass before this heavy duty beast of a breakbeat track.
moving into some rinsin beats & sonic trick- Another wicked Frogs release.
ery. Another ultra-accomplished release MDK - WISH I HADNT LEFT MY BOARD AT
from this criminally unsung producer. HOME (Spymania, 12 Mini-Album)
PHILIP GLASS - SONGS FROM LIQUID DAYS Another well-kept secret - this out-of-print re-
(CBS, CD Album) cord was released way back in 2000 by the
This 1986 release is a collection of six great Spymania label (home to Squarepusher
songs by Glass,form(ing) a cycle of themes & some other seminal producers). Starting
ranging from reflections on nature to clas- out like a slightly wonky Radio One Friday
sic romantic settings. Originally planned to night dance show, it soon lurches into some
feature lyrics by David Byrne, the project lat- gorgeously distorted club muzak, cutup beats
er expanded to include those of Laurie An- & well-programmed melodics, culminating in
derson, Paul Simon & Suzanne Vega. Due some ridiculously over the top SID chip fla-
to its relative accessibility, this is one of vours. One of the great British electronic re-
Glass most popular recordings to date, cords of the nineties & definitely well worth
blending as it does some gorgeously plain- seeking out...
MOVIE REVIEWS
BLUE SUNSHINE (91 minutes, 1976, USA) (continued on back page)
Now heres a glistening jewel from my forgotten youth! People start to complain of
headaches, lose their hair & gurn about in a generally strange fashion, one geezer at a party
going so far as to freak out (rather stylishly) like a demented bird. They soon turn psychotic
& the fun begins with some random killing & then some self-extermination. All good so
far! Things then slow down for some plot development featuring our lead, Zalman King
(later a producer of some classic / shitty TV grot movies). After a bit of crime scene
investigation, King gets into some kind of hippy-guru-doctors office, finding some generic
psychedelic pictures, including a portrait of a dodgy political candidate labelled Blue
Sunshine. I liked the paedophilic Uncle Sam / Richard Branson composite better, but then
theres no accounting for taste.... He then finds Mr. Politician, who claims no knowledge of
picture or label. Cue: Stanford University alumni back story (spoiler!) & more staring eyed
baldies going bezerk. Could the madness be related to a batch of chromosome-altering
LSD taken years ago? Quite probably. Worth a watch? Definitely; a fun, stupid film for your
perusal, which also pleasantly surprised me with nice Gamelan-type muzak, of all things...
 GLASS - A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS
(Dir: Scott Hicks, 2007, USA) - This beautifully crafted documentary offers a fascinat-
ing insight into the career, personal & spiritual life of one of the 20th centurys greatest
living composers, Philip Glass. Mainly taking a talking heads approach (interspersed
with some excellent archival footage); the film follows Glass through his daily life, from
writing operas & orchestral symphonies to scoring for documentaries & features.
Some time is also spent documenting his family life, including a separation from his
wife. Apart from his obvious gift for composition, he comes across as an extremely
calm, intelligent, modest & insightful person, with a demeanour that easily belies his
seventy years. Demonstrating a keen interest in a variety of spiritual practices, he also
discusses his Buddhist & Toltec shamanism leanings (although remains admirably
close-lipped on the specifics of the latter). Essential viewing indeed.
Recommended Glass Releases:
ANIMA MUNDI - soundtrack for a gorgeous WWF nature film
THE ESSENTIAL PHILIP GLASS - a decent introduction to the mans work
KOYAANISATSI - soundtrack for the seminal film / documentary
MUSIC IN TWELVE PARTS - long, repetitive meditations
SOLO PIANO - self-explanatory! Gorgeous & lush
ALEXANDER SHULGIN
Dr. Alexander Shulgin is a well respected chemist who has studied the chemistry & effects
of psychedelic drugs (entheogens) for over 30 years. Known affectionately as Sasha by
his friends, he is most famous for discovering many psychedelic substances, including
MMDA & DOM (a.k.a. the notorious STP), as well as rediscovering MDMA (& being a
big influence on the late 1970s introduction of the drug to psychotherapy). Written in col-
laboration with his wife Ann, the books PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story & TiHKAL
form another fascinating contribution to our knowledge of entheogenic drugs, comprising
part-fictionalised biographies / part organic chemistry cookbooks. Shulgin has long
been an active proponent of the need for reforms of current drug laws, citing the need for
further research into some of these useful tools. He regularly appears on the conference
circuit & for several years answered users entheogen-related questions in his popular
Ask Dr. Shulgin column (http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/shulgin/blg/index.html).
There is much talk of the use of psychedelic drugs as the means of understanding the body or
the mind, but these views seem to always suggest that the drugs do things. More delicate are
their roles as catalysts that allow things to be realized, things that may already be in the per-
sons reality but not recognized or appreciated. Here can be the gracious realization that there is
something of the divine in each of us. This is the spiritual side of our psyches, always present but
now revealed in some remarkable way. This is the concept behind the alternate name that has
been used, entheogens. And this realization need not require a drug -- it can come from any of a
number of processes as varied as meditation or falling in love. ...the opening of that part of the
inner person is of ultimate importance. - Dr. Alexander Shulgin
ATTENTION K HEADS! HELP RESEARCH K USE
Will Phuq is currently expanding his Ketamine: A Primer pamphlet (available from us
shortly) into book form & needs your help. If youre a regular or semi-regular user of
k then please do something useful & complete a questionnaire (downloadable
from http://www.badsekta.com/kquestionnaire.txt). You dont have to include any
incriminating details & it may even bring you a cold anaesthetising glow!