Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Neil Krug

In a new interview with Q magazine, Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker has discussed the relationship between hallucinogenic substances and his own creativity.

The conversation begins with Parker reflecting on the time he spent studying at university.

Or should have been.

Nestled in a Perth sharehouse with friends, Parker spent more time listening to bands like Cream, Black Sabbath as well as contemporary psychedelic rock outfits like Dungen.

“We were into that kind of music,” Parker shares, “so we were like, ‘Hey! Let’s do acid and mushrooms then.'”

“I’ve had a lot of experiences on acid,” he then adds, “that I consider beneficial.”

Parker elaborated on one such experience in a February interview with Vice.

“I had this feeling,” the Tame Impala mastermind shared. “It’s funny because it actually stuck with me. I kept having flashbacks of it for years afterward. The only way I could describe it is like, ‘God’s hit record.’”

“I smoke a bit when I’m recording,” Parker shared with GQ Australia in 2015. “If I’m fleshing out a song, smoking weed can make it more potent – like turning up the volume of the ideas in your head. But you’re just as likely to turn up a bad idea, as a good one, so I don’t smoke it if I want to think rationally. There’s also a lot of drinking.”

This said Parker is by no means an advocate.

“I’m not going to recommend that someone does drugs,” he informed Vice in 2016.

Tame Impala‘s full interview appears in this month’s issue of Q.

You can order a copy here.

TAME IMPALA – 2020 TOUR DATES
03/13/20 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center* CANCELED
03/19/20 – Mexico City, MEX @ Foro Sol $
03/21/20 – Monterrey, MEX @ Pal Norte $
05/23/20 – London, UK @ All Points East – Victoria Park
05/29/20 – Chicago, IL @ United Center#
05/30/20 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum#
05/31/20 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena#
06/02/20 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena#
06/03/20 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre#
06/06/20 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena#
06/08/20 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center#
06/09/20 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena#
06/11/20 – Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena#
06/12/20 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center#
07/17/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Energy Center#
07/19/20 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center#
07/20/20 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center#
07/21/20 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center#
07/23/20 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center#
07/24/20 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center#
07/25/20 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center#
07/28/20 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena#
07/30/20 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center#
08/01/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena#
08/03/20 – Portland, OR @ MODA Center#
08/05/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena#
08/07/20 – George, WA @ The Gorge Amphiteathre#

* w/ Clairo
$ w/ MGMT
# w/ Perfume Genius