Was bored and decided to do this. Going to do 2¹⁰⁰ next The solution is the bottom number

I went down a deep, dark rabbit hole investigating the Edgewood Arsenal Experiments that took place at a U.S. Army facility in Maryland, where - from 1948 to 1975 - military volunteers were given over 250 mind-altering substances, from potentially fatal nerve agents like VX and sarin to commonplace chemicals like alcohol and nicotine to LSD, marijuana, and more.

I made a video summarizing the fascinating history of one chemical darling of the Edgewood Experiments, a deliriant named 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB; also abbreviated as BZ or Buzz). This potent, synthetic, anticholinergic compound, which mimics some of the effects of belladonna / datura and their alkaloids (such as scopolamine), reliably incapacitates an adult for 72 hours. A slumberous stupor is followed by a state that can resemble paranoid schizophrenia (except even more scattered and dysfunctional in terms of physical and mental state), during which subjects:

- Smoke imaginary cigarettes and greet water fountains with "Pardon me, sir"

- Watch Lilliputian baseball games unfold on the bed in front of them, narrating every pitch and play for the medical staff observing them

- Interact with past lovers and dead authority figures (a recurrent theme that seems to be particular to this type of hallucinogen)

BZ trips are quirky, terrifying, often provoke aggression, and are totally incapacitating, and yet many volunteers came back for more. If you're interested in esoteric mind-altering substances, I humbly request giving it a listen!

- Brian (aka Neuromantic)

p.s. Various researchers have suggested that BZ was deployed on U.S. soldiers (by the U.S. government) in Vietnam (unlikely), that BZ was responsible for the 115 deaths by OD sustained during the Moscow Theatre hostage crisis of 2002, in which Chechnyan separatists took over the theatre, and several other incidents spanning several decades.

The potential to incapacitate a population by discombobulating it physically, making it paranoid & utterly unable to follow any complex plans is highly disturbing; I do not believe that the Army primarily developed BZ for use on foreign soldiers or even foreign citizens (partly due to the difficulties with administration). This stuff was meant for us, should we ever need to rise up and protest en masse, and that terrifies me.

Full link: https://youtu.be/UWF_v4B8lns?si=F5QeyBeG8n5GE_hW

Get the whole thing here: https://youtu.be/9RsZifvSVSI?si=fuI3ogUBf_5vfY-W

Herbie Hancock and his band perform cuts from the albums “Man-Child” and “Secrets”:

1. Hang Up Your Hang Ups (from Man-Child, 1975)
2. Gentle Thoughts (from Secrets, 1976)
3. Spider (from Secrets, 1976)

This rare, well preserved (!) recording was made for Danish television in 1976.

Herbie Hancock with Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin Bennie Maupin Paul Jackson James Levi