BAD TRIP

In 1967, Simon, whose drug use was generally limited to pot, decided to take an LSD tab he’d been given by Owsley Stanley, the Grateful Dead’s sound man. He took it at home, alone. ‘It is not a good idea to take it alone, but I didn’t know that at the time,’ he said. ‘All of a sudden I felt I was up on the ceiling, looking at myself on the bed. I felt panicky and thought it would help if I took a bath, so I walked into the bathroom… I look in the mirror, and I see my head had turned into a skull. I get into the shower, and I start seeing… big bugs in the tub.’