What a Long, Strange Trip. Bringing a piece of the '60s--The Dreamachine--into the '90s
By Pamela Rohland •
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Bringing a piece of literary arcana and '60s memorabilia tolife has unexpectedly turned into a thriving business for offbeatLos Angeles composer and builder David Woodard. The 34-year-oldentrepreneur builds and sells The Dreamachine, a psychedeliccontraption that first made its appearance in novels by Brion Gysinand William S. Burroughs. Like many readers, Woodard assumed thedevice was fictional-that is, until 1991, when his landlord (an oldfriend) slipped him the templates of the original design.
The Dreamachine consists of a museum board or copper cylinderwith holes in it attached to a turntable, in the middle of whichsits a 200-watt light bulb. When the machine is turned on, thecylinder spins. The resulting flashes of light result in a simplelight show, creating a dreamlike sensation.
