Neil Selkirk, G. Gordon Liddy and Dr. Timothy Leary
Possibly one of the oddest couples ever photographed. For those of you under about 35 who might not know, G. Gordon Liddy (now 85) was the ultraconservative, hawkish operative who organized and directed the break-in at the Watergate Hotel that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Timothy Leary (d. 1996), fired from Harvard University in 1963, was a psychiatrist and philosopher who advocated experimentation with LSD and psilocybin (back when they were legal) and other psychotropic drugs, allegedly to explore their therapeutic potential. He became a guru of the psychedelic movement in the 1960s.
Liddy at one time reportedly carried out a drug raid on Leary's residence, a mansion bought for him by several Mellon heirs. Both men spent time in prison.
Neil Selkirk's deadpan portrait is perfect—by placing the two close together and in the same pose, he created an almost humorous but still unsettling juxtaposition of sameness and difference.
British-born Neil Selkirk (now 68) was an assistant to some of the biggest name photographers in the 1960s, and later became renowned for his own portraiture. He was also the "the only person ever authorized to make posthumous prints of the work of Diane Arbus," according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Virtually every reproduction in every Arbus book you might have seen is of a print made by him.
This photograph was taken for Interview magazine. Liddy and Leary were at the time on a speaking tour of American college campuses, staging debates which by all accounts were extremely popular and that generated massive amounts of publicity—one of the fruits of which is this mild yet startling photograph.
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
Steven Willard: "Selkirk may have suggested the pose with tongue in cheek, but Liddy and Leary clearly show they enjoyed the joke, too. Great picture, thanks for sharing it."
Stan B.: "Or...one was crazy sans drugs, the other via."
John Camp: "I first saw that photo years ago, made me laugh, and made me laugh again today."
Chuck Albertson: "I remember seeing those two on tour, after Liddy got out of stir. Definitely one of the strangest evenings I can remember, topped only by the Leary / Hunter Thompson / Abbie Hoffman trifecta a couple of years later."
F. Adams: "My father-in-law carpooled to D.C. with G. Gordon Liddy and a couple other spooks. On the radio one day was a story about someone who jumped out of a car at 30 mph and survived. While they were debating whether to believe the story, Liddy says there's only one way to find out, and before much more was said, he tumbles out of the car at about 30 mph. They stop the car, he brushes off his suit, gets in, and says 'I guess it can be done' before continuing their commute into D.C."
Mike replies: ...Sounds like Col. Flagg, the character on the TV show M*A*S*H allegedly inspired in part by Liddy.
allegedly to explore their therapeutic potential...
Actually, it's a real shame that LSD became stigmatised and/or used as an illicit drug, as that prevented real research being done on it for many decades.
Recent research (which is invariably labelled as 'controversial') suggests that it might be a safer and more effective treatment for conditions such as depression than the more socially acceptable medically approved drugs - some of which have done significant harm.
It's a shame that Leary didn't emphasise the science a little more than the "turn on, tune in, drop out" stuff, memorable though it might have been.
Posted by: Nigel | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 12:59 PM
I seem to remember seeing these two debating on the televisual contraption... This was in Britain, but it was almost certainly a US programme.
I can only remember one thing though...
Liddy describing military personnel as having "room temperature IQ's".
Not a lot to remember, but something.
Posted by: Stephen J | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 01:14 PM
Selkirk may have suggested the pose with tongue in cheek, but Liddy and Leary clearly show they enjoyed the joke, too. Great picture, thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: Steven Willard | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 01:39 PM
Not much to say, except-That's just too damn funny! Made my day. Well maybe a touch more after all.
I have a friend who became letter writing friends with Leary. He traveled with an entourage and lead a very interesting lifestyle to say the least. Always wished I had participated in one of the Electric Kool Aid Acid tests myself. Every person I know who experimented with LSD acknowledges it as one of the most important moments in their lives. These (and there are only a few in my circle) are today very successful people of stature and power. I'm sure there were others with different stories.
Posted by: Del Bomberger | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 02:32 PM
Around 1983, I was visiting a friend from my time in independent film studios in the early '70s making rock and roll documentaries (Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs... , Soul to Soul, etc.) My friend had been Editing Robert Altman films which lead to him working with Allen Rudolph who was also from the Altman "stable". During my visit I spent several hours in my friend's home editing room where he and Allen Rudolph were editing documentary footage of that Leary/Liddy tour. It was fairly amazing to see these 2 adversaries hanging out together both on and off stage. I don't think the movie ever got picked up for distribution but what I saw of it was fairly compelling stuff, at least for anyone who had lived through the '60s and '70s. By the way, they were workinfg on a KEM flatbed editing table (Keller-Elektro-Mechanik) such as was used to edit Woodstock, and which by 1983 was just about to go the way of the dinosaurs.
Posted by: Michael Hubbert | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 02:37 PM
Batcha' a dollar that picture was made with a waist-level reflex finder . . .
Posted by: Benjamin Marks | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 05:10 PM
I tried holding the photo over an open flame, and it wouldn't burn. Or dodge. I guess the trick is not minding.
Posted by: D | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 05:43 PM
They were sort of an odd couple and were actually friends, I recall, as is reflected in that photo.
Posted by: D. Hufford. | Friday, 06 May 2016 at 08:12 PM
Mike, do you know which year the picture was taken? You don't say.
Anthony
Posted by: Anthony Shaughnessy | Saturday, 07 May 2016 at 02:26 AM
re: Col. Flagg - "I think the wind just broke his leg."
Posted by: Earl Dunbar | Saturday, 07 May 2016 at 08:39 AM
Liddy wrote about the raid in his autobiography, Will. I don't know whether the book was written before or after his speaking tours with Leary (and am too lazy to look it up) but he definitely had respect for Leary's intellect, and was no dope himself. Apart from a forgivable density about his views of the participants in the Watergates events, Liddy's book is well written, very funny and well worth reading - it gives a first person demonstration of what happens when ideological reasoning is taken to extreme positions. Moreover, Liddy knew it, did it anyway, and was proud to have done it. I have nothing at all to say about possible present political parallels (except for some alliteration).
Posted by: Michael Bearman | Saturday, 07 May 2016 at 11:06 AM
Turn on
Tune in
Drop out
Break in
Posted by: David Bennett | Saturday, 07 May 2016 at 03:49 PM