Guelph Psychedelic Society

"Every episode approaches sophisticated ideas while stuffing them into an astonishing psychedelic cartoon, so that “The Midnight Gospel” forces you to push beyond the distractions of its many moving parts and appreciate the substance at its core. The resulting trippy sci-fi adventure is a feast for the eyes and mind at once." Eric Kohn (IndieWire)

"Gospel's not for kids, but it reflects the ecstatic innovations that made Adventure Time such a trip. Ward directs every episode and finds moments of religious astonishment alongside gloopy horror, all of it served with chatty humanism and palpable sweetness. ... The result is a new kind of masterpiece: easy to like, easier to worship." Darren Franich (Entertainment Weekly)

Any spiritual practice that is like, trying to get to something - "I'm going to become more spiritual. I am going to become more loving. And I'm gonna make some change. I'm getting points somehow, I'm changing." The Buddhist perspective is, "Dude, you're grinding in World of Warcraft. Step the fuck away from the computer. Wake up. It's just a game. You're fucking grinding in World of Warcraft. You're trying all these spiritual practices or you're trying to add experience points to a character that doesn't fucking exist! You forgot that you're playing a game. You're dehydrated, drink some water. You've been playing this fricking game for, like, 20 hours straight, to the point that you forgot it was a game."- Jason Louv (Episode 5 - "Annihilation of Joy")

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ahoy folks, this month we'll be exploring the psychedelic single-season show THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL (2020) by Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell.

THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL is a wacky meditation on how diverse and eccentric the human mind is. we follow Clancy, a spacecaster (a podcaster in space) who has an infinite amount of questions and queries about what it means to be alive. each episode, Clancy explores a new planet/universe with the goal of trying to better understand himself and his place within this infinite vastness. Clancy is accompanied by a special guest(s) each episode, in which he and his companions explore another world on the surface, but in reality they're plunging deeper and deeper into what it means to be human.

with episodes ranging from topics such as discussing "good" vs. "bad" drugs with the president during a cataclysmic zombie apocalypse; to trying to understand the meaning of life with two renowned spiritual leaders while trying to escape "Clown World" after having been turned into sentient "meat mush;" or such adventures as falling into your own backpack and suddenly finding yourself on a date with Death, who insists all your spiritual practices have been for nothing since you're going to die on a rolly chair and what the hell even is Enlightenment anyway?

THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL is off the rails, just like how our experiences can be during psychedelic journeys (and this thing we call life, ultimately). derived from a selection of comedian/podcaster Duncan Trussell's The Duncan Trussell Family Hour episodes and animated/directed by ADVENTURE TIME's creator Pendleton Ward, each episode of THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL dives deep into an aspect of our humanity, emulating the psychedelic experience in both presentation and through exquisite thought forms.

join us for a lively discussion of this far-out series on Saturday, October 24 at 10am at the Red Brick Cafe.

you can stream THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL on Netflix.