Steve Aoki on His First and Only Acid Trip

You don't do drugs, you don't drink, right? You don't fuck around with anything. No, yeah. That's like one of the things that we talked, like, oh, you know, when we talked about how I'm sustainable is that you have to not do the certain things that make it unsustainable, right? So I never really got into drugs. I do talk about my book, my first acid trip when I was 13, but that scared the living shit out of me to stay away from anything hallucinogenic and like literally you got 13, so I just stay away from drugs. That's a bad time to do acid. It's a very, very funny story, but it got to the point where I just became this, this straight edge hardcore kid. I became extremely religious because I was in this, like I was 13. I was looking up going, I'm going to be fucked for the rest of my life. Like when you're on acid, you're like fucking out there. You're just so fucked up. And, and when you start thinking like, this is how I'm going to be forever, you're clinging on to anything that can get you out, right? And for me, when I grew up as a kid, I'm almost putting me into like Catholic schools and one of the best things that Catholic schools do is indoctrinate kids on fear. And so, you know, like, you know, I remember going up to the drawing board, like there was like a, a drawing of what hell is like, guess who's going there forever, people that don't believe, you know? And you know, when you're young, you start seeing that. And, and then when you get into a place of vulnerability where you're like, where I was, I was like scared shitless. I was like, I'm going to go to an insane award when I'm 13 because I can't get out of this acid hell trip. How long did it last? I guess like what, seven, eight hours, but every second is like a minute, you know? Cause you cannot sleep. You cannot stop thinking about what you're in. I mean, there is like, it's like this exaggerated emotions. Like the first part of my acid trip was like, I was so funny. I was laughing at everything. It was like the best thing I ever did. I was like, oh my God, everything is so funny. I'm just laughing. I'm like in pain. Cause I'm like, so just laughing at everything, just everything's joyous. And then like, I went into this upside down world, like stranger things. When I got dropped off at my friend's house and everyone went dark and my friends were my friends, 14, he doesn't do drugs. So he was, and his mom was coming down. You're okay. Everything's okay. They know you're on acid. No, they knew I was on acid, but they're like, you're like, I'm like an 80 pound Japanese kid, you know, five foot, you know, like a little kid. Like what the hell is my doing acid for? You know, I do talk about like where that came out, but, um, yeah. So like when I was, when I got flipped into that world, then everything was like. I saw street fighter, like fireballs from Ryu coming at me. Like when I closed, when I closed my eyes, it was very, very vibrant and vivid. And I mean, it was, it's, it's a trip for sure. So once you were gained sanity, you were like enough of any of this nonsense. Yeah. Yeah. Once I was like, Oh my God, I'm back. This is, this is for real. Like I, I have fuck drugs, fuck this shit. You know, like, and then I was like, I'm straight edge. Cause that's the music I was starting to get into. And then I was like, I'm all about God and Jesus. It's going to save me. You know, like he saved me. So like as a kid, I was very religious going, um, out and then that, you know, start exploring more about the world. And, and then went more from this face or faith-based concepts of living through life to, you know, things that needed me more needed to make sense for me. Um, I'm very much more scientific on like the understanding of how I want to see things. Where, where did the change take place? When did it take place? Uh, that would happen to be college and post. Where'd you go to school? UC Santa Barbara. So when you went, it was great. Yeah. I love Santa Barbara. God. It's like the hidden gem of California, right? Yeah. So sweet out there. Yeah. So you just became educated, started learning more about things. And then, so. Yeah. I don't know if there was like one spark that happened. It was just kind of like, I just had questions about why things happen. Like what, what is religion? Like what, you know, you know, how things work in the world, how societies are built. Um, did you study theology? A little, a little, but I don't know if that would be like the philosophy classes that I was taking was not really the, the crux of it. Sociology was my major. I was women's studies in sociology when I was in college. Women's studies. Yeah. I was going, yeah. Women's studies. Do you want to figure them out? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I have to say like strangely enough, that's the first thing you think about, right? Why, why is it guy in women's studies? Like trying to understand. You're angry. I mean, the reason why I was in that department is because my favorite teachers, uh, were the ones teaching those classes. So I just was like, all right, I'll try this one. And then I was like, wow, this is actually pretty interesting. I'll try another one. And, um, and then I was like, wow, I'll just, I'll finish off the major. And, uh, you know, I'd have to say like the stuff that I learned in school, it's in large part of how I kind of look through kind of like navigate through my life. Like sociology, I am a sociologist. I want to study people like why they do certain things, you know, like how do I navigate them in different directions? Well, and then you've become a purveyor of great fun. Like that's essentially what you do professionally. Right. You give people a great time. Like your shows are this wild, extremely energetic experience for people. And they leave, there's a certain level of transformance. Right. I've watched some of your shit online and you do these enormous crowds, man. And it's so epic. And you see all those people going fucking crazy and dancing along to your shit. I mean, it's gotta be a wild, wild feeling knowing that you're giving this really positive experience, these thousands and thousands of people that are just roaring along to your music. Yeah. It's wild. Yeah. Now, as you say, I'm like, you know, I get all like, yeah, no, because it is exactly what you're saying. And that's why I'm, I guess you could say I'm addicted to that. And because I care so much about that. I have to be sustainable. You know, it goes back to what we're talking about. Like, what do I need to do? You do too. There's no fucking way you could do 250 shows a year and get fucked up 250 days. Oh yeah. Cause there's a lot, you know, in that business, especially, you know, the business of electronic dance music, there's a lot of people doing Molly, right? There's a lot of people doing all kinds of amphetamines and all kinds of crazy shit. And you gotta think like you do that every night, man, you're going to look like an 80 year old man by the time you're 40 years old, because you've literally burned the candle with a blowtorch. You've used that Elon Musk, not a flamethrower. Fucking broke that candle. You know, I mean, it's. Well, you know what I always say, if whenever I have the opportunity is that for the people in my crowds and I just say country by country, they're very different as far as like what I think if they're doing drugs or not, where are they do the most drugs? Um, no, I don't think so. I don't, but you know, it's hard. Like it's like, I'm just judging, right? I don't know what people are doing out there. I could judge by how interactive they are. That's the best way I can tell. Right. If they're like, yeah, if they're, that's the worst, that's the worst, like subject to play to it's like literally playing at a cocktail party when their backs are turned to you, it's the same kind of thing for me. So if they're already high and they just like lost in their world, like it's no fun for me, plus I spend so much time making like my sets. So interactive, so engaging and entertaining. Like it's a bit disrespectful. I get it. Yeah. You know, but like, you know, some people are going to do it. You're not going to be like the Debbie Downer and be like, yo, everyone on drugs. Get the hell out of here. 80% of the crowd. If you said that everyone on drugs, get the fuck out of here. If they listened to you, what percentage do you think in Vegas would leave? Oh, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. You want it. I don't even want to know. I don't even want to know. Honestly, weed weed's different though. Weeds more like chill, you know, like, but if you're so like highs, zonked off your head where you can't, you don't even know where you are, what's going on, then like you just lose the whole experience. I mean, a lot of times people wake up going, Oh, what happened? I mean, what's the point of, of, you know, the experience? If you, you're so blitzed out of your head, you don't even know what's going on. So allegedly during the experience or having a good time. Yeah.