Anthony Bourdain At The Integratron: 'No Reservations' Gets Weird

We should have known things were about to get weird when Anthony Bourdain kept tweeting things like "#420 required" and "Proper prior preparation required" before last night's episode of "No Reservations."

Sure enough, Tony had a rock 'n roll guys weekend in Joshua Tree with Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. The episode is exactly what you'd expect -- a lot of tequila, steak, and guitar. But things get trippy when the pair visit the Integratron, what Bourdain explains is "the only acoustically perfect all-wood space," in the entire country. He and Homme lay down on some blankets in the middle of the room to experience a quartz crystal sound bath, and that's when things start to get psychedelic.

The Integratron's creator, aeronautical engineer George Van Tassel, believed that aliens from Venus showed him how to create a device that could add 20-50 years to a human being's life. Van Tassel also thought it was a time traveling device. Here's more on its history:

To visit the Integratron and have a psychedelic sound bath, call 760-364-3126 or email [e-mail]. Appointments are available from Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. The cost for one person starts at $55.

Comments

[straightuptalker]

06:08 AM on 08/12/2011

Also a fan of Tony's and particularly appreciate that he's up front, no holds barred, down-to-earth, and is uncensored and can say what he wants, and even though his crass language is bleeped out, we get it. He provides a brief history of the location, cultural and even religious beliefs, smokes, drinks and can buddy-up with anybody. How could anyone not like him?

[thebigbike]

12:21 PM on 08/11/2011

I didn't much trust his judgment about food and I should care about this why???

[Geoprof]

05:57 PM on 08/10/2011

Bourdain ranks up there with Jeff Bridges on the pantheon of cool!

[DMT8665]

11:04 PM on 08/09/2011

Meh...

[Condescending Picard]

09:40 PM on 08/09/2011

Call me when non-conformists stop worshiping Tony Bourdain. I'm sick to death of him already. He does his own thing and hates Food Network. We get it.

[Stinky71]

09:33 PM on 08/09/2011

Bad headline. Great product placement.

[Rolf Krayer]

08:31 PM on 08/09/2011

I like Bourdain. However, what was the need to trivialize this particular experience? OK, he's a cynic –and a very intelligent and sensitive one, no doubt– but if he is willing to experience different realms of awareness he should respect them. Watch his comments regarding Asian food in his Real Time (Bill Maher) appearance this past Friday or his conference on FORA.tv. He seems to understand the fact that he doesn't understand everything. That was cool. This was ridiculous.

[Sioux Chef]

08:40 PM on 08/09/2011

Trivialize? He let the proprietors' nonsense slide unscathed. It should have been ridiculed and he gave them an undeserved pass.

Tesla technology? Alien blueprints for a life-extending machine using sound? Good grief.

The rest of the episode was great.

[Thaddeus Orwell]

01:38 AM on 08/10/2011

Right, I know all that can't possibly be true because I haven't bothered to do the tiniest bit of reasearch into George Van Tassel or alien contactees or the effects of geomagnetic anomalies combined with various sound frequencies on the mind or the subtle body as a way to induce altered states of consciousness....I defintely haven't researched the subtle body so it couldn't possibly be real. And, I mean, it's not like there are hundreds of people all around the world for decades claiming to be in touch with tall, nordic-looking ET's.....at least, as far as you and I know, right? It's really nice knowing it all, isn't it?

[Thaddeus Orwell]

05:29 AM on 08/27/2011

I knew you'd come back with sleep paralysis. Of course, it has to be because no one could possibly tell the difference between sleep paralysis and a waking experience. Strange though that his hallucinatory experience caused by your fancy and impressive latin phrase corresponds perfectly with the claims of contactees all over the world. Anyway, watch this episode of this new TV show called "Secret Access: UFOs on the Record" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgDfyQ9oxyo&feature=related - I'm sure you'll have great fun telling me how all of these people are crazy looney tin foil hat loons in some somnambulistic trance.

[normalintexas]

07:07 PM on 08/09/2011

What's not to love about Anthony?

[ANlMAL]

06:09 PM on 08/09/2011

I love No Reservations and I tend to hate most shows like it.

I like Tony's style and personality and the cultures and foods he chooses to represent.

I will wait to see the full episode to see the footage.

I am hoping it will be more entertaining than the bang lasse and attendant goodies he indulged in once upon a time in an old episode in India. =)

[NunuDudu]

06:07 PM on 08/09/2011

Boo. When I read the headline I thought he ate some peyote or something.

[dirigentin]

07:37 PM on 08/09/2011

he drank 100-y.o. absinthe in Parts and proceeded to spend the night in the same hotel room where Oscar Wilde died. He's a total badass.

[cameron d]

11:41 PM on 08/09/2011

The best part is the fact that was one of the first episodes of the series. He set the tone of the show right off the bat!

[mary896]

05:57 PM on 08/09/2011

A perfect example of why this show is awesome. Travel with a worldly dude, eat trippy stuff, visit nutty local establishments and experience the world you'd never find without Tony.

[Joe Bigg]

05:56 PM on 08/09/2011

Anthony Bourdain is the best host out there.

[CGI]

05:43 PM on 08/09/2011

QOTSA runs the planet.

[MexiChick67]

05:34 PM on 08/09/2011

I just recently started watching NR. I love Bourdain's humor, off the beaten path, straight forward, no non-sense style in his search for the best experiences in life. Watching his show I have added some new items to my 'Bucket List'. Nice that I have experienced some of the places he has visited before I started watching his show.

[derrickhoyle]

05:29 PM on 08/09/2011

If you would like to know more about this, read "The Mojave" by David Darlington. One of my favorite books.