Who was David Schneidermann, the infamous Acid King?
What happened to him? Does anyone know?
One of the many mysteries of the Redlands Bust is the identity and role of David Schneidermann.
Schneidermann is reported as being present in the house at the time of the bust. The description of Schneidermann varies: some report he was a 27 year old Canadian, others say he originated from California, and that he was also known as Dave Britton. He has been described as an "up-market American west coast flower child."
According to reports Schnediermann supplied the LSD to those present at Redlands on the morning of the 17th February. Marianne Faithfull confirms that Schneiderman had delivered to each of the house party a tab of "white lightning" LSD with their tea on the morning of the police raid.
When the bust occurred Schneidermann was able to prevent the police searching his attaché case by saying that it contained exposed film for a New York newspaper. According to sources the case was a trove of illegal drugs. Others suggest Schneidermann was an agent provocateur who tipped off the London tabloid newspaper the News of the World about the party. The newspaper in turn informed the police.
Christopher Gibbs, a friend of Jagger present at the bust had this to say about Schneidermann: “The infamous David Schniederman, on the other hand, was a pied-piperish character, who the hell he was, and where he came from, nobody knew he had just popped up. He was able to tune into everybody’s wavelength and was seductive, satanic, the devil in his most beguiling of disguises. After the bust he vanished as deveils do, in a puff of smoke, and was never seen again.”
Michael Cooper is quoted in Tony Sanchez's book - Up and Down with the Rolling Stones. “The guy’s much more than an ordinary pusher,” he said. “He had a whole collection of different passports in different names and with different nationalities on them. I saw them once when I was looking through his bag for some dope at Redlands.”
“And he talked to me about guns and weapons in the same sort of way that most guys talk about chicks. I know it sounds fantastic but I reckon he was something much more than a creep hired by the News of the World. He was like some kind of James Bond character, and someone, someone right at the top, put him in because the stones are becoming too powerful. They really are worried that you could spark off fighting in the streets if you tried, and now they are going to try to break you. I’m sure the newspaper was in on it somewhere, but it was this guy using them-not the other way around.”
Schneidermann slipped out of Britain a few days after the bust never to be seen or heard of again.
Schneiderman's disappearance immediately after the bust has been the subject of speculation ever since. It was assumed he just left the country. At the trial Michael Havers QC, defending Jagger and Richards, claimed that Schneiderman had been planted by the News of the World as an agent provocateur. It was an allegation the newspaper, which was already being sued for libel by Jagger, described as a "monstrous charge" but it later admitted that it was the "reliable source" whose tip-off led to the raid.
It is even not clear if his name is spelt Schneiderman or with two ‘n’s: Schneidermann. At the trial the name was spelt: Sneidermann.
During research for this book I searched the Internet for the whereabouts of Schneidermann. I was excited to hear about David Schneiderman, the CEO of Village Voice but I can confirm he is not the Acid King who attended the infamous Redlands Bust. Subsequent investigations have uncovered no trace of Schneidermann.
From the evidence I now think that Schneidermann was most likely an undercover agent employed by either USA or British intelligence. It is known that these intelligence agencies had programs to infiltrate youth organizations in the sixties.
If you have any information about the identity of Schneidermann please let me know.
One of the many mysteries of the Redlands Bust is the identity and role of David Schneidermann.
Schneidermann is reported as being present in the house at the time of the bust. The description of Schneidermann varies: some report he was a 27 year old Canadian, others say he originated from California, and that he was also known as Dave Britton. He has been described as an "up-market American west coast flower child."
According to reports Schnediermann supplied the LSD to those present at Redlands on the morning of the 17th February. Marianne Faithfull confirms that Schneiderman had delivered to each of the house party a tab of "white lightning" LSD with their tea on the morning of the police raid.
When the bust occurred Schneidermann was able to prevent the police searching his attaché case by saying that it contained exposed film for a New York newspaper. According to sources the case was a trove of illegal drugs. Others suggest Schneidermann was an agent provocateur who tipped off the London tabloid newspaper the News of the World about the party. The newspaper in turn informed the police.
Christopher Gibbs, a friend of Jagger present at the bust had this to say about Schneidermann: “The infamous David Schniederman, on the other hand, was a pied-piperish character, who the hell he was, and where he came from, nobody knew he had just popped up. He was able to tune into everybody’s wavelength and was seductive, satanic, the devil in his most beguiling of disguises. After the bust he vanished as deveils do, in a puff of smoke, and was never seen again.”
Michael Cooper is quoted in Tony Sanchez's book - Up and Down with the Rolling Stones. “The guy’s much more than an ordinary pusher,” he said. “He had a whole collection of different passports in different names and with different nationalities on them. I saw them once when I was looking through his bag for some dope at Redlands.”
“And he talked to me about guns and weapons in the same sort of way that most guys talk about chicks. I know it sounds fantastic but I reckon he was something much more than a creep hired by the News of the World. He was like some kind of James Bond character, and someone, someone right at the top, put him in because the stones are becoming too powerful. They really are worried that you could spark off fighting in the streets if you tried, and now they are going to try to break you. I’m sure the newspaper was in on it somewhere, but it was this guy using them-not the other way around.”
Schneidermann slipped out of Britain a few days after the bust never to be seen or heard of again.
Schneiderman's disappearance immediately after the bust has been the subject of speculation ever since. It was assumed he just left the country. At the trial Michael Havers QC, defending Jagger and Richards, claimed that Schneiderman had been planted by the News of the World as an agent provocateur. It was an allegation the newspaper, which was already being sued for libel by Jagger, described as a "monstrous charge" but it later admitted that it was the "reliable source" whose tip-off led to the raid.
It is even not clear if his name is spelt Schneiderman or with two ‘n’s: Schneidermann. At the trial the name was spelt: Sneidermann.
During research for this book I searched the Internet for the whereabouts of Schneidermann. I was excited to hear about David Schneiderman, the CEO of Village Voice but I can confirm he is not the Acid King who attended the infamous Redlands Bust. Subsequent investigations have uncovered no trace of Schneidermann.
From the evidence I now think that Schneidermann was most likely an undercover agent employed by either USA or British intelligence. It is known that these intelligence agencies had programs to infiltrate youth organizations in the sixties.
If you have any information about the identity of Schneidermann please let me know.
posted by Keith Cooley at 9:00 AM
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