The Hallucinogenic Interview Series—Larry King

Los Angeles, California October, 2025

Larry King: We are talking today with Perry Stone, a self-proclaimed author, adventurer, photographer, and philosopher. And for those of you who are remotely familiar with his body of work, he isn’t exaggerating. Welcome to our show, Perry. Are you ready for this?

Perry: I am not exactly sure what you mean by “this.” But I have been having conversations for five decades now and should be able to muddle through another.

Larry King: Okay, by this, I mean fame and millions of fans. Your body of work is one of the most extraordinary concepts I have ever seen in any form of literature.

Perry Well, thank you. I try hard, but I do not seek fame or fans—although a few bucks would come in handy. What I want is for people to understand that they have options on how they live their lives. That paradise is not a destination; it is a decision.

Larry King: Hold on—what do you mean by that? Are you saying that money was not your primary objective here? How can our listeners or I believe that?

Perry: Well, first off, you need a functioning brain. Some will, some won’t believe me, I accept that. I choose not to defend myself, my actions, or my words. But I will say that I don’t have a fucking agent or a publisher. I made my own little company, the Smoking Turtle ePress. I am not here to leverage my efforts and beliefs. You can buy one of my eBooks directly from me for $15. I spent about 40 years becoming the man I am to be able to create them, and I spent the last three years dedicated to creating them. I figure $15 is a fair price.

Fifteen dollars that literally can completely change the trajectory of your life. And if it doesn’t, you are entertained, humored, motivated, and inspired. I heard Taylor Swift charges up to $4,000 for a concert ticket. Don’t fucking accuse me of doing this for money.

Larry King: Fair enough. So tell us—you have three eBooks ready to drop: Changing Lanes, A Beach Bum’s Guide to Living Incognito, and the first one being released now, The Palm Tree Express: A Trip to the Never-Never. Today, we will focus on the latter. Define that for me.

Perry: Thank you. It is hard to encapsulate things. I had a small place on a public beach in the Caribbean, and I lived there for years. I was kind of a whore. I fell in love with 25 bikinis a day, if not more. Then, one November day, I met a woman who communicated to me in a way I had never experienced before—or since.

She kind of owned me. Within a minute, I knew I would lay down my life for hers. She was beautiful, she was mysterious, cute, and she was unassuming. The thought of living a minute of my future life without her scared me. She was like an alien, a barefoot Goddess, and yet she did nothing out of the ordinary.

I knew it would be futile to try to impress her, so with all the courage I could muster, I just let her see and feel me. The more I dared to share, the more we bonded. She laughed at everything I said. She tolerated my lame flirtations, and we just went on enjoying a day in the sun.

We swam in the ocean, and our bodies touched, and I thought I was struck by lightning—but we just ignored it and played on. Everything was natural to her. I told her anything I could that would make me interesting. She told me little, but she told me that she was once blind.

And that blew my mind.

But somehow the gods were smiling on me that day. And later, we didn’t have sex—we made love in the most beautiful way I have ever experienced. And I was so scared. Scared she would leave, which I knew she would. I played strong man, and she snuggled into my chest, and we dreamed.

I dreamed of The Palm Tree Express. When I woke, she was gone, but she left me a note. She told me who she was and where I could find her—but I never did. Because she was so beautiful, because what we shared was perfect, and because I could feel her love, her passion, I could hear her laughter, see her smile—she was with me already.

Larry King: That’s incredible.

Perry: I know.

Larry King: Okay, when you are ready, please tell us about The Palm Tree Express.

Perry: The Palm Tree Express is the reality through bullshit, invention, real-life experience, and watching the sun climb out of the Caribbean 1,500 times. You don’t have to be a Christian to know God in those moments. Sometimes, the combination of dawn and then sunrise was so overwhelming that experiencing the rest of the day seemed pointless.

Larry King: What is the story line?

Perry: Haha, good question. I didn’t so much write the book as I did transcribe it—and it came together in such a profoundly effective way that I can only applaud the contributing forces. This book is like an extension of me. I love adventure, but The Palm Tree Express doesn’t describe an adventure—it is an adventure. You could pick this book up and open it to any page and start reading, and it will draw you in.

This is because it isn’t one story, and it isn’t a collection of stories. It is a mosaic of thoughts, ideas, and experiences that come together to tell a united story. Sadly, a person cannot truly appreciate pleasure if they have not experienced pain. It’s why some of the world’s most acclaimed artists in any field are tortured souls. Often self-inflicted, their wounds seem to open doors to the other side. I am not separated from that world. I did my time—tortured by isolation, addictions, devious actions, criminal acts, and moral corruption. Fortunately, I was never caught, and now the statute of limitations is in effect for my criminal misdeeds, so I try to pay it back by helping others see that paradise is there for the taking.

My toolkit includes humor, honesty, and what I like to call unabashed wisdom. I do not tell anyone what to think in The Palm Tree Express—I paint pictures and let them interpret things for themselves.

Larry King: Honestly, isn’t that just spin? A book has to have a storyline, or it can’t be considered a book.

Perry: Now, you see, you would probably appreciate The Palm Tree Express—because the story is you. The story is every reader who ever reads it. I provide an introduction to the Lost Medallions of Paradise and the tenets they represent. This opens up a person’s mind to understand what paradise is. It helps them wonder—and that wonder always manifests in a personal way.

I provide actual escape instructions: how to get away for a weekend or a week in an impromptu road trip. You can go by bus, car, or bicycle, and you can experience life without the fucking noise. I provide Going Coconuts, a ten-step plan to move to the other side of the world—a plan that does not require wealth.

I paint pictures of tropical rhythms. I talk about exciting things, like enjoying a woman up against a palm tree, with her bikini slid over and her boobs bouncing about. It is an adult world with adult pleasures. I don’t pull punches.

Larry King: So, it is like a “Dear Penthouse” letter?

Perry: No, absolutely not! It is about the tropics, living in the tropics—the rewards, the pleasures, and the pitfalls. But everyone thinks of sex and desires it, so why pretend it is taboo? This isn’t the King Charles Bible.

You know, sex is the whole problem with Christianity. Why is it so sinful if we have such strong desires to participate? It makes you feel good; it helps you share love. But, nope, it’s bad for you. WTF? The Bible needs a revision. I think no sex equals cult. There, I said it.

But in Palm Tree, sex is one of the elements, and really a very minor one, and there are many elements, primarily based in nature. And if you didn’t get the memo, people don’t visit nature—they are a part of nature. Just like the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky.

You’re sitting over there like you are thinking of censoring me. Go ahead. But if you do, you do not have my permission to run this interview.

There are ten tenets of Paradise, which culminate with Fusion. I will share the excerpt describing Fusion and leave it there.

Fusion
The ultimate state of everything. You are not visiting paradise—even if you are only there for a specific time—you have become a part of paradise. Paradise flows through you, an energy within your body and soul. It is a love affair with nature, with mankind, and with yourself. You are profoundly humbled by your life and the enjoyment it brings.

You instinctively volunteer to steward newcomers. You pick up litter, you make sure people are smiling, and you are gracious with your time. If you see someone who needs help, your plans disappear while you focus on helping.

Suddenly, there are two oceans in which you exist—the warm, wet one that surrounds your body and removes the weight of the world, and the main one that you simultaneously embrace as it embraces you. Warm tropical breezes fill your lungs with oxygen and surround your body with the feel, sounds, and ambiance of paradise.

You are no longer taking up space. It rightfully is yours. You are where you are supposed to be—and you know it. You wonder how you could have ever been anywhere else. You have become a person of love and compassion. Your priorities shift—from ruling the world to helping people enjoy their lives.

Smiles and laughter are your objectives. It is like you crossed over somehow—and you are now living in your dream.

Welcome to paradise. We have been waiting for you.