Definitely agree with this sentiment. Same with the fact that you don't have to be on drugs to like experimental music. Though, I think both of those things can certainly make it more likely to point you in that direction.

I have a very hard time with this. And I WISH my bandmates were into the music I'm into! I met a couple of people that I can go to concerts with, but even they don't like some of the more abstract music that I choose to listen to. I've gone to see Sigur Ros and Radiohead with these people, but they would never think about attending a Pere Ubu concert with me! My singer sent me a copy of Trout Mask Replica last year saying, "listen to this horrible thing! It gives me nightmares." I listened to it for fun, and a year later, I'm obsessed with anything Beefheart. I think my family (wife and three little kids) think I've lost my mind. But it is fun when my oldest (7 yr old) runs around saying, "Fast and Bulbous!" :)

Loving experimental music is a lonely endeavor.

My ex introduced me to The Knife but I'm generally the most experimental oriented person in my group of friends. All of them can at least appreciate it though.

My brother and my mom can both be pretty open-minded, but I don't think they have a lot of active interest in experimental music. My dad was usually the one trying to get me to listen to stuff more left of field. I'm pretty sure my first exposure to space music was at his insistence, since I got put to bed to NPR's Hearts of Space show when I was little. He was also the first person to introduce me to Harry Partch. He beat my college professors by several years.

Family:

My mother refuses to listen to anything outside of the christian radio or any music that does not glorify god. She believes that if it doesn't praise god that it's satanic and goes against the purpose of music. I've tried showing her standard music she'd like such as Sufjan Stevens or something and she isn't having that ****. I did get her to listen to some instrumental 2nd/3rd wave post-rock though, that was cool. Not exactly experimental, of course.

My father listens mainly to classic rock/christian radio and holds the same beliefs as my mother to an extent. The best I could get him to listen to and enjoy was Beach House. We like a lot of the same older stuff though, so that's cool.

My sisters both listen to radio country/pop/rap.

Friends:

One of my internet friends introduces me to a lot of experimental stuff and we both like pretty much anything we find and share. We also sometimes make crazy experimental music from the depths of hell. That's the only person I can think of among friends/relatives who listens to experimental music.

I have other friends that enjoy some of the same music as I do but are not as open-minded.

My parents are the opposite of open-minded. They're scared to listen to any nonchristian music because they believe it's just satan's way of corrupting your mind. I find it funny that I somehow managed to develop a taste in anything growing up around that (and still being within it.)

I can thank the internet for my musical journey. That much is obvious.

Update: sister now likes Pere Ubu. She's on her way to not hating Beefheart anymore.

I can honestly say that not a single person I know has a similiar taste in music - I need to know more people:(. my sister said that henry cow sounds like a cat scratching chalk.
sure, some of my friends like prog like crimson and genesis, but not one likes sleepytime or residents or avat-jazz in general.

Wow. I saw Galas live with my ex-wife back in the mid-90s, but my Mom... she isn't going to listen to anything harder than the Beach Boys...

All of my friends like underground music. I would be hard pressed to think of someone I know that doesn't like The Residents.

I have the chance to study electro-acoutic music so a lot of my friends are interested in this kind of music. However, most of the people I met in music school are more interested in jazz or romantic music. I think that it is representative of the population.