If I knew the way, I would take you home
August 9, 2005 8:19 AM   Subscribe

Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of famed guitarist Jerry Garcia. He remains one of the top earning dead celebrities through his name branded sales of ties, wine and action figures. To commemorate his passing, fans put on Jerry Day in San Francisco on Sunday. Love him or hate him, his legacy lives on through his music. What's your favorite Jerry memory?
posted by grateful (109 comments total)
 
Once I perfect my time machine, I will finally be able to see the 5/77 run of shows.
posted by wakko at 8:21 AM on August 9, 2005


This seems all so familiar. But much more compact and nicely presented and not a self link.

I got to go on tour one summer, lived in a VW bus, slept in parking lots, wandered all day and rocked out all night. It was great fun while it lasted. And I'll have flashbacks forever to keep reminding me of it. Even the explosion of a can of powdered Gatorade in my backpack, which was definitely not cool.

Which reminds me, I need to get my library of bootlegs digitized. Anyone know an easy way of doing this?
posted by fenriq at 8:23 AM on August 9, 2005


Anyone remember the NOFX song 'August 8th'? They were trying to make fun of the day JG died, but obviously, the punks got the day wrong
posted by markovitch at 8:24 AM on August 9, 2005


What's your favorite Jerry memory?

I can't decide whether it's the ice cream or that crazzzzy link that used to be on this website.
posted by biffa at 8:26 AM on August 9, 2005


Gerry lived life like a demon and brought great joy to many. May he rest in peace. Thanks for the memories old man.
posted by caddis at 8:33 AM on August 9, 2005


I mean Jerry. How ignoble to misspell the deceased's name in a tribute comment.
posted by caddis at 8:35 AM on August 9, 2005


I like the Dead just fine, but we did a thread like this for Cobain, too. This death cult stuff starts to grate after awhile. Are we gonna do this for every musician who meant something to us and died? On 9/27/2006 can I do a 20-years-since-Cliff-left-us thread?
posted by jonmc at 8:35 AM on August 9, 2005


My favorite memory? The part when he died.
posted by keswick at 8:36 AM on August 9, 2005


Gerry lived life like a demon and brought great joy to many.

I won't deny the joy, but an honest look would reveal that he spent a good portion of his life nodding out on smack. That's "living like a demon?"
posted by jonmc at 8:36 AM on August 9, 2005



Correction to the link to all concerts.

And an article suggesting that their contribution is the tradition of sharing.

(confession-- I am involved in this stuff)
posted by brewsterkahle at 8:38 AM on August 9, 2005


Thanks brewsterkahle.
posted by grateful at 8:40 AM on August 9, 2005


The Grateful Dead is one of the pieces of the puzzle of our American heritage of freedom and celebration of humanity and kindness, that which can rely principally on intelligence and understanding.

As such, rolling it out these days just devalues it and subjects it to the criticism of the piece of crap which is the spirit of our time. It should be left to collect dust until everything turns around again.
posted by nervousfritz at 8:45 AM on August 9, 2005


The Grateful Dead is one of the pieces of the puzzle of our American heritage of freedom and celebration of humanity and kindness, that which can rely principally on intelligence and understanding.

Sentiments like this are the reason punk had to happen.
posted by jonmc at 8:48 AM on August 9, 2005


One of my favorite memories of Jerry (75 shows makes it hard to pick one) was from a show at the LA Sports Arena when Bradford Marsalis sat in. Bradford always brought out the best in Jerry and this night was no different. Bradford kept walking over to Jerry and doing little dance moves until Jerry did a little hip shaking of his own with a big smile on his face.
posted by terrapin at 8:48 AM on August 9, 2005


The Grateful Dead is one of the pieces of the puzzle of our American heritage of freedom and celebration of humanity and kindness, that which can rely principally on intelligence and understanding.

Don't forget marketing, too. They were amoing the first to sell a lifestyle.
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:49 AM on August 9, 2005


What, no photo?
posted by Robot Johnny at 8:49 AM on August 9, 2005


Today is also the 36th anniversary of the Manson Family's much publicized murders. Coincidence? I think not!
posted by cmonkey at 8:49 AM on August 9, 2005


I've only got one memory of him.

This one.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:52 AM on August 9, 2005


I was in Edinburgh, Scotland performing at the Fringe Festival when I learned about his death. I was sitting in a theatre, waiting for a show to start. I looked down over someone's shoulder to the paper they were reading and saw the headline.
posted by nyc stories at 8:53 AM on August 9, 2005


Internet Archive : Grateful Dead
posted by crunchland at 8:54 AM on August 9, 2005


On 9/27/2006 can I do a 20-years-since-Cliff-left-us thread?

No, bass players don't count. Even head-banging ass-kicking bass players. Btw: guilty. I was the one who posted the Cobain 10 year thread.

Seriously, though. If the FPP link is prescient, why not? You might find the death cult thing personally annoying, but clearly some of these responses have been worthwhile and poignant. Why not move on? I don't see anything wrong with the odd in memoriam/anniversary post. Probably not every year, but the 10-year seems pretty siginificant and worth reflecting on for a bit.
posted by psmealey at 8:56 AM on August 9, 2005


This post is almost as boring as the music.
posted by shawnj at 8:56 AM on August 9, 2005


I remember going to Monroe Park in Richmond, VA the night he died and watching a bunch of burnouts in awful clothing get into a circle, holding candles, and tell a bunch of terrible stories of how they once saw the Dead. We ended up throwing some eggs at them and running off.

That's really my only memory of Jerry Garcia.
posted by xmutex at 8:56 AM on August 9, 2005


I think people who earn money after they're dead are greedy.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:58 AM on August 9, 2005


Jerry said it best - the Grateful Dead are like Black Licorice. If you like them, you really,really like them. If you don't, you just don't.
posted by tatnasty at 8:58 AM on August 9, 2005


Ah, but when will deceased (and wildly alcoholic) Grateful Dead member Pigpen McKernan get his tribute? (Self-link.)
posted by maxsparber at 9:01 AM on August 9, 2005


I was rudely awoken by the news on some couch in Jackson Mississippi, drove down to NO to cash in my frequent flier miles and get to San Francisco. The memorial in Polo Fields was a fitting, emotional, and very dancable tribute. Dragons, doves, carnations, and everybody weeping. The moment that stuck with me the most from that day was Bobby cracking up during his speech ("give a little bit back each day.") If you're looking for a way to celebrate the fat man today (and can't make it to the Vibes), the Pure Jerry series of Garcia Band recordings are fantastic. I'll be listening all day. Fare thee well.
posted by muckster at 9:03 AM on August 9, 2005


God forbid we can talk about a musician we love and remember him without people making rude comments. keswick and jonmc, nothing better to do today than take a dump on this thread?

Guess what? You dont like Jerry, fine. Perhaps you should just leave us alone then? If not, you are just being jerks.
posted by Dantien at 9:14 AM on August 9, 2005


> I think people who earn money after they're dead
> are greedy

I once watched a very interesting documentary on the
struggle for Jerry's Guitars.

Apparently, when he died, he left his two most famous
guitars, Wolf and Tiger, to Doug Irwin, the guy who made
them -- out of respect for the craftsman.

Unfortunately, they were extremely valuable by the time
Jerry died. And he had a huge entourage, a band full of
has-beens and a couple of ex-wives, all of whom believed
that they should have been entitled to get the guitars.

Needless to say, it was a very tawdry story.

Irwin sold them and they fetched $1.7m. Apparently, some
old hippies have got a shitload in the bank these days, and
they're only too happy to spend it on something that will
let them posture in front of the bedroom mirror holding
Jerry Garcia's guitar...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:16 AM on August 9, 2005


It's easy to see who has dropped acid here, and who hasn't.
posted by crunchland at 9:18 AM on August 9, 2005


No, I was being quite serious. See, I was living with an obnoxious dirty, smelly, no-bill-payin', freeloadin', pot-smokin', Blind-Melon-lovin', Grateful-Dead-listenin' hippie for a roommate. And a year or so prior, when I was distraught over Kurt Cobain's death, he gave me shit about it and was a general a dick about it. So I had a grand ol' time when Jerry died and I got to return the favor with interest.
posted by keswick at 9:18 AM on August 9, 2005


crunchland : "It's easy to see who has dropped acid here, and who hasn't."

Not for me, it isn't. What's your metric?
posted by Bugbread at 9:20 AM on August 9, 2005


I think Phil actually either bought or was given Wolf back recently. Ryan Adams played it in his time with Phil and Friends (Ryan was absolutely the worst "friend" to join Phil's rotating cast) about a month or so ago.

I am sure that the hippies who bought Tiger and Wolf were much more interested in seeing if they could play the guitars as well with 5 fingers as Jerry could with 4.
posted by aburd at 9:21 AM on August 9, 2005


No one should make fun of another's mourning of a loss. Your roommate was a jerk for doing so. I like you keswick, but two wrongs dont make a right.
posted by Dantien at 9:22 AM on August 9, 2005


Worst..Troll....attempts...ever
posted by wheelieman at 9:22 AM on August 9, 2005


keswick and jonmc, nothing better to do today than take a dump on this thread?

Dude, I said upthread that I like the Dead (and Jerry, who seemed like an interesting guy in interviews) just fine. That does not mean I have to treat him as some kind of sacred icon carved out of soap, who cannot be criticized.

The first rule of the internet is that if you post about something you love, someone's gonna say it sucks, no matter what it is. Deal

It's easy to see who has dropped acid here, and who hasn't.

I've dropped acid. It dosen't make everyone a head automatically.

Also this old article in Hermenaut does a great job of delineating between Deadheads and neo-hippies. Deadheads are often cool. Neo-hippies are usually annoying.
posted by jonmc at 9:28 AM on August 9, 2005


I was with a large group of colleagues heading in from an archaeological excavation in the middle of nowhere and when we got within radio range they were playing non-stop Dead. I quipped "Wow, I'll bet Jerry died". And of course it was true.

Saw them many times over the years, although I was never a 'Head'. Most were terrific shows, some not so good. Still, have never been sorry I went. For those who never got the chance to see them or dismissed them out of hand, you have my sympathies. You missed one of the most iconic experiences in modern rock music.

Here's to you Jerry. May have to put on "Without a Net" tonite.
posted by elendil71 at 9:29 AM on August 9, 2005


Oh don't get me wrong, I wasn't just happy I got taunt my roommate, I loathed Jerry Garcia too.
posted by keswick at 9:29 AM on August 9, 2005


Thanks to the internet archive links posted above, I can say with a fair amount of certainly that I was at Northwestern University on Novermber 1, 1973. It was the only Dead concert I ever saw.
posted by SteveInMaine at 9:30 AM on August 9, 2005


An eye for an eye, keswick - that's what makes the world go 'round.
posted by melixxa600 at 9:32 AM on August 9, 2005


Deadheads are often cool. Neo-hippies are usually annoying.

And generalizations are always stupid.
posted by muckster at 9:35 AM on August 9, 2005


muckster, did you actually read the linked article? What I'm saying might make more sense if you did.

To repeat myself: Jerry Garcia was a talented musician and he seemed like a decent human being. He was not some magical being who cannot be criticized under any circumstances. I'm sure that if I posted my theoretical Cliff Burton memorial thread, there'd be plenty of people popping up to say that Metallica were overrated Napster-sabotagers and that Metal fans are beer-swilling morons. I take that as a given. And that's how it should be.
posted by jonmc at 9:40 AM on August 9, 2005


Neither a Dead-head nor a "neohippie" (whatever that is), I nevertheless enjoy the Grateful Dead's music, and Garcia's wonderful guitar parts, in his prime at least. Shame on the rude people who insult him here. If he was addicted or dissipated at some later time it does not diminish his accomplishments or contributions to music history. Listen to any GD studio album from th 60's thru about 1974, and if you don't "get it" then it can't be explained to you.

The day he died I went to Lollapalooza in Austin, Texas. My companion and I had heard on the radio, but many in the audience did not know yet. Hole came on at the end of the evening, and Courtney Love - who rambled in her inimitable way between songs - said that he had died. Many in the crowd were obviously affected by the news. There was a full moon in the sky and Love pointed to it and talked about seeing Garcia and Kurt Cobain and Hendrix there.
posted by jam_pony at 9:43 AM on August 9, 2005


That does not mean I have to treat him as some kind of sacred icon carved out of soap, who cannot be criticized.

What!?!?! LOL! Surely you meant carved out of ivory or gold or something!
posted by sonofsamiam at 9:47 AM on August 9, 2005


Skimmed it, jonmc. Didn't strike me as very insightful. You can criticize Jerry all you want, but you have to admit, the sentences I quoted sounded like high school clique nonsense. Wouldn't you agree that you can find fascinating and annoying people in any random sampling of humanity? Some of the best people I know are Deadheads, and I've known some awful people who called themselves "hippies." None of this has anything to do with Garcia.
posted by muckster at 9:52 AM on August 9, 2005


i heard he was carved out of a solid lump of hashish and could be smoked.
posted by keswick at 9:54 AM on August 9, 2005


nevar forget 8/9/95
posted by moonbird at 9:56 AM on August 9, 2005


The first rule of the internet is that if you post about something you love, someone's gonna say it sucks, no matter what it is. Deal

I agree with this statement 100%, but only if you change the word "someone" to the word "jonmc".
posted by sic at 10:01 AM on August 9, 2005


> It's easy to see who has dropped acid here

It was two tabs of Black Microdot at the concert I linked to above,
bought for the princely sum of twenty five pence a tab.

Product of the Operation Julie team.

(You have to scroll down to section five for the details.)
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:02 AM on August 9, 2005


sic : "The first rule of the internet is that if you post about something you love, someone's gonna say it sucks, no matter what it is. Deal

"I agree with this statement 100%, but only if you change the word 'someone' to the word 'jonmc'."


I had no idea jonmc was so omnipresent. Must be hard for him to read every website on the net daily.
posted by Bugbread at 10:04 AM on August 9, 2005


i heard he was carved out of a solid lump of hashish and could be smoked.

I think he was actually carved out of China White...
posted by aburd at 10:05 AM on August 9, 2005


I had no idea jonmc was so omnipresent. Must be hard for him to read every website on the net daily.
posted by bugbread at 10:04 AM PST on August 9 [!]


jonmc is global. Deal.
posted by sic at 10:07 AM on August 9, 2005


> I am sure that the hippies who bought Tiger and Wolf
> were much more interested in seeing if they could play
> the guitars as well with 5 fingers as Jerry could with 4.

Sorry, I don't buy it. You'd know how well you played
without spending $1.7million on two guitars. The only
reason to spend that much money on an instrument
is:

a.) because it will appreciate and eventually be worth more, or
b.) to try and leech some of the magic associated with its
original owner.

If b.) you're definitely going to be posing in front of your
bedroom mirror -- I don't care how old and how rich you are.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:08 AM on August 9, 2005


* Quietly whistles Ripple and smiles smiles smiles *
posted by harry hood at 10:10 AM on August 9, 2005


First of all, to repeat myself, yet again: I actually enjoy the Dead, to a degree. I merely criticized a few hubristic statements from nervousfritz and caddis. That =! shitting on the thread.

The reason I linked to the Hermenaut article is that it makes the interesting point (and many older Deadheads-whom a freind of mine refers to as 'HeadNecks'-back me up on this) is that many of the latter-day fans seem to have misread the Dead completely.

My brother-in-law is an ex-con 1%er outlaw biker. The first time I met him, he reached into my collection and pulled out my copy of American Beauty and put it on. That's an old school Head, and that's who I learned about the Dead from. A lot of the newer fans seem more like ravers, and as the article says don't have much in common with the older fans and vice versa. Just an observation.
posted by jonmc at 10:15 AM on August 9, 2005


I wish I could delete one line now. I shouldn't be so harsh. It's OK to snark once in a while, or to not like certain music , or to be annoyed by others' admiration of people one does not estimate as highly. I do think we should remember people at their best when possible.
posted by jam_pony at 10:34 AM on August 9, 2005


It's funny. I've always known of the Grateful Dead but their music never seemed to have travelled out of the States much. I guess it's the touring acidhead live show ethos. I know I've heard some stuff but I'm sure I wouldn't/couldn't recognize it.
posted by peacay at 10:38 AM on August 9, 2005


I loved that article jonmc.

By the way, where did I say you were pooping in this thread? It's a bum rap I tell ya. I might have been teasing you a bit over in MeTa though.
posted by caddis at 10:42 AM on August 9, 2005


I seldom post to this site any longer because of the smart ass comments, put downs, nastiness that so often appears with just about any post. I have little or no feelings about Garcia, but my son has for years been a deadhead, and I read the book I gave him: Phil Lesh, "Searching for the Sound," Myh life with the Grateful Dead. Lesh was with the group from the beginning, and he was one of the very few who somehow managed to do all the bad shit and then give it up...I found the book a good read and recommend it to those who like the Dead or might be interested in findout out a lot more aboutJerry and what others around him thought of him.
posted by Postroad at 10:46 AM on August 9, 2005


Oops, now the the filter is back online and I reread your comment, you never did accuse me of pooping on the thread. You were actually pooping on me. My mistake.
posted by caddis at 11:12 AM on August 9, 2005


Not pooping, just cutting the puffery a bit.
posted by jonmc at 11:17 AM on August 9, 2005


Oh, and as for hubris, that would be you presuming to know more about music and musicians than other people. A complimentary statement about a musician is not hubristic in and of itself.
posted by caddis at 11:19 AM on August 9, 2005


What is up with all the imbeciles hating on Jerry and the Dead in this thread?

Seriously, grow up you tools.
posted by wakko at 11:22 AM on August 9, 2005


Oh, and as for hubris, that would be you presuming to know more about music and musicians than other people.

I'm knowledgeable about music for a living, caddis. But it wasn't the musical quality that was being puffed, but the myth surrounding the musician. You said that "Jerry lived life like a demon," which is difficult to reconcile with the fact that by most reports, he spent an awful lot of his life nodding out with a needle in his arm.

Not that that makes him less of a gifted musician or interesting guy, but let's not gloss over things.
posted by jonmc at 11:24 AM on August 9, 2005


Hubris is jonmc presuming to know more about music and musicians than other people. Reality is me knowing more about music and musicians than other people. (And, jonmc, if I don't know a particular so-called musician that you mention, I assure you it's because they aren't really a musician. And I have a certificate on my wall stating that in any musical disagreement with jonmc, I'm right).
posted by Bugbread at 11:25 AM on August 9, 2005


I'm knowledgeable about music for a living, caddis.

Repeatedly, when the subject of music or bands comes up you belittle other people's opinions. That is hubris.

However, your statement above about Metallica seems correct to me.
posted by caddis at 11:30 AM on August 9, 2005


As far as I know, Jerry chased the dragon, jonmc. No needles involved.

But let's talk about the music. One of my favorite recorded Dead moments is the Not Fade Away on Dick's Picks 2, when Jer really is playing like a demon and the entire band drops out while he keeps on going and going, very much like the Looney Tunes coyote, crossing the abyss through sheer force of will and blissed-out ignorance. It's a jaw-dropping moment.
posted by muckster at 11:31 AM on August 9, 2005


But let's talk about the music.

Cool. Jerry was one of a select few rock guitarists (Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin being a few of the others) who had a sound so distinctive that within a few bars you knew who it was with no prompting.

Also. they exposed a lot of people who might otherwise not have heard it, to the music of people like Gus Cannon, Merle Haggard & Bobby "Blue" Bland. (even if some of their covers, like "Good Lovin'" pale before the originals).
posted by jonmc at 11:37 AM on August 9, 2005


jonmc- Buttressing your points with all these tangential stories about just how much experience you have man seems to make your points all the weaker.
posted by xmutex at 11:52 AM on August 9, 2005


Agreed. There's a fun compilation of songs covered by the Dead, and I'll be the first to admit that some of those tracks were real eye openers for me. They generally managed to make every song sound like a Dead song (even that botched "Hey Jude" from 3/1/69), and to hear how diverse their influences really were is fascinating.
posted by muckster at 11:53 AM on August 9, 2005


They generally managed to make every song sound like a Dead song (even that botched "Hey Jude" from 3/1/69), and to hear how diverse their influences really were is fascinating.

Yeah, that was their weird gift. I think you could have handed them a Eric B. & Rakim or Napalm Death tune and they would have managed to Dead-ize it, somehow. The downside is some songs don't react well to the Dead-ization.

Although some of their best moments were when they stepped out of that. "The Golden Road," for instance, is a terrific peice of good old fashioned garage-psych, and "Hell In a Bucket," contained a refreshing blast of nastiness. I also recall Jerry's classic quote about disco-"It's beat is so strong even white people can dance to it."
posted by jonmc at 11:59 AM on August 9, 2005


My one and only exchange with Jerry:

As he was coming off stage at the Keystone in Berkeley after a JGB show, I said "Great show, Jerry!" and he said "Thanks!"

No, thank YOU Jerry.
posted by bephillips at 12:06 PM on August 9, 2005


An old-school head would have chosen American Beauty to put on? Did you have any other Dead albums?
posted by ghastlyfop at 12:06 PM on August 9, 2005


I have Workingman's Dead as well. And some odds & ends on mp3. Like I said, I like them, but I'm not a Head.
posted by jonmc at 12:13 PM on August 9, 2005




Sounds like somebody needs to hook you up with some live discs at the next meetup, jon.
posted by muckster at 12:14 PM on August 9, 2005


Fave Jerry moment:

I was working at a coffee shop the day after he died. A bunch of deadheads were all decked out in tie dye and hemp, having returned from some ad hoc memorial for their fallen leader.

It had rained on and off most of the day. As I was wiping down some of the outdoor tables, the sun momentarily peaked out from the clouds and a large vibrant rainbow appeared in the sky.

"Look," shouted one of the 'heads, "Jerry sent us a rainbow!"

"Wow!" the rest chimed in, in chorus.

Stupid effin hippies, I muttered, and went back inside to make their lattes.
posted by patnasty at 12:20 PM on August 9, 2005


muckster, my man, I've heard live Dead tapes before, and while I'm sure the musicianship is great, the whole jam-out thing isn't my cup of tea. Just like I'm sure you could respect, say, the ideas behind the Dictators, but the sound just isn't your bag. That's all it comes down to ultimately.

And that's ultimately why I sometimes try to deflate some of the stuff that people say in conversations about the Dead. With other bands, if you don't like them, you just don't like them. With the Dead, it's often "You just don't get it, maaan!"
posted by jonmc at 12:21 PM on August 9, 2005


Nevermind, then. You didn't say that you really didn't care for the Dead before. I was just offering.
posted by muckster at 12:30 PM on August 9, 2005


I appreciate the offer. And I like some of their records. The live stuff, not so much.
posted by jonmc at 12:32 PM on August 9, 2005


Their records are almost uniformly awful. The exceptions are Workingman's Dead and American Beauty.

Is it the Drums and Space thing that you hate or the jams that stay within the theme of a song? There are less spacey shows which you may enjoy, but if you just hate improv period then you are probably not going to enjoy any of them.
posted by aburd at 12:41 PM on August 9, 2005


Is it the Drums and Space thing that you hate or the jams that stay within the theme of a song? There are less spacey shows which you may enjoy, but if you just hate improv period then you are probably not going to enjoy any of them.

I generally dislike drawn-out improvisations in a rock context (the Allman Brothers are a big exception), I think it's better suited to jazz, but again that's just me.
posted by jonmc at 12:44 PM on August 9, 2005


I just received this little tribute in an email from a friend and thought I'd share it:

"After all the years of listening to his music I am still amazed at what I hear coming in off the torrents ten years later. He played just about every single night of his adult life and the repertoire seems like it keeps expanding, I am still hearing what to me are new songs. I am convinced that he is one of the single most important musicians in American history. He's up there with Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan. Never in it for the money (letting people tape everything) open to just about anything musically, and pretty darn humble. The Grateful Dead is a religion and there's a whole world of people who just don't know what they missed."
posted by muckster at 12:59 PM on August 9, 2005


Robert Hunter on Jerry ten years gone


Ten years since old Jer kicked the bucket? Seems more like fifty. Nothing about his passing seems like "only yesterday," rather as long ago and faraway as my childhood.

From the sublime to the vicious, everything that could be said has been said and said again. Yet, the essential mystery of who Jerry Garcia was remains. What can be said with fair assurance is that he was a source, an original way of seeing the world that agreed with others in a few broad and important outlines, but which in just as many other dimensions confounded all expectations.

I wouldn't say he delighted, in any Whitmanian sense, in what appear to be his contradictions, nor that he had control of them; predictability was not his strong suit. Not even self predictability. He could be alarmingly kind in situations where kindness was the last response to be expected - and altogether gruff where sympathy seemed the more natural response. You could almost say he had weather rather than climate.

Few would disagree that a key part of him remained isolated, unknown and unknowable. His art is the closest thing to an available roadmap of his singularities, amorphous clues, and clues only, to the nature of his true affections. Where he entered, he dominated, generally to his dismay. He knew he was not a leader, more a scout striking out in the wilderness of his intuitions, unwittingly summoning others to tag along through virtue of his magnetic personality and apparently deep sense of inner direction, but basically antipathetic to following or to being followed. Driving back and forth across the bay from Larkspur to San Franscisco on Workingman's Dead recording sessions, our conversations would range wide, or, sometimes, nothing would be said at all. I remember once we got to talking about directions. He professed to having none and inquired as to mine. "For the time being," I said, "I'm just following you following yourself." "Then we're both lost," he muttered.

A persistent image I have of Jerry which seems strangely resonant with his coming and going: a brilliant sunny day on a boat bobbing above the abyss of Molokini where the floor of the ocean suddenly drops off a cliff and plunges to unknown depths, I watch him check his gear then sit on the edge of the boat and tumble over backwards into the water, which is clear to a depth of several hundred feet. I watch him dwindle in size as he descends further and further, spread eagle and motionless, until he is only a speck to the eye, then disappears altogether from view and there is no more Jerry, only ocean.


Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.
posted by bephillips at 1:15 PM on August 9, 2005


Has it really been ten years? It doesn't seem like it was that long ago!

Hearing certain Grateful Dead songs reminds me of my roommate at this journalism camp I went to the summer before senior year of high school. She was way into them.
posted by SisterHavana at 1:38 PM on August 9, 2005


Wake of the Flood is probably my favorite Dead album, primarily for Mississippi Half-step Uptown Toodleoo. I used to have a giant collection of live dead, but i've trimmed almost all of the 80s and 90s because its slow and annoying. My favorite years for live dead are 67-70 (my favorite 08-21-68), when they played fast frenetic jams and pigpen was still alive. Some of the recordings from 65-67 include acid tests where Ken Kesey or whoever felt like emceeing while on a head full of acid would get up and mumble/chant incoherently while the dead played incomprehensible noise rock...trippy.

Also, Jerry's work with David Grisman is really amazing...check out 05-28-77.


(as an aside to teh douchebags: Your favorite band sucks)
posted by schyler523 at 2:11 PM on August 9, 2005


Favorite Jerry memory: My massage therapist cancelled all her client sessions the day he died... for the next two years. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with my life now," she sobbed. Fortunately, she found Phish...

Second fave: I was on a newspaper staff with the Dead's ex-official photographer who had moved out to NM to dry out. "Jerry was pretty cool," he said, "but he was stingy with the coke, man. Stingy with the coke."
posted by postmodernmillie at 2:30 PM on August 9, 2005


even if some of their covers, like "Good Lovin'" pale before the originals

Only if one is referring to the studio "disco Dead" version on Shakedown Street.
posted by terrapin at 2:38 PM on August 9, 2005


My favorite Jerry moment: 3/13/82, Reno NV Collesium.

I fancied myself as angry punk-rocker in those days. I bought a ticket as a joke, and took a small notebook with me to record humorous observations. I found a seat way up near the top, where I could watch the silly hippies. The lights went down and the boys came out and, well, yes, as many here have have pointed out, the Dead had a lot of limp moments. But that night they were so ON that they made my (very short) hair stand on end. I loved the Dead ever since that show, and if any of you want to hear the dead as good as they could be (IMHO natch) see
posted by telstar at 3:01 PM on August 9, 2005


I'm very glad you got to see beyond the stereotype, telstar.

Unfortunately, that particular (very muddy) recording isn't going to change anyone's mind.
posted by crunchland at 4:42 PM on August 9, 2005


There's a great list of the top 100 shows on archive.org, with convenient links to the download pages.
posted by muckster at 4:53 PM on August 9, 2005


Bradford Marsalis rocks!
posted by bardic at 5:11 PM on August 9, 2005


There's a Bradford? I lost track after Jason.
posted by muckster at 5:28 PM on August 9, 2005


"I don't want to be a leader because I don't want to be a mis-leader."

J. Garcia

What a lot of folks fail to realize is that he had bad stage fright, and he was also an intensely private guy. Years of media hounding him for pithy quotes - which he would freely provide in his earlier years - and constantly identifying him as the 'leader of the band' wore him down.

I had the pleasure of seeing 75 Dead shows puls twenty or so LGB shows, including a great afternnon at the Lunt-Fontaine Teater on Broadway (where Uncle Bobo himself told me to take my feet off the seat in front of me) and it was all about the music.

Geez, they were so uncool when I started going to shows (circa '79) that I was embarrassed to tell folks I was a head. They didn't mark anniversaries, the media discovered them in '85 - 20 years OMG! - and again in '90.

Like the bicycles that I love so much, the Dead were a big umbrella or big tent that lots of people could fit under. Some folks race bikes, some ride for transportation, some are advocates, some like MTBs, some are roadies. There are Deadheads who love Hunter's lyrics, ones who hated drum solos, ones who loved space jams, ones who couldn't stand to hear another Dylan cover. Something for everyone.
posted by fixedgear at 5:38 PM on August 9, 2005


Just a brief .02 cents post: I was fortunate enough to see a lot of shows between 1981 and 1995 -- about 240, or 10% of the total number of shows they are reported to have played in their career. From that first show, I realized that I found what I had been looking for in their music, and was determined to take in as much of it as I could.

The Dead could be wildly, famously inconsistent -- from night to night, tour to tour, year to year. And that was OK, because on their good nights, they were a hell of a lot of fun, and on their GREAT nights (and from my personal experience, I'm talking about 1%-2% of the total number of shows that I saw) the music would scratch an itch you didn't even know you had. On those nights, following them around on tour not only made sense but seemed like a damn fine idea.

I miss those good and great nights, but I sure don't miss the remarkable number of mediocre nights I saw following Brent Mydland's death in 1990. That was the end of the last "golden era" of dead music, IMO, and the sad decline in Jerry's skills as a vocalist and guitarist after that was palpable. What had been a clear voice tinged with melancholy became a hoarse voice mumbling indistinct lyrics, or (worse yet) playing leads that were fragmented and out of time.

I miss seeing Dead shows, and I mourn Jerry's passing, but the sad truth is that ol' Jer checked out a long time before the grim reaper took him away. Which is altogether sad, and makes these 10 years gone seem more like 15...
posted by mosk at 6:17 PM on August 9, 2005


Ironically, I'm in a chatroom defending the Dead mp3's I'm playing to a bunch of punk rocker types. I'm a contrarian everywhere, boys.
posted by jonmc at 6:22 PM on August 9, 2005


.
posted by alms at 6:45 PM on August 9, 2005


I'm a contrarian everywhere, boys.

Ain't that the truth, but it's also part of the charm.
posted by caddis at 7:24 PM on August 9, 2005


I went up into the Desolation Wilderness for a few days with friends. I came down, and Jerry was dead. I'd seen my first Dead show at the Oakland Colliseum only shortly before. It was a doozy - a Carnival (or was it Mardi Gras?) special with insane rose floats in a procession through the concert hall floor and two sets of just amazing music. This will sound absolutely hippie ridiculous, and lead you to believe I was on drugs (I wasn't) but I actually saw light streaming out of the stage in all directions in gold and orange waves, reached up in to the air, realized I could feel them, began to move them around and let them move my arms as well, let them penetrate me, warmly, realized I was dancing my ass off, and just went with it for the longest time. I can hardly remember ever having so much fun. The crowd chanted the final chorus of "you know our love will not fade away" continuously for about 10 minutes after the song ended. The band waited patiently and then began a new song. There was an uproarious call for an encore after the second set ended - the most energetic and genuine one I'd ever heard - but then the floodlights came on abruptly and the show was truly and completely over. Wow. What a memory.

I'm not even going to scroll through and read all the "dirty hippie" comments which I'm sure are here. Nope.
posted by scarabic at 7:39 PM on August 9, 2005


I miss Jerry. I enjoyed listening to him play and sing. Luckily, his music and his approach to music turned me on to a great deal of other music, so I'm doing fine and learning new stuff all the time.

Like Telstar, I first saw the dead in 1982 (spring, Providence Civic Center, great Brent moment in Alabama Get-Away). I went in as a Clash fan with an appreciation for the Dead. I came out as a fan of music. period.

Ten years. Shit.
posted by mmahaffie at 7:44 PM on August 9, 2005


all i can say is that the world isn't as cool without jerry in it

jonmc - i don't see the contradiction between liking punk and the dead ... of course, i'm referring to a time period when punk was really punk ...

now it's more like what mall rats play when they're pissed ...
posted by pyramid termite at 8:49 PM on August 9, 2005


I'm very glad you got to see beyond the stereotype, telstar.

Unfortunately, that particular (very muddy) recording isn't going to change anyone's mind.


I agree that the recording starts off muddy. Get the high-fi version, and turn down the bass in your equalizer. Apparently the taper was fiddling with the settings and the recording gets better as the show goes on. With a little adjustment, I got pretty good sound. Good luck.
posted by telstar at 8:53 PM on August 9, 2005


Re: Punks vs. Hippies

On The Annotated Fire on the Mountain, about halfway down is probably the first post I made to an internet anything back in May of 1996 when I was living in Mexico. I discuss the cultural intersection of the Grateful Dead with Idiot Flesh in the mid '80's. Members of Idiot Flesh later went on to form Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Faun Fables.

Peace and Love, y'all.
posted by bephillips at 12:44 AM on August 10, 2005


Are the grateful dead really that big in the US? I've honestly never heard any of their songs. I'm sort of surprised a defunct rock band attract this sort of attention.
posted by handee at 2:09 AM on August 10, 2005


Though not broadly popular and with few radio hits, the Grateful Dead sold out over a hundred shows a year for 35 years, many of the tickets being bought by a loyal group of followers, the "Deadheads" who went to shows again and again. Despite the lack of mainstream success, I'm sure history will show them to have been enormously influential. Handee, your countryman Elvis Costello calls himself a Deadhead and sites Jerry as an influence. He covers "It Must Have Been the Roses".

The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band essentially created the "Jam Band" phenomenon, paving the way for the likes of Gov't Mule, Phish, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, Dave Matthews Band and many more.

And the Grateful Dead were definitely an American band, in a deep way. They interwove strains of Folk, Blues, Jazz, Country, Rock, and the Avant Guard. They pointed their listeners back to many great artists who preceded them, connecting them with a rich tradition.

For those who are curious, there is an abundance of free legal downloads of live Grateful Dead shows at the Internet Archive, as has already been noted. Individual songs are available. (Deadheads and Phishheads have been at the forefront of developing digital music and internet technologies since the beginning, in part due to the liberal taping policies of the bands.)

Perhaps other users would care to suggest particular tracks for the un-initiated to sample?
posted by bephillips at 3:32 AM on August 10, 2005


Perhaps other users would care to suggest particular tracks for the un-initiated to sample?

I always found the live acoustic recordings on the Reckoning album (circa 1980) to be a great entree for "normal" folks. I still remember putting on that record (vinyl, I'm that old) back in 81 or 82 for my parents and some of their friends. These were folks born in the 1930's who were around for the early folk movement and the heyday of jazz. That collection of Dead music made a fair amount of sense to them.
posted by mmahaffie at 4:00 AM on August 10, 2005


Las Vegas, 1994, Silver Dome, three night stand by the Grateful Dead, I'm there Friday and Saturday nights, hot as hell, the last time I see them (out of 4-5 times, mostly crappy...). Love the music through bootlegs, have studied the band's history, etc. Can't wait for them to come on, but have to put up with STEVIE WINWOOD first.

Am standing fairly close up and while Winwood's playing I see someone's got a JERRY MASK on a stick backstage and is dancing it around to Winwood's music. White mane, white beard, glasses, bouncing around with a constant grin on its face -- a mask.

Then focus a bit and realize it's Jerry himself dancing back there, this just a year or so before he died, happy as can be. Dancing to the opening act, jolly and fun.

I'd have loved him solely for that.
posted by rleamon at 8:21 PM on August 10, 2005


Even if all Steve Winwood had ever done was "Gimme Some Lovin'" his contribution to rock would be greater than the Dead's. And Jerry would probably be the first to admit that.
posted by jonmc at 7:10 AM on August 11, 2005


yeah, but if all you want the ice cream, it's hard to sit through the entree.
posted by crunchland at 7:15 AM on August 11, 2005


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