should i give the grateful dead a chance?

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is there more to them than 'dark' and 'truckin''? i was playing a television record and my dorm room mate said the english always compared them to the dead and that lee renaldo of sonic youth likes the dead as well as greg ginn of black flag. why are the dead so uncool? what should i try to listen to? (i know i don't like deadheads very much. tie-dye is as ugly as doing lsd in the mud). do my parents know something i don't?

(note, i've only been getting into music the past year. before that i just heard whatever on the radio and usually didnt like it. that should explain why i sound so dumb).

― benton, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Short answer: NO.

Do not give the Grateful Dead a chance. I have given the Grateful Dead several chances, and they continue to bore me solid. Friends say "Oh, you're into 60s garage, listen to their first album..." nope, sorry, it's still uninspired hippie stoner jams. Friends say "Oh, you like spacerock, listen to this or that experimental jam album..." nope, sorry, it's still uninspired hippie stoner jam drivel. Friends say "Oh, you have to listen to it on acid to get it." I listened to it on acid. It only stretched the INTERMINABLE boredom to the breaking point where it was a relief to sit and listen to radio static afterwards.

I think that Deadheadism is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. If you have it, you will like them. If you do not have it, then no ammount of "Dude, no, you have to hear this most ultimate jam session that they did on this super-rare collectible live bootleg out-take from 1973..." in the world will ever convince you to find even a modicum of interest.

I know that calling a band "boring" is verboten on this forum. The Dead are not just boring, they are interminable, self indulgent, they noodle, they wibble, they do not drone in a transcendant manner, no they ANNIHILATE any sense of enjoyment of music to the point where I would rather listen to elevator music rather than the Dead. In fact, that is what they are. They are the elevator music of hippie stoner jam psychedelia.

Do not waste your time. Sing along with the hoover instead.

― kate, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

'IS there more than [I assume you mean] 'Dark Star'? WTF? That's like saying "IS there more to the Sistine Chapel than the motherfucking ceiling?" Like, what else do you need in your life? (Besides 'BLues for Allah'!) Also, what's wrong with 'annihilating enjoyment'? Music is supposed to annihilate stuff, doesn't matter what it is.

― dave q, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

As so often Kate is OTM. I bought "Live/Dead" a while ago as it appears on almost any milestone album list and it is rubbish. Aimless noodling. Only if you like epic guitar masturbation jams GD are yor you. I never understood how Lee Ranaldo could like them. But I have the feeling that "Murray Street" is the closest Sonic Youth have ever come to the sound of the Dead. It nevertheless is a million times better than anything I have ever heard of Garcia and his lot.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Just say no.

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Q: What do Grateful Dead fans say when they run out of drugs?

A: God this band are shit.

(Keith Richards tells that gag - which is a bit rich considering that 'Can You Hear Me Knocking' sounds just like the Dead...)

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are both snappy acoustic albums full of fine songs rather than rambling instrumental stuff.

I think they're worth checking out rather than applying some knee jerk reaction. But obviously lots of people don't agree.

― Winkelmann, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

rather than applying some knee jerk reaction

Did you even read my fucking post? This is not some knee jerk reaction. This is a carefully thought out aesthetic decision that I have reached after repeated exposure and more consideration that I would give to most bands who repeatedly bombarded me with shit.

― kate, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Oh why bother converting anybody - they're either 'on the bus or off!'

― dave q, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

I've heard 10 seconds of American Beauty and about a minute of Workingman's Dead and I can can safely say that they will not be troubling my ears again, unless by accident. Don't do it, Benton.

Everything about the Grateful Dead is repulsive - the music (yes I *can* judge them on a minute or so), the fans, the mythology.... They're a crystallisation of everything I dislike in music.

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

If you're looking to give a chance to a band, give it to an unknown band, not a bloated band.

― Dave225, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

DIRTY HIPPY!

― Chris, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

I'm drawn back to this thread like a moth to a flame, just like I'm always drawn back to the Dead against my better judgment...

The thing is, I love the IDEA of the Dead - the endless noodling jams, those moments of improvisation when they reach the mythical 'zone', the community of fans, all those bootlegs to tick off and collect, the Verlaine-esque sound of Garcia's gtr, the vast quantities of drugs etc etc.

But - their recs just never seem to live up to the rep - before I ever listened to them, I imagined they were like the most mega-cosmic freak out group of all time, but when I finally did spin a few of their albs all I got was wimpy country-lite w/ really terrible singing. They rarely seem to rock out in any meaningful way, their cover versions are just AWFUL (esp. the 'bluesy' Pigpen-led stuff) and Hunter's lyrics are hippy bilge.

Without wishing to sound too alt snooty, Ghost and esp. Acid Mothers Temple do the whole folk-psych rock jam thing w/ so much more passion, imagination and freaky fun.

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Where do you hide your money from a Deadhead?
Under the soap...

How can you tell a Deadhead has been at your house?
They're still there!

― Spongebob, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Nice "Box of Rain" reference, Andrew. For anyone interested, here is another thread on the Dead.

― Mark, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

"bloated" = 12 lizards' most successful meme-project evah

― mark s, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

After avoiding the Grateful Dead for years and years, Biba Kopf's insane pro-Dead rantings convinced me to give Live/Dead a chance. It turns out that I like it pretty well but most everything else I hear is painful.

Just stay away from American Beauty 'cause it's terrible beyond words. And the best-of collection that all my loser quasi-hippie friends have is ass too.

― adam, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Another joke: Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton are captured by cannibals one day. Before they are about to be cooked for dinner they are granted one final wish. Jerry says "hand me my old guitar and let me play Dark Star one last time...". Eric says "please kill me before he starts". (For once I can sympathize with Eric Clapton, actually I think I have never listened to the 23 minutes and 15 seconds of this first track on Live/Dead from start to end. I'd probably drop dead because of nuisance before the end.)

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Recycling the same lame gag = also a 'tribute' to the Dead...

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

'Can You Hear Me Knocking' sounds just like the Dead...

No, I don't think I recall the Dead ever having extended sax solos in any of their songs.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

No, I don't think I recall the Dead ever having extended sax solos in any of their songs.

You obviously never heard Branford Marsalis jam with them, then.

I knew when I saw this thread appear it would be full of the usual "the Dead are the worst band ever" stuff... they seem to be one of a small handful of bands it's ok to heap your worst insults on around here. So I'll do my usual and say yes "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead" are full of concise, well-written pop songs, their mid 70's LPs on their own label are amazing ("Blues for Allah" is my pick), and as great a guitarist as Tom Verlaine is, Garcia is better. He's a better vocalist, too. I know that for whatever reason the Dead are a band many people will just never permit themselves to like, so I expect to make no converts.

― Sean, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Benton- check 'live/dead' and see what you think of it. And don't forget to give it a few listens on the headphones, too. The reason why some ppl passionately hate them is prob. because their sound really sounds from a completely diff era. The fact that ppl justify their hatred by the citing the fact that hippies listen to them is enough to surely dismiss their reckless opinions. Though andrew L has a good argument as ususal. But I found something to listen to in their jams and he didn't.

I think SY owe a lot to the dead in the way that they'd start a song and then they would use that as a basis for a jam and get back to the song.

The singing isn't to everyone's tastes but at a time when ppl are listening to Thom Yorke that isn't such a big problem.

― Julio Desouza, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

But Julio, Kate has clearly heard them as well. You're not dismissing her out of hand, yes?

For myself, they don't trouble my interest, and I can't say they will be anytime soon.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

No, I don't think I recall the Dead ever having extended sax solos in any of their songs.

You obviously never heard Branford Marsalis jam with them, then.

Nope, and although I'm sure he's, uh, "funkier" than his brother, I can't imagine his jams with the Dead approach the instrumental break of "Can You Hear Me Knocking" (which was, after all, used by many a ~~black~~ "urban" radio station in the 1970s as promo music). Anyway, the point was that the claim that "Can You Hear Me Knocking" sounds like the Dead is way, way off-base.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Have I just stumbled into Dawson's Creek series 4?

― david h, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

ned- kate was OK until the line below:

''I think that Deadheadism is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. If you have it, you will like them. If you do not have it, then no ammount of "Dude, no, you have to hear this most ultimate jam session that they did on this super-rare collectible live bootleg out- take from 1973..." in the world will ever convince you to find even a modicum of interest.''

it's bollocks! any band will have it's fans and haters but to dismiss it as 'chemical imbalance' is bullshit. Plus the 'annihalate' line (see dave q's ans).

― Julio Desouza, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

That line was the funniest part of Kate's post!

Personally, the only song of theirs that I can instantly recognize is "Touch Of Grey". I'm fine with that.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

it was funny, yes, I second that!

― Julio Desouza, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

how is television like the grateful dead? why do people say that? my room mate, yancy, says its because of the the two guitars. is that true?

― benton, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

you should definitely give them a try, particularly before '74 (live). Live/Dead is the make or break place to start; took me about five listens but soon I understood the big deal. Rhino's recent WB-era box is a lot to ask of a novice, so wait till they reissue each album individually and then go for it; the remastering is astounding, sounds 100 times better and I loved it already anyway....

― M Matos, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

the thing is, when the Dead were on they were ON. they could be the most heartbreaking, moving band in the world. the problem is 90% of the time they WEREN't on.

― chaki, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Friend of the Devil is a flat-out amazing song. I used to be in a band with my dad and we did this song. It's fucking great.

― Yancey, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

MMatos in I Love the Dead shocker.

― Mark, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

I've been exposed to thier music countless times by many people who have a good understanding of what I like/ don't like. I just can't seem to find anything by them that would be worth my time to keep a copy of. The stuff we are all bombarded with is usually lite country or big noodling solos that for me go nowhere, while the live tapes you gotta hear maaannn is the same, but with alot more noodling that goes nowhere.

― brg30, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

"Ripple" is a great song if someone else sings it

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

A: "Hey, what are you listening to?"
B: "Oh, it's, uh, Kremlin Tiger Flower, uh, 2506. Have you heard them before?"
A: "Hmmm, it sounds familiar."
B: "They're a Japanese noise band from the '70s. Original LPs are like $500 on Ebay, but, uh, this label out of Amsterdam just reissued their album and I got it from Forced Exposure."
A: "Oh, yeah, I've heard of that...wow, this is awesome. It sounds like Sonic Youth or the Dead C or something."
B: "Yeah, I can hear that, I guess."
A: (listens) "Totally. Sonic Youth is totally ripping these guys off."
(pause)
B: "Actually, I'm just fucking with you. It's a Dead bootleg, they're doing 'Feedback'."
A: "It's a Dead C bootleg? Wow, this is, like, the best stuff I've ever heard from them. How'd you get -- "
B: "No, no, it's the Grateful Dead."
A: (runs screaming from the room, snarky hipster credibility permanently ruined)

― Phil, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

P.S. I love Live/Dead, "Box of Rain", some other stuff. On the other hand, there's plenty of Grateful Dead that is of no interest to me. I was listening to their first album today, and was quite surprised at how little of it appealed to me.

― Phil, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

My personal favorite is Dick's Picks 4... but I agree Live/Dead is a good place to start. Also check out the studio versions of some of their songs (as people have already mentioned): "Friend of the Devil," "Ripple," "Uncle John's Band," "Playing in the Band," "China Cat Sunflower," and "Jack Straw."

― aaron m, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

thank you everyone for great suggestions. you are much appreciated.

― benton, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Surprised that no one has namechecked John Oswald's _Grayfolded_ which is a dozen or so different "Dark Star"s run together into a plunderphonic whole. Worth checking out - certainly a lot more interesting than _Live/Dead_ or any of the other endless collections of chicken-scratch guitar.

If you're still hell bent on checking out the Dead, I'd start with any of the Dick's Picks live releases from 1972 or earlier. Even then, listening to them are like trying to dig for gold in a mine that's been completely played out. There's a lot of shovelling involved for very little payoff.

― Chris Barrus, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Phil, that reminds me of something I wrote a couple years ago....

― M Matos, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

ha ha phil's post about fooling someone that it's the grunt mountain travelling flower band or some shit is so right on...fuck the deadc., fuck em!

― new doorag boogie, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

what chaki said is pretty much exactly true tho. wtf i'm still on the bus, not that i'd wanna have much to do w/ the other ocupants.

― , Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Chicago's 'feedback' is still better than the Dead's 'feedback'.

― Andrew L, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Andrew, I think you mean "Free Form Guitar". Which IS classic, btw.

― dave q, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

chicago transit authority (to give em their full title) > the dead c.!

― unknown or illegal user, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

i find it hard to believe that someone could confuse the Dead C with the Grateful Dead. Besides the ingestion of pot and long songs, I don't see the connection (and yes I have heard more than my fair share of both Garcia & Co and the Dead C -- I'm not making a value judgement about which group is better) -- does Bruce Russell sell hand painted ties too?

― Jack Cole, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Brain chemistry has a HELL of a lot to do with why some people fine some music interesting and others don't. I did not invalidate my argument, I proved it. I have had long discussions with friends about brain chemistry leading people to like dronerock, and how repeated exposure to ultra-high volume feedback can change brain chemistry. Listening to the piece of music while stoned, while on coke, while drunk, while on E (for various examples) can result in completely different experiences of the music.

How is the Grateful Dead any different?

There must just be a neurotransmitter that makes people like SHIT, that is the explanation.

― kate, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

DIRTY HIPPY!

― Chris, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

do you mean that you've had long conversations with your neurochemist friends?

― Josh, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

Skipping 1024 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Yeah, it's got some entertainment value. I used to read it frequently before he put out the book. Was disappointed when the book came out and it was just a printed version of the website.

― how's life, Friday, 14 October 2016 15:10 (one year ago) Permalink

Anyway, Unbroken Chain rules.

― how's life, Friday, 14 October 2016 15:12 (one year ago) Permalink

i dunno. it's got some really cool parts. one spot even sounds like drum n bass or stereolab for a second. but the basic song is kind of unimpressive. too math rock, too noodly. the high synth is eh, i wayyyyy prefer Hawkwind for that kind of thing.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 14 October 2016 19:52 (one year ago) Permalink

i kinda like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzcOtukqoo8

― tylerw, Friday, 14 October 2016 19:57 (one year ago) Permalink

"Loose Lucy" is some southern fried glam. T-Rex via The Allman Brothers.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 14 October 2016 21:23 (one year ago) Permalink

Never liked that one. Too loose

― calstars, Saturday, 15 October 2016 00:04 (one year ago) Permalink

Govt Mule/Allman Bros/Phil & Friends' Warren Hayes has also played with the Dead, and this summer he did some of their songs in concerts w symphony orchestras. He comments on several faves here, where we also get videos of GD versions (live & studio):
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/warren-haynes-on-5-grateful-dead-classics-w442312/blues-for-allah-w442318

― dow, Friday, 21 October 2016 23:49 (one year ago) Permalink

Take it to the warren Hayes thread

― calstars, Friday, 21 October 2016 23:58 (one year ago) Permalink

why, when the performances are all Dead

― dow, Saturday, 22 October 2016 00:31 (one year ago) Permalink

Because warren Hayes is a tool?

― calstars, Saturday, 22 October 2016 01:15 (one year ago) Permalink

he's not that bad, he can definitely shred.

― brimstead, Saturday, 22 October 2016 02:48 (one year ago) Permalink

three weeks pass...

Almanac/calendar's out now:

http://www.dead.net/almanac/img/grateful-dead-2017-calendar-almanac-1200x1200.jpg?a

Whole thing's here, I think, though haven't read it all:

http://www.dead.net/almanac/?cmpid=dn/2016November17/GratefulDeadAlm-main-image-1&eml=2016November17/3805321/6131962&etsubid=33554028

― dow, Friday, 18 November 2016 00:47 (one year ago) Permalink

one month passes...

Cool interview with Lesh: short but sweet, intriguing bits and dig his fave memory of Garcia (also a fairly recent flashback):
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-last-word-phil-lesh-on-jerry-garcia-memories-sci-fi-w434812

― dow, Friday, 23 December 2016 01:27 (one year ago) Permalink

Aw,that's a sweet memory to share.

― how's life, Friday, 23 December 2016 12:02 (one year ago) Permalink

the remaster of live/dead doesn't sound so good does it

― global tetrahedron, Friday, 23 December 2016 14:03 (one year ago) Permalink

This is great:

"My favorite memory was Lew Welch's line in one of his poems. He was describing looking in the mirror in the morning: "I don't know who you are, but I'm going to shave you anyway."

― calstars, Friday, 23 December 2016 19:23 (one year ago) Permalink

live/dead always sounded kind of muddy to me

― calstars, Friday, 23 December 2016 19:23 (one year ago) Permalink

i'm gonna end up posting on the steve hoffman forums aren't i

― global tetrahedron, Friday, 23 December 2016 21:39 (one year ago) Permalink

i think the original has a lot more detail

― global tetrahedron, Friday, 23 December 2016 21:39 (one year ago) Permalink

what about the soundstage

― Forty Watson & the Jute Gute (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 24 December 2016 00:53 (one year ago) Permalink

what kinda bloom are we talking about

― Forty Watson & the Jute Gute (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 24 December 2016 00:54 (one year ago) Permalink

you tell us dude

― calstars, Saturday, 24 December 2016 01:12 (one year ago) Permalink

what kinda bloom are we talking about

― Forty Watson & the Jute Gute (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ)

molly

― increasingly bonkers (rushomancy), Saturday, 24 December 2016 04:31 (one year ago) Permalink

four months pass...

the 4 hour documentary is screening here in a month. psyched, i only started listening to the dead in the last 9 months or so, i've only heard anthem of the sun thru europe '72. i heard about it thru this tweet @0PN
the crowd ERUPTED during the Wall of Sound section of the dead doc. At the mere sight of a homebaked PA system. it was beautiful

― flappy bird, Monday, 1 May 2017 02:33 (one year ago) Permalink

hofheinz pavilion 'playing in the band' next

https://archive.org/details/gd72-11-18.set2-sbd.cotsman.9002.sbeok.shnf

― global tetrahedron, Monday, 1 May 2017 02:52 (one year ago) Permalink

Saw Long Strange Trip tonight. I'm a little more than a fan, much less than an obsessive--bought the Skeletons compilation in high school, then everything up to Europe in fits and starts over the next three decades. I didn't think they needed four hours here. The structure is loose--Altamont isn't mentioned until past the halfway mark, and I don't think Live Dead is mentioned at all ("Dark Star," yes, near the end and very humorously). I was oblivious to the extent of Garcia's heroin habit--not sure if I even knew about it at all. The funniest bit in the film for me was the British road manager describing a key difference in the psyche of Americans and the English.

― clemenza, Monday, 1 May 2017 04:24 (one year ago) Permalink

question. it's widely accepted that outside of ccr, the dead were the kings of choogle. when would you say the dead first started to choogle?

― Cyborg Kickboxer (rushomancy), Sunday, 14 May 2017 00:31 (one year ago) Permalink

two months pass...

Somewhat ashamed that someone as lame as al Franken introduced me to it in that documentary, but "Althea" is a great doom-filled dirge

― calstars, Friday, 21 July 2017 03:52 (eleven months ago) Permalink

"There's mosquitos on the river...
Did you hear what I just heard?"

Probably not, Bob. Probably not.

― calstars, Monday, 24 July 2017 00:08 (ten months ago) Permalink

"Unbroken Chain" came up on recent Discover Weekly playlist. I have to admit it's a lovely tune

― Well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Monday, 24 July 2017 01:18 (ten months ago) Permalink

I got a copy of 1974-05-21 (Edmundson Pavillion, U of Washington) recently. I was pretty impressed by it, as someone who has enjoyed various things but never been a dedicated fan. V cool 46m version of "Playin' in the Band".

― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Monday, 24 July 2017 01:58 (ten months ago) Permalink

four weeks pass...

https://archive.org/details/gd72-08-21.sbd.hamilton.150.sbeok.shnf#

^^ this Dark Star seems appropriate for this afternoon. 45 years ago to the day. it's a good one

― tobo73, Monday, 21 August 2017 16:26 (ten months ago) Permalink

haha yes!

― the late great, Monday, 21 August 2017 16:47 (ten months ago) Permalink

thank u

― marcos, Monday, 21 August 2017 17:07 (ten months ago) Permalink

https://scontent.fman1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/q81/p480x480/20914647_1706287166051240_4262034767493178114_n.jpg?oh=e14cc9debd4f73686a9d0d0ae241e312&oe=5A264EBA

― Gulley Jimson (Ward Fowler), Monday, 21 August 2017 21:34 (ten months ago) Permalink

fucking weirdo

― calstars, Monday, 21 August 2017 21:39 (ten months ago) Permalink

is this somewhere in golden gate park?

― calstars, Monday, 21 August 2017 21:41 (ten months ago) Permalink

looks like a pipe in his right hand but it's just a phone and his credit cards

― calstars, Monday, 21 August 2017 21:42 (ten months ago) Permalink

Saw Long Strange Trip finally. Definitely had some problems with it, considering it was a 4+hr comprehensive doc but enjoyed it nonetheless. Easily my favorite moment was Steve Parish talking about how nobody was really in charge of anything ... "The situation is the boss, man!" Also found the last interview bit from Garcia talking about Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein incredibly touching.

― ヽ（´ー｀）┌ (CompuPost), Sunday, 27 August 2017 16:39 (nine months ago) Permalink

just finished it.. warts and all i prob could've watched four hours just on the Mother McCree era through that '74 ('75?) hiatus. Garcia's such a great interview - esp when considering his prodigious heroin habit.

i sorta regret not trying harder to see them on that last tour, which really would have been the only one i was old enough to make. i was really more of a casual fan at the time and frankly it sounds like it might have been kind of a bummer at that point. my brief stint at Ole Miss was contaminated with "Touch Heads" (or their little brothers) so it took me a while to separate the band/music from that later period fan base. that said, i would definitely watch a deeper plunge into the deadhead culture.

― constitutional crises they fly at u face (will), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 00:59 (nine months ago) Permalink

one month passes...

I enjoyed the doc, but it was weird spending 4 hours immersed in band lore and not hear the name Tom Constanten once. They did a good job avoiding him in concert footage too. I'm not a serious devotee, so I didn't know he was... persona non grata or whatever.

― WilliamC, Sunday, 1 October 2017 01:16 (eight months ago) Permalink

Yeah good point. Maybe he didn't fit or suppprt a narrative they were trying to convey? I feel like he's always been a walking, talking former band member who no one really paid attn to, for whatev reason. He's still alive right?

― tobo73, Sunday, 1 October 2017 02:46 (eight months ago) Permalink

according to wikipedia:

Several band members and employees felt that he did not fit in with the Dead ethos despite his longstanding friendships with Lesh and Garcia; for example, he was a member of the Church of Scientology throughout his tenure with the band and thus declined to become re-involved with LSD and other drugs.[6][7] According to band manager Rock Scully, "He was sooo different. You know, he was like a crew cut. He was like a marine in a prison camp full of Japanese. He was like our boss in a way. Nobody could go for the hard wire technology of his brain power. I was told I was too hard on him, too. But I had no beef."[8]

Echoing Scully's sentiments, drummer Bill Kreutzmann noted in his 2015 memoir that he "got along really well" with Constanten and "thought he was a cool enough guy"; however, he felt that "Constanten had this thing where, for whatever reason, he would perform at rehearsals pretty darn well, but then, when we'd be in front of an audience, it was like he froze or something. He couldn't let go... He couldn't trust the music to lead... If you can't do that, you can't be in the band." Although Kreutzmann "felt no animosity" toward Constanten upon his departure, he did not consider him to be a "card-carrying member of the Grateful Dead."[9]

In 2012, he recovered from a heart attack.[18] On August 16, 2016, Constanten reported on Facebook that he was in the hospital with a broken neck, after slipping and falling on wet cement on August 10, while walking to the post office from his car in a heavy rain.[19]

― Dr Keith Assblow (stevie), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 14:53 (eight months ago) Permalink

He was only in for a year anyway, though it might have been an important year, 1969. He started at the end of November 68 and left at the end fo January 70.

I thought what I'd heard of him live with the band was pretty ok. Didn't think it was the reined in.

― Stevolende, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 15:35 (eight months ago) Permalink

i find some of his playing a bit stuffy

― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 15:43 (eight months ago) Permalink

my brother bought 1100 old dead tapes, so, if you are ever in hudson, ny...

― scott seward, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 17:13 (eight months ago) Permalink

I have loads of GB of live stuff anyway.

― Stevolende, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 23:26 (eight months ago) Permalink

two weeks pass...

just started watching long strange trip this weekend. it is really good wow

― marcos, Monday, 30 October 2017 14:44 (seven months ago) Permalink

only beef w/ it so far is that despite so much good footage of performances they don't just let those videos roll, they always cut to an interview or something else so fast

― marcos, Monday, 30 October 2017 14:46 (seven months ago) Permalink

yeah that's a good point, i hope the home video release has like 12+ hours of supplementals, maybe a full show. any news on that?

― flappy bird, Monday, 30 October 2017 17:16 (seven months ago) Permalink

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