- Post reply Log in to post comments203 repliesmaryeJoined:The bus came by. We got on. That's how it all began. Almost as soon as the Fare Thee Well shows were announced, folks started planning to meet in Chicago. They met. They connected. Things were never the same. And now, further! Or maybe Furthur.
- mkavJoined:@what is a deadhead
I have turned on literally dozens of people of our generation, who, as you said, made a judgement about the band without ever having heard them. All of them were surprised by the breadth of songs the Dead played. I usually start out with a very curated list of songs from studio albums and/or shorter live versions of others' songs (Me and Bobby McGee, e.g.). This whets their appetite. Eventually, I'll introduce them to live shows. Some get the live shows; some don't.
All become at least luke - warm fans. - daverockJoined:What's a Deadhead?
I always thought that it was basically someone who followed the band around over a number of years, and saw them...many many times. I first heard the band in 1975, and have been listening to their recordings ever since. But I only saw them 5 times - in 1981 and 1990 in England where I live. So despite the fact that I have far more music by them than by anyone else - and listen to 3-4 shows a week - I wouldn't call myself a Deadhead. I am not really keen on labels of any sort, truth be told.
Sometimes I wonder if the image of the band puts off some people of my generation, who have never previously heard the band. People in their 60's who weren't living the freak lifestyle in their youth. To me, the band transcends the freak lifestyle, and some of the associations of that lifestyle that are linked to the band may actually be a bit reductive.
I'm not sure about linking moral qualities to rock bands. I would have thought you got all sorts of people following all sorts of bands. Apart from when I was a teenager, I have never concerned myself much with the moral implications of liking any one group or artist. Maybe it's this also that stops me from being a Deadhead.
Sorry for going on a bit - great idea for a book, Graceful and I hope it comes out so I can read it.
- Graceful_DeadJoined:Graceful Can-you-script
Hey MKAV (or MaryE?)
I’ve got a book proposal ready to send to publishers if you want a preview; send a contact to the Inbox if you desire.
A fuller list of traits that I say are common (but of course not exclusive) to Deadheads:
Open and engaging;
Look for the best in others;
Value new experiences over new possessions;
Can describe (in detail) a life-changing listening experience;
Are optimistic about the future of the GD world (and maybe in general)
There are no mean Deadheads;
No one stops being a Deadhead - mkavJoined:Graceful manuscript
I would absolutely love to read this when it's complete.
In a way, I was always jealous of those who could drop everything and go on tour for a summer, year, decade.
I'm not a Vegas fan at all, so I understand not wanting to subject yourself to Las Vegas, but that's where Mohammed is right now.
- PT BarnumJoined:carbon based lifeforms
new band I heard the other day, nice and spacey.
Tangerine Dream Legend
Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Jade Warrior Last Autumn's Dream
Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood and Michael Shrieve Go
There are a lot of good titles left in my record collection. - Graceful_DeadJoined:Heads (and Vegas)
Hey MKAV
Thanks for taking the time to share your point of view.One of my goals in trying to get this published is to counter the stigma of the unwashed drifter.
Not unlike the writer of Acts of the Apostles who seems to have had a goal of convincing the mainstream folks of the Empire that the Jesus followers were not so different from them.Each chapter of the book includes a common trait of Deadheads (open and engaging; looks for the best in others; relishes hearing new versions of their favorite song) that cannot be proven statistically but is amply demonstrated by getting to know some. And so the working title is "Ask a Deadhead" and encourages the curious to go out to a Shakedown and see if they, like you, don't find many common, and likable, traits in the crowd.
One of the prompts for this was what took place at a Congressional hearing last summer when Fed Chair Powell was asked about attending a DeadCo show; Yes, he happily replied, and related that he has been enjoying the music for 50 years. The curious member of Congress then made the sweeping statement: "I like people who like the Grateful Dead". Which would also be a good book title.
PS Vegas makes me itchy and twitchy; I am content with at home big screen versions posted by generous YouTubers
- mkavJoined:@deadheads manuscript
FWIW, I don't like being called a Deadhead. I've been going to Dead and Dead-related shows since 1975. I hope no one is offended by this comment: Deadheads have a connotation with which I do not associate. I love the music, I love the vibe of the shows, I love Shakedown (even before it had a name), I have not met a single person at a Dead show that I have not found interesting. BUT, the connotation of unwashed and unemployed wanderers never appealed to me.
I KNOW the "outside world" perception is greatly exaggerated and overly stereotypical. Again, sorry if I offended anyone.
Maybe this phenomenon can be a chapter? Many of my fellow Grateful Dead fans feel the same way. We're all "older".