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    Blair's Golden Road Blog - The Music Never Stopped

    Robert Hunter and Alan Trist, who carefully shepherd the Grateful Dead’s publishing company, Ice Nine, have been quite picky through the years about which film and TV projects they will allow the Dead’s music to appear in. You just know that there must be an avalanche of requests to use “Truckin’” and “Uncle John’s Band” and other tunes, but by being so selective, they have helped maintain the integrity of their song catalog. It’s not just a question of “selling out,” because I don’t think anyone begrudges songwriters an opportunity to make money from their labors. But it is understanding how a song is going to be used and deciding if that context is appropriate for the song in question. For years, Pete Townshend has sold Who songs to seemingly any company that will put up some cash, and in the process he’s cheapened many of his classics in my eyes. The Buffalo Springfield song “For What’s It’s Worth” (“Stop, children what’s that sound…”) seems to be in every film and TV show set in the 1960s no matter what the quality, and as a result Stephen Stills’ great tune has become a boring film music cliché.

    I’m afraid “For What It’s Worth” rears its head once more in the new film The Music Never Stopped, but so do several Grateful Dead songs and numbers by Dylan, The Beatles, Donovan and others. It’s an impressive list, and songs by most of these artists don’t usually come cheap for filmmakers. So how did fledgling director Jim Kohlberg manage to snag music by those artists for his low-budget film (which was a hit with audiences at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011)?

    Well, it’s probably because The Music Never Stopped is a very well-intentioned work about the healing power of music. Based on a true story/essay by Dr. Oliver Sacks called “The Last Hippie,” the film is about a man in his late 30s (Gabriel, played by Lou Taylor Pucci) who has had most of his memory wiped out by a brain tumor, to the point where he is barely functional. He is unable to hold new memories (much like an elderly dementia patient), and his parents, whom he has not seen since he stormed out of the family home in 1967 (the film takes place in 1986) can’t seem to communicate with him in a meaningful way.

    Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) rhapsodizes
    about music to his dad (J.K. Simmons)
    in The Music Never Stopped.

    Enter therapist Dianne Daly (Julia Ormond), who has had some success using music to reach difficult patients like Gabriel. She quickly finds that, indeed, music is the key to unlocking parts of Gabriel’s memory bank. Hearing “Mr. Tambourine Man” or “All You Need Is Love” or “Uncle John’s Band” is enough to trigger Gabriel’s recollections of the tumultuous late 1960s, when he was in a rock band called Black Sheep and battling regularly with his conservative parents (J.K. Simmons — of Law & Order and Juno fame — and Cara Seymour) about everything from the Vietnam War to whether he would be allowed to go see the Dead at Stonybrook.

    Through a series of flashbacks we learn about the events that led to the father-son estrangement and the ramifications of these revelations on their current relationship. You can probably guess that Gabriel isn’t the only one who is transformed by music in this film. His father is forced to drop his ancient prejudices against rock because music is the only plane on which he and Gabriel can truly connect.

    I don’t want to give away too many plot points, but I do want to recommend the film. The Dead’s music plays a very important role in The Music Never Stopped. Gabriel loves the band and seems especially fixated on Pigpen, unaware that the singer is long gone, as Gabriel’s memories don’t seem to go past 1970. There is even a depiction of a mid-’80s Grateful Dead concert, with actors portraying the band members, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City (hey, it’s a low-budget film — did you expect them to rent out Madison Square Garden?). OK, it is a bit jarring to see (sort of) lookalikes up onstage miming to Grateful Dead songs (“Bobby’s” hair color is too dark; something’s odd about “Jerry’s” beard, etc.), but you know what? The body language is about right, the long shots of the band look pretty good, and it is the emotional resonance of the scene that is most important, so I went with it.

    And that’s how I approached the numerous flashback scenes, too. I could nitpick all day about little things that didn’t ring true in either the language that the counterculture types use (I’ve literally never heard someone say that a song or band “spaces me out,” for instance), or the look of certain things. There is also a fairly predictable arc to the story (though there are surprises along the way, too). But the general contour of most scenes felt right. Those of us of a certain age have no trouble recalling endless arguments about Vietnam and trying in vain to “explain” Bob Dylan or the Grateful Dead to parents and grandparents. The “generation gap” was real, and many people, unfortunately, were never able to bridge it. The central relationship in this film, between Gabriel and his father, is played beautifully by both actors; in fact the entire cast is strong.

    “Jerry” in action at
    the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC
    in The Music Never Stopped.

    Some may find the film’s denouement a tad maudlin, but sentimental soul that I am, I found it moving and effective. The Music Never Stopped is filled with heart, and its affection for the music and for all of the characters is obvious and sincere. If it sometimes feels a bit too earnest and seems as if the issues are being painted with too broad a brush, it’s only because it aims to communicate so much. And the music is fantastic. You’ve gotta love a film that’s not afraid to dig into a little “Desolation Row.”

    (By the way, the soundtrack album for The Music Never Stopped, which is set for release March 29, contains a number of Grateful Dead tracks, including the studio takes of “Uncle John’s Band” and “Ripple,” the 1971 “Skull & Roses” version of “Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down the Road” and three previously unreleased live tunes: “Sugar Magnolia” from the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, 2/24/71; “Truckin’” from Deer Creek, 7/15/89; and “Touch of Grey” from Brendan Byrne Arena, 10/14/89. It also includes tunes by Dylan, Donovan, Steppenwolf, CSN… and Peggy Lee—you’ll know why if you see the film.)

    *       *       *

    I have certainly felt the magical and restorative powers of music often through the years—physically, mentally and emotionally. I have also seen its remarkable effects on others, young and old. What’s been your experience? And if you’ve seen The Music Never Stopped, what did you think about it and the issues it raises?

    (Note: This column was written before I knew that Dead.net was going to have a contest asking y'all for your thoughts about the healing power of music! So, if you've already chimed in there, that's cool. No pressure to do so here, unless you've got some other stuff to say. And I know you do. I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts about the use of rock tunes in films and commercials, pro and con. Alas, I've got no prizes to give away...)

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  • jester ed
    12 years 6 months ago
    First Fusion
    Where can I purchase a copy?
  • jester ed
    12 years 6 months ago
    First Fusion
    Has a CD and/or DVD of First Fusion been made and how can I get one? I was fortunate to be present at Lee Johnson's World Premier of Dead Symphony #6 in Baltimore, Md. at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Jerry's Birthday in 2008. I lead the audience in singing "Happy Birthday, Jerry" - dressed as the G.D. Jester. Grateful Ed. (gbrnthvr@yahoo.com)
  • Default Avatar
    rickwolfish
    12 years 9 months ago
    Symphony release on CD or download
    Will there be a release of this show in CD or download? Blair, perhaps you can talk to Bobby and the profits from this release can go to this charity.Regards, Rick
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Robert Hunter and Alan Trist, who carefully shepherd the Grateful Dead’s publishing company, Ice Nine, have been quite picky through the years about which film and TV projects they will allow the Dead’s music to appear in. You just know that there must be an avalanche of requests to use “Truckin’” and “Uncle John’s Band” and other tunes, but by being so selective, they have helped maintain the integrity of their song catalog. It’s not just a question of “selling out,” because I don’t think anyone begrudges songwriters an opportunity to make money from their labors. But it is understanding how a song is going to be used and deciding if that context is appropriate for the song in question. For years, Pete Townshend has sold Who songs to seemingly any company that will put up some cash, and in the process he’s cheapened many of his classics in my eyes. The Buffalo Springfield song “For What’s It’s Worth” (“Stop, children what’s that sound…”) seems to be in every film and TV show set in the 1960s no matter what the quality, and as a result Stephen Stills’ great tune has become a boring film music cliché.

I’m afraid “For What It’s Worth” rears its head once more in the new film The Music Never Stopped, but so do several Grateful Dead songs and numbers by Dylan, The Beatles, Donovan and others. It’s an impressive list, and songs by most of these artists don’t usually come cheap for filmmakers. So how did fledgling director Jim Kohlberg manage to snag music by those artists for his low-budget film (which was a hit with audiences at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011)?

Well, it’s probably because The Music Never Stopped is a very well-intentioned work about the healing power of music. Based on a true story/essay by Dr. Oliver Sacks called “The Last Hippie,” the film is about a man in his late 30s (Gabriel, played by Lou Taylor Pucci) who has had most of his memory wiped out by a brain tumor, to the point where he is barely functional. He is unable to hold new memories (much like an elderly dementia patient), and his parents, whom he has not seen since he stormed out of the family home in 1967 (the film takes place in 1986) can’t seem to communicate with him in a meaningful way.

Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) rhapsodizes
about music to his dad (J.K. Simmons)
in The Music Never Stopped.

Enter therapist Dianne Daly (Julia Ormond), who has had some success using music to reach difficult patients like Gabriel. She quickly finds that, indeed, music is the key to unlocking parts of Gabriel’s memory bank. Hearing “Mr. Tambourine Man” or “All You Need Is Love” or “Uncle John’s Band” is enough to trigger Gabriel’s recollections of the tumultuous late 1960s, when he was in a rock band called Black Sheep and battling regularly with his conservative parents (J.K. Simmons — of Law & Order and Juno fame — and Cara Seymour) about everything from the Vietnam War to whether he would be allowed to go see the Dead at Stonybrook.

Through a series of flashbacks we learn about the events that led to the father-son estrangement and the ramifications of these revelations on their current relationship. You can probably guess that Gabriel isn’t the only one who is transformed by music in this film. His father is forced to drop his ancient prejudices against rock because music is the only plane on which he and Gabriel can truly connect.

I don’t want to give away too many plot points, but I do want to recommend the film. The Dead’s music plays a very important role in The Music Never Stopped. Gabriel loves the band and seems especially fixated on Pigpen, unaware that the singer is long gone, as Gabriel’s memories don’t seem to go past 1970. There is even a depiction of a mid-’80s Grateful Dead concert, with actors portraying the band members, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City (hey, it’s a low-budget film — did you expect them to rent out Madison Square Garden?). OK, it is a bit jarring to see (sort of) lookalikes up onstage miming to Grateful Dead songs (“Bobby’s” hair color is too dark; something’s odd about “Jerry’s” beard, etc.), but you know what? The body language is about right, the long shots of the band look pretty good, and it is the emotional resonance of the scene that is most important, so I went with it.

And that’s how I approached the numerous flashback scenes, too. I could nitpick all day about little things that didn’t ring true in either the language that the counterculture types use (I’ve literally never heard someone say that a song or band “spaces me out,” for instance), or the look of certain things. There is also a fairly predictable arc to the story (though there are surprises along the way, too). But the general contour of most scenes felt right. Those of us of a certain age have no trouble recalling endless arguments about Vietnam and trying in vain to “explain” Bob Dylan or the Grateful Dead to parents and grandparents. The “generation gap” was real, and many people, unfortunately, were never able to bridge it. The central relationship in this film, between Gabriel and his father, is played beautifully by both actors; in fact the entire cast is strong.

“Jerry” in action at
the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC
in The Music Never Stopped.

Some may find the film’s denouement a tad maudlin, but sentimental soul that I am, I found it moving and effective. The Music Never Stopped is filled with heart, and its affection for the music and for all of the characters is obvious and sincere. If it sometimes feels a bit too earnest and seems as if the issues are being painted with too broad a brush, it’s only because it aims to communicate so much. And the music is fantastic. You’ve gotta love a film that’s not afraid to dig into a little “Desolation Row.”

(By the way, the soundtrack album for The Music Never Stopped, which is set for release March 29, contains a number of Grateful Dead tracks, including the studio takes of “Uncle John’s Band” and “Ripple,” the 1971 “Skull & Roses” version of “Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down the Road” and three previously unreleased live tunes: “Sugar Magnolia” from the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, 2/24/71; “Truckin’” from Deer Creek, 7/15/89; and “Touch of Grey” from Brendan Byrne Arena, 10/14/89. It also includes tunes by Dylan, Donovan, Steppenwolf, CSN… and Peggy Lee—you’ll know why if you see the film.)

*       *       *

I have certainly felt the magical and restorative powers of music often through the years—physically, mentally and emotionally. I have also seen its remarkable effects on others, young and old. What’s been your experience? And if you’ve seen The Music Never Stopped, what did you think about it and the issues it raises?

(Note: This column was written before I knew that Dead.net was going to have a contest asking y'all for your thoughts about the healing power of music! So, if you've already chimed in there, that's cool. No pressure to do so here, unless you've got some other stuff to say. And I know you do. I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts about the use of rock tunes in films and commercials, pro and con. Alas, I've got no prizes to give away...)

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Robert Hunter and Alan Trist, who carefully shepherd the Grateful Dead’s publishing company, Ice Nine, have been quite picky through the years about which film and TV projects they will allow the Dead’s music to appear in. You just know that there must be an avalanche of requests to use “Truckin’” and “Uncle John’s Band” and other tunes, but by being so selective, they have helped maintain the integrity of their song catalog.

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12 years 10 months
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Bring this show 1 mile high. Redrocks, Broomfield Events Center, or Wells Fargo Theatre or State Bridge, or Poudre Valley, Telluride. Wow, Colorado has to see this live. Sounds breathtaking.
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Hey Blair .... just curious, but who sang the vocals in the first set medley of Bird Song, Row Jimmy, and Cassidy? I'm hoping it wasn't only Weir. No offense to Bobby or the Boys in general, but I've always wished to hear Dead songs played with the vocal integrity of say, Crosby Stills and Nash. Here you have all these wonderful songs from Workingmans Dead and American Beauty for example, with written three part harmonies ... but it was very rare to ever hear the Grateful Dead sing those harmonies really well in concert ... cracking voices, forgotten verses, poor harmonic blending ... etc. During the Grateful Dead years the vocals were always the 800 pound gorilla ... even Garcia, with his all his wonderful expressive abilities was limited in this regard, and folks like me would always satisfy ourselves with the Deads amazing improvisational and atmospheric instrumental ability. It would be disappointing to hear that Weir just sung them himself without taking advantage of the vocal musicianship of the chorus. Just the way you described the accapella version of Attics makes me hope they did stuff like that with ALL the vocals. Dov
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16 years 9 months
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were all by Weir; the chorus helped out at some point on every song, though, except "Days Between," if I'm not mistaken.
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16 years 5 months
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Thanks for the review. Pretty much jives with my experience. I've been thinking it would be cool if Bob does more with the string quartet and/or horns via the TRI route.
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...but will the rest of us ever get the opportunity to actually hear it or will you only make it available to some "seven thousand gypsies swirling together" as you did with Europe '72?
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16 years 7 months
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any murmur of this event being released at all ..... ? in the alternative, were there any taper mic's visible in the pit .. ? might we expect this to pop up on archive .. ? would give anything to get a taste of that tasty sounding attics ..... beenWAYtoolongatsea
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...you can find stuff; not sure if it's on archive or not. I think there might be some things on youtube (audio), though I haven't personally looked yet...
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Well I was lucky enough to plan a trip to SF to see this amazing show with my wife (our first date was a dead show in 1994!). This was a very special evening and surprisingly good musically. The energy in the place was palpable and the love flowing from the audience to the band (and vice versa) could be felt throughout. We had amazing 4th row seats. Thanks to Bobby for doing this! I know that Rhino is going to produce a CD/DVD set so will be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, there's a decent copy floating around on the net.
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That's news to me, but they don't exactly ask for my input on these things. Put me down in the "pro" column!
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They had a few cameramen running around and a boom camera so I figured they would make a DVD. I asked around and heard some whispers of a DVD from some guys I know at Rhino. Unofficial "news" I guess - may not be accurate. The whole thing was a fundraiser for Marin Symphony so better to have more stuff to sell! I would buy it!
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.....I read the story & was intrigued--I purchased "Dead Symphony"- and enjoyed it-- and being on the planet fer about 600 full moons plus--listening to alot of music--I have liked classical music--I may not know Rachmoninov from Handel--but I have some Mozart & Beethovan in my repetiore --&listening to NRP--with Phil's background---the DEAD--to me was like that! Music-without words- to elicite feelings-emotions---I would hope-in the near future--this music be available so more can enjoy the DEAD in a alternative perpective.The story listed some idiosycracies of the performance----but what DEAD show didn't have a few "warts"-or bumps in the road!!! Anyway---I hope we can get this out to everybody...........
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it was my 45 birthday on friday the 7th my girl and i drove 12 hour to frisco from phoenix i hadnt rode tripped for any dead related event in ten years atleast when i heard about first fusion i new i had to be there it was one of the greatest shows i ever attended my touring days wre the brent years 81 to his death i saw over 140 shows met and partied hard with band and crew for years but i have to say that bobbie pulled it off thank you for a lifetime of memories and it was grate to finnally catch a dark star minutemouse
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I was working on a movie with a jib crane operator out in the Chino Hills. As the day progressed I found out that he was operating his crane at the First Fusion Concert the very next day. I had heard about and lusted about seeing this show but I figured there was no way I would ever make it. I quickly offered to help him load in, build and strike his crane if he would take me along as his crew. The next day I was at his house at 4:30 am and several minutes later we were on our way, Hollywood to Marin. God was smiling on me, that's all I can say. When we arrived there was some discussion about a nonunion guy being on the crew, but everyone turned out to be cool. After a couple things were arranged (a union guy had to be hired to help us) I was able to participate. It was great to watch the rehearsals. The show itself was mind blowing. It was great to read the review because it brought back to mind all the great moments and highlights and I agree with it down the line. I was particularly blown away by the reception that the classical musicians received from the crowd. I doubt they have ever received that kind of response in their lives. It was electric and I was so proud of the crowd and of them. Like the review stated, it was a love-fest and it made the hair on the back of your head stand erect. The acapella finale of "Attics" was as spine-chillingly a religious moment as a person could have listening to music. It is a night I will never forget and one that makes me even more proud to be a longtime Deadhead. I cannot wait for the CD/DVD. The crane operator said it best. After 30 years of operating at a myriad of concerts, for every kind of band and venue possible, he stated this was the greatest show he had ever seen. I think I just might have to agree. Thank you God, for making it possible for me to be there. And to Bobby and all the other participants, thanks for putting it on. Magnifico. Bravo. Let's do it again.
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excellent! great story, so glad you got to do that!
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Bob, i would LOVE to hear this, Sounds so very special, just like You, and all of you here! And you look good in that tux, Bud! We LOVE YOU.
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Will there be a release of this show in CD or download? Blair, perhaps you can talk to Bobby and the profits from this release can go to this charity.Regards, Rick
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Has a CD and/or DVD of First Fusion been made and how can I get one? I was fortunate to be present at Lee Johnson's World Premier of Dead Symphony #6 in Baltimore, Md. at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Jerry's Birthday in 2008. I lead the audience in singing "Happy Birthday, Jerry" - dressed as the G.D. Jester. Grateful Ed. (gbrnthvr@yahoo.com)
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Where can I purchase a copy?
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