Grateful Dead

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Today is the 42nd anniversary of the Grateful Dead playing the Portland Coliseum in 1980 as Mt St Helens blew a thousand feet off it's top. They played Fire on the Mountain in the second set. Phew, it was intense after the show, within a few hours the entire city was heavily dusted with white soot. All their Rose Parade decorations hanging from streetlights were covered in soot. News on the TV said stay inside. We were due to fly to Seattle for the next show, but what? the airport was shut down and the bridge was closed. Finally we found a greyhound bus leaving at 3 in the morning that would brave the night and take us to Seattle. Driving on the freeway was a trip, it looked like a blizzard, with very little visibility. We made it to Seattle about 6 in the morning and attended the Seattle Center show that night. My recording of Seattle 80 is available now on Archive.org. Then it was on to Spokane, but that's another story.

Sixtus, thanks for the Real Gone Heads-up! I snatched a Road Trips I didn't have!

I have no idea if I saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon in '76 or the Rainbow in '77. It doesn't keep me awake at night wondering. I don't remember the venue or the year but I sure remember the performance and that's what matters.

Just finished a first listen to Dave's 42. Great stuff as expected, but the low level of the vocals in some parts is frustrating. Something of a known problem with Wall of Sound microphones/vocals as I understand it.

5/18/1972 - Kongressaal, Muenchen, Denmark - Dark Star - 28:20 mins; almost 2 mins of noodling before opening notes from Phil; a loose jam ensues around the DS theme for the next several minutes and then decays. At ~9 min an interesting jam emerges, which eventually settles back into the DS theme and 1st verse around 14:30. The remainder of this DS is borderline chaos as it treads in and out of varying degrees of a meltdown until it settles into Morning Dew. No second verse.

KF gets credit for 'Munich Invasion';
perhaps the best of all of the E'72 trunk album covers IMHO

Felt compelled to revisit my Dark Star write ups from the Steamer Trunk, back when I was pursuing clear documentation of all feelin groovy jams in those Dark Stars.

One day I will do the same for The Other Ones from the same tour....for $hits and Giggles

Five-Oh Years Ago Today

Be Well People
Sixtus

1977

Lille and Munich are both quite good..

Honorable mentions to 5/25 Lyceum, 5/11 Rotterdam, 4/14 Copenhagen and I guess 5/3 Paris. I enjoy the art from that box.. seems fresh and synced with the venues and cultures.

....my friends and I had tickets to see Pearl Jam on Friday. None of us had ever seen them.
Then, I got an email today saying the show is cancelled due to a second member testing positive for covid.
The drummer Matt Cameron tested positive a week ago, but they soldiered on with sit in guests during their Oakland and Fresno gigs. But then their bassist Jeff Ament tested positive yesterday, so they pulled the plug.
All four of us were super stoked to go.
So close, but yet so far. Bummed. Out.
Three of my last five were PJ albums.
The other two? Black Flag - My War. Dave's 42. Bonus.

I'm going to see pearl jam

Two days before show...
"PSYCHE!!!!!!!!"

Woooooooow

....got thrown a curveball. Not my first time over the last 2 1/2 years. Getting used to it. I've even formed a callus.
Those are our dogs btw. Butt Buddies.

....that's it. That's the post.

MUATM

DaveRock - That Mick Jagger story your ex had is pretty cool. I’ve met lots of celebrities, but that is because it was things like book signings or shows. The only one I met by chance was Elton John in 1975, at the Barbados airport, on a family (yes, Mom & Dad etc) vacation. My brother and I were standing outside after arriving, and we see an entourage get out of their taxis, and they caught our attention mainly because one of the guys had on a Toronto Maple Leaf jersey, caught our attention. Among them was this shorter guy with these tri-coloured glasses, unmistakable. My brother asked for autographs (“Mr John” - I told him I found that funny, he didn’t seem that stuffy), and he was very nice. It was kind of cool. I brought some herb home from that island, too, so it was all-round good.

VGuy - Sucks about Pearl Jam, who will reschedule, and hopefully not the dreaded Monday night show. They have a history of bringing audience members up on stage to play or sing, so here is your chance to show off your chops, “If you have the guts!” as Eddie Vedder said in Saskatoon!

So far, 1st Show has the lowest number on a limited edition release at #36, and Jeff Smith (thanks again for the art work Jeff!) has had #54. Anyone lower? Anyone with the James Bond #007??

Thatmike - I always find it a bit odd when I meet someone whose records I have. They don't seem quite real-it's like meeting someone out of fiction, like Sherlock Holmes.
Nik Turner ex- Hawkwind and Daevid Allen from Gong, were the only ones I had a sustained conversation with. They both used to hang around after gigs sometimes, chatting to whoever they came across. ie. me. Not really at the same level fame wise as Elton John or Mick Jagger.
I remember Booker T. Jones and his wife seeming like really nice people when I got the chance to chat to them at a signing. Weirdly, considering how many great records he was responsible for, hardly anyone was waiting to see him.

Jim's comment has provoked me, before i was ready to post thoughts on pets, animals in general, maybe later when I know HF is back from his river trip... which reminded me of reading Edward Abbey's Monkey Wrench Gang long ago as we become aware EA's beloved Glen Canyon is again visible after decades under water because why? We have used up so much capacity... but I diverge. Scott McDougall is the artist responsible for the E72 covers and a lot of other wonderful GD and etc art. Super nice guy, he has a website where you can seek out his iconic work... I have long admired his original portrait of Pig Pen, for example... still available and how fantastic it is.

DaveRock - One of the weirdest individuals I’ve met was Pete Best. My friend and I went to see one of his shows, and he was great about meeting people and signing stuff, so I asked him why his promo poster “cut out” Stu Sutcliffe (from Astrid’s famous Hanover amusement park pics, of which I have a signed print by Astrid), and he gave me some politicians answer about Stu was great. My friend bluntly asked what happened with him out/Ringo in, but his answer was deflective, and right out of Politics 101. Nice guy, but had to be the unluckiest guy ever, and maybe he didn’t want to answer questions to two chumps because he had told these stories a million times before.

August 1994, Yes came to The Spectrum for the last time, 3 years after doing 3 nights there on the Union Tour (in attendance all 3 nights plus MSG). The 90125 lineup had just released the Talk album, featuring the first "epic" in 17 years, a 16 minute masterpiece called Endless Dream. The album as a whole was solid - much better than the disjointed Union record.

The internet wasn't really a thing, so tickets were purchased via my "secret for calling Ticket Master and getting somewhere in the first 10 rows every time".

I was psyched - I had 4th row tickets and was ready to hear the new epic live. It was summertime, a week before going back to college, so I was just hanging out being young. WMMR had Chris Squire and Trevor Rabin in the studio at lunch time, talking about the record and playing Yes songs. On a complete whim I called the radio station, fully expecting it to ring incessantly with no answer. To my surprise the DJ picked up on the first or second ring. It's not like there was a Q&A radio show going on - they were just chilling and promoting the show. I was like whoa wtf. Wasn't expecting that. I blurted out "Hi, can speak to Chris Squire?" End of phone call is what flashed through mind. But no, the DJ said "sure, here he is." What the fuckety-fuck. Keep in mind, the thought to pick up the phone and dial occurred to me a mere 10 seconds before the DJ puts motherf****in' Chris Squire on the phone. I heard the DJ say "it's for you" as he handed the phone over to Mr. Squire.

Chris said "hello" and whoa, it sounded just like him; this is real. I managed not to fuck things up, and I let him know I would be at the show in the 4th row. He joked, "oh good, wear something sexy."

So coincidentally, I had just picked up his impossible to find out-of-print solo record from 1975: Fish Out Of Water. I thought I would end the call on a high point by mentioning this, as my heart was pounding out of my chest. "Oh really?" he said. "How do you like it?" He wanted my opinion. He asked me a question. A minute prior, I had been mindlessly finishing up some old pizza or something, and trying to pass the time until the concert in a few hours; now Chris Squire was on the phone asking questions. It is truly a great record, so I told him Hold Out Your Hand (the opening track) was a favorite, and that it was strange hearing him with Bill Bruford on the drums again. To my surprise, he elaborated and explained that it was strange playing with him again, because his style is so much different than Alan White's.

I was thinking to myself, don't ask too many questions or I'll wear out my welcome. So I kept on the topic of his solo album and I could not get the man off the phone. We talked about it for a solid 10 minutes while And You And I played on the radio. I think if I had not mentioned the solo album early on, it would have been a short hi and bye call. But it seems like I touched on something he wasn't expecting, and it was close to his heart, I suspect because it brought him back to the mid 70s and it was his only solo album. Made my day.

I was surprised to find an unsuspecting Phil Lesh at a table at the Bar at Terrapin Crossroads one night a few years ago – wasn’t as quick on my feet at Keithfan was with Chris Squire. Sort of mumbled “Hi!” and “Thanks!” and dumb stuff.

What I’ll never forget is the time I met Chuck Berry. He was the featured guest at the Grand Opening Night Gala for Dallas’s Hard Rock Cafe in 1986. I was lead artist/coordinator for the making of the Hard Rock's Elvis, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis stained glass windows, which earned me a coveted invite to the HRC’s VIP “Cheese Club” upstairs for a seated dinner. In fact I sat next to Chuck’s gorgeous daughter. After the meal, everyone exited back into the crush of revelers. All of us were partying hardy. During the transformation of this old church into the HRC, I’d discovered a hidden “nook” where I escaped for some calm.

The next thing I knew club owner and visionary, Isaac Tigrett, opened the secret door to “my” nook, and told Chuck Berry he could tune and warm up there. Nobody asked me to leave, so I spent 20 or 30 minutes listening to Chuck play. We chatted a little about growing up in Missouri and Arkansas. Chuck was still kinda pissed at the way he’d been treated by the taxman, the law and the record companies. Then, before I knew it, a manager stuck his head in and led Chuck to where he waited until being introduced by Dan Ackroyd and proceeding to blow the top off the place. The Paul Schafer Band played most of the rest of the time.

For more about the Chuck Berry and other two HRC windows (remove the "dot"s and "spaces" first):

Slideshow:
archstglassinc dot com / project/hard-rock-cafe-dallas / ?view=slideshow

Tedious Story:
archstglassinc dot com / project/hard-rock-cafe-dallas / ?view=text

Scott McDougall's Europe '72 artwork is some of the most memorable and among my favorite GD cover art. In case it hasn't been mentioned, Europe '72 hoodies are on sale for $58 at Section119 dot com. Looks like "Munich" is sold out.

I worked at an Executive Jet Centre a few years ago for a while, rich people and celebrities, singers on tour etc. Rich people generally were great, polite and respectful, celebrities less so.

I've literally bumped into Roy Orbison and Johnny Rotten. Roy smiled and ruffled my hair, I was about 8 at the time, and Johnny said nothing but the gorilla of a minder behind him (it was in the pub next to the Rainbow Theatre, London, before the Ramones New Year's Eve gig 1977ish) wasn't too polite.

Jeff - Great guy to meet in Chuck Berry, that is gold! Great story, and your art work is amazing. What was Chuck Berry's reaction to seeing the work?

I would say my meetings with celebrities has been great, overall. I worked a boat show in the 90s, and in the booth next to us was Desmond Llewelyn, infamous as "Q" in the James Bond series. It was a super dead night in January, and he was so nice. He was there for some company, and they were featuring that silly "Alligator Sub" from one of the cheesy Roger Moore movies (I was glad when they dumped Moore). I lost the poster he signed in one of many moves, regretably.

Of the folks I met, Sir Edmund Hillary was top of my list for sheer respect, and he and Gordie Howe both had hands like dinner plates. Big dinner plates. Chris Hillman (pictured) was terrific, as was Herb Pedersen, and Gene Clark. Dan Akroyd was a hoot, and I still have the wine bottle he signed (sans the wine!). Rod Serling's daughter (Anne) and Byron Berline (fiddle master) both signed books for me, but the one that moved me the most was Kim Phuc, known infamously as "The Girl In The Picture", running naked as a little child from an errant napalm bombing in South Vietnam. She lives in the next town over, and she is the most spiritual person I have ever met, not at all defined by the atrocities done to her, or that she had seen.

I'd love to have met Jerry Garcia, I understand he was about the most centred guy you could meet. I'm still holding out to meet Dylan, but I always get the feeling he may be somewhat jaded about that kind of an encounter.

I would run away.

I love NMTB and PIL's first two albums, but...he seems to be someone to avoid contact with.

Wow, beyond cool Jeff! Those windows and that story was awesome! I can relate to egos, rich folk, and crazy deadlines. Fortunately I don’t have to deal with those so much anymore. Like y’all didn’t have enough to deal with without some DB mucking up the works. Shoulda dosed him lol. Seems like you’ve found the hard to get niche of art and commerce that’s cool and invigorating and not the soul crushing constantly compromised for cash scenario, kudos!

Many celebrity brush ups but since it’s hockey season I’ll just share a related one. Mikes telling of the real great one, Gordy Howe, made me remember my time with the great but perhaps unknown by all except the most dedicated and perhaps “mature” hockey nuts. Almost 25 years ago when we first moved in the area we live in, my first job was at a golf club. I’d dropped outta grad school and for various reasons just wanted something less stressful and to be outside in the mountains etc. after a few years I became the outside staff manager.
The director of golf had hired this old, literally crooked sort of old bent guy who had a been an NHL warrior back in the bad ole daze of Eddie Shore, Gordie Howe etc named Eric Nesterenko.
He played over twenty years which is kind of amazing if you understand what hockey was like back then. So here’s this beat up old supposed legend working for me as a starter/ranger at an off the path club in the middle of nowhere.
Well Eric was quite a guy but not much of an employee.
He had two problems: as a starter he was never at the first tee box. Usually I could find him at the driving range which was no bueno because although we had liberal privileges at the club, we were not to use the facilities on the clock or in uniform. Well there’d be Eric 8 outta 10 times at the range. Now if that wasn’t enough, he was a machine and would not just hit a few balls, he go through ever damn ball on the range lol. I mean these were Titleist den caddies: (hollow mini golf bags full of about 300 balls), times about 15 stations on the range, that’s A LOT of balls and would wipe out most folks. But Nester would routinely go through ever ball out there.
The other habit he had, as a ranger, people can be aholes when the ranger needs to repeatedly get on them. But hey, that’s their job and the offender was mucking things up for everyone else. I’m sure anyone who’s golfed regularly knows what it’s like being stuck behind rich ahole arm chair Tiger Woods, not fun!
So Nesters problem was when some of these folks would get uppity with him, he’d be ready to drop the gloves!
Now we thought that was hilarious, and some of these nutnics probably deserved a couple elbows in the corner, but of course professionally we had to act shocked, liked we cared when these dipshits complained about him.
I never got to no him that well, but he was always a respectful gentleman to me and the staff, and we loved working with him.
The amazing thing was, even years later, he continued to be a ski instructor in vail, even after all his body had been through! About 10-15 years after I worked with him, we had a gig at a tiny little place in vail. So small we were only allowed to use like one powered monitor with acoustic instruments. Nester, and his son, along with several others were regulars there for apre’ ski. We did the gig mostly because of the fun atmosphere, it was an early gig, and you didn’t need to schlep Amps/PA etc It was mostly for fun, which it was. In fact it got too big so they cancelled us. Imagine that: we’re making too much money and it’s too popular so you can’t play here anymore lol. Well not only was it fun, but Nester and all the regulars took really good care of us too. Some nights we’d actually make ok money!
I haven’t seen Nester in years, but I think he might still be up the hill giving lessons if at all possible.

So speaking of hockey, wow, wild games last night! Not a big Rangers fan (no offense) so loved that outcome, and holy crap I hope the whole Battle for Alberta series is like last night! Wow! Tonight…
GO AVS!

I met him once. Sort of. It was at the Electric Circus in Manchester in December 1976 a few days after the interview with Bill Grundy had been broadcast on television. There were 4 bands on that night, and the Sex Pistols were last on. I went on my own.
Between bands I went to the bar upstairs for a pint and a breather. It was virtually empty - but the Pistols were there, talking to some girls at the bar. I got my drink and slumped down..and then got the feeling someone was looking at me. I looked at the next table, and it was Johnny Rotten , also sitting on his own. I mumbled a greeting, and he mumbled one back. Then he re joined the band and they went on. Not exactly great meetings of our time.

Despite the fact that he had short hair and...well he was a punk....and I had very long hair and looked like - well I don't know what I looked like - but I sensed that we were cut from the same cloth at that time. Both about 19, skinny, mad..
I'm glad Sid Vicious wasn't there, though.

that's a name I haven't heard for ages and instantly recognized. Nesterenko was a core player with the Blackhawks when I was a kid. Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pit Martin, Tony Esposito and others. Legends. Born in Flin Flon, Manitoba (Flin Flon - what a cool name). Parents were Ukranian immigrants.

Check your PM

Huh huh

Thats what we called wedgies in my youthful youth

:)))

I also took a piss next to Junior Wells in the loo at a club in Chicago 1983ish, the day Muddy Waters died. An afternoon show and he was playing there with Buddy Guy and I doubt if there were more than 50 people present, I couldn't believe it. I didn't say hello, I've never been comfortable talking to strange men in toilets. He did actually splash my boots.

As in "Hey, european on my boots".

Simonrob, that's very funny. I saw Junior Wells play at the San Francisco Blues festival,he put on a great show. The day Muddy Waters died, I took a friend up to see Pig Pens grave, someone had left a harmonica and a small bottle of whiskey on his grave.

Its a dark cold rainy day here, otherwise i might not talk about this, cause its dark and cold too. I was an eleven year old kid in sixth grade public school Maryland when i went downtown DC with family to hear and see The Black Watch Scottish regimental band at The White House, November, 1963. Utube has video unbelievably enough. After the concert on the lawn ( by invitation to about 500 people), meet and greet, I was able to shake hands with JFK and Jackie, Caroline by her side and John John on one arm. Nine days later, the unthinkable happened. Much much later on, met George Herbert Walker Bush on the Cape Arundel golf course, sixth hole, Kennebunk, Maine. Least I think it was him, cause there was a body double there. Getting lighter, working in golf media many years ago, did meet some of the titans, Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson... acclaimed journalist Herbert Warren Wind, and the premier architects, RT Jones and his sons... just trying to finish on a more upbeat note here. Meeting and cooking for Cab Calloway, that was very very special.

I swear my wife is trying to kill me via heart attack.

"AOO:WMMALJJOJOJOKJOL:JEL:JK:JJ!!!!!!!!"

"don't touch her, she's real live wire."

my nerves are shot...

Jesse Jackson
Bobby McFerrin
Dan Quayle
Anita Hill
shook hands with Bill Clinton
Butch Vig (producer of Nevermind, Nirvana's album)
Tad Doyle of Tad (maybe they were known more locally during grunge days)
Captain Kangaroo
Russell Johnson (the Professor from Gilligan's Island)
Wavy Gravy
Jimmy Herring walked by me once
Tom Hanks walked by me during the filming of Sleepless in Seattle at Alki Beach
I traded quick glances and a smile of recognition with Kris Novoselic at Green Lake
John Barlow

My tell-all book will be available this fall. Please watch for it.

January 78

Winterland october 74

Summer 85

Greek OF COURSE

Back in the late 80s/early 90s downtown Grand Rapids on the weekends was our personal skate park. Included was a ritzy hotel with a great parking garage which we rode like a ski resort. Elevators are cheaper than chair lifts. A whole lot! Anyway, one of the valet attendents came up and whispered somthing about Sam Kinison about to make a presence in the lobby. So we quickly headed inside and took a bench near the main eleveator. Sure enough, out came Sam in fully comanding slow strurt. Shirtless but with a full length fur coat. And two svelte blondes on each arm.

Three or four years later, the night before Thanksgiving, an old buddy of mine were at a music bar called The Reptile House to watch a ska band called Muster Plug (happend to make Warp Tour but that was about it). Mid way in the set, my buddy nudged me in the ribs and pointed out some regular short dude with straight, long brown hair. Yep. Anthony Kiedis. He was around for about a half hour. And then walked out with two svelte blondes on each arm.

Most of them were around when I used to work shows for the Student Concert run organization at Univ of Mass Amherst.

Violent Femmes played UMass to play the Blue Wall, they showed up in an AMC American Eagle and tried to drive up the granite steps and got up about 10 of them before campus cops stopped them. I rode with the Bass Player, Brian Ritchie, to show him how to get to the underground loading dock (the Bat Cave), he was very friendly on the five minute ride around campus.

My first paid gig was Ted Nugent at EM Lowes in Worcester. I worked the crew and my job during the show was to turn on the house lights at end of show when instructed by Nugent's stage Manager. After first encore, house lights came on and Nugent ran up to me screaming. I had not turned them on - venue manager at front of house did.

First Stadium paid gig was Willie Nelson in 1984 at Sullivan stadium (Foxboro) with The Band, Neil Young Country, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Busted my hump setting up the sound, so the guy doing Monitors for Neil Young came over and asked if I'd help him out during Neil's show. My job was to move mike stands on and off as needed. I was sitting on a road case next to the Monitor Mix, when this cowboy looking guy came over and sat next to me. He had the largest gold watch I had ever seen, so I figured it was Waylon Jennings. Waylon had this beautiful Telecaster that had leather on the front cover. When we were sitting together he started talking about the weather, so I asked if his Tele was a '54 and he said it was a '53. Later during the show John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard) came over to talk to Waylon, then Willie and Levon Helm came over. Schneider came out to sing a song. It was cool being a fly on a road case.

By Senior year I was the Stage Manager for the Umass crew, we partnered with the lovely girls at Smith College to work General Public (Dave Wakeling / Ranking Roger from English Beat) in 1987. The band played UPenn the night before and the college crew skipped out before loadout. So their Stage Manager demanded that I supply either the college ID or license for all the people working on my crew. I refused and we decided to have a work stoppage since we were all volunteers, though I received a small stipend to buy the after loadout beers. Dave came over to talk to me. I congratulated him on his new baby girl. Shortly after the stage manager said we did not have to supply id's. After that we were fine, we worked the show and our load out set the record by 30 minutes according to the stage manager. I don't know if that was true or was his way of thanking us. about 10 years ago, Dave Wakeling plays this tiny hall in NH (Tupelo) and after the show we head to the rest rooms in the back. As I wait for my wife, I talk to the girl selling T-Shirts. Turns out she's Dave's daughter. I told her that story, small world.

Our Spring Concert that year was a free concert at the Pond by the Fine Arts Center. I think the lineup was Spyro Gyra, Lonnie Mack, Queen Latifah and John Butcher Axis was the headliner - it was the lightest in shows I worked at UMass. But Lonnie Mack's drummer was a no show. He did not make the bus from the night before gig. The Production Manager and I went on Lonnie's bus and sat in the back with him. They did not realize it was a daytime show. So they weren't going to play. I asked him if I could get the drummer in the first band to play. He wouldn't go for it. I told him I was a big fan and would be honored to have the guy that played bass on Roadhouse Blues play my last show as the Umass Stage Manager. He said he would. Then I asked the drummer for the fusion band if he'd play, he said sure as long as he got paid. So Lonnie and him worked out the details. They had a ripping good time but we knew bad weather was coming in later that day so we had to stick to the schedule, so I told him to wrap it up and he played for another 10 minutes before I had the monitor guy cut the monitors. Lonnie came off stage and tried to take a swing at the monitor guy.

I worked at Sullivan Stadium in 1987 as part of the crew for Dylan and the Dead. Load in was amazing, the Dead's crew were really the best of the best. After all the gear was set up, I was hanging out at the FOH soundboard riser watching in amazement as they had this microphone on an small I-Beam with a pully system to slide it left and right during the white noise. I asked questions and they were friendly and explained about the audio spectrometer. Then the band came out for soundcheck and they said we could stay if we wanted but had to leave them alone to work. My buddy and I sat in front of the soundboard to listen. The band was out there minus Bob Dylan and they kept meticulously practicing Knockin' on Heavens' Door over and over again. Eventually a crowd of the rest of the crew (mainly from UMass) started congregating in front of Jerry on the field. So then we all got kicked out. Later before the show, Bill Walton was back stage eating from the Hospitality area talking to us mainly about the Boston Celtics since we were all from Boston and it was the Larry Bird era. He was super cool and friendly.

The guy’s name is Kucherov.

Everyone in Florida knows that now.

Celebs: Bill Walton at one of the New Years shows. Were we both in a fairly altered state, so I doubt either one of us remember much about the encounter. Or care.

Numerous hockey players. The most famous of which would be Bobby Hull. Enormous hands made of cement.

Lol

The best conversations with the townies of Telluride.
Featuring: Richard Holbrook, U.N. Ambassador and Special Envoy to the Middle East
Niel Marlens, Producer of The Wonder Years and other sit-coms, etc.
Mr. Toll of Toll Bros. Construction, (very big back east?) sponsor of opera on
Public Radio and PBS and singlehandedly bringing back vintage 70's ski clothing
by wearing it every day he has skied since then.
Justin Leonard, Pro Golfer, British Open champion.
All great front side skiers, where the real townies ski lift 9.
That's my working title Proudfoot. I'm hoping I can get Aaron Sorkin to produce the TV version.
I'll play the stoner working for tips always handy with a song. I played nothing but Jerry or the Dead.
Cheers
Edit: Oh, and I rented skis to Alicia Keys but I didn't know who she was. Really cute, I said when they clued me in. And customers included Daryl Hannah, Susan St. James and Ralph Lauren, a cool guy with lots of cool cars.

A few lifetimes ago, I committed acts of journalism on a semi-regular basis. So I talked to a lot of fairly famous people as part of my job, but I don't think that counts. Mostly, people keep their guard up when they're being interviewed for a story. One delightful exception: Shaquille O'Neal, who was warm and friendly and really funny, despite the fact that I was probably the least important interview he'd done in months.

Oh, speaking of b-ballers, Bill Walton was an absolute delight. I button-holed him at a game and told him what I wanted to talk about, and asked him for five minutes, and he gave me his home phone and told me to call the next day so we could take our time and "do it right." It actually took a few days to connect, but when we did, he talked to me for an hour and a half, mostly about life. I wished I'd asked him more about the Dead, Egypt etc, but we got into a talk about aging and physical problems associated with that (of which he's had many) and, well, it was cool and I just went with it. Anyway, good good dude.

One person I want to mention is Laurie Anderson. A friend of mine was involved with promoting a concert of hers, and he asked me if I could drive her to the airport the next day. Sure, why not? She was a piece of work. I pull up, wave to her, she gets in the car, and first thing she says is "Can we not talk? I really don't want to talk." And I'm thinking, fine, I'm just doing a favor for my friend. I say no problemo. Next thing she says is, "Can we turn that heater OFF please?" not at all nicely, but like this is the most annoying thing she's ever had to deal with is the fact that the heater is on in my car, which she just sat down in 10 seconds ago. Then she starts complaining about her flight, because she has layover, and her tour manager's an idiot blah blah. So apparently she wants me to not talk because she's going to be going non-stop the whole drive. Then she pulls out her phone, starts complaining to who ever's on the other end, reaming that person out. Then she hangs up, repeats all her complaints to me. Never shuts up the whole 20 minute drive. When we get there, she asks if I can wait at curbside because she's going to go in and try to change her flight and she might need a ride back to the hotel. So I say the first words I've been allowed since I picked her up: "no, sorry, actually I have to get to work. Buh bye!" And peel on outta there. Never told that story before, not even to the friend who asked me to drive her, but it's true. Maybe she was just having a bad day. Her music's generally .... not bad.

Man, are you guys digging the El Mocambo Club thing? Definitely some of best live Stones I've heard. Amazing to remember how good they could be.

Had an encounter with a celebrity.

....and shook Tim Burtons hand in Vegas.
That's really about it.

All i know of hers is Superman

Thanks for the tip off on the Rolling Stones El Mocambo. Hand of Fate finally has its proper live release. I can't think of a more underrated Stones song. I don't know how the rest of the album sounds, but I thought the Stones originals on Love You Live sounded awful, as well as Flashpoint and Still Life and all the rest after. For years the only good live Stones album I could handle was Ya Yas, which was the only Mick Taylor era live stuff available. And it caught them right at the beginning of that stretch. It was until about 10 years ago or so that they started releasing live material from the early 70s, starting with the Ladies and Gentlemen movie. Then I heard for the first time, the fabled live Rolling Stones, worthy of the greatest rock and roll band moniker (even if they shared that reputation with a few other bands). I'll probably pick up El mocambo and have faith that the rest of it is going to be as good as hand of fate, and better than love you live.

I've met a few, Mickey Hart, Robert Hunter, Frank Zappa, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Grace Slick, Bobby Caldwell, Mark Knoefler, Arnold Palmer, Chris Squire and Alan White, Steve Allen, Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter and Robin Trower. That's off the top of my head. Spent a little time on the mountain...

On the shopping list - looks good.

What also may - or may not - be of interest is a book I am reading at the moment called "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Keiron Pim. It's a biography of a mover and shaker on London scene in the 1960s called David Litvinoff. A shadowy figure who was an associate of The Krays and a friend of Eric Clapton, he seemed to move effortlessly between the criminal underworld and the rock scene. He is credited as an advisor in the credits of the great film "Performance" which features Mick Jagger and Anita Pallenberg. One of the characters The Stones associated with who gave them a real frisson of danger.
"Performance" is one of the great films of and about the 1960s of course. An indispensable snapshot of psychedelic/Stones/London - at least to people like me, 10 years later and two hundred miles away.

Watching the extras on my dvd of this film last night, I was surprised to see that Lowell George played in the soundtrack. One of the greatest soundtracks I have ever heard, too

..... except the fine people here on the forum.

NEVER met anyone.

But I do have high friends in low places.

Better know by his first name, passed away yesterday, he was 79. Loved those albums he made with Jon Anderson of Yes, The Friends of Mr. Cairo comes to mind. Jon and Vangelis made several albums together and they are all very good. He also was big in movie soundtracks back in the 80's. Via con Dios.

....I once ran into Laurence Fishburne on 18th Street in Washington, DC.
He was shorter than I had expected.

Sixtus

I have read what some of you have written, about the alternative tracking number, if it ends with CH, which my package does. I don't understand why it's being sent to Switzerland instead of Sweden? I found it on the Asendia site though but only that they had recieved information about the package.

I recieved a shipping e-mail on April 26th. Package was recieved in Fontana, CA on May 3rd, it was processed on May 6th and processed again by an international carrier on May 11th. So I guess it will arrive in Sweden around May 25th, perhaps, even though I have never undestood why it is taken so long.
When I order GarciaLive albums I get the packages in about maximum three weeks but more often less time than that. So how come Dave's Picks packages take that much longer to arrive in Sweden?

Btw, I have a poster of the Dead framed on a wall in my living room. It's from June 9th or 10th 1973. I have a tape of the latter since the mid-80's but would love to have an official album from both dates.
I bought the poster in San Francisco in August or September 1986, so I have had it for a long time.

Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden