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Submitted by marye on
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Strangers Stopping Strangers
"Stealie"? As Dead Heads, we have our own subset of the English language, which often leads to confusion when we use a particular term with those not in the know. Why, I got in a lot of trouble once in my teaching days by calling a kid wearing a Grateful Dead shirt a Dead Head... Where he got the shirt I cannot say, but he'd clearly never heard the term before and was most offended. So here, more or less at random, we present some common bits of vernacular and iconic entities that are second nature to us and often completely opaque to outsiders. And the question: how would you explain/define them to someone who was well-meaning but, at least for the moment, clueless? Feel free to add your own terms as well... Dead Heads The Other Ones RatDog Furthur JGB Legion of Mary New Riders of the Purple Sage SYF (Steal Your Face) Bolt Dancing Bears Skeleton & Roses Dancing Skeletons Tie-Dye Dick’s Picks View From The Vault Road Trips Bear’s Choice …From The Vault Pure Jerry Rex F
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Submitted by gratefaldean on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 04:09

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You have no idea (or maybe you do) the struggles I've had with this one lately. "I'm going to a concert tonight." "Who are you seeing?" "Furthur." "Who?" "Bob Weir and Phil Lesh's new band." "Who?" "They were in the Grateful Dead." (Heaven forbid that I bring up the Merry Pranksters and "the bus" at this point). Mostly followed by "Oh" (conversation over)....and in a couple of cases, "Why?"
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Submitted by marye on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 10:02

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and then there's always "Jerry who?" Adding to the confusion of course is the penchant of Heads to call themselves Jerry's Kids, which must have just made Jerry Lewis livid. Boo hoo... No dis to his charity work but he does have a rather overinflated view of himself.
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Submitted by JackstrawfromC… on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 13:02

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This causes even more confusion - "I'm driving (from Colorado) to Portland and then down to San Francisco" "Seeing family or something?" "Nope just following Furthur" "Who?" "Bob Weir and Phil Lesh's new band." "Who?" "They were in the Grateful Dead." (Heaven forbid that I bring up the Merry Pranksters and "the bus" at this point). Always followed by "Why?" (conversation over)....and in a couple of cases "Are you freaking nuts?" "Lazy lightning you say you never strike the same place. I want a double dose in any case" ... "You got to hear my supplication. Got to hear me now. A little bolt of inspiration"
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Submitted by johnman on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 21:57

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you COULD say you're seeing family.......
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Submitted by johnman on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 21:59

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means neither candles nor people who finish drywall
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Submitted by CopperDomeBodh… on Sun, 12/19/2010 - 21:22

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A Miracle - a free ticket to a Dead show that a fellow Head give you just out of peace, love and concern Gratefaldean I have nearly the exact same experience explaining Furthur.
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Submitted by johnman on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 09:24

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a dear, departed uncle....
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Submitted by RipplesInStillWater on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 13:32

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They should add some Dead terms to the dictionary. All they have in the Oxford dictionary is Jerry Garcia. Nuttin' else Ain't nobody messin' with you but you AND WE ALL LOVE YOU
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Submitted by Bantler on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 16:14

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Nuttin'? "...[Jerry Garcia] picked up an old Britannica World Language Dictionary...[and]...In that silvery elf-voice he said to me, 'Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?'" ~Phil Lesh Biography
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Submitted by Kate_C. on Mon, 12/15/2014 - 15:48

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We don't need no stinkin' representation in honorable tomes of lingual preservation bearing esteemed names like Oxford, Merriam-Webster, or American Heritage because we've got our own - courtesy of Shenk & Silberman! I think I picked up my now-well worn copy a few years ago on ebay for about $7 / peace, K - wishing you a joyous spin in the bardo realm!
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Submitted by Bkrayer12thman on Thu, 09/14/2023 - 11:00

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One day I was in Pensacola FL, talking about going to a show in Mobile and he asked me how long I'd been going to shows. This was at an actual bus stop and a civilian (as I call them 😆)overheard me say "I got on the bus in 1989 when I was 16" and she said "Did you get the youth discount?" I just smiled and said "The bus is free for all who choose to get on." It went well over her head,as indicated by her reply,"What bus are you talking about?" Nothing left to do but 😁😁😁at that point. WALSTIB.(I'm 50 now but it still feels like my first show, Shoreline, Mountain View CA, my 18th birthday,8/17/91)

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Submitted by Bkrayer12thman on Thu, 09/14/2023 - 11:06

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Made me 😁😁😁 when the Seahawks signed Jake Bobo!! Nobody around me got it. Nobody around me got it.(The Boys did "He's Gone" 2nd set of my first show,8/17/91, Shoreline, Mountain View CA, my 18th birthday ‼️)

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    13 replies
    marye
    Joined:
    "Stealie"? As Dead Heads, we have our own subset of the English language, which often leads to confusion when we use a particular term with those not in the know. Why, I got in a lot of trouble once in my teaching days by calling a kid wearing a Grateful Dead shirt a Dead Head... Where he got the shirt I cannot say, but he'd clearly never heard the term before and was most offended. So here, more or less at random, we present some common bits of vernacular and iconic entities that are second nature to us and often completely opaque to outsiders. And the question: how would you explain/define them to someone who was well-meaning but, at least for the moment, clueless? Feel free to add your own terms as well... Dead Heads The Other Ones RatDog Furthur JGB Legion of Mary New Riders of the Purple Sage SYF (Steal Your Face) Bolt Dancing Bears Skeleton & Roses Dancing Skeletons Tie-Dye Dick’s Picks View From The Vault Road Trips Bear’s Choice …From The Vault Pure Jerry Rex F

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  • #1
    Bkrayer12thman
    Joined:
    Bobo

    Made me 😁😁😁 when the Seahawks signed Jake Bobo!! Nobody around me got it. Nobody around me got it.(The Boys did "He's Gone" 2nd set of my first show,8/17/91, Shoreline, Mountain View CA, my 18th birthday ‼️)

  • #2
    Bkrayer12thman
    Joined:
    Getting on the bus

    One day I was in Pensacola FL, talking about going to a show in Mobile and he asked me how long I'd been going to shows. This was at an actual bus stop and a civilian (as I call them 😆)overheard me say "I got on the bus in 1989 when I was 16" and she said "Did you get the youth discount?" I just smiled and said "The bus is free for all who choose to get on." It went well over her head,as indicated by her reply,"What bus are you talking about?" Nothing left to do but 😁😁😁at that point. WALSTIB.(I'm 50 now but it still feels like my first show, Shoreline, Mountain View CA, my 18th birthday,8/17/91)

  • #3
    Kate_C.
    Joined:
    Banditos {aka, Gold Hat Heads}
    We don't need no stinkin' representation in honorable tomes of lingual preservation bearing esteemed names like Oxford, Merriam-Webster, or American Heritage because we've got our own - courtesy of Shenk & Silberman! I think I picked up my now-well worn copy a few years ago on ebay for about $7 / peace, K - wishing you a joyous spin in the bardo realm!
  • #4
    Bantler
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Nuttin'?"...[Jerry Garcia]
    Nuttin'? "...[Jerry Garcia] picked up an old Britannica World Language Dictionary...[and]...In that silvery elf-voice he said to me, 'Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?'" ~Phil Lesh Biography
  • #5
    RipplesInStillWater
    Joined:
    Add The Dead!!
    They should add some Dead terms to the dictionary. All they have in the Oxford dictionary is Jerry Garcia. Nuttin' else Ain't nobody messin' with you but you AND WE ALL LOVE YOU
  • #6
    LloydF4
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    There's always confusion
    Maybe it all comes from the excessive amount of terms?
  • #7
    johnman
    Joined:
    Bobo
    a dear, departed uncle....
  • #8
    CopperDomeBodh…
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    A Miracle - a free ticket to
    A Miracle - a free ticket to a Dead show that a fellow Head give you just out of peace, love and concern Gratefaldean I have nearly the exact same experience explaining Furthur.
  • #9
    johnman
    Joined:
    Tapers
    means neither candles nor people who finish drywall
  • #10
    johnman
    Joined:
    well........
    you COULD say you're seeing family.......