Category Archives: Grateful Dead, Fare Thee Well

Weir and Mayer

In news that was refreshing to everyone, Bob Weir proved he left home with at least 2 pairs of pants when he took the stage at The Target Center in Minneapolis Saturday. Rumor has it, Buckwheat called and said, “Imma donna need ta git muh britches back!” Weir realizing it was the right thing to do returned the pants that he had been wearing since October 27th. Dead & Company’s wardrobe assistant on the tour, a mannequin that goes by the name of Saint Stiffen had no comment. Weir claimed to win the britches in an auction on Participation Row the last time Buckwheat Toured. He covered all bases by saying it may have just been a dream he had. None of my rumors are ever able to be confirmed so you’ll have to just take my word for it.

For those that are under the impression that I am in some way an insider now, I have to make it clear that I’m still as much of a Nobody as just about anybody. I may have become a higher level Nobody but I still haven’t elevated any higher than “Absolute Nobody” Status. As a matter of fact, after my review of this years “Night At The Movies” from Alpine ’89, my comments about Kreutzmann during Drums looking like an epileptic that discovered bread sticks at a salad bar got me blocked from posting any more of my material on his page. That’s OK, he’s still my third favorite drummer in Dead & Company, right behind Oteil. I wonder if people know when I’m kidding and when I’m not? Like right now for example…

As for Minnesota, The show was hot and the hippies were cold. The music was great at The Target Center except for Dear Prudence which I think sounds like a bad rendition played by some old dudes at a local Battle of the Bands competition. They would likely finish in 3rd place. Most of you get a real kick out of that tune so I probably should’ve kept that to myself. I know I’m probably supposed to love everything and think it all sounds great but to me Dear Prudence sounds like shit. I’m sure a lot of you disagree. I Love everybody either way! It was great to hear Cryptical but it was missing The Other One. Those 2 will get reunited soon and be much better than either of them alone. It was great to hear Mexicali but odd for it to stand by itself as well. Throw Mama Tried in front of that and we’re much better than before. I like the pic from Minnesota here because it shows a lot about what is going on at times. Weir is clearly saying, “Stop fuckin soloing and get back to the song!” John is most likely not listening at all because he’s lost in the moment. Perfect picture by whoever took it! Maybe Weir is really jamming along with him but has an expression that looks like he’s thinking, “Stop fuckin soloing and get back to the song!” I don’t know…

Dead & Company are a great a band but people that associate anybody as a “Spiritual Heir” to Garcia are more crazy than an Armpit Sandwich. I’m not sure why folks feel the need to compare anybody’s contributions to Garcia but it’s an unfair and irrelevant comparison. Nobody ever has or ever will come close to Garcia within this community. It’s an unrealistic expectation. If you haven’t heard it already, check out the interview Gary Lambert did with John Mayer. It’s a great interview and Gary is wonderful at saying the right things and asking the right questions without ever looking to be controversial. He’s much nicer than I am and is definitely better at handling the wing nuts that call into the show than David Gans. I like David because he’s got a really soft way of saying, “Lets hang up on this motherfucker!” without saying anything like that at all. Anyway, John made this interview incredibly easy on Gary because he began to answer questions that Gary never even asked. John had extremely interesting things to say and addressed all kinds of things that have been said about him. Check it out if you haven’t already by clicking this. Great job by Gary as always!

With the holidaze starting to take shape, I’ve put together a gift guide for the Deadheads in your life. It’s for those that will still have anything left to spend once they’re done seeing Dead & Company Shows. For most family and friends of those that have spent the year following our favorite musicians from Santa Clara to Chicago and now throughout the rest of the country, prepare to get a T Shirt they wore twice before wrapping. For anyone else, here are some great gift ideas for the overly obsessed people in your life.

My favorite book of the year comes from David Gans and Blair Jackson and is a great gift idea. You can have it signed by both of them and get it in time for the holidays if you stop dragging your feet and order this week. If you’re waiting to buy presents once you get back from Las Vegas, with all of your winnings, I hope your family appreciates the home made card. This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead is a wonderful read whether you have 5 minutes or an hour to spare. There’s enough substance in this book to keep you busy for over a year as a toilet reader (Results may vary based on your diet and the condition of your GI tract). Since you Love The Dead, You’ll Love The Book!

David Gans also has a new CD out and you can buy “It’s a Hand-Me-Down” right here. David’s take on some of our favorites is a pleasant change of pace for those of us that listen to Grateful Dead Music 24 hours a day. Whether fishing by a stream or having Love with your significant other, these versions are sure to bring a peaceful vibe to the experience. Great Job David!

For those willing to listen to something other than Grateful Dead Music, My bro, Brian Swislow has a great band together called Object Heavy. Brian has played with a bunch of dudes that toured with Zappa so it should be obvious that he’s a top shelf maker of music. Object Heavy is available for download or CD Purchase on Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. This CD is as funky as a pair of tour socks after 15 shows. I personally appreciate listening to something other than The Dead every now and then and this CD has found a spot in my regular rotation. Brian also makes some killer clothes and you can check them out at www.fatbol.com That brother is like the Daymond John of The Grateful Dead World. His shit is truly unique and is For US and By US! I have a few of his shirts and they’re high quality threads for sure!

For those that haven’t illegally downloaded the Fare Thee Well Product Line from Torrents and would prefer the entire package with all the accompanying and Official Swag, there’s the FARE THEE WELL COMPLETE BOX JULY 3, 4 & 5 2015 at the Official Site. That shit is gonna be on my list for sure! You can also grab the last night only if you don’t care about the best night which happened to be the first night. Look for the same box to be put out for Santa Clara before long because that shit is like money in the bank for our favorite enterprise and collector of all of our extra loot.

That’s it for today, catch y’all down the road…

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced Total Nobody)
@gd50th on Twitter
The Official Home of Unofficial Grateful Dead News and Grateful Dean on Facebook

WeirandPhil

In a show of respect, love and brotherhood, Bob Weir showed up and played with Phil and his son’s band at SOB’s in Manhattan last night. Since rumors have circulated for quite some time that Phil thinks Bob is an SOB and Bob thinks Phil is an SOB, SOB’s was a perfect place to put all of that to rest. Now rumor has it that Bob actually sang Looks Like Rain to Phil. While many of US assumed there was friction, according to Bob’s heart, The Landscape is empty since Phil has been gone… I have to admit, I’ve been guilty of assuming that might be a trashed relationship but it’s obviously not the case. Phil walked right into Bob’s arms after he sang everyone’s favorite Love Song and shared a hug that looks much longer on a still photo than it actually was. Robert Smithers had one second to get this shot and he was successful. Great picture Robert! It was filled with Love either way! With Weir’s schedule, he obviously didn’t have to make this appearance and it’s great to see, once again, that when it comes to the feelings and relationships of the people in the inner circle, most of US really don’t know shit. Carolyn Garcia contacted me earlier in the year on one occasion to let me know that I didn’t know shit about something I wrote. It had to do with the personal lives of the band. She mixed it with a compliment and used words that caused me to feel honored while she was saying that I didn’t know shit. I was honored! I’d rather have a Garcia tell me I don’t know shit than 10,000 fans tell me I do! She said something that stuck with me and that was, “Stick with what you know!” Since then I’ve taken her advice and it goes to show, most of us don’t know shit about a lot of the things we think we know some shit about. It was a GREAT moment at SOB’s last night. There is obviously no bad blood between Bob and Phil.

I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of the latest Grateful Dead book that will be hitting the market next Tuesday.

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This Is All A Dream We Dreamed, An Oral History of the Grateful Dead by Blair Jackson and David Gans is The Grateful Dead Story as told by those that were actually part of it. For many of us, Blair Jackson and David Gans have been the link between the inner circle and the outer circle of our community for several decades. They’ve combed through thousands of hours of interviews and conversations they have participated in, with those closest as well as those in the band, to convey a first hand look at the history of our favorite topic. Instead of guessing what Garcia might say in regards to any given topic, this book gives you plenty of things he really did say instead of assuming. While many bits and pieces that make up the book have appeared elsewhere before, it’s packed with new stories and conversations that have yet to be seen. The book takes pieces from the stories told by the characters that make up Our Community and places them within the proper context and time period from which they came. Since the book is largely comprised of short pieces by different individuals, even the most burned out meatheads can navigate their way through the adventure without losing steam. This approach seems to make reading large chunks of it just as easy as picking it up for a minute or two. That is a tremendous accomplishment when your book is aimed at a community with a good deal of members that have absolutely no clue how to pay attention. I think the ladies will be happy that there is a lot more input from the significant women in and around the scene. Blair and David obviously felt like this was an important piece of the picture that has been limited in other historical perspectives. You’ll definitely hear more from the women at the center of it all than you have before.

Many of us are currently spending a little more time than we have in a while on planes, trains and automobiles. A little more time than usual in hotels, motels and parking lots, if ya know what I mean. It’s great to have something new to read while flying, travelling or waiting for show time. This book will keep you engaged from the minute you pick it up. As a collection of stories told by others, there are really no parts that are difficult to get through. It’s a story we all know, full of characters we all love. What could be better than having all of those characters tell it to US, all in one place? That’s exactly what happens in this new addition to any Deadhead’s required reading list for winter. Whether you grab it on Tuesday or put it on your Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa list, I guarantee you’ll have a blast as you learn and relive the days that make up the history of The Greatest Live Band the earth will ever know. Nothing is better than a history book that’s told by the people that were actually creating it! David Gans, in his humility, downplays the role he’s played for many of us throughout the years but for me, he has been a bridge between the Center of Grateful Dead Land and its inhabitants. I appreciate how Blair and David have taken the pieces of our past and arranged them for us in a way that is both extremely enjoyable and easy to read. It’s a scrapbook you can read and a highlight reel from decades of interviews and conversations. My attention span is shorter than the line for the women’s bathroom at Phish Shows and I am completely sucked into this book. Pick it up on Tuesday or put it on your holiday gift list! You’ll be glad you did.

More Dead & Company coming right up! Where did you get your cheese steaks, Pat’s or Gino’s? There’s gonna be free tickets all over the place for MSG on Saturday. If I were you, I’d show up!!!

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)
@gd50th on Twitter