Grateful Dead | Grateful Dean

THIS INFORMATION IS NO LONGER VALID Due TO THE PRANKSTERS PULLING OUT OF THE EVENT AND QUESTIONABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES BY THE PROMOTER BEING INVESTIGATED. YOU CAN READ IT FOR LAUGHS BUT THAT’S ABOUT ALL… I will DEFINITELY NOT be there or participate in any way. SEVERAL ARTISTS THAT THE PROMOTER LISTED AS CONFIRMED HAVE SAID ON THEIR PERSONAL FB PAGES THAT THEY WILL NOT BE THERE.

I’d like to start this off by saying, I am the Creator of The Official Home of Unofficial Grateful Dead and Music News. I don’t speak for anyone other than myself. I’m not sure what makes an individual an Official Prankster or an Official anything for all that matters. I never had The Magic Wings of Kindness pinned on me in a parking lot after some random good natured act. Nobody ever snuck up on me and gave me a loud jacket and dropped a clown nose on me and invited me for a ride on the Magic Bus, christening me as an Official anything. I’m more like The Lone Ranger except I don’t even have a fuckin horse or an Indian friend… I act on my own and no camp is claiming me as their official voice. I say this in order to say, stop sending me messages and asking me so many questions like I know somebody or something. I don’t know a damn thing about anything except the things I know something about. I have zero connections and am doing all of this on my own dime just like most of you.

That being said, here is a highly informative piece full of insider information about what you can expect from the Merry Prankster’s 50th Anniversary Acoustic Acid Test!

There’s going to be a HUGE party that will be running nonstop in Chicago 4th of July Weekend, beginning on the 2nd of July and lasting until the 6th. Music and entertainment will be running 24 hours a day during the entire event. The first gig the Grateful Dead played officially, once their name was changed to the Grateful Dead, coincided with the very first public Acid Test on December 4, 1965. These 2 groups have been arm in arm since the beginning and both represent everything that was great about the scene since its inception. The Merry Pranksters are pulling all the rabbits out of the hat for this event and this event alone is worth making the trip to Chicago. According to organizers, they’re not at liberty to tell you a damn thing about what’s going on or who is coming but highly recommend that one of the people that should definitely plan on coming is YOU! Here’s the deal, $299 gets you full access to the the event that will be hosting most of the Big Musical Acts and an assload of complete Fuckery! EVERYBODY will be performing there… EVERYBODY! Before you ask again, EVERYBODY will be playing there. It’s located 15 minutes from Soldier Field and my connectons have told me it’s right about here (Told ya I have no connections already)

Camping will be available about an hour away and transportation to and from Soldier Field is included for $500 for the week. Up to 4 people can camp and that deal comes with one pass to the Acid Test location nearest to Soldier Field as well. Just in case you don’t score tickets to The Dead, they will be streaming the festivities from Soldier Field at the camp as well! From what I’ve gathered using my keen sense of intuition accompanied with an inside informational leak, That site is located right here.

All your questions can be answered more completely by visiting the Official Facebook Page that is located here 50th Anniversary Acid Tests

There’s been some early banter from people about the costs associated with attending the event. My question is this, Do people live in the woods? Where the hell can you go for a vacation that offers endless entertainment for almost a week for $500? Do any of you ever need a plumber? I have a 3 and a 6 year old, every time one of them flushes a pair of their pants or a stuffed animal in the toilet, it costs me $150 for Santos, my plumber, to come here and rectify the problem. I get no live music at all and the only entertainment I get is Santos, telling me his life story, over and over and over again. He’s happy and I love him but it’s no Prankster event that’s for sure.

We all have different lots in life and it’s all cool wherever you may be along that path. The biggest problem I’ve noticed since January is that people totally forgot how to be broke and stay cool at the same time. Because of my overwhelming compassion for humanity, I’m offering everybody lessons on How to Stay Cool through the 50th Anniversary Events and Beyond… ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

Lesson #1 How to stay cool when you’re broke…

Don’t complain about the prices of everything, it makes you sound like a crotchety Senior citizen. I remember Grandma every time they raised the price of stamps by a penny. The next 3 months of her life were spent complaining to anyone that would listen. In order to avoid being like my grandma, here’s some other options:

Make up some shit like, “I’d like to go but I’m fully committed for that weekend.” That makes you sound important instead of broke. Maybe try, “I’d Love to make it but my cousin is graduating from a program with NASA and his Astronaut Induction Ceremony is that weekend.” Something like that makes you sound smart as well as sounding like you’re abundantly more significant than you actually are while leading the reader to believe your family is well connected in the Space World. That’s cool!

Lesson #2 Don’t pretend to know what Jerry would think or say.

Jerry wouldn’t say shit, he’d just pay for it. You think when he checked in at the Ritz-Carlton Jerry said, “Holy Shit man, a grand a night for this room!?!?! I’m Jerry Garcia, shouldn’t this be free??? This room should really come with Broadway Tickets and a Limo for that kinda money!!! $25 for a Cheeseburger??? I remember when Cheeseburgers were 75 cents!!!!”
Garcia just slapped down a Black Amex and moved along without saying a damn thing other than, “Thanks! Catch ya later!” Like a BOSS!!! I’ll bet he never even checked his bill to ensure it was accurate. Try that shit on if you wanna do what Jerry would do, THAT is some cool shit!!! Otherwise, leave Garcia out of it…

Lesson #3 You don’t need to know how everything is gonna work out. Remember leaving for Fall Tour in 87??? I do… You remember having reservations, or tickets, or anything other than a car that would never make it, 1 bag with clothes and 6 bags with tapes to listen to and barely enough gas money to get to the first show? Guess what??? You made it!!! Saw every damn show!! Found a place to crash almost every night! You’re alive today to tell the tale.
What the hell is it that makes aging people always have to know exactly what the hell is gonna happen??? Old fuckers have Itineraries mapping out their plans for Chicago like it’s a damn Perillo Tour of Italy. Let’s go back in time and learn how to trust the process and just show up where Magic is happening knowing that some of The Magic is destined to happen to YOU! Sure, life has changed and so has our available options but the Dead Life taught us to trust the journey. Remember my favorite quote from Bill’s book? “We put more money on risky chances than sure bets, every time.” You only have to survive ONE weekend this time. There is ONE more weekend of your entire life left with these guys to just let go and remember who you used to be and just take a risk and free yourself once again. Take the chance instead of being a public whiner. NOBODY appreciates whiners except other whiners and that makes for a sad circle of pitiful folks…

Lesson #4 It’s OK to just Shut The Hell Up

Saying nothing is often times more productive and a greater contribution than going on and on about how everything sucks. It’s OK to think everything sucks but here’s some confirmation that you can think everything sucks and say nothing. Most of us see your comments and think you’re an ass. We wanna believe that everyone is cool and do our best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. There’s no need to have that benefit revoked.

It all rolls into one and nothing comes for free, (except my Lessons!) There’s nothing you can hold for very long… We have ONE last weekend to hold a piece of that, Make it count… Maybe I should just Shut the hell Up…

Dead To The Core,
Grateful Dean Sottile (pronounced So
Tilly)
Preparation for Soldier Field in full swing

#GD50
#GratefulDead
#MerryPranksters
#PhilLesh
#BillKreutzmann
#MickeyHart
#BobWeir
#Trey

What better way to spend your Birthday than to have a chance to meet a Legend. Yup, those were Bill’s thoughts shortly after we met in NJ last week. I hated to cut Bill short on time but we had to keep the line moving. As I stepped to the side, I could see Bill wishing I didn’t have to leave so soon. That’s how it is in the big leagues though, “barely time to wait”.

In all reality, Bill’s book signing in Ridgewood, NJ was a tremendous success. I arrived 40 minutes late and the line was wrapping around the building. After shaking a few hands and kissing a few babies, I grabbed my book and headed for the basement. Apparently, Bill still likes the Marijuana weed because everybody was given a pack of rolling papers with the book. I’m kinda surprised they weren’t Clubs. Back in the day you couldn’t just get a paper from somebody, you had to find a Club. Any Tour Head was well aware of that. No Club, No fattie. Nice promo piece!!!

I no longer smoke the magic broccoli but took the pack as a keepsake and souvenir that my children will most likely find, and destroy, like all the rest of my shit. Since their birth, my home often times looks like one of those places you see on the news from the middle east that’s been hit by a few bombs. My once lovely couch appears as though a farmer hooked it up to a tractor and pulled it through his crops. At times, it seems like someone filled a humidifier with honey and just let it run in my kitchen for a few hours. Hold on… I got sidetracked… Back to Billy…

Bill loves Dead Heads but doesn’t wanna get too close to any of us. I can’t say I blame him, a lot of us are as weird as a jar full of armpits. The signing was set up to make it challenging as possible to get a decent picture with our hero and these signs were everywhere.

I joke around a lot but in all reality, Bill has always been among my top 5 members of the band, all behind Garcia of course. Growing up as a drummer, I spent more time than most watching Bill and Mickey I’d imagine. Bill always seemed to me like he’d just be more accessible than everybody else. The kind of person you wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by during a chance encounter. That was my long held preconception about Bill and it rang true.

For those that have met their favorite musicians and performers, there’s an undeniable spark that emanates from within them. Bill sat at the table glowing like a Fabergé Egg. He wore a Pimp Hat with a feather in it and looked clean and healthy. He didn’t smell like Fritos and Beef Jerky and Schlitz Malt Liquor like some may have imagined. He greeted folks warmly and many were completely Star Struck by his presence. It was a great chance to meet someone we’ve spanned the globe to hear play.

If you ever are under the impression that you’re cooler than anybody else, I’d encourage you to go and meet one of your favorite Rock Stars. Don’t break into their house or anything, just find a meet and greet somewhere. You will instantly realize that you’re just another admirer. You have time for one or two sentences before they toss your ass out so don’t stutter or fuck one of them up. I took the opportunity to wish Bill a Happy Birthday and suggested he read GratefulDean.com. Much to my surprise, his face changed pretty immediately and he said, “We know about Grateful Dean, is that you?” to which I replied, “Only if you like him…” He then said “Thanks for buying the book.” and it was over… For a second, I wished I didn’t write that he looked like an epileptic that just discovered bread sticks at a salad bar when he played during Meet Up at The Movies, the day before. A great moment for both of us I’m sure! Certainly one of us…

How about the book? I can say without any reservations that this has been my favorite of the band member’s memoirs and is impossible to put down. Benjy scored the chance of a lifetime and has done an outstanding job taking the time he spent with Bill and crafting a book that absolutely makes you feel as though you’re kicking back with Bill in his living room. It wouldn’t be complete without an error and I found the first one on page 35(“We seem be a magnet for that kind of thing” is missing the word “to”). I understand how that goes, I edit these posts over and over again hoping to eliminate unintentional errors. Little stuff like that is fly shit in pepper anyway… I’m always happy to see somebody get a big break in life and Benjy certainly got a huge one when Bill chose him as the collaborator on all of this. He rose to the challenge on Deal and has solidified for himself a nice slice of Grateful Dead History in a manner far more official than an asshole like me most likely ever will.

The first quote in the book that awoke in me the sense of wonder I experienced the first time I saw The Dead and cracked open the door for magnifying my interest in the entire experience came early on when Bill said, “We put more money on risky chances than sure bets, every time”. I think many of us either acquired that from our years with The Dead or were absolutely drawn to them because that desire and lure existed within us already and we finally found the accompanying soundtrack to our lives.

The way Billy tells the tale of his life and the manner in which it was captured in print makes for the most intimate feeling of the Dead stories I’ve read. His manner, charisma and nuances can be felt throughout the course of the book and it’s a story that you can’t wait to begin and then hope will never end. The way it’s all told makes you feel as though you and Bill are old friends and that’s the first time I’ve felt that way reading a book about my favorite topic. The serendipitous events, people and happenstance that seem to constantly mark the lives of those that are destined for greatness are all perfectly and humorously accounted for. The battles and trials of life within the Greatest Band in history are conveyed in a way that brings their emotions off of the pages and into your heart. It’s become an instant favorite of mine and I highly encourage all of you to get to it as soon as possible.

Bill, You’ve provided the backbeat and rhythm and so much of the character that is cemented into the foundation of my life experience. Your hands have expressed through drumming the intentions of the source through which all musical creation radiates from, somewhere way out there. Your collective connection with The Dead was so strong that we have all been able to anchor our lives to it for the past 5 decades and in doing so, ultimately experience our own ability to connect in the process. Your continued connection to that source and your ability to surrender to it as a way of life has created a whole new generation of musicians that seek to become invisible and completely yielded to the commands of that same source. To lose one’s own preconceived ideas of what might happen next and instead let go of the sure bets, placing all present and future bets on the long shot, every time. Your accessibility in the past few years has given so many people an opportunity to share a brief moment in your presence. That means much more to many than it could ever mean to you… Thanks for that moment!

Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (Pronounced So Tilly)

Get your tickets for Chicago’s biggest party at the 50th Anniversary Acoustic Acid Test!!! No bigger party in the world 4th of July weekend!!!

Tickets!!!

#BillKreutzmann
#Deal
#GratefulDead
#GD50
#FareTheeWell

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