Life lessons on two wheels to the tunes of the
Grateful Dead
This Week in Grateful Dead History
Week 1
I wish I was a headlight on a northbound train.
Even the most cursory examination of the lyrics of Grateful Dead songs quickly uncovers one of the most fundamental aspects of the band’s identity: This is an American band, rooted in American culture, and built around easily recognizable locales and deeply American principles and history.
Other Posts
This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 33 - August 13, 1975
It’s fireworks, calliopes and clowns
As we reach the week following the “Days Between” (the period from Jerry Garcia’s August 1 birthday through his August 9 passing), one can’t help but be struck by the enduring nature of the Grateful Dead. More than 50 years have gone by since the band’s first performance under the name, “Grateful Dead,” and almost half of that period has passed since their final performance on July 9, 1995. And yet, quite literally, the “music never stopped.” What is it about the Grateful Dead that has captivated millions the world over from multiple generations over the course of more than a half-century?
This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 16 - April 12, 1978
Is there anything a man don’t stand to lose
I was first exposed to bigotry at the age of five when my family unwittingly became the only Jewish residents of what proved to be a passionately anti-Semitic neighborhood in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The year was 1960, and the hateful echoes of the Holocaust were still plainly audible, particularly among the already settled Scandinavian and Protestant Anglo-Saxon population, which made no effort to conceal their displeasure at the significant influx of Jewish families to the Twin Cities.
This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 39 – September 22, 1991
The bottle was dusty
The Deadhead Cyclist was recently the special guest on the Deadhead Cannabis Show, and I was asked, “What was your favorite period in Grateful Dead history?” The timing of this question was particularly interesting, as just the day before the interview I was listening to the 9/22/91 show from the Boston Garden, while riding my favorite trails in the foothills just west of my home in Boulder, CO. This show is truly a gem, and I had already decided to make it my pick for T.W.I.G.D.H., making the prospect of a response a bit trickier than it might have been otherwise.
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