Well the first days are the hardest daysDon't you worry anymore'Cause when life looks like easy streetThere is danger at your door Those are the opening lyrics to the Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band." Like many of Robert Hunter's lyrics, they are profound. These words have been in the back of mind since I returned… Continue reading Life Lesson #2 with the Grateful Dead: Dealing with Change
Awakening to the Dead. Illustration by Aileen Torres-Bennett Got a little something for you to listen to this weekend. It's my cover of The Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy." A lovely song that evokes the Old, Weird America in that particular way that the Grateful Dead's lyricist Robert Hunter did so well. If you like the… Continue reading Press Play: Row Jimmy
I hope all of you are doing well, given the circumstances. Even all the way out here in Fiji, the coronavirus has arrived. The capital city, Suva, is in lockdown, and there is a curfew. But things are good overall. It's a time of togetherness at home, creativity, reflection and, as always, gratitude. Funny story:… Continue reading We Will Get By
I had a good/bad start to 2020. The setting: a Dead and Company concert on New Year's Eve at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the new home arena of the Golden State Warriors. The band would go on to play an epic three-set show, opening with Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" and closing… Continue reading Bob Weir Wants You to STFU at Concerts
I was not a Grateful Dead fan when I was growing up. It took years, and my marriage, to change my mind. In high school, I used to associate the band with ne'er-do-wells. They wore a uniform of tie-dye t-shirts with shorts and Birkenstocks and exuded an attitude of marijuana-induced “chillness.” They didn’t seem to… Continue reading Awakening to the Dead
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