. On The Bus and On The Road . . “Put your good where it will do the most,” …….. as Ken Kesey said, and Wavy Gravy recounted in the luminous new documentary, Going Furthur. This movie is really funny — and not in a you-had-to-be-there way. A huge part of the Merry Band of […]
Entries Tagged as 'Grateful Dead'
Going Furthur film review
June 3rd, 2016 · 6 Comments · Grateful Dead, Merry Pranksters, Movies
Tags: Acid Tests·Jack Kerouac·Ken Kesey·Merry Pranksters·Neal Cassady
Rolling Stone Book of The Beats, Power of The Collective
March 6th, 2016 · 5 Comments · Grateful Dead, Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, New York City
Floating Universities — The Power of The Collective in Art . Give me your befuddled masses, Your rejection slips, pink slips, verbal slips, all; Knock down the gates, throw open the bars, The artists are havin a ball. Teach me, show me, let me in; Challenge me, push me, help me win. Athletes have their […]
Tags: Abstract Expressionism·Beat Generation·Jack Kerouac·Ken Kesey·Living Theater·Merry Pranksters·Pull My Daisy·Rolling Stone·Salvador Dali
Grateful Dead Farewell in Chicago
July 11th, 2015 · 20 Comments · Grateful Dead, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales
I saw the best minds of many generations, dancing, hysterical, naked … at the Farewell send-off of the Gratest live band in history. While The Grateful Dead were breaking the all-time attendance records for Soldier Field stadium in Chicago — I was seeing them in a small venue from about 5th row center. I […]
Tags: Chicago·Deadheads·Grateful Dead·Soldier Field
The Phil Lesh Story
June 24th, 2015 · 59 Comments · Grateful Dead, Hitchhiker's Guide to Jack Kerouac, Kerouac and The Beats, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales
Getting My Phil at The Crossroads . . It’s the Father’s Day weekend, 2015, and my bassist bud Al Robinson tipped me that PhilZone.com had its countdown clock to the next Phil show indicating Sunday night. That was the only lead I had. I was out in the Bay Area where, a few years ago, […]
Tags: Phil Lesh·San Rafael·Terrapin Crossroads·The Hitchhiker's Guide to Jack Kerouac
Pranksters in Wonderland
May 10th, 2015 · 19 Comments · Grateful Dead, Merry Pranksters, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
. Somewhere in America . . . Pranksters are gathering . . . and in this case it was Wonderland. A dozen acres of wilderness hills and valleys, with a sunken natural amphitheater on the highest point of land in sight. 150 or so Pranksters came from across the land, traveling by every mode there […]
Tags: Adam's Ale·Aretha Franklin·Deadheads·Kesey's Bus·Merry Pranksters·On The Road·Twanger Plunkers
The Grateful Dead at Red Rocks
March 7th, 2015 · 19 Comments · Grateful Dead, Hitchhiker's Guide to Jack Kerouac, Kerouac and The Beats, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales
. With all the energy peaking over The Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary shows, here’s a little excerpt from my upcoming book — “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jack Kerouac” — that shows part of why we keep coming back. These shows at Red Rocks in ’82 were part of the largest gathering of Beats ever assembled, […]
Tags: Boulder Kerouac Conference 1982·Grateful Dead·Jack Kerouac·Red Rocks
Woodstock with The Pranksters
August 26th, 2014 · 40 Comments · Grateful Dead, Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
The Prankster Woodstock . “I’ve got to get back to the land and set my soul free … “ Two of the coolest events of the ’60s just came together in the 21st century — and I lived it from start to finish. The Merry Pranksters’ Bus, which pulled out of Ken Kesey’s house in […]
Tags: Furthur Bus·Furthur Bus 50th Anniversary Tour·Jack Kerouac·Ken Kesey·Melanie·Neal Cassady·Pranksters·Woodstock anniversary·Yasgur's farm·Zane Kesey
Jerry Garcia Band in Toronto
June 16th, 2014 · 27 Comments · Grateful Dead, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
Not Fade Away — Birthday Adventure 2014 The start of the Adventure. Just home from the 5-show birthday blow-out! Sheesh! Started with New Orleans’ Soul Rebels outdoors in a park with my New Orleans Soul Brother Ross Perlmutter. The funky brass-n-drums combo were joined for some songs by Toronto’s own frontline horndogs […]
Tags: Jerry Garcia·Jerry Garcia Band·Linsmore Tavern·Mark Thackway·Soul Rebels
Spring Peace piece
May 27th, 2014 · 14 Comments · Grateful Dead, Poetry
Spring Peace piece . Gonna ring a big ding Calling out from Sing-Sing Gonna have a spring fling Kinda have an inkling Everything is gonna sell Comin’ out the dripping well Middle East a burning hell Clanging morning warning bell. The toast is up, the jam is done Twisted people think it’s fun Blowin’ […]
Tags: Dalai Lama·Jerry Garcia·John Lennon·Martin Luther King·Sgt. Pepper
The Grateful Dead Played My 30th Birthday
February 26th, 2012 · 12 Comments · Grateful Dead, Music, New York City, Real-life Adventure Tales
The Grateful Dead Played My 30th Or Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned At A Grateful Dead Concert The weekend of my 30th birthday, four old friends drove from Winnipeg to New York to help celebrate it, and the Grateful Dead flew in from San Francisco to play. It’s a curious story […]
Tags: discovering the Grateful Dead·Giants Stadium concerts·Grateful Dead 6/16/91·Grateful Dead 6/17/91·Grateful Dead birthday shows·taking friends to Dead shows·the Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium·Winnipegers in New York