A weekly audio postcard from the wide musical world of America’s best-loved band!
Mr. Kelley and his longtime collaborator, Stanley Mouse, combined sinuous Art Nouveau lettering and outré images plucked from sources near and far to create the visual equivalent of an acid trip. A 19th-century engraving from “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam†inspired a famous poster for a Grateful Dead concert at the Avalon Ballroom in 1966 … Read more
Via the GDH mailing list, a pointer to a “25 years ago today” feature on NPR. It’s an interview with Paul Grushkin, author of The Official Book of the Deadheads, which had just been published. Last item in the podcast.
I went to see the president He had a bruise on his shoulder where big business places its thumb His breath was powerful, and he reeked of compromise – Jeb Puryear (Donna the Buffalo) Let’s keep this image front and center between now and November: The body language seems creepy to me, and weirdly reminiscent … Read more
One of my favorite political blogs is Digby‘s. She pays attention to what’s going on and always write with clarity, depth, and compassion from pretty much the same spot on the political spectrum where I stand. Here’s an excerpt from a post she made this evening, which amplifies something I said extemporaneously on the air … Read more
John Schwartz, the New York Times reporter whose NASA prank I noted earlier today, gave me permission to post the text of a speech he gave to a graduating class at his alma mater, the University of Texas: “It was May 16 at the University of Texas at Austin,” John told me, “in the recreational … Read more
Me and Kettle Joe – Donna Jean and the Tricksters Till the Morning Comes – Donna Jean and the Tricksters (unreleased) Not Fade Away – Grateful Dead (“Skull and Roses”) Hey Bo Diddley-> I’m a Man-> I’ve Seen Them All-> Jam – Grateful Dead with Bo Diddley, Dick’s Picks vol. 30 (3/25/72 Academy of Music, … Read more
My friend John Schwartz covers the NASA beat for the New York Times. You’ve heard the news about the malfunctioning toilet in the International Space Station? Here’s Johnny…
San Francisco’s KALW 91.7 is airing a Bo Diddley tribute by Paul Ingles tonight at 10pm PDT. Along with many of Bo Diddley’s signature tunes, Ingles showcases music from The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, George Thorogood, Shawn Colvin, Pete Townshend, Joe Jackson, U2 and others – all who crafted songs based on Bo Diddley’s famous … Read more
Bill Cutler has posted a video for his song Rockingham Mill, from Crossing the Line.
Peter Simon, my co-author on Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead, has a new book: Reggae Scrapbook, a collaboration with Roger Steffens. Here’s a bit of the New York Times’ rave review from last Sunday: ….“Reggae Scrapbook,†a dazzling homage to the music and its birthplace. Simon’s magnificent … Read more