The Dead

[Drunk Monk]

1: Stranger, Brown-eyed, Mama tried, Peggy O, Hurts me too, Black throated, Casey
2: Scarlet>Fire, Estimated, Eyes, DrumzSpace, Wheel, Wharf Rat, SSDD 
E: The Weight

I stand corrected
1: Stranger>SHAKEDOWN Brown-eyed, Mama tried, Peggy O, Hurts me too, Black throated, Casey
2: Scarlet>Fire, ALTHEA, Estimated>Eyes>DrumzSpace>Wheel>Wharf Rat>SSDD 
E: The Weight

Because of my mom, Mama tried bugs me. The Weight almost had impact because of this as well - I remember thinking at the time it should draw more of an emotional response - but it was more of an intellectual observation.

Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me

I'm tired.  I need a nap.  Or good coffee.  Maybe both.

[Drunk Monk]

Been ruminating about what the Dead experience is for me.  After playing tour guide, I'm reminded how well versed I am in Deadhead culture. It's so satirical and sophisticated - easy to decode to the uninitiated yet hard to explain.  Only cursory ideas can get passed down. I made a lammy based on a drawing I did seated in front of Rock Med 31 years ago. One of my old Shoreline crew comrades had kept it - she had a cache of several of my art pieces which was really flattering and feels now like a missed opportunity because she was smokin hawt back in the day and we had often discussed having her pose for me back then.  How the hell did I drop that ball?  Anyway, most of RM now weren't even born 31 years ago.  

In characteristic Dead synchrony, one of DMs angels who was experiencing her first dead show, noticed the date when I drew that was her birthday.  She was 4 then.  

As for Deadhead family, it's old friends, lovers, partners in crime...many of them are losers now, people I don't mind saying 'hi' to, but not people who I care to listen to much more than that.  Some people just dump their problems on me.  I avoid that because it's such a bummer.  The deadhead family is so damn dysfunctional, and it's getting really old, old to the point that many have died and many of the survivors need help just walking to a place where they can rest. 

My half decade working for the Grateful Dead was truly glorious. I toured the whole west coast, met the band on several occasions (even got to Mickey's home) and lion danced on stage during drumz on Chinese New Years. I indulged in so many epic adventures, some with DOOM even.  Dead music and culture is such a part of me, and yet now, it's reversed - the recorded experience is more moving than the live one.  Going to shows is bettersweet, nostalgic and full of melancholy, but often leaves me unfulfilled, just exhausted.

I had a nice iced coffee from a nitro-infused can so it foamed like a Guinness for that creamy latte effect.  Not bad but not enough stimulation despite saying it was worth 2.5 cups of caffeine.  I didn't have a chance to nap because I had to run a shopping errand for my mom.  

I think I'm going to head back to SLA now.  Danny's tacos are beckoning me.

[Greg]

Maybe that faux pas thing was contagious?

[Drunk Monk]

once in a while you get shown the light...

I got to SLA early yesterday just to hang out on shakedown. It was fun catching up with old friends and goofing around with the deadheads. It was a gorgeous day at sla. Weather was perfect.  There was a lot of n20 in the lots - some outside crew, clearly NOT deadheads, hustlas. I predicted it to be a stumble & fall show and sure enough, set one was all twisted ankles. I spoke a bit at the meeting, just to let them know the history of the dead & sla.  I mentioned that sla was designed to look like the dead's steal your face, and was reinforced by the show pin, which echoed that design. I had to buy one of those - as if I don't have enough pins already - sla & the dead are dear to me.

One of my newest padawan, Marcus, joined my psych psquad - he followed me through the triple header - TCEC>Cali Roots>D&C.  the psquad was fortified and solidified by Sat nite, and there were many nice strolls through shakedown. 

1. bertha, good lovin, they love each other, big river, mr. charlie, tennessee jed, lost sailor
break.

I got out for good lovin - love each other and they sounded pretty good.  Danceable. But the energy dipped with mr. charlie.

NOTE - the next part is strictly confidential - it's in defiance of hippa, but i know i can trust doom to not share it.

set break went well.  I predicted China>Rider just before set 2 started, then went off to get Trejo's tacos with my old buddy Hacke, a former SLA rm supervisor, now a local fire chief. There was traffic about an incident on the top of the hill.  Then a call went up for an ipr at gate 6 who was transfixed by ambulance lights.  That's where we were so we went.  So I'm talking to this ipr shaking in front of the lights, trying to eat my tacos, trying to get him to calm down.  the call on the hill was a heart attack - full on code blue that had to be transported all the way down the hill with cpr in progress. i was still dealing with that ipr when they arrived. it was very chaotic and for several rm vols, their first time doing cpr for real. sadly, he did not make it. i've been dealing with post-trauma counseling all of today. 

after that there was a dude without pants.  then i caught the encore - ujb.  that was good.  then i had to walk to the uber pick up to help a couple get their ride.  it gave me a chance to look at the new crazy google building.  

It was a great two days of D&C. who says you don't get flashbacks? now i'm in that post-show glow and i hope it never fades away.  but it will.  it always does.  

i'm beat now.  end of an epic run.  went to g2's party, mostly to see their cat, and got super sleepy.  i crashed when i got home for 2+ hours.  just got up and am packing to go home tomorrow night.  finally.  i was only home for a few hours after tcec and cali.  this weekend, we've got home care set up so some serious beach time is in my future.

[Drunk Monk]

I haven't had to hustle Jedi skillz so hard in years. Felt like a dead show. 

Nothing like walking up to a line of blue surrounding a dude with out pants and having the commanding officer look you in the eye and implore 'can you help?'

[Drunk Monk]

After all was done, I got home in one song.  Well, two actually - that blazing Scarlet>Fire off Cornell 5/8/77.  But still - it was quick to get home.

My mom was actually awake when I got home.  It was around 2ish.  Sometimes she wakes up and reads at night.  She's done this for years.  I didn't want to disturb her or chat, so I had to sneak in, like in my High School daze.  Fortunately, despite my declining ninja stealth skillz, she's pretty deaf so it's not too hard.

Been chatting, facebooking & texting all day - some post-mortem rm issues.  Vols checkin in with other vols. Deadheads checking in with each other too. I was texting with a friend about last night's Morning Dew, so I checked it out on youtube.  Didn't move me but it got me searching dead vids and sending versions off to various nooBs to the scene from last night - songs relevant to their experience. One of my padawan went to the Wharf Rat meeting.  She's never gone to any AA or NA meeting and was truly moved.  So I sent her Wharf Rat, which she heard for her first show.

Morning Dew got me here again

---

dammit.  i really need to sleep.  but now i'm percolating with post-show glow.  should not have opened the gd yt vids pandora's box...

[King Bob]

Got a bad review in the Merc, but then he was comparing to 1970s Dead shows, and nothing could measure up to that.

[Drunk Monk]

yeah i read that and felt exactly the same.

you just cannot compare anything to the good ol' grateful dead.  as we used to say 'there's nothing like a grateful dead show'.  that still holds true, perhaps more than ever.  and the 70s dead shows, hell, what we saw in the late 80s-early 90s didn't even compare.  it was just ginormous when we were following them, which brought its own unique spectacle.  but musically, the 70s?  that's so much of the band's greatest stuff, right?  

in the rm pre-show meeting, the new supe said it was 'grateful dead' and was soundly corrected by the deadheads vols that were present.  she was a bit embarrassed.  but she should know the history of her venue.  shoreline was designed to look like a stealie, after all.

[King Bob]

You know, I didn't realize in the 80s that their peak had come earlier. It was only after listening to more stuff that I got it. On the other hand, while they weren't hitting the peaks as high in the 80s, or being as adventurous, their playing was possibly better than ever, so some trade off there. (Zen mind, beginner's mind thing?) And when they did hit it, they still really hit it.

Have to say that they never seemed to really hit the heights at Shoreline. Something about the Kaiser or even the Colosseum maybe.

[Drunk Monk]

I remember when asked about keeping it fresh, Jerry said in interview 'major memory lapses help'.  Yeah, there was just nothing like the live experience.  Still isn't.  Even in their depleted elderly state, they can still deliver an occasional moment and I've let go of the comparison to the Jerry years finally.  A deadhead friend who never saw Jerry (my showrunner for Man at Arms no less) said they did a Terrapin encore last night at the Hollywood Bowl. I'm surprised they made that kind of leap, but good on them.  

As for SLA, that's where I cut my teeth for RM but I feel ya.  It's a dump of a venue.  Sure it was designed to look like a stealie, but the sound can really suck if it's windy, plus it gets chilly at night.  At least there's Trejo's Tacos there now.  On the whole, the GD always seemed to play better when they were away from the Bay.  Maybe it's because they get more love out there.  

BTW, tix for Friday were going for as low as $11.  Not sold out. On Saturday however, tix were going for $125 for lawn.  Sold out tight.  Saturday was by far the better show.

[Drunk Monk]

Fuck. An old deadhead just offered me 2 miracle tix to dead & co nye at chase but my kid just took off with my car and there’s no way I could get up to sf in time.

Alas. 2019 gives me one more kick in the teeth. ?

[Greg]

Make it work!

[Drunk Monk]

Make it work!

nah.  i bailed.  i could've got a ride up with another deadhead buddy but it just seemed like so much work and 2019 just kicked my ass.  i'm tired from it all.  

i might still go downtown.  or i might just go to sleep.  i dunno yet.  got a few more hours to decide.

when the shows were announced, i was wishful that some deadhead family might get me in.  i just didn't believe in that magik anymore, so it came too late.  that's my own fault really.  alas.

---

the tix went to another old deadhead friend - chocolate who figures in my symbiosis tale (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...4#pid23844 ) - so i'm happy he got miracled because we had been texting about what we might do for nye earlier this week.  i'm seeing sitonmyfacebook pix from chase and having a bit of a sad.  it's motivating me to go downtown just to do something to celebrate the decade's end beyond posting here.  i was down there earlier with Tara and her friend and they were setting up something by the clock tower.  Just trying to muster some momentum to brave the cold...

[Greg]

End times?

Grateful Dead announce organic deodorant line

Here's how you can smell like a Dead Head

ByEddy Lim
22nd June 2020

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Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

The Grateful Dead have teamed up with body care company North Coast Organics to release five uniquely scented deodorants.
“I have been a Dead Head since 1999,” North Coast Organics founder Nathan Morin said in a statement.
“The music and spirit of the Grateful Dead have influenced my company’s core principles of service, veganism, and organic agriculture. The Grateful Dead have inspired us to stay true to our main mission of social responsibility. We took care in creating special essential oil blends that reference the Grateful Dead’s music.”

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Each deodorant is USDA-certified organic and handmade in small batches from 100 per cent natural vegan ingredients. The five fragrances include ‘Skull and Roses’ (lavender and rose), ‘Sunshine’ (blood orange and bergamot), ‘Timber’ (Douglas fir and sage), ‘Workingman’s’ (cedarwood and juniper) and unscented. Find more details on the line of deodorants here.

“Along with our love of the music, Dead Heads also often identify themselves as socially and environmentally conscious, and with that awareness is a love of the world around us, and the desire to help protect it,” said Grateful Dead’s longtime manager and archivist David Lemieux.

✕

“That goes for ourselves as well. As much as it’s important to be mindful of what we put into our bodies, it’s also essential to be aware of what we put onto our bodies. We’re so happy that a company like North Coast Organics exists, as they share our love of organic, healthful products for the body. Ethical and kind, North Coast Organics lives and functions as we do, with an awareness that the future’s here, we are it, and we need to take care of the planet and ourselves.”


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[Drunk Monk]

It's been a long time coming. As a deadhead who owns several dozen Jerry ties, it was inevitable.