There from Here » grateful dead

Star of the Day: 2/18/71

Jennifer Finney Boylan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:50:38 +0000

Here’s a totally sweet version of Dark Star, played by those reprehensible has-beens whom I love so, at the Capitol Theatre on February 18, 1971. The tune begins with the 9th track, then moves into Wharf Rat, of all things, played here for the very first time. And then back into Dark Star again in one of the prettiest jams I’ve heard. All of this would be, of course, the exclusive terrain of those who like such things. A really nice moment, though, from a time when music did not suck.

the embedded player below is so unwieldy I suspect it may be easier to make this work by simply going here and selecting track 9, 10, and 11. But if you want to try your luck below, hit the play arrow, let the first tune start up, and then hit the Forward arrow until you get a good stream on track 2, and then hit Forward again, etc, until at last you hear D.S. come up on track 9. Like I said, more than a little unwieldy, and if you can’t quite get this to work, well, what the heck. It’s back to Lady GaGa for you.

Today’s Rock Trivia: 5-year-old Courtney Love on cover of Grateful Dead Album

Jennifer Finney Boylan — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:52:39 +0000

It’s true– Courtney Love’s father, Hank Harrison, was the on-again, off-again manager of everyone’s favorite hippie band in the late 60s. This photo appears on the back cover of AOXOMOXOA, and pictures Themselves on a hillside somewhere in Marin County. That’s Pigpen in the hat, splayed out in front of course, and to the right, in the front row, is the five-year old Courtney Love. Bob Weir is just behind her; you can probably make out poor old Jerry Garcia in the third row, left hand side of the photo, behind the girl to the left of Pigpen. They’re all in there– Phil Lesh, Tom Constantin, Bill the Drummer, a big ol’ Dawg, somebodys’ horse. And so on. As James Thurber used to say, You could look it up.

It’s been said that we ought to keep gay and lesbian couples from raising children since that “lifestyle” will take, somehow, “turning” young people gay. To these folks I can only say, behold Courtney Love. Who grew up to be, among many, many other things, Something Other Than A Deadhead.

Courtney Love, who said, “I’m not a woman; I’m a force of nature.” And Jerry Garcia, who said, “Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.”

Star of the Day: 10/25/69

Jennifer Finney Boylan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:42:26 +0000

The dark star of the day comes from this concert at Winterland, performed just a few days shy of forty years ago. A nice, meditative, somber-at-times version, that gives way to a particularly joyful development about halfway through. To partake of these licks, you’ll want to hit the play button on the player below, and if you don’t hear anything, hit the “forward” button once.

A pleasant piece with which to stare into the fires of early autumn, as I am doing at this moment in Maine, a cup of warm cider in hand, dogs on the floor, and the future all ahead of me with all its mind-numbing mystery.

and with thanks to the band, and to the folks who run archive.org, for the gift of the music.