Garcia: An American Life

by Blair Jackson

Book Overview

He was there when Dylan went electric, when a generation danced naked at Woodstock, and when Ken Kesey started experimenting with acid. Jerry Garcia was one of the most gifted musicians of all time, and he was a member of one of the most worshiped rock 'n' roll bands in history. Now, Blair Jackson, who covered the Grateful Dead for twenty-five years, gives us an unparalleled portrait of Garcia--the musical genius, the brilliant...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140291997
• ISBN13: 9780140291995
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.9" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Five stars..

Simply put, this is the best book you can buy about Garcia & the Dead. It is well written, enjoyable and well balanced between the artistical side and the dark side of the man and his friends of the road. Buy it together with the book from Lesh (more on the music) and the one from Scully (more on the gossip) and you'll have a good picture of the whole history.

Captain Trips in Human Form

I spent a good portion of my youth going to Dead shows. There was always something special about seeing the Dead live. I was saddened by Jerry Garcia's untimely (but not really unexpected) demise. Jerry Garcia was one of the seminal figures of psychedelic rock as well as an outstanding guitarist. He was also a complex and troubled man. Blair Jackson has managed to write a very balanced and professional biography of Garcia. This is the best biography of Garcia that I have read. Several others try to gloss over the drug problems and personal troubles. Blair Jackson conveys the ambiguities of this great artist. There is a lot of insight into Garcia's personal development as a musician. It is great to see how he assimilated different influences to establish his own musical style and identity. One thing Jackson clearly illustrates is the incredible level of dedication and love Garcia had for the music. Jerry Garcia was an iconic figure in American music. He had the most dedicated fan base in the country if not the world. He was also haunted by demons that he could not overcome. Blair Jackson has achieved a difficult task in portraying Garcia as a musical genius who was ultimately too weak to overcome his many human flaws.

Warning: this book not for stupid people.

I would like all the people who insulted this book in any way to turn off the computer and go read "Reader's Digest" in the bathroom. This is an exhaustive, academic resource of data about perhaps the greatest guitarist rock and roll has ever seen. It scares me to think that similar future efforts may be thwarted by the few who "had a hard time paying attention." etc. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM, PUBLISHERS-- WE STILL WANT MORE. There are plenty of "fluff" books out there for those who don't want to be faced with numerous facts/thorough coverage. Perhaps the commemorative PEOPLE magazine would be a more appropriate "book" for this kind of readerAfter years of fandom, this book gave me my first insight into John Kahn's background/personality. It is excellent. Thank you Mr. Blair Jackson.

A comprehensive bio of Jerome Garcia

This isn't just for so-called "Deadheads". Mr. Jackson has very accuratly subtitled this book "An American Life". In this regard this is also a well documented tour of the '60's ( and the counter-revolution which follows to this day) with the agonizing theme of a wonderfully rich and exquisite life that ended all too soon. The scenery is wonderfully rich and evokes numerous memories to this reader. A description of a Dead concert near the end of their amazing run I found compelling: Phil Lesh describes riotous "fans" breaching the wall of a concert. It brought to mind the last days of the Alamo. Truly, the Dead were our last bastion against the current corporate oppression and anti-intellectualism which we now take for granted. The Grateful Dead was, for many of us, the garage band for the "movement" such as it existed in those wonderful days. As a final note: I had extreme difficulty reading the last 50 pages. I would put the book down to take very long walks on the beach, reflecting on all our lives as we evolved from the '60's. As it was, I could not read the final few pages dealing with Mr. Garcia's estate matters. It was just all too much. Thank you kindly Mr. Blair Jackson. You have provided us with a sentimental yet honest portrait of an artist and a man, truly of his times. And finally, thank you Jerry. I feel like we all just used you up.

This will become the standard serious biography.

Blair Jackson's book is excellent. It's frustrating that we'll never have more information on Jerry's motivations (especially his darker ones) because he didn't give many interviews on personal topics, particularly in later years, didn't keep a journal, and there wasn't a correspondence file available, but Jackson has found as good a collection of points-of-view and quotes from others on that topic as will likely be found. Overall, Jackson has looked at everything, it seems, and rendered an informed, insightful and pretty objective (for such a passionate fan) review. Jackson flushes out the whole picture in great detail. (He also has, on-line, a couple of hundred pages that he had to cut, which I've read, for further enjoyment.) Members of the band or Hunter may write books (I doubt anyone but Hunter or maybe Hart will), that will undoubtedly add insights and anecdotes, but the Jackson book, I believe, will be the long-standing biography. Blair Jackson delivered the goods, didn't disappoint and makes a great contribution.