The Grateful Dead Reader

By David G. Dodd

Book Overview

Arranged in chronological order, these pieces add up to nothing less than a full-scale history of the greatest tour band in the history of rock. From Tom Wolfe's account of the Dead's first performance as the Grateful Dead (at an Acid Test in 1965), to Ralph Gleason's 1967 interview with the 24-year-old Jerry Garcia, to Mary Eisenhart's obituary of the beloved leader of the band, these selections include not only outstanding writing on the band itself, but also superb pieces on music and pop culture generally. Fans will be fascinated by the poetry, fiction, drawings, and rare and revealing photographs featured in the book, as well as the anthology's many interviews and profiles, interpretations of lyrics, and concert and record reviews.
Still, The Grateful Dead was more than a band--it was a cultural phenomenon. For three decades it remained on one unending tour, followed everywhere by a small army of nomadic fans. This phenomenon is both analyzed and celebrated here, in such pieces as Ed McClanahan's groundbreaking article in Playboy in 1972, fan-magazine editor Blair Jackson's 1990 essay on the seriousness of the drug situation at Dead concerts, and Steve Silberman's insightful essays on the music and its fans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195147065
• ISBN13: 9780195147063
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A masterpiece on the elusive band

This book is a nice edition for "a favorite book on the Dead." Prior writings on the band are generally tell-alls by former friends and insiders. However, this is just honest from the seat of the pants good writing by many insightful commentators from the earliest days to the final days. I saw the Dead perform 25 times between 1983-93; and after reading this book I felt that it answered alot of questions. The Dead have always been one of the most difficult bands to capture in words, so you won't be dissapointed in this entertaining and deadon book on the good 'ole Grateful Dead.

A Fine Collection From Far-Flung Sources -Essential

This collection brings together some of the best writing about the Dead, and from some previously hard-to-find sources. Included here are fine pieces from noted Dead scholars Blair Jackson, David Gans, and Steve Silberman, but also served up are rare articles that many latter-day Deadheads have likely not had the pleasure of reading. Some are rare like Charlie Haas' wonderful profile of the band (almost worth the price of the book alone) originally published in the now-defucnt "New West" magazine, and Ed McClanahan's equally notable article that appeared in "Playboy" in the early 70's. Others are from masters like Ralph J. Gleason, whose work is wisely included. The editors have done a painstaking job of selecting and presenting the material, most of which was not readily available before.The prestige of the Oxford Universtiy Press is befitting of such an influential, quirky, and uniquely American institution, and editors David Dodd and Diana Spaulding have done them justice.