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  • daverock
    Joined:
    I don't need no doctor

    Actually, I do. I like to keep in touch, and make sure my creaking body hasn't got anything too seriously wrong with it. But I also like word "iatrogenic" which indicates that you get more unwell from seeing the doctor than you would if you had stayed at home. The idea that doctors spread unhealth can be developed to include the education system that is responsible for closing people's minds, and the social care system that it responsible for maintaining social problems rather than eradicating them.
    High drama at the footy last night, with England's captain, the Roy of the Rovers like Harry Kane, missing that penalty, which led to England being knocked out. What started out as a football match ended up being more like a Greek tragedy - a great man with a fatal flaw and all that.
    Last 5
    Then Play On Fleetwood Mac
    Spooky Two Spooky Tooth
    Trouble No More cd3 Bob Dylan
    Conversation Pieces Cd2 The Mercury Demos 1969 David Bowie
    It's Saturday Night ! Starday-Dixie Rockabilly 1955-1961

    Last Dead Paris 9/18/74

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    Megadeth

    I have loved Rust In Peace for years, but have never ventured beyond that (not including a few tracks on MTV.) (Remember when MTV had Headbangers Ball? Yo MTV Raps? MUSIC? Sigh...)

    Anyway, So Far So Good is my first venture. Youthanasia is next at your suggestion Vguy.

    Dave Mustaine...seems a little scary.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Phish 7.17.98 second set....

    ....gawdammm! Spun that magnificent bastard back to back. No regrets.
    I don't know if any of you have been to the Gorge, but I insisted on getting in line early for the second show. I saw that line of the even lawn area above the floor the first night and wanted it. And got it. And we got a helluva reward. Fuck yeah.
    Edit. Definitely not front row. But in the sweet spot.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Proudfoot representing Megadeth....

    ....I have zero issues with this.
    Youthanasia is a keeper.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    Current GD

    2 18 71

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    Last 5 non GD

    Megadeth Rust in Peace
    Motorhead Kiss of Death
    Fleetwood Mac Rumors
    Megadeth So Far So Good So What
    Fleetwood Mac Tusk

    An extra raise of the glass to Christine McVie

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Last Five....

    ....GD -12.26.69 Dallas.
    Phish - 7.16-17.98 (I was there).
    Billy Strings Me / And / Dad
    Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt. II
    Pepper - Local Motion
    .
    Went to a Golden Knights game last night. OT winner Chicken Dinner.
    They started this glow in the dark thing. Pretty cool. What's not cool, is the pre-orders re; sweaters don't roll out until early Jan when the orders were in early November. They have the money, yet don't have the product. Season ticket holders are like, "WTF?"
    I got a glow in the dark towel though.
    Being up close applies to hockey as well. Yeah, it's neat, but the glass warps the perspective. Give me 18 rows up. Or upper bowl. Can see the plays form from up there. Good shit.
    Re; looking behind you at shows. Can be interesting, especially if one is tripping a bit. Micro-dosed at the Knights game. The chatter behind us was funny as fuck.

  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    Never look back, nitecat...

    Something might be gaining on ya... Actually, I never understood that saying. It's like the line, "I never go to the doctor, he might find something wrong with me." I mean, if something might be gaining on you, you SHOULD look back and that'll probably get yer dogs whirling like in the cartoons to escape whatever it is. If it's not physical, then it's in your head and you'll deal with it no matter your preference.

    Proudfoot -- the Nazca lines! One theory, of course, is that it was a signal/landing pad for extraterrestrials, which is a wee bit practical for my money. I think of them as being created by locals to attract anyone who could see 'em, which pretty much means outer space travellers. So I think they're aspirational/intentional. The mystery is that constructing them, engineering them, surveying straight lines for thousands of yards, took a lot of advanced knowledge and an incredible amount of work for what might have been, probably was, an abstract idea. Nothing technical of that nature that accomplished, indigenous peoples couldn't do 5,000 years ago. Modern humans have been around at least 40,000 years with Einsteins and Rembrandts like today. It's just that few civilizations ever did something analogous. The pyramids, for instance, were monuments to specific pharoahs who were treated as gods on earth -- that's pretty tangible. Also, they were public works that gave purpose and maybe a few bowls of gruel to the rank-and-file. That is, if one of those ten ton blocks didn't accidentally turn you into peanut butter and jelly. How many "Smithers" went down when the limestone slid? The Nazca lines seem much safer; but maybe there are human bones mixed in with the chalk, eh?

    Reading The Dylan Tapes (2022), which presents ~30 transcriptions of taped interviews Anthony Scaduto did for his 1971 biography, then left in his basement when died. The widow edited. Highly recommended look at the formative as well as transitional Bob.

  • nitecat
    Joined:
    Up front with my buddies

    Some time in 1988, my friend Glenn suggested that we leave the seats and join him and his friends on the floor. That began my happiest moments down in front with 20 of my friends, perhaps 3-4 tarps from the stage at the Kaiser, Oakland Coliseum, or SF Civic. We were close enough to see the band, yet far away enough to hear the stacks. We had it down-there were the runners, which I count myself as one, there were the mules, who carried in everyone's packs including the runners, of course, and there were the back-up, who came in a little later and helped hold the space. Each runner had a blanket, so if one got down in front before another, he/she could lay it down to claim our space. During set break, we took turns going out so there were always folks holding the spot. There were many times at the Oakland Coliseum, where I felt like I was in the band's living room, unless I turned around and looked at all the people behind me.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    And now...

    something to trip out on

    Nazca geoglyphs in Peru

    I (and probably you) had heard of them before

    NOVA has a great show about the topic.

    Recommended highly

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3 years 6 months
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10 years 2 months
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I think I went "Woo-hoo" when they announced the July '78 box.
I had some good quality tapes but to have my first show on CD was like manna from heaven to get me through the 40 years in the desert. An anniversary gift to honor when I got on the bus.
Cheers

the one missing is THE ONE that you want, that you really really want.

C'est la vie

Like losing one's virginity? very much alike, yet completely different.

One was unexpected and in a big crowd of strangers.

One was planned out.

Which was which? That is your question of the day.

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4 years 3 months

In reply to by proudfoot

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on my way to work today
I put in a CD marked "'66 #2"
Viola Lee Blues with daylight slowly creeping in
Cascade Mountains and some cloudscapes being illuminated by the rising sun to the east
yes. yes. YES.

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10 years 7 months

In reply to by KeithFan2112

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Keithfan, the version I have of this show - supposedly from the master reel - has multiple cuts, including one in the back half of the Dark Star. That could be the reason for selecting the night before.

I'd love to see a box set of "fragments", with multiple versions of songs, half acoustic/half electric, with perhaps even a few identical "setlists". I imagine a guitar themed box case. Simply named, Acoustic-Electric (or some nifty guitar term) And all those random bits could find a home. And I concur with the others about those choice nuggets in the So Many Roads Box Set. (ahem, Whiskey in the Jar!)

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I lost my virginity unexpectedly in a large crowd of people?

What then??!!

And hey, I don't want the missing reel -- I want the five freakin' reels they have!

Aren't we a tad, just a wee bit smug, now that YOU have your first show released?

KIDDING!

If that’s all that exists and it is of good sound quality, then those fragments should be released.

But cutting up a complete show just to save some disc space should not happen.
In fact, I’m proposing a new series of releases, to run in parallel with existing release models, called the D&DMC Series (Dick and Dave’s Mea Culpa Series).

Previous chop jobs will be Plangentized and Normanized, then released in their entirety (or as much as exists).
Starting with 12-19-73, and pairing it with 12-18-73 in a 2-show Box, or larger.
Followed by 10-31-71, then 6-16,18,26,28-74 (wouldn’t that make a fine Box).
Then all DP and RT chop jobs.
5-19,21-77 can be skipped, there are only a few songs missing that can be included as filler with 5-18-77.

Edit: maybe I’m thinking of 5-22-77. So add those missing songs to 5-18-77.

I’m not opposed to moving a song or two to the next DaP as a way to get a complete show released, especially when it is because we already got 2 shows on 4 CD’s.

If HF’s first show was a good show and the 5 reels sound good, then release it once you are confident that you will never find the other reel. If someone is holding that missing reel ransom, then call in the lawyers (ABCD).

Listened to 9-3-72% (DP36 filler) last night. It will be nice to add more songs to that playlist (to listen to while we wait for the entire show to come out in the D&DMC Series).

....but I have to reevaluate my spending habits on box sets and subscriptions and things in general. You see, trump had a Big Announcement today. He is selling NTF based virtual trading cards today for $99 a pop. I can't resist. They are virtual trading cards of his life and accomplishments. There's one of him as a superhero, one as a cowboy, one as an astronaut and so many more! I need to collect them all guys! And if I buy 45 or more of them, I get to have dinner with him! Probably at McDonald's! Yay!
(I am not making this up btw. Google it)
The grift of all grifts from a so-called billionaire and none of the money goes to his reelection campaign. It goes right in his pockets. There have already been over 27k sold as I type this.
How embarrassing.
Ok. Back to fragments. If the partial shows sound good, yet is incomplete, I say do it.

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36 years ago tonight I was up in Oakland to see Garcia make his return with the Dead. He kicks off the show with Touch of Grey ( I will survive) and the crowd just explodes, Garcia looks so happy to be back playing again. When Garcia sings "Hand me my old guitar" in Candyman the crowd just roars, two of the coolest moments in all my years of seeing the Dead. They need to release a video of this show, truly historic, and a great birthday present.

Sparkling show from 30 Trips. It always intrigues me when there is an announcement from the stage that "there is a chick over there having a baby." It seemed to happen fairly regularly at outdoor shows in the US during the hippy era. It was something I never saw at any of the gigs I attended. I would have been well out of my comfort zone if I'd been asked to perform a vital role in an operation like that when I'd gone out to see a band .

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A woman gave birth at Englishtown 9-3-77 AND she was up front, as far as I could tell. I was not, but back a ways audience right. And I thought I was a fan.... I mean, how does that "happen"? Honey, let's catch the Dead. But you're nine months pregnant! Oh, c'mon, what are the odds that I'll give birth during the show..................

During the show, Tommy, the guy who drove us, was standing about ten feet from me, separated by a few people. Yes, we were quite lysergic. We didn't think anything of it. Next time I looked, he was twenty feet away, still no problem. Next time: no Tommy! I spent the night sleeping in the bushes and got a ride to my door from some good GD fans who slept in their car.

Proudfoot -- sorry I thought you were saying that the '78 box had your first show. My bad.

Vguy -- you've got the formula: point and laugh. I do it all the time here, where I live alone! (A mirror is useful.)

Sounds like we're all into fragments. So... I say, group 'em (obviously). Let's have the '66-68 fragments first. Call it the Proto-Beast Box.

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10 years 2 months
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Sorry HF, that was a bit smug.
Like Nelson on the Simpsons who always goes, "Haw, haw".
We're more fond of nyah, nyah here in CO.
Cheers anywho!

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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that is one of 5 days of my life I would like to relive.

others:
7/13/84
the day I met my wife
birth of my twin boys
birth of my daughter

several days of mostly Megadeth followed by several ABBA tracks

love it.

ABBA...they made some freakin' great music. IMNSHO.

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14 years 11 months
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Via Con Dios Mr. Simmons, a very underrated guitarist. Savoy Brown was a favorite before I became a Deadhead and still is, just fired these up
Looking In
Hellbound Train
Raw Sienna
Jack the Toad

what a band.

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Hendrixfreak......I too was at Englishtown in 77 and remember the Birth. we were back about 150 feet and the news spread all over. I remember a birth at Watkins Glen in 73 also, and a death at Watkins Glen and a Sky diver coming down into the crowd These shows were such large crowds and to be in the middle Dosed!! Great Memories

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Here's a confession: I can't keep this forum straight! I've got 1st show and proudfoot mixed up and, hey, where did I put that pipe?

Kim Simmonds, yeah! Flying V, A Hard Way to Go, A Step Further -- man, got into Savoy Brown in about 1970 and a couple years ago I bought a couple of their early albums on 2 LPs on one CD production. Good to have just plain hard rockin'!

Hey Chuck, didn't Weir announce from the stage that they needed to get her out of the crowd and "is there a doctor in the house?" At the Glen I didn't hear anything about babies appearing, but I do recall the sky diver, who made a long descent, then I believe triggered a flare that burned him to death as he descended just outside the bounds of the crowd. Horrible! But 50 years on, is there a joke in there somewhere? I guess he was burning to see the Dead... I mean, that guy was smokin'....(sorry!!)

Well, April 2023 should be pretty tasty: spring (of sorts here) and 4-5 hrs of fall '72 GD and the upside is, some tracks from my first show. Make that glass half-full, now that I'm done with the one-man pity party!

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10 years 2 months

In reply to by Chuck

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You would have thought there would have been, in a crowd that size in 1973.

Chalk me up for fragments too. You only have to look at the ones that have already come out - especially the incomplete shows in Dicks Picks and Road Trips - to see how well they can work.

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Hendrixfreak yes you are right about Bobby saying is there a doctor in the house at Englishtown. At Watkins Glen there was a young girl to our left about 25 feet and was ready to pop. It was raining and we saw her friends helping her to get up and leave...later we heard she gave birth. not sure if it was on the ground or in an Ambulance. and Savoy Brown I remember seeing them at the Filmore East right before Christmas with I think Poco, If I rememer Paul Cotton just replaced Jim Messina in Poco. At Penn State Poco was a big hit in all the Dorms with their music blasting out the windows. All these memories are making me feel old but Happy

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Does your wife know she's 3rd on the list??
I just had to chuckle, and yes, my wife knows she barely even MAKES the list!! Merry Christmas to All, and a Happy Hanukkah as well.

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A term for babies, 1940s military slang term.
From obsolete mediaeval or pre-mediaeval English word "sprag",
for a "lively young man". I like to keep up with Daverock and also with the continentals. Makes me feel smarter to speak the King's english.
Cheers

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I'm definitely a complete show kind of head like many of you. And I think there are staples we could all agree upon that should be released in their entirety: Fillmore East February 1970, Fillmore East April 1971, and Winterland October 1974 are easy examples to come up with. Now with the Dicks Picks series, Mr. Latvala from what I have read was a little particular about shows. It's somewhat not surprising but reading through the often shared “Grateful Dead Miscellany” , Dick goes into his thoughts on many shows. This includes what he thinks may be released in the future. Some of his commentary does talk about shows that won't be necessarily released in their entirety based upon what he felt was the quality of the music (mostly) and available rels at that time. Here is a quote from him from that site about the 11/30/73, 12/1/73, 12/2/73 shows:

“As for the run at Boston at the end of the month and the beginning of December, well I would have to say that it is just that, "a run of shows". What I mean here is that I see using these 3 nights as a 3-4 cd release of the "best of a run" kind of deal. Not one of the 3 stands out on it's own, but in combo, they will deliver some of the absolutely finest playing of the year!!!”

That gives a little insight into maybe why some shows, at least when Dick was in charge, only got released in part or in fragments. I do think it is important to note that Dave L still puts out shows that Dick L held in high regard too.

For the current times, I think we have a much fuller vault to work with the returned Betty Reels. We have definitely seen the fruits of that return in the form of many shows being released in their entirety. However, I guess there are still some shows that are incomplete or, as the old Dick’s Picks caveat used to read, where the sound was affected by “the ravages of time”. For the 2023 DaP bonus disc, the situation is as per the email:

“There are two shows in September 1972 for which there are not complete recordings, either because of missing reels, or because of technical issues. The 2023 subscribers' Bonus Disc features the best material that sounded great from these two shows”

It is hard to know exactly what is and is not affected by technical issues. Then of course what material was not affected but left off the bonus disc. Knowing how great Dave L has treated us , he often finds a way to get this missing material out if he can. Maybe it will be filler on another release or it will come out in a future 30 Days of Dead (if it hasn't already).

With all of that, I often wonder if we would ever get complete releases of those shows that were chopped-up from many years ago. That is assuming that everything is contained in the vault and of releasable sound quality. I would certainly welcome it but at the same time if we're just stuck with chopped-up shows or fragments I think I can be OK with that. For me, I know looking towards the future, I'm really hoping that the vault gets mined for the other high profile shows that haven't been given the official release. I'm not knowledgeable enough to speak on the time it takes to put all these together other than I know we get quarterly releases of the DaP series, often an anniversary edition re-release, an LP for record store day, and one big box set per year. So, I guess the question begs, is there enough time and resources for Dave L and the crew to return to some of these old shows and put them out in their entirety without sacrificing the regular schedule of releases?

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In reply to by Mr. Ones

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7/18/82 happened before we met
7/13/84 is in keeping with the GD theme

Meeting her and then the birthing as a bundle of family related stuff

I mean...7/18/82 and 7/13/84 were MINDBLOWING and LIFE CHANGING.

I figured I would meet the right young maiden at some point.

I'll be quiet now.

except: DEAD.NET: I RRRRRRR
EEEEEAAAAA
LLLLLYYYYY HATE reCAPTCHA. There IS time to hate on that phenomenon.

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Crazy Fingers returns. Ventura, fun times!

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In reply to by billy the kiddd

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I managed to get to all the Ventura shows, being only a couple hours north of LA .... always a fun time on the beach ... great setting, good music... even managed a couple of decent photos of Uncle Jerry & the Boys and Bill Graham (backstage). But by far and away, the 7/13/84 (Dark Star returns!) show is one of the stand out moments of all the 50+ shows I saw in the early/mid 80's. When Phil comes out to the mic after the show and says ".... something special, one time only" (not an exact quote), the place went ape-shot! AND it was a tight, at pace, driving 15 minutes or so that no one wanted to end. Friday 13th at the Greek... how could there ever be a better Dead experience!!!

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It was a cool show even without the Dark Star encore. When you have Dire Wolf, Duprees, Bertha, Greatest Story, Scarlett Begonias-Touch of Grey, The Wheel, Stella Blue and then you play a 20 minute Dark Star for an encore and a shooting star blazes across the sky during Dark Star, it becomes legendary. Oh, I forgot, you also stop at Everette & Jones BBQ down on San Pablo Ave after the show and the whole night rises to a mythological level!. No doubt about it big fun!

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Proudfoot, I did not intend to make you have to defend your list, I was more relating as to how Heads (both Dead & Music variety) can prioritize music ahead of anything else. Sort of like the animated video Jim shared once, I call it the “I need more Dead shows” video. I am certainly guilty of it, and my wife knows that every once in a while, the show comes first!!
I apologize if you felt I was being pejorative in nature, I assure you I was not!!

Regarding incomplete shows, I may be on an island here, and trust me I LOVE complete shows, but sometimes, when there is a song ( or a few in songs a row) that are poorly played or just songs I am not so fond of, I kind of enjoy skipping those tunes, and enjoying the ‘meaty’ portion of a show. I welcome these ‘not quite complete shows’, especially when some of the detritus is eliminated.

Just one idiots opinion, similar to:
Music is the Best!!

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4 years 3 months

In reply to by Mr. Ones

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Here's to the next GD box being a 10 disc set of 1969 fragments.

Herr Eins = Mr. Ones auf Deutsch.

Happy Holidays to all y'all Deadheads!!!

With apologies to Marye...if you are so inclined, look up ABBA live tv 1975 Waterloo.

Some very pleasant visuals for a cold December morning.

I am 15 again.

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I had to look up your key shows and I see that Berkeley encore of Dark Star. Just a wee bit jealous. But it sparked a memory that I wasn't sure was a real memory: of hearing them play a tumultuous Dark Star, then dropping into Me and My Uncle... cosmic space and in a heartbeat, a regular, even pedestrian song (sorry, I heard it alot)... but I could never place it. So I go to 'setlist program' and punch in my early shows. Sure enough, the fried brain weekend of July 31 and Aug 1, 1973. We're 48 hrs out of Watkins Glen (two big daze of serious perceiving) and tackling another two nighter with The Band. The second night is when they played Dark Star and segued neatly into Uncle. I now clearly recall looking at my buddy and essentially doing a WTF??? Actually it was What the F Just Happened? So WTFJH, which could be minted as a concert experience acronym, at least for the GD.

Thanks for solving a real memory that I had no clue on how to determine whether I only heard about such a segue or whether 'I was there.' Turns out I was THERE alright!

In fact, those two shows smoked and, um ... deserve release... can't stop now.

P.S. I'm onboard with Mr. Ones: complete shows when merited, drop a song or two if they're subpar and interrupt the greatness or complete, tasty fragments that don't need to mimic a show flow. I don't know how I'll feel in a few years, but I'm in the grips of this Vault program in a big way.

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I had no idea. And yesterday we were singing his praises. Gone at 75, after 55 years leading Savoy Brown.

Dang. Sad news.

... and I'd forgotten about the Scarlet-Touch-Fire.... felt "special" because I'd seen them do it in KC on 7/3, where I literally had the best seat in the outdoor theater ... for sure was groovin to the Scarlet, but was thoroughly confused with the Touch (I think maybe the transition was slightly awkward?) ... and THEN to Fire... what the hell?!?? (in a really good way). So when it came up at the Greek 10 days later, I had some serious bragging rights! Not sure how many Scarlet-Touch-Fires they did, but I suspect under a dozen ....

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I happened to notice a post a little while ago from Pancho Pantera asking about a spreadsheet of Dead shows. Years ago (back when I was an active viner here) I received something as an extra that I have since revised and added to. It is in Excel. If anyone would be interested in this send me a PM.

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Formaldehyde, proudfoot, formaldehyde....

Imagine the scene, a few billions years on, when the Earth plunges into the Sun, and KR is the last man standing, waving his hat like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove as he rides an H bomb to its target....

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I believe Keith Richards is still with us for a number of reasons, one, good genetics.

Also, by his own admission he had the cleanest of drugs, the finest Merck pharmaceutical cocaine and ultra pure, clean heroin. Not sure about all the dirty Jack Daniel's and Marlboros though.

Plus, he has lived like royalty for the past 50 years. He's Keith f-ing Richards! He calls the shots. Other than that Toronto bust, I doubt he stresses very much. Always seems like the genuine real rock n' roll article to me.

God Bless Keith Richards, Jack Nicholson, and Hunter S. Thompson. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

\m/

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16 years 2 months
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Any recommendations for American poets from the last 50 years? I love American fiction but I'm not too familiar with much relatively recent poetry.

Acoustic guitar, piano, bass, drums, a nice flowing, picky electric guitar style, Jerry McGee or David Lindley say, and a vocalist that can actually sing. Any suggestions?

DaveRock, I shop at Tesco's, is there something I should know, does that mean I haven't got long left? I do like a decent Shepherd's Pie though, but having a vegan wife it's a rare treat.

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10 years 2 months

In reply to by Nick1234

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Nick1234 - your'e lucky you've still got one - that is one of the shops that has closed round here over the last year or so. Come to Lowestoft - an emptying town center full of boarded up shops. Book early.
I think the risks associated with eating Shepherds Pie are a bit exaggerated. Unless of course you happen to be a lamb. In which case you're screwed.

Thinking of American poets over the last 50 years makes me realise how old fashioned I have become. Both Raymond Carver and Denis Johnson have written poetry, but it tends to be their short stories or novels that I have enjoyed more.

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It's the early 90s (I think) at Denver's old Stapleton Airport. I'm in line to lovely Newark, NJ, where my parents lived. (They were died-in-the-wool New Yorkers, RIP. I was born in Manhattan.) The guy in front of me is bald(ing) and his head has a slightly familiar shape. Discreetly, I glance at the tag on the attache case in his hand: "Hunter S. Thompson, Doctor of Divinity."

A couple nights prior, HST had been on David Letterman (whose assinine schtick I never liked, but HST is on, you know?) and HST talked about covering the Pulitzer divorce trial in Miami, where high caliber fireworks apparently are readily available.

HST comes out, unsteadily, with his lit cigarette in its holder and a small colorful box in his hand. He settles in, Letterman asks something stupid and HST manages a mumbled grunt, then something akin to "I've been up for days, not entirely here, not well..." Letterman leans in theatrically, as HST's mumble is not made-for-prime-time. And HST places the maybe four-inch to a side box on Letterman's desk, within HST's reach. That's when I notice the fuse. While HST mumbles under his breath, Letterman is hamming it up for the camera, like "Can you believe this wack-o?" Meanwhile, HST slowly, casually, extends his left hand, with the cigarette, to the fuse. The distance between the lit cig and the fuse is closing. Letterman looks over just in time and uses his Johnny Carson eraser-at-both-ends pencil to scoot the box just out of HST's reach. Maybe, at this late date, I'm only imagining a subtle smile creeping over HST's face. Maybe, more likely, he's completely deadpan.

Fast forward a few days and HST must have flown from NY to his home in Aspen, Colorado, then appears in front of me in line to go to Newark. I say, "Pardon me, Mr. Thompson, I'd just like to say that your appearance on Letterman was pure genius. You were so close to lighting that fuse. And Letterman is such a phony schmuck." HST turns, again that almost undetectable smile plays over his mouth. "Yeah, Letterman's a dick," he mumbles. Or something like that. So I said, "Whatcha doin' now?" "Pulitzer divorce trial for Rolling Stone in Miami," he says under his breath. "That's cool," I say. "Why are you flying to Newark?" "NEWARK!?" he says, "GODAMMIT! I'm going to Miami." I said, "Oh, over there, that's the line for Miami."

HST mutters "Thanks" and shuffles off to another line as we began boarding for lovely Newark, NJ. And I'm left to wonder what it would've been like to be seat mates with HST for a several hour flight. (I was holding materials for use in the airplane bathroom.) May lightning lay me low if I lie. Best I can do ~30 years later.

Ah, the beauty of random encounters!

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Uncle Duke with little bubbles coming out of his brain.
One of the most clear-headed writers of his time.
You can bet there were explosives in that little box.
And possibly a sizeable one!
Aspen's favorite lunatic and mine too.
Both Fear and Loathings are on my bookshelf.
Cheers

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