Grateful Dead

Great story, well told!

Or is that tail? Epic tale well told Oro-1.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
DiP 18 is my favorite Dick's.

was my 'brush with greatness.' Apologies to you all who have heard this tale, but with this anniversary and the releases of shows from '77 and '78, I want to spin this old chestnut again (hopefully some haven't heard this).

But first grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred beverage) and get comfy, because this will take a while. Brevity is not my long-suit, so bear with me on this, but the background/back story is info it help it all make sense. Back in 1977, myself and my girlfriend (now wife) and two buddies decided to road trip from Nebraska to a New Year’s Eve Dead show run at the Winterland in San Francisco.

I toted along with me a clay sculpture that I had made the prior year. It was a one and ½ foot (in circumference) dragon that was biting or consuming it’s own tail. It was fired and had ‘scraffitto’ (my own designs) carved into it’s ‘hide’ and then stained. It was the biggest piece of clay sculpture I have ever made. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to give it to the band on New Years Eve show.

So away we go on the trip and get there and secure tickets for the shows on that Winterland run. The shows were unbefuckinliveable and that old Winterland was such a great venue. We were all sitting on the sidewalk on Dec 31st waiting for the doors to open early. We heard Bill Graham was going to let us all in early and we were going to play ‘freak’ volleyball until Graham played us movies from his collection (16 MM of Ray Bradbury’s Illustrated Man and the original Beatle’s Magical Mystery Tour) before the start of the show tonight.

I thought that I better try to unload ‘Oroboros’ now (it was heavy and how was I going to talk that past the gate?) so I spied a door that said Backstage. No answer. The line of people on the sidewalk started getting up and moving to the door. Banged even harder thinking “I got to get this dragon in there so I can go in and play before the show tonight, this thing is heavy”, and as I pound harder the door yanks open so hard it draws me into the doorway, where a gigantic black man in a red Winderland shirt stopped me from being pulled inside with his had on my chest. “What do you want?” he bellowed. Startled, I said “I want to give this to the band” and held out the dragon in both hands. The giant took it in his immense hand and immediately the dragon shrunk to the size of a keychain. And he asked “Wow, what is it, I’d like one” and I explained “it’s an Oroboros, and that is the only one there is”. He grinned and said “Cool, who do you want me to give it to?” and I stated “Garcia, give it to Jerry Garcia.” And the door closed quickly, like in Dorothy’s first attempt to get into the Emerald city in Wizard of Oz.

So, I happily hurry into the show and needless to say it was a singular experience: with those movies starting in the afternoon, the celebratory/raucous/colorful crowd, and the Grateful Dead 'playing in' the year of 1978. As each of us entered we were handed a piece of paper that had the message "Good things come to those who wait, surprise at midnight" with the stealie logo on it. Once inside I was stopped by ‘Rainbow’ Rose who had an eyedropper of liquid party favor in her hand. She said “ just one dollar per drop, on your tongue or for the adventurous, a drop in your eye.” Wow, this was going to be some night! One on the tongue, please!

When you entered Winterland, you could go into the 'big hall' surrounded on all sides by an elevated balcony (complete with theater seats). You could also go into a bar, which was playing black and white videos (on an old fashioned 'big screen') of past performances of Hendrix, Airplane, etc from Graham's Winterland archives. Very entertaining, hey, the New Riders are starting to play, I got to get in there, the sound is loud and they are rocking the house.

Anticipation is high and the Dead came out for the first set. Our party favors are now starting to engage...things began to sparkle and the old Winterland venue takes notice, and her walls start to sweat and then to sway with the strains of familiar music and the Dead coaxes this old hall to join us in our dance.

Bill Graham got into the act dressed as Uncle Sam and he rode his motorcycle down a cable suspended high above us from the back of the Winterland auditorium to the stage. As the Dead improvised/noddled into the New Year Uncle "bill" Sam slowly moved above us illuminated by a spotlight. The hilarious part was as Uncle BoBo (as Bobby called Graham) was on this motorcycle, and as he approached the stage, the combined weight was too much and he sagged below the lip of the stage. So as the stagehands ran out and to drag ‘Uncle Sam’ onto the stage, Jerry and the band were all laughing as they saw his hilarious arrival to the stage. Then they burst into Sugar Magnolia, along with confetti explosions, as balloons dropped from the ceiling of the Winterland for our NYE celebration. Also on stage flanking the Dead were a gal and guy dressed in diapers as the new year's babies, dancing their asses off.

And as I squinted at the band, I noticed in between Billy and Mickey’s drum set, sitting on a monitor with a white candle by it was the Oroboros ! ON STAGE with the Dead. Then I watched as Jerry walked over to it and he lit his cigarette off that candle. And when the stage lights went down between songs, the Oroboros was illuminated by the candlelight. I was 'on top of the world' (dead reference intended). If you google the song 'Fire on the Mountain' from the NYE show in 1977 on Youtube and at the conclusion of the song (7:20 or so), the camera focuses on the Oroboros by the candle (as we hear Bobby waxing about 'technical difficulties'). It is an old black and white movie/video, but I did show that to my three sons to prove the old man's story was true. But the boys still rolled their collective eyes at me, but I am used to that.

We walked out into the cool San Francisco early morning and drove through the fog back to Nebraska. Now fast forward to Madison, Wisconsin 2-3-78 and I made the road trip to catch the show. It was a killer night and the Dead were in fine form (second half was in DP 18). The 'Cold Rain and Snow' was thunderous and Phil's bass boomed out to shake that snow off the roof of the venue.

The next morning before I left the hotel, I got a wild hair and called the front desk “Could I have Jerry Garcia’s room please” and the phone rang and Jerry answered! I said “Hey, I’m that guy that brought that dragon to the New Year’s show” and Garcia said “Meet you in the coffee shop in 20 minutes”. I couldn’t believe it what was happening but stumbled into the Madison Hotel coffee shop at the appointed time and looked around and saw Jerry Garcia seated at a table with a ravishingly beautiful raven-haired Gypsy woman.

I walked over an introduced myself and ‘shook the hand, that shook the hand of PT Barnum and Charlie Chan’. Jerry beamed that smile and gestured for me to sit down. “Man, how did you fire that dragon, so that it didn’t explode in the kiln ?” Jerry asked me. I told him that I had cut it in half lengthwise with a guitar string (that a friend had given me) and then put it back together. We locked eyes and he exploded with laughter and I followed with “Ironic, huh?” And he said “No, not at all, that makes perfect sense.” And we laughed some more. Then the Gypsy Beauty said “where are you from” and I replied Nebraska. And she stared at Jerry and stated “He came all the way up here from Nebraska to see the band”. Jerry shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows and said “we didn’t ask him to come” and looked at me and we both howled with laugher. No deadhead was she!

We talked more about art and the dragon, I didn’t know at that time of Garcia’s interest and practice in art. He was completely engaged in the topic of art, but quick witted with ‘turn on a dime’ twists, turns, and little quips. (Sound familiar to a band we know/love) Garcia was so focused on listening, not acting like he was the center of it all. He was locked in on taking time with me and talking about our shared interests, along with side commentaries on a variety of topics. The Gypsy woman asked “You went out to San Francisco and then traveled here?” and I stated yes and turned to Jerry and asked why don’t you come back to Lincoln? He said “you mean to Perishing Auditorium?” and I corrected him “no it is Pershing Auditorium, after the General” and he quickly retorted “no man, it was Perishing, really.” And we erupted in laughter again. There were some drunk frat boys yelling ‘boogie” at the top of their lungs at that ’73 Lincoln show, but the music was still topnotch! Anyway, I asked Garcia “could you bring your Circus back to Nebraska?” and Jerry grinned his Cheshire cat grin and said “who knows”.

I saw it was time for me to leave them to eat as their breakfast arrived and excused myself and took off. Jerry brought the Dead back to Nebraska, that summer on 7-5-78. I taped them on my Nak 550 (my best aud tape of all) and then I had to follow them to their (and my) first Red Rocks shows.

So that is my story of that time in space (or space in time). Garcia was totally a gracious, engaging, and kind man to this DeadHead who approached him for a moment in time. So to make a long story short (which I am constitutionally incapable) Jerry was focused on what he could learn, not what he could teach, on humor/laughter and valuing another person and really listening to their experience. He was so inquisitive, asking questions and then sharing his own thoughts. I have often thought about that lesson he taught me that cold Wisconsin morning. And for the rest of my life.

Apologies for the thread hijack, so everyone can return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Teachers open the door, but we must enter by ourselves

Is the worst. I’ve had it for years.

Melatonin will help you temporally but it wears off after a short period of time as your body acclimates to it. Chamomile tea is mildly effective. Of course the best remedy is a couple of shots of bourbon.

I’ll reuse an old joke and tell you to put on some Dead and Company. You’ll be asleep instantly.

In all honesty it sounds like you might have something else going on there with your legs. Probably worth going to get checked out by a doctor.

Good luck.

Proudfoot - Everyone has a remedy for insomnia, here is mine, and you’re right, insomnia sucks. There is some science to the “478” Rule, which works for folks with insomnia, or anxiety. Breathe in deeply through the nose for 4 seconds, and hold it for 7 seconds, then exhale deeply through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat. Studies have shown lower blood pressure and reduces heart rate, leading to greater relaxation. I’ve tried it myself, with success. Good luck.

Hard.

Lie down CANT SLEEP TWITCHY LEGS CANT BREATHE
Get up sit there DROWSY AF think I will lie down
Repeat

Ever since fookin' Covid

Loving #45. Starting 2nd set, 1st show now. Great music. I was a 1-3 show/year person beginning in the early 70's, and I got to wondering if I ever caught a '77 show. My only one was in Bloomington, IN on the IU campus on 10/30. I always wondered why they never returned to do another show there.
Also, I read a lot of chatter here about an Ark box. Curious if anyone here ever attended a show at the Ark, or is this just an urban legend of a great venue. Lots of places I would have loved to have seen a show but never got the opportunity (Labor Temple, Electric Circus, Thelma, to name just a few).
I've never heard a bad Passenger, either live or on CD.....really allows Jerry to make that guitar scream.
I love all the DaPicks, because I prefer full shows. That was my issue with Dick's Picks is that you rarely, if ever, got a full show. And I loved the Road Trips series, even though I got in on that party too late and only have 2 (Big Rock Pow Wow and Valentine's Day), and those are full shows.

....as is Betty. As is the best band in the land. Hit the spot. Can't go wrong with Drumz -> The Wheel imo.
Onto some Doors. People ARE Strange indeed. Especially these daze lol.
10.1 this weekend.

That DITS jam is sweet as honey. Eyes too. A spliff is needed for that dancing jam.

....gonna start with 10.2.
Checked out the following show in Phoenix off and on at work earlier. Good shit.
Edit....check out Donna on Duprees 💎 Blues. Very nice.