Grateful Dead

Gary Snyder is 90 years old. Lawrence Ferlinghetti is 101. City Lights Bookstore in North Beach,San Francisco is such an awesome landmark and legacy. My last trip to the Bay Area was to attend the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz. After being out on “the Rock” all day with my old friend Jeff we walked from the waterfront up through North Beach and stopped at City Lights and lo and behold a poetry reading was going to happen that night with the great beat poet and translator of Native American languages, Jerome Rothenberg. It was a wonderful reading. They also asked the audience to turn off cellphones.
Gary Snyder has always been a role model for me since first meeting him in Missoula in 1978. Really it was a few months earlier reading his book “The Old Ways” 1977. I once brought his oldest best friend Nanao to a Dead show in Oakland 2/14/86.
There used to be an amazing literary group that met in San Francisco in the 80s at a place called Cloud House run by Kush. Kush was a great recordist of poetry readings in the Bay Area. His video work is priceless and should be preserved. Really the same is true for the old Merry Prankster/ Acid Test film that seems to fade from view and availability. A shame really. But alas as the old Prankster saying goes , “nothing lasts”. Really the same is true with our grandparents and elders who may have amazing stories to share. Seek them out. Maybe interview them with audio or video. The beats are checking out fast with the original hippies not far behind. And fewer everyday.
I like the tall tale connection to mythology in regards to the Paul Bunyon story. Some of the “jacks” at the Oregon Pavilion in 64/65 were from northern Michigan, Jim Ogle and family. I became friends with his kids. But the stories I share really happened. My sister worked at the Simmons Pavilion across from the Oregon Pavilion. She had a lot of class but not always a lot of money. Hard working and creative.
So when I followed up my first Bay Area visit with my sister in Sausalito and first west coast Dead shows 8/14,15/71 I hitch-hiked up to Oregon to visit my brother. It was that first experience of visiting Oregon that summer that I was determined to leave the confines of a Connecticut and New York upbringing to pursue a western reality and life.
Read Lew Welsh “The Song That Mount Tamalpais Sings”. It describes the post World War 2 San Francisco Poetry Renaissance and the western movement of youth into the 60s.
Now what the hell does all this have to do with Pick of the Day.
Looking forward to to the 50th anniversaries of the famed Capitol Theater February 1971 concerts.
“There were days
And there were days
And there were days between
Summer flies and August dies....”

I like strawberry-rhubarb pie for breakfast, Ken Kesey & Jack Kerouac novels, collecting lossless Grateful Dead bootlegs and long strolls in the moonlight.

Sounds like a good dating profile :)

Whatever those are.

I think I've been in isolation too long.

Dig the raps you all.

Sounds like some peeps are in the polar vortex today.

Our winter has been non-existent.

Listening to 5/13/73 this AM. This Monster sure could use some love from the powers that be.
Set 1 & 2 have some major hiss factor (2 sources have tried to address this, but I'll stick with the hiss)
Set 3 partial is pretty crispy and what a trip it is! Not sure how strange, but it's long.
14 minute He's Gone > 13 minute Truckin' > 19 minute Other One > 16 minute Eyes = 62 minutes of Good Stuff

Check it out Yo's!

I just wanted to say hi ya and to tell you to all to keep up the good work.

Strider - that's not a tall tale your telling? located a ways off from the rest of the states along the river so they could demonstrate log rolling, among the many logging feats/competition. giant Paul Bunyan at the entrance. Funny but as a Midwesterner I always associated Paul Bunyan with the woods of Minnesota. I can't help but think of pole climbing competition and certain Puebloan feast days where a pole is featured.

yes all those guys influenced me deeply, but in the end it was Snyder that had the most profound affect and the one that I still turn too on a regular basis. certainly an integral part of my ending up in love and drawn to the West while growing up in the Chi-town suburbs. feel real lucky to end up where I have.

I'll go back to Cold Mountain several times a year. And by chance just yesterday noticed Axe Handles by the couch and discovered anew some of Little Songs for Gaia - "bodies of water tuned to the sky." Smokey the Bear Sutra read aloud at least once a year.

Looks like nobody else was up for strawberry-rhubarb pie for breakfast. I had a fun listen and it set the tone for a pretty out there relaxed day. beautiful day here again. headed out now to the wide open with my sweetie and my doggle woggle.

be safe and enjoy the day everyone.

onward!

Feb 70 family dog

2/4, 5, 6, 7, 8 I believe

and Desolation Angels, or at least the half that kinda continues Bums...definitely in my top ten of all time!
Changed my life as much or more then On the Road, which is saying something. Tons of Kerouac, Kesey, Cassidy etc, devoured that shit BITD, in my twenties, like a rabid animal!
A little HST, F&L etc, but didn’t go full Gonzo on him until turn of this century...
Weird, all this time during the pandemic, but for some reason can’t seem to get in the reading groove, sigh...

Remember “never give...” and key ingredient of the story, just hadn’t heard the movie called that, I think lol.
May have just forgotten! ; )

Was the hand carved wood sign that Henry Stamper put out in front of their home along the river.
More subtle Kesey genius. Was also the title of the renamed film.

My late brother Rick and his wife lived in Oregon starting in 1970. It was a summertime trip only living in a tipi. They were escaping “winter” in San Francisco. Before that my late sister worked at the 1964-65 New York Worlds Fair across from the Oregon Pavilion. She knew some of the lumberjacks who worked there. They would give logging exhibitions, pole climbing, crosscut saw speed contests and the like. Oregon loomed large in my personal history.
Ken Kesey had a major influence on me, and his first two published books in no small manner. As a result of living in the west starting as a teenager I pursued my living working in the woods/ mountains . Mostly trail work in the southwest. Much of the work in Wilderness Areas using primitive tools such as crosscut saws , axes and wedges.
“ The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac is one of my all time favorite reads. Add in the sequel “Desolation Angels”.
Bobby Petersen was born in Klamath Falls. Was a competent poet and similar to the Merry Pranksters was a bridge between the beats and the hippies.
Lately I’ve been reading books more than listening to music. But I am waiting until February 18th to check back in so to speak. That should fix my hash as I have not smoked any Ganga since New Years Eve.
One last thought about music, literature and art.
Mezz Mezzrow was a “hot” jazz musician who used to deal “muggles” (Ganga)in Harlem back before World War 2 . He was given the nicknames “the Reefer King” and “the white mayor of Harlem”. His 1946 book “Really the Blues” is one of the all time great books that was the real true and blue hipster .

11/3/91: fun little show. Just exactly the kind of off the beaten path kinda nugget that I might never find if not for this forum, thanks Vguy!
4/2/73: been sort sneaking around this one last couple days. Unfortunately been distracted for most but had a ear to ear grin session after finally settling down, sitting down and melding with disc 3 as I was messing with the Theatre system, so listening with Auro 2D on a 6.1 channel system while tweaking my LFE sub. I used my old Bass cabinet with 2 15” JBL E140s in custom Hard Truckers style cabinet, powered by old Crest FA901 amp from my playing days. I’m also using my old Furman crossover as the bass management in my MX 123 pre-pro is a little disappointing for the price point, but it does sound real nice!
So I’ve had mixed results with movies and not been able to get things where I want, so figured I’d tweak with some good sounding Dead and see what happens lol.
Well started getting things real nice pushing those amps and by the time Casey Jones came round I’m grinning like a maniac and it’s loud but clean and still headroom and if- I- Could- just- squeeze- a, little- more- right- now as they kick into the finale crescendo, holy shit that’s.......what?....?....rut ro...oops, the misses (all ready in a fine mood lol) is now trying to get my attention from the top of the stairs and didn’t really hear/comprehend much except;
A) mommas pissed (which is never good), and
B) something about “things are literally bouncing up here!) LOL

Too funny, and to think my system I had after I moved back in my folks basement BITD was even louder!
Not sure how they put up with all that? Probably figured “hey, their doing what the love and at least their not out doing drugs!” LOL!!! yeah, we’re doing downstairs instead!
Shit need to do that again...when she’s at work would probably be a good thing ; )
For scientific purposes if nothing else; still don’t know what the threshold is for noticeable distortion, or the edge if you will....need to check some db levels too!

BC check PM

STRIDER; Great Notion, one of my all time favs, think I like that more than Cuckoos Nest...haven’t read that in decades, probably due cept it is a bit of a commitment...not sure I’ve heard Never Give An Inch title? From quick look it looks like same movie? Haven’t seen that in forever either, that I have time for! Wonder if I can find it?

Giving 4/2/73 disc three another run through, then? Maybe second pass on 4/15/78? Maybe I’ll give #36 a swirl as I haven’t had a chance to play this one as much as I normally would a new Dave’s...still itching for more 90s research too.
Recently poked around with 3/20/92 from Boxilla which I was fortunate to be at. I remember really liking this one live, and did again all these years later. So thinking next day or so hitting the next night since I’ve never heard that one either...thinking I might go in order and try and hit all my post 91 shows and the few official releases through till the end. Not all at once, but work whatever’s up next in line into the daily show flow.
Ok, sorry for the coffee rambles...
Onward!

Hope you don't mind a question re personal history. Curious as to how you made the jump from NY to Oregon back in the day. Older brother? Solo on instinct? Seems like you were into the Dharma Bums trajectory a little?

Speaking of Gallup, a close friend of my parents was life-long in the railroad and when newly married was stationed there (ran the local operation?) for a few years back in late 50s early 60s i think. He spoke of it fondly, but I never really tried to get a deep history. He passed on a couple months ago - missed opportunity.

Was the first live performance. I was there that night a few rows (4th or 5th) from the stage. Attended the following three nights also. Fifty years ago I refrained from smoking ganga for the three weeks leading up to that night. Was also jogging regularly and starting to clean up my diet. Smoked hash before the show. Almost got jumped/mugged hanging out at the side of the theater. Port Chester was also the home of Homelite Chainsaws. 1971, was also my first time to Oregon. Also the same year the film adaptation of the Ken Kesey great American novel “Sometimes A Great Notion” was released, with powerful performances by Henry Fonda as Henry Stamper and Paul Newman as Hank Stamper. One of my all time favorite books that I read my first time living in Oregon summer of 1972. I also loved the movie. “Never Give A Inch” (correct spelling from book and movie)