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Who are you? Where are you? What's up in your life?
People who attended the Egypt shows are, of course, cordially invited to post their experiences as well!
Middle East
I am not too sure if there would be too many Heads in the Middle East. Maybe in Dubai but for the rest of the Middle East I would not think so as it too conservative. If there are please let me know and prove me wrong. I was in Saudi Arabia (Jedi) and I was scared shitless and as soon as the flight landed they made the announcement to discard of all magazines and papers with the pictures of women without veils etc. The military guys came on the plan and I was the only one pretty much not wearing a Thobe! I had my U.S. passport tucked in my shoe and when I was in customs I took it out of my shoe and after the customs agent stamped it I put it back in my shoe. I have been to many places but this is a place that I felt very uncomfortable in. Jedi is very close to Mecca so you have some hardcore fanatics in the area. I look forward to my trip to Algeria in the fall!!! Man why do i do this to myself. It is too bad that secularism has not been embraced more in Middle Eastern countries as I hear there are many very nice places to visit. Anyway I was listening to the radio the other day in Shanghai and they played an American Rap song called "my hump" or something like that and I thought that this is the American Culture that probably scares the hell out of people and this is the culture that they relate to American culture. Wow I thought as I rebelled and fought this type of garbage most of my life. Baggy pants acting like you’re from the hood and the horrible slang. Maybe this is the American culture they are not accepting and I don’t blame them.
Israeli Heads
I know that there are quite a few dead heads in Israel, scattered all around.Some of them are americans that moved here, or people that lived in the states for a while, and some are the kids of those people. But there are also many of us that discovered the dead one bright morning on our endless quest for good music. - At least that was the case for me.
I was 15 when Jerry died, and discovered the magic only a few years later during my military service, so unfortunately I never had the chance to see the guys live.
It would be interesting to see people from neighboring countries in here. I have no doubt that had everybody in the middle east listened to the dead, it would've been a lot more peaceful here...
And it's too bad that the dead never came to Israel, especially since they were already so close when they came to Egypt.
rawsh-mett (that's dead-head in hebrew).
Israel's best known Deadhead
From http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~billpannifer/band.htm
"Uri Lotan, an ex-DJ for the Army Radio Station, had a midnight show once a week for years-- the Dead, Zappa, Lennon, etc. He also did a New Year's Dead Marathon for a couple of years, too. He followed that up with shows on 2 commercial stations that he sort of had to sneak Dead songs on to. He has organized about 5 Dead video nites at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque since summer '95 with a full house almost every time."
Besides his radio work, he was a journalist and translator (The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test). Unfortunately, Uri died as the result of an accident in his home a couple of years ago. We miss him!
See below for more on Deadheads in Israel.
Rocky
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/33034…
In a shop in Jerusalem, I was taught about the Dead
by jerry stevenson
I was one of those late bloomers in finding my love for the famous San Francisco rock band the Grateful Dead.
It was 1980, and I was 38. I had opened my store, Mr. T, a couple years earlier in Jerusalem. I suppose I liked mainstream rock ‘n’ roll, but I loved classical music more. Mozart, Schubert, and Handel filled my musical day.
Led Zeppelin and Springsteen were there too, but a Verdi opera was always on the tape machine in the store.
Then along came Stu.
Stu literally came in the store off the Ben Yehuda mall. It was just before Passover. We were playing the Dead, by chance, on our tape player. He heard it and came in. When I told him I knew nothing about the 1960s group, he spent the next 27 years of our lives filling me in.
Stu adored and worshipped the Grateful Dead. He was a classic Deadhead: he traveled with them during their early years. He married his wife on the road, had a few kids along the way and followed Jerry Garcia everywhere.
In the 1930s or ’40s, Stu would have been considered a hobo, a bum or a drunk. Today, he was just a homeless alcoholic living on the fringes of society.
He divorced his wife and left his kids behind. He made his way to Israel and brought hundreds of bootleg Grateful Dead concerts with him. In the many years I was his friend, he lived in doorways on Jaffa Street, shacks in Rachavia, rooftops near the Western Wall, bus benches on King George Street, Independence Park, abandoned buildings near the Old Jerusalem bus station and a few psychiatric hospitals.
He drank whatever kind of booze was around, from cheap wine to revolting vodka.
Over the years, I tried to help him numerous times. It was always useless. He never listened to my advice, so instead I gave him material items like sleeping bags, blankets, jackets, money and radios. Everything was stolen from him, including his most precious possession, the bootleg tapes he had brought from America.
At Mr. T, we wound up listening to the Dead every 45 minutes. It was Stu’s influence. He became the store’s official greeter. He was there when the celebrities came in, and he was there when the down-and-out wandered in.
Stu was 10 years younger than me, but he looked 30 years older. As the years went by, he lost most of his teeth. He was always dirty and smelled of booze and urine. His hair was a tangled, matted disaster. I’d give him a shirt and he would wear it for three weeks straight, never taking it off until I gave him a new one.
Most of my employees couldn’t stand being near the guy. Tourist families walked in, took one look at him and walked out. But many others came in just to talk to him and be entertained. This was definitely a novel marketing concept.
Stu’s presence made the Mr. T store in downtown Jerusalem the Grateful Dead mecca of the Middle East. Deadheads from all over the world would gather, and Stu was there to greet them. This lasted nearly 30 years.
Stu died in his sleep, two weeks before I closed Mr. T. He was 55 and his liver was like a sieve. As I write this, I’m listening to the Dead. And, yes, it has been a long strange trip. And yes, I will miss Stu. He certainly made going to work and opening the store every day a fun adventure.
Thank you, Stu, for giving me a “real good time.”
Jerry Stevenson is a former Bay Area resident and former owner of the Mr. T store in Jerusalem, which recently closed.
Bahrain?
I know there is a VERY kind Deadhead in Bahrain named Khalid. I met him there about 10 years ago. We electrically celebrated the Day's Between on the beach in Qatar with some great Jerry tapes. He's kind of hard to miss, about 6'6", and drives a huge Land Cruiser with a custom made Dancing Bear spare wheel cover. He's originally from Qatar and used to work of Gulf Air. Khalid, if your out there get in touch!
Israel in the House!!!
I must say that when speaking of the Middle East I always leave out Israel for some reason. Sorry about that. I have met many Israelis around the world and most are open minded and very interesting people. I work with an Israeli in Africa and he is very serious about his religion and I always try to throw a curve ball at him like how can he explain extraterrestrial life etc and he always accepts these ideas and says that his religion does not reject such realities. Anyway, where there are open minds you have a good chance of finding a deadhead! Also by the way when i used to travel with Phish i had some friends that were from Israel, but i have since lost contact with them.
Peace
Blues for Allah
I am aware that "Blues for Allah" was a tribute to the murdered Saudi King Faisal (band friend and Deadhead). About 15 years ago now, I saw a film about the Egypt shows and I swear there was something in it about an Egyptian shaykh who was another friend of the band and Deadhead. Maybe I dreamed this; but my recollection is that this shaykh (who may have been connected with a sufi order) helped to arrange the Egypt shows. Does anybody know anything about any of this?
Blues for Allah
mazeppa,The Egypt shows were arranged by Hamza El Din, who was a Nubian oud player, may Allah bless his soul. He passed away a few years ago,but I was lucky to meet him once in Cairo in the late 90's. Hamza was a friend of the Dead and I am told he performed with them a few times.A friend of mine (an American sufi) knew Hamza very well and i remember he didnt think Hamza was affiliated with any specific sufi shaykh or way. I myself am a Naqshbandi sufi from Egypt but have been living in Canada for the last 8 years. Our Shaykh taught us that even the process of uttering the word Allah with respect alone has huge blessings, so I believe the Dead are blessed for recording this album and singing the words and making others to sing along. May Allah bless us all....
Blues for Allah
Salaam princeofthenile!
Hamza El Din--now that makes sense. I am a longtime Hamza El Din fan (though a longer time Deadhead). Hamza El Din was present at a Sufi retreat where a friend of mine (and Deadhead) "took" shahada. But I don't know if Hamza El Din was a member of that Sufi order or whether he was just a guest. In any event, many thanks for providing this information.
peace...
happy 2 know...
that u dont accept pms.sorry for bothering u O°L°O....!!!!Peace on earth ...Frankly
deadhead in dubai
salam, beside myself, the only other deadhead that i know here is me :) been looking 4 any 9yrs now, almost gave up. limme know if your out there.
leather belt's buckles!
the closest encounter i have with a GD experience here is leather belt's buckles and wallets with the logo on them in shopping malls :) i often ask the sales ppl if they know what the logo stands for and i get similar replies: it's a skull, you know .. dangerous :) electric :), n im like well do you know the grateful dead? reply: sorry sir, no undersatnd you! anyways, i have my son's room painted in blue and red with a big poster of Skeleton's from the closet, actually it was his wish for the colors choices and it worked for me. The tunes are playing often in the background of my apartment and some times loud enough to grab my kids attention and they rush in the room dancing like teddy bears. I speak of the dead quite alot and tell my friends and wife about them but they keep dragging me to the hip hop scene, which is olright, i mean i respect and love music in general but the dead is like that saying of Hermes: "The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding". I often find myself walking alone in the black muddy river. GD has been a great companion for my mind at times of stress and sorrow, happiness and highs. It's actually quite a lonely scene but sometimes that's the beauty of it, it amplifies the meanings of their songs. Forgive me if i took this seriously but i'm trying my best to reflect a clear image. A couple of times I stopped hippies with backsacks passing through and asked them if they were heads :) lol, desperate eyy? but i found out that not all hippies are deadheads! anywho, i think i talked too much for now, i'll elaborate more upon receiving your responce. keep on rolling.
Just a mile to go
I say do keep on rolling, my old buddy.
Are you an expat or a native?
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
moving much too slow
hey now! thnx for the speach tip, i'm trying buddy, eventhough i can't draw a clear line between the two. Sometimes your mind is someone elses .. I think.
I'm a native of the region, but an expat of the country, don't make much sense now does it?
I was born in Kuwait 1966, Jordanian national, palestinian origin and been "half" around this world, so it's been a long strange trip. I've been here for 9 yrs, now considering migrating to Canada or Newzealand, donno yet.
pls. do emphasize on "speaking your mind", I'd like to learn if you can teach. Cool picture!
it's a tagline!
mr.pid!
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
didn't see that coming :)
Yes it is
Sorry, didn't mean to throw you there, I'm always intrigued by new perspectives and bored by repetition, so I like to encourage others to speak freely. That's part of why I like the Dead so much. No performance is ever the same, they're always reflective of and informed by the circumstances of the moment. More like a conversation than a recitation.
I think there are many troubles in the world that could be better handled by an increase in frank, honest and open communication, coupled with a willingness to listen, and an understanding that simple differences of opinion or perspective don't have to escalate into conflict. It's not necessary to agree with someone to understand their point of view, but it is necessary to hear them if you want to understand their point of view. And if a person expects to have their point of view respected, then they should be prepared to respect other's points of view as well. Seems simple enough to me.
I don't get to interact directly with many people from the middle east. Since I'm reasonably certain that most of what passes for information about the region here in the US has been thoroughly whitewashed, I'm quite pleased to make your acquaintance.
I saw on your profile that you caught two shows. Congrats! What brought you over here?
What led you back there?
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
that's very kind!
thanks brother! I was a student at Kent State in the late 80's studying art and i met with so many beautiful and kind people that flipped my whole perspective about the US. When the war broke up in Kuwait in 1990, my family was still there and I found my self in the hands of strangers that soon turned out to be my second family. It took alot of diversity, conversations, exchanging of thoughts, beliefs and emotions in addition to sincere persistence to flip the table around. I found serenity and peace in the deadheads accompanied by "high" intellect, insight and hip thoughts that added a touch of grey to the false beliefs and convictions we both had about each other. Western deadheads found in me knowledge they lacked and I managed to bring them closer to the truth as it is and not as they perceive through propaganda and vice versa :).
I came back to proof my family wrong in their thinking that I went astray and was lost for good (actually, I also wanted to be sure too myself, hehe). I also wanted to fulfill my mom's wishes and be close to her, but now she passed away and I no longer like it here. At the time, suddenly the east seemed to be a more joyable place now that I had been to the west and seen it all, I started appreciating the east. It's polarity in a sense. It's all the same, we're all one.
You are welcome, and correct, sir!
At least as I see it. We are all one people, and it is a shame that more don't choose to see what should be so intuitively obvious. Especially when those people are in leadership roles. Thank you for your insight. and I appreciate your desire to help spread the concepts of peace, tolerance and understanding. I am sorry to hear about your mom. I hope that her passing was peaceful, and doesn't weigh on you too heavily. Peace be with her.
If you hadn't noticed, I'm also an inveterate golf junkie, and since I've heard that they speak golf in Dubai, it's actually on my list of places I'd like to get to one day. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen any time soon.
One of my uncles graduated from Kent State. See, we're closer already!
And you certainly are up late, or is it early?
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
good vibrations!
i'm glad we're on the same wave.
one of my dreams is to invite RatDog to play in Dubai, I know I can do it! it's nothing difficult or strange and I believe Bobby wouldn't mind or would actually like to do so due to his love for venturing into other cultures and places. Santana was here couple of months ago and we have an annual Desert Rock concert which attracts all the famous and well known bands. I'd love to see a similar Egypt experience repeat gain!
I'm actually eligible to innagurate the event, I have a business license at Dubai Media City www.dubaimediacity.com which I can easily add Events Activity to it. I can then start my corresponding with The Band and hopefully reach some sort of an agreement.
As you mentioned there are plenty of Golf activity going on here and I don't see why you can't visit, maybe you would have to wait till next winter where the weather is nice. I'll caddy for you :) let me know if interested, I'll gather some information for you and try and get you the lowest deals.
When I first saw your picture you reminded me of a friend of mine, a fellow deadhead: Jeff Cobb, I lost contact with him after I left but I hope to find him someday.
It is morning now, it's 11:00AM but when posted my last comment I think it was after 2:00AM, can't really remember but I stay up late/early almost everyday, Till the morning comes ..
I sometimes feel grateful that my mom passed away and didn't live to see what the world is turning to these days, eventhough She's Gone 3 yrs ago, things has changed radically since then. This year is a very weird one due to numerous astrological fluctuations, events and changes. People often think that they control the ways of life and don't stop to think for a minute that they're only a small particle in this cosmo's cause and effect phenomena. I know one thing for sure: if we don't stop this madness and the way we think about ourselves which is ultimately eachothers, things are gonna get worse to eventually get better! it's a basic pendelum concept but do we really have to go to that extreme? When will we ever contemplate the middle path and learn from our historical mistakes. Mankind is so stubborn.
Peace
Sonic Surfari
Hangin' ten with ya, my brother!
I am loving your Desert Dog idea, and wish that I had some way to realistically help you bring it off. I think it would be really cool. I have no idea if any of the Powers That Be ever read any of the stuff here, and I certainly don't blame them for never weighing in directly (could you imagine the tsunami of PM's their ID's would get?) but perhaps there are backchannels, and you never know. I do know that several of the Europeans here have lamented about the lack of shows there. Perhaps the notions could be coupled. I'd be surprised if such an undertaking couldn't be put together in an economically viable way.
Thank you for your kind offer of assistance should I figure out a way to get over there. I hope to be able to take you up on it. I certainly wouldn't ask you to haul my bag around. I'd like it better if you wanted to play instead! While some people play golf as a competition against other golfers, to me it's more of a competition against the course itself. And in my case, the course usually wins. But I always have fun, no matter what I shoot. Beats the holy living tar out of work, as far as I'm concerned.
As for your misplaced friend, have you considered a post in the looking for people thread? Who knows, he may show up around here. How cool would that be?
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
DESERT DOG!!
Hey bro' .. fascinating choice of words, titles, concepts, oh my oh my!! i mean Sonic Surfari!
Desert Dog, wow, how cool .. re Powers That Be .. that notion crossed my mind while i was writing you about the idea, i wonder too .. i've been designing the whole event in my head and can actually visualize it completely, the venue, media coverage, organizing the whole thing, it's all within my reach i hope. i think it would be awsome culturally & musically enlighting, definetely the time for it with all the crazy stuff going on, i think it will have a strong eco! politically too, big time.
it'll be sort of a private, limited audience concert, over nite camping, bazzare, and definetely heavy security and i'm well connected with the best security company here specializing in concerts. I have connections with stage designers and manufacturers, Audio, catering and wht ever is necessary to make this a one of a kind experience in the history of this land. notice how much importance the Egypt tour has and its been 30yrs since it took place!
I think the tour should be coupled, trippled (i donno the next value :), there's always Egypt again, Israel (palestine), Jordan maybe and Europe, let's not get carried away ..
re hauling your bag around .. it's just my way to hide from being asked to play :)
you know u can get over here if you want, wait a bit, maybe the concert idea works :)
think of a way you can help with this.
Let'smaikit (smaik is my last name :)
now about
DESERT RAT!!
when i was in the states, i had prejeduice ppl call me desert rat LOL, i love it!! check it out ..
DesretRat .. RatDog >> DesertDog :) far out !!
DESERT RATDOGS
hey ikoiko ,, I never looked for one , but is there a Ratdog fan web site ? know there is some imformation on this site.. My brother in-law doe`s promotional work for the various night clubs here in Jacksonville,FL. next time i talk to him i`ll see what he can do to get a hold of Ratdog,, you never know what this kid can do.. he has got some famous artist to the clubs ,,(smoopdog,ect..) maybe Ratdog for you ..I`ll see what he can do ,,...
fantastic!
thnx stuman .. didn't chk for a Ratdog site, will soon.i hope the "kid" can come through, it'll be good for all.
peace
small problem!
chk out this link:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2008/03/dont_go_to_dubai_with_doobi…
hmm ... it's a bit exaggerated i think but .. it's valid.
Reigning Rats and Dogs
Yikes! It was actually supposed to be just a condensation of Ratdog in the Desert, not a suggestion for a new moniker, but if it works for you and you want to run with it, more power to you brother! Hopefully stuman's contact will pan out into something.
Anyway, they have a couple of sites, the official www.rat-dog.com, and (the I guess unofficial) www.ratdog.org.
If you can find a way to pull this together, then I'll have no excuse for not coming. I'll just have to take care not to step on any doobies on the way there!
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
DDRF
oops, i missed it!! it was on march 7,8!! i did't even hear a word about it!!anyway, the bands lineup indicates promising and positive signs.
chk this:
http://www.desertrockfestival.com/
I'll sign up for a partner and see where this will take me, pass it to the kid pls.
festival date?!
this is weird, i didn't hear anything about this festival, also the clock tickin at the top right corner indicates that there are 12 days left?! gotta call and find out tomorow what's up with that. hmm, even the ticket are section has no tickets :)-
post is bck!
it's ok, the posts are back suddenly. maybe some tech problem, fewww, thought i lost u my friend, i'm happy now :)
Rat Dog
Rat Dog in the desert is a posibility !! just need to know what kind of budget they have to work with .. I spoke to my brother inlaw on sunday ,. He called me like 4 hours later and told me his people can get Rat Dog. On Easter sunday he did this ! Hope evryone is serious about this .. It would be a wonderful thing to see it all come together ...I will send link and e-mail add. to Chris W. that`s my brother inlaw. Peace everyone !!!
Desert RatDog .. is as
Desert RatDog .. is as serious as it should be at a time where everything else is becoming a joke! the question is what kind of budget they require? I personally do not have the slightest idea. I'm commited to contacting the local sponsors and organizers and intiate the event actual mainifistation once a budget is determined.
Peace.
desert Rat Dog
Great we are all serious on this , i am looking foward to seeing this become a reality.. My contacts are working on it , as we spoke, we are all on board !! should be an interesting ride !! Maybe we can get Rad Dog into Africa also ,, that to would be very cool .. peace everyone !! Dubia first ..
DEAD SERIOUS!
couple of views from where my worksation is (overlooking the amphitheatre at Dubai Media City). a potentilally rockin' place for a small size concert for Rat Dog (15,000 - 25,000 visitors capacity)
Dubai Jazz Fest ..
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/gnw/images/other/aerial-view-toto…
Ziggy in Dubai
http://www.examiner.com/blogs/celebrity_photos/2007/10/26/Ziggy-Marley
my workstation is on the 2nd floor of CNN building
http://www.dubai-architecture.info/800px-Dubai_Media_City_1.jpg
Dubai
In Dubai right now and it is about 42 degrees C. Dubai is the center of trade in the Arabian Peninsula and has a rich mix of cultures and is very tolerant. Is Rat Dog really considering playing here? Interesting concept. I have not seen Rat Dog since SPAC 1993. Would be nice to see him again only this time i am going gray and he has a beard!!! Wow.
Dubai
Hey Iko Iko just realized that you live here in Dubai. I am here until tomorrow night (Just missed my !@#$ flight back to Shanghai) anyway i dont mind staying another night as have some contacts here and i love Arabian foods etc. I am staying at the Renaissance on Salahuddin Road. If you get this drop me your contact and let me know where we can see some East African music etc. I heard there was a place called the STAR. Have you heard of this place. i will probably go check it out tonight.
greg
hey trifecta!
If i get through the ^%&* traffic quickly, I'll see ya in 45 min!!2 deadheads in Dubai .. how grateful!! we're growing :)
Mr. Pid
Mr. Pid thanks for the follow up!!! Iko Iko and i are in contact and will be meeting up shortly. Mr. Pid where are you located? France? Where in France? Will be passing through in about 2 weeks or so and also the end of next month. (will be in Basel Switzerland which is also in France). So many roads!!!
Okay, France?
I'm not in France. I'm in New Jersey. Which I guess is like France on a bad day. A very bad day, indeed. But how would I know? I've never even been to Europe.
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
Down The Shore, barely
Middletown, in northern Monmouth County
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
uganda
the conversation about Uganda was very nice. Right on iko iko!!!!! it is 2:30 am and its time to sleep for 12 hours!!! Will come back before my flight tomorrow.
Will explain the 5 pillars which explain what happens when we close our eyes for the last time. We never finished that one!!!
greg
gratefun
salaams Greg .. aside from the extemely loud speakers and the slow service :) i had a grate time! i can't thank you enough for contacting me. buzz me when you wake up i might be able to meet you for coffee and bring along some dates. we never finished any of the 1001 subjects we started, the Uganda conversation took over the whole scene and was fantastic even though i didn't have my fair share to contribute to it, i'm still grateful we had it .. :)
iko
News etc (channel Six)
Iko i started a posting on Tibet which is something we discussed last night. Very interesting multi dimensional topic to say the least. Check it out and please jump in.
flea tibet
will do bro .. anytime for coffee? why don't you catch a taxi and come to Shatown (sharjah) it'll take you 30 min to get here .. what time is your flight again?? why don't you saty another night :) ?
Hey Iko and Trifecta
I think it is so cool that you two met up over there!! I have also met 3 people from the dead.net site at shows. It's always grate to meet new friends....Thanks for keeping us updated!! Have a grate day! Peace,Gigi
really, too cool
and in Dubai! Goes to show you don't ever know!
Dubai
Marye,
Yes Dubai is very cool and very diverse. Many people wearing their traditional clothes from all over the Arabian Peninsula, Eastern Africa, and Northern Africa. It truly feels like an international city and similar to one of the Return of the Jedi movies where there are beings from all over the galexy etc meeting and mingling etc. Iko is a very cool guy with many ideas and i consider him a good friend. I will be back in Dubai at the end of this year so we will hook up again. But he always has the invite to Shanghai where the bars etc are open 24 hours and it is a place you can really get into trouble in. (good trouble). Whenever someone askes me what is Shanghai like i always say its like being a 10 strip!!! Anyway we went out to a nice area were there was a bar and many people just sitting back drinking and having a good time. We ran into some pretty ladies from Uganda and had interesting discussions about the healthcare system in Uganda etc. My uncle actually started the first phycology institute/hospital in Kimpala, Uganda and he lived there for some time before imigrating to Australia because of Reagon. Anyway thats another story. As we are married men and can only have an interesting talk with other beutiful women (besides our wives of course) so we went back into the pub just he and i and talked about our love for the Grateful Dead and the experiences that we have had inside and outside the scean etc. Nadel thanks for the wonderful evening and i look forward to seeing you again. Iko is someone you want to know especially when you are far from home!!!! cheers