Grateful Dead

March 15, 2020 is the 80th birthday of bassist Phil Lesh, whose work has had a life-changing effect on many of us. This is the place to post your birthday greetings. Post one word that makes you think of Phil. Or, if you just can't do the job with one word, a full birthday message is also good. Send a message to Phil on this festive and happy occasion!

By request. One of the new folks, inspired by the appearance of three-dimensional Virtual Tupac at Coachella a few weeks back, and the fact that he himself came along too late to see Jerry, wonders if technology is going to make it possible to re-create entire holographic concerts for generations yet unborn. Thoughts?

By suggestion. Gr8fulTed says: "I'm listening to the Taper's section for this week, Feb 20, David's put up a real nice piece with Hey Boss Man, in 1970. I'd love to read from people who can recall and describe how Pigpen performed and how it impacted the band's performance plus made the audience actively involved." Hey, sounds like a topic... Especially since I never saw the man live, myself.

As probably the only person to have managed both the Stones and the Dead, Sam Cutler, as you may imagine, tells some great tales in his book. But also, in a chapter called Yin and Yang, he talks about the profound differences between the two bands, and I was especially struck by this bit: ...Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were supremely gifted media manipulators. These two ostensibly unlikely promo-tarts were experts at self-promotion and publicity, masters at dealing with and manipulating the straight world.

Whatever the current version of Furthur is up to, discuss it here!

By suggestion: so, the surviving members reunite. Who should be on lead guitar and why?

GD lyricist. Co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Former Republican Party County Chairman of Sublette County, Wyoming. Erstwhile cattle rancher. In short, complicated guy, difficult to categorize. Discuss here!

Over in another topic, scubabrew raised the question of why we're not talking about post-Jerry Dead. Many things could be said on the subject; some would certainly have it that "post-Jerry Grateful Dead" is a contradiction in terms, and in any case the band retired the name after Jerry passed. But as scuba implies, that doesn't really address the fact that there were some darn fine shows by The Dead, The Other Ones, etc. So here's the place to talk about 'em!

Last year the legendary Patti Smith wrote a real stunner of an essay in which, among other things, she dubbed the period from August 1 to August 9  "Jerry Week."

Don't miss the essay, but post your own thoughts here.

We've all heard 'em. Hell, we've all probably created a few, inadvertently or otherwise. The mis-heard lyrics that are hysterically funny once you find out what the right words are. The unique version of "Truckin'" your bar band came up with. "St. Stephen," as rendered by your 6-year-old. You get the idea. Post here.