Dead To Me

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Juliet said to her Romeo. Although there may be sweeter slices of psychedelic pop than Aoxomoxoa out there, none of them are by the Grateful Dead. And that’s what makes this record special—it captures the sound of a young band coming into their own as songwriters while furthering their freak agenda. In this episode, Casey, Eduardo, and Kevin delve into the Dead’s final album of the original acid era. Aoxomoxoa captures the band at a creative crossroads: up to this point, they traded in mind-melting instrumental freakouts, malformed blues, and the occasional baroque hallucination. Now, with Robert Hunter as their in-house lyricist and a newfound compositional confidence, the Dead were positioned to blow even more of Warner Brothers’ money on a triptastic album that contains several Dead warhorses. The band is nearly ready to burst out of lysergic chrysalis as a kind of cowboy Mothra. But until they do, let’s admire the unusual but captivating cocoon known as Aoxomoxoa.

We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up to date on what we’re up to, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter. Osiris works in partnership with JamBase, which connects music fans with the music they love and empowers them to go see live music.

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If we spell out what the Grateful Dead actually wanted to call their 1971 live album, we’d end up in Facebook jail, so let’s just refer to it as Skull & Roses. A funky little nugget by any name, it’s a snapshot of a band with evolving aspirations and an expanding songbook. We also dig out our passports for Europe ‘72—a release that deserves every ounce of hyperbole it gets (and there’s plenty of it to go around in this episode). In addition to highlighting some of our favorite songs from a record with no shortage of sensational performances, we investigate eternal mysteries such as how the Dead got their beleaguered label to send forty-three freaks and their equipment on a musical field trip across the Atlantic. We also celebrate the late, great Robert Hunter, whose contributions to the Dead are a big reason this show even exists. No Boomer jokes, but we do have Mailbag! And don’t fret: we’ll return with regularly scheduled episodes shortly.

We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up to date on what we’re up to, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter. Osiris works in partnership with JamBase, which connects music fans with the music they love and empowers them to go see live music.

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Would you let a hippie run your business? How about a couple dozen of them, including road crew? Considering the Grateful Dead’s success, it might not be a such a bad idea. This episode looks at how a ragtag group of rockers who were intensely skeptical of the corporate world became true innovators in business. Our special guest is Dr. Barry Barnes, Professor Emeritus of Management at Nova Southeastern University, who literally wrote the book on this topic, Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the Grateful Dead. An old school ’Head, Barry is dialed into what makes the scene so special. Everybody is in it together—the band, the crew, and the fans. Call it a family. Call it a posse. Call it Dead as Company. That’s what we’re calling this episode, anyway. With Eduardo off globetrotting, Casey sits down with Kevin to argue about Greta Van Fleet, Grateful Dead tribute acts, and the idea of bands as brands. Feed Your Head profiles the ultimate Deadhead business, Ben & Jerry’s. Now we’ve got the munchies.

We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up to date on what we’re up to, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter. Relix Magazine is a media partner of Osiris.

A ChunkyGlasses Production

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What is the sound of thick air? This question is the koan at the chewy center of Anthem of the Sun, a sprawling psychedelic clusterfuck originally released in July of 1968. According to legend, a young Bob Weir asked producer David Hassinger for this mysterious sound, which led to him quitting the project. Four studios and a mountain of spliced live reels later, and the Grateful Dead had their album. Well, a version of it, anyway. The band would go back and remix the record in 1972, in an attempt to make it more relatable to newer fans turned on to the then-recent Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. But once you’ve “mixed it for the hallucinations,” it’s hard to get them out. Regardless of the edition, Anthem remains one of the Dead’s trippiest studio efforts—an awkward, insistent, and often thrilling record that sees the band at the peak of their lysergic powers. Or perhaps peak confusion. In this episode, we’ll consider the merits of Anthem of the Sun with a nod to the band’s rapid evolution. So climb on board as Captain Trips sets the controls for the heart of the Sun.

We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up to date on what we’re up to, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter.

A ChunkyGlasses Production

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Some people have photographic memories. The rest of us have photographs. Well, that and music. Put the two together, and you don’t even need a souped-up DeLorean to travel time. Our final episode of Season One considers the photographic history of the Grateful Dead, but of course we talk about a lot more. Our special guest, Rosie McGee, was part of the Dead family going back to the first Acid Tests. Her photographic memoir, Dancing with the Dead, is a powerful recounting of an era that continues to fascinate and inspire. Rosie’s candid and intimate shots offer insights into a musical and social scene whose ripples are felt to this day, and her personal reminiscences are amusing, frank, and always spirited. Casey and Eduardo talk about how our memories are influenced by sound and image, and the tricks that time can play on the mind. Feed Your Head profiles another legendary shutterbug, Jay Blakesberg. See you next season!

Show Notes

• Rosie McGee’s website
• The Atlantic: The Death of the Hippies
• Rolling Stone: Career-Spanning Grateful Dead Photos
• Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem

We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up to date on what we’re up to, visit our site and sign up for our newsletter.

A ChunkyGlasses Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.