Kelly - Deadheads: stories from fellow artists, friends & followers of the Grateful Dead

This personalized essay collection is based upon the memories of its contributors. All the events in this story are as accurate and truthful as possible. Many names and places have been changed to protect the privacy of others. Mistakes, if any, are caused solely by the passage of time.

Copyright 1995 by Linda Kelly

Additional materials copyright 2015 by Linda Kelly

Originally published by Carol Publishing Group in 1995.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-240-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-854-4

Printed in the United States of America

For the dear souls who have left me in this lifetime:

My mother, Patricia, who once told me, Angels fly because they take themselves lightly; my agent Tony Secunda, whose encouragement and faith in me blessed my spirit with newfound inspiration and confidence; and to my horse, Ben, my best friend throughout my youth.

Fly on, my sweet angels.

CONTENTS

EDITORS NOTE

Author Linda Kelly asked the contributors of this collection to share with her their memories of the times they spent with the Grateful Dead, listening to the Grateful Dead, talking about the Grateful Dead, and everything in between. These interviews were conducted over the phone, via email, or in person. In an attempt to maintain each contributors voice and keep these original stories intact, few edits have been made to their recollections.

In addition, photos featured throughout this book have been scanned from low-resolution copies in most cases and have not been retouched.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My gratitude and appreciation goes to all the people who stood by me throughout this project. Their support and faith helped me make my way through the whole experience.

In particular, I would like to thank Franki Secunda for her encouragement and laughter; Charlie Ordonez, my landlord for his generositythe use of his wonderful house and sweet 78 Ford pickup truck helped make this book a reality.

Special thanks also to the various people whose presence in my life influenced this work: John Burks and Ben Fong-Torresoriginal staff members at Rolling Stone who were very supportive as my teachers in college; all the musicians in my life, too numerous to name, who turned me on to the magic of music; Steve Brown; Cynthia Johnston; HA Kelly Esley, Frisco, who taught me that pressure makes diamonds; Cree McCree and Donald Miller; David Godfrey; Crisco Janda and friends; Astra Esley; everyone in my family, especially my father, Bud Johnson, who always believed in me.

I am grateful to all the people who participated in this project for their help, enthusiasm, and willingness to share. And, of course, to the Grateful Dead, who are the fire around which the people in this book dance, and without whom none of the stories herein would ever have occurred.

Last, and certainly not least, Id especially like to thank Jerry Garcia and Bobby Weir, who, through their radiant spirits and kinds words, showed me the light in a time of confusion and helped guide me back home.

Because I finished this book just a few days before Jerry died, many stories about Jerry and the Grateful Dead are told in the present tense, even though hes gone nowwherever it was he went. I wondered how I should deal with this issue and decided to leave everything the way it is because I believeand I reckon Im not alone on thisthat Jerry is still very much present in our hearts, and always will be.

In After you will find some feelings, thoughts, and photos from just a few of the hundreds of thousands of people out there who experienced Jerrys magic and who are now left to pick up the torch and carry on.

Linda Kelly, 1995

* * *

What a trip, twenty years later, to re-connect with many of the original interviewees of Deadheads, as well as collect new stories from various Grateful Dead die-hards. The experience has been catharticremembering who I was, discovering who Ive becomelistening to a wide variety of tales told all these years later. Everyone was so forthcoming and sweet in their story sharing. The heart and soul of what the Grateful Dead were all about is still beating strong. Memories are magic!

Id like to thank my agent, Peter Beren, for yanking back my book rights all these years later, my publisher, Skyhorseespecially my always-supportive, positive editor, Nicole Frailfor really believing in this new take on an old creative exploration, and all the new folks who hopped on the storytelling bus.

A special shout out to: Steve Brown for his wonderfully timeless cover photo of Jerry going to work on Haight Street in 1968, and for sharing a few new Dead ditties, and to gonzo goddess, Cynthia Johnston, always an inspiration; Mackey Foster and Brennan Young for adding some southern flavor by connecting me with folks from Alabama and Georgia, bless your hearts; Michael McGinn for keeping it real and rolling tape as Ramblin Jack and John Perry Barlow pulled memories out of cowboy hats; my writing mentor and comrade in scribedom, Cary Tennis, and his lovely wife Norma, who have rekindled my passion for writing; Scott MacDonald for his unconditional love, support, and laughter; my entire familyespecially my Pops and Terry for kicking cancer to the curb and getting his S in Superman back; Sue, Bill, Bernard and Michelle for just being who they are; all my kooky, contagious, and inspiring Burning Man peeps for their heartfelt and hilarious connection all these years; Dana Behan for the best confidant a girl could have; Hilary Corrigan for helping me cross the abyss into the land of self re-creation; Curt Himy and everyone in our band, Bootie Cooler, for tickling my music mojo; Sherene, Stefanie, Holly and Nick for their cosmic guidance; the always-smiling T and Noel at Central Market, and Gus and crew at Haight Street Marketfor feeding me and keeping the well flowing; and finally to my lovely neighbors Rachel Leavitt, Hope Feldman, Seth Shapiro, and the Central Street gang, who have all become family to me in our Mr.-Rogers-on-acid neighborhood here in the Haight-Ashbury.

Linda Kelly, 2015

FOREWORD THOUGHTS

Something I wrote caught the attention of my college professor. The story interested him, and he wanted to hear more.

Id been writing down the ideas flying around in my head ever since I was a little girl, but having an outsider walk into that world with me made me realize that I was the only one who knew the territory, who could navigate the way around this otherwise hidden placemy mind. This was my creation, and now someone wanted to visit. My soul was filled with a soothing feeling of hope, inspiration, and optimism.