dead memories

Even though I was never a Grateful Deadhead, the recent death of Bob Weir has brought back memories. As a 13-year-old, I remember my friend’s cousins – serious Deadheads - visiting Calgary from New York City. Instead of trekking into the Rocky Mountains or checking out the local sites, they spent their entire visit in my friend’s basement playing a Dead-inspired game. They also bought a dozen Dead LPs which they listened to and left behind. I remember thinking the strange visitors were equal parts cool and nuts. The Dead played Calgary a few years later as part of Festival Express. My parents wouldn’t let me go to the concert, but I did eventually produce a radio documentary about the concert tour for CBC Radio. Also, CBC related, I befriended Michael Asch, a University of Alberta prof, the son of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways Records. Edmonton was the “second home” of the Folkways collection, the other was, and still is, the Smithsonian. I pitched the story to National CBC. It fell on deaf ears, until I told them that Micky Hart, Grateful Dead drummer, was on the Folkways board. That sold it. They interviewed Asch and Hart for a network show. Finally, my only Dead related live concert was a Bob Weir show at Pine Knob in Detroit in 1992 with Rob Wasserman on bass – openers Michelle Shocked and Bruce Cockburn. The 15,000-capacity music venue was mostly empty until Weir came on stage. Then the parking lot full of Deadheads poured in.