How many of us used to be Deadheads
- Thread starter turmeric
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Solo Christo
Puritan Board Freshman
I never was a deadhead, but from contact with such types I can only assume that there must have been a negative influence involved.
tfelice
Puritan Board Freshman
Deadhead here as well. Lots of tapes - 100's of hours. Lyrically, most of their music is rather tame. Some drug references maybe, but you have to stretch it for alot of them. The Deadhead "lifestyle" is more problematic than their music is. I always enjoyed them for their improvisational stylings and ultra long jam sessions. I was never much into lyrics or the meanings of songs in any music I listened to with the exception of Christian music.
BTW I also got into Phish for a while. Had backstage passes for Hershey several years ago.
BTW I also got into Phish for a while. Had backstage passes for Hershey several years ago.
heartoflesh
Puritan Board Junior
As a teenager back in the eighties I was obsessed with the Dead, and did the whole hippie thing. Unlike today where hippie is cool and retro, in the eighties it was totally UNCOOL! I had been to rock concerts-- Van Halen, Aerosmith, Yes, and many more, but nothing had ever prepared me for a Dead concert. It was more about the atmosphere than the music. The whole scene was very cozy and familial. Of course, the Dead were carrying around with them the hippie "remnant" from the sixties. This clashed big time with 1980's "material girl" fare and it was quite a contrast.
Musically, I put the Dead in the same category as improvisional jazz, with a rock edge mixed in with a whole bunch of country/bluegrass/folk/Americana roots. I think listening to the Dead in and of itself is about as dangerous as listening to Peter, Paul and Mary or Mile Davis. Again, it's not the music, it's the atmosphere of the Dead concert that was the big deal.
Phish
I lived in Colorado in the late eighties and had some friends from Vermont that had tapes of a band called Phish. I thought they sounded groovy indeed. Phish finally came to our little ski town (Steamboat Springs) in 1990 and played at a bar up on the mountain. There were probably about 50 people there. My, my, how things changed for those boys! While they were definately grounded in the Dead-scene, they never evolved beyond being just a "jam band" in my opinion. You couldn't really take them serious, like you could the Dead. Garcia could bring you to tears with a "Stella Blue", but I don't think Phish could ever get on that level.
Musically, I put the Dead in the same category as improvisional jazz, with a rock edge mixed in with a whole bunch of country/bluegrass/folk/Americana roots. I think listening to the Dead in and of itself is about as dangerous as listening to Peter, Paul and Mary or Mile Davis. Again, it's not the music, it's the atmosphere of the Dead concert that was the big deal.
Phish
I lived in Colorado in the late eighties and had some friends from Vermont that had tapes of a band called Phish. I thought they sounded groovy indeed. Phish finally came to our little ski town (Steamboat Springs) in 1990 and played at a bar up on the mountain. There were probably about 50 people there. My, my, how things changed for those boys! While they were definately grounded in the Dead-scene, they never evolved beyond being just a "jam band" in my opinion. You couldn't really take them serious, like you could the Dead. Garcia could bring you to tears with a "Stella Blue", but I don't think Phish could ever get on that level.
I don't think that the Dead's music has a negative influence in and of itself. I mean, obviously its written by unregenerate men, but so is most of the music most of us enjoy. Some songs have drug references, etc., but most of them are, as was mentioned, pretty tame. A lot of them are even like koans, which appeals to their burnt adherents, and leave you to impose your own meaning (e.g. China Cat, Dark Star, Fire on the Mountain, Dire Wolf, etc.). A lot of my favorites are the ones based on folk tales, country life or cowboy days (Me and My Uncle, Stagger Lee, Dupree's Diamond Blues, Brown Eyed Woman).
I think that the only real negative influence they could possibly have, and this is really determined by the individual's situation, is on a new Christian just coming out of that scene. I stopped listening to the Dead for... I dunno, possibly a year or so after I got saved, just because of all the memories, ideas, and feelings it conjured up. But after being a Christian for almost six years, all of that stuff is gone, and I just enjoy the music. I think the Dead is a little different than other bands, in that, for many, the Dead-connection borders on a religious bond, but I think that's because the scene was birthed in Eastern mysticism and psychedelics, and people who were "after that" usually gravitated towards them.
However, the music is top-notch. A lot of the "favorite songs" I listed are really only on the list because I liked them in my formative high-school years, and they just remind me of the past. But the Dead are here to stay. I might just be musically stultified (I only really listen to music when I'm in my car, but I drive quite a bit on a regular basis), or apathetic about tryin' out new stuff, but I've never heard any music that could remotely compare to the Grateful Dead. They have some melodies and jams, in my opinion, that are simply without comparison. But then again, maybe I'm just burnt from back in the day.
I would agree with Rick about Phish. I like some of their stuff, and have maybe six or seven concerts, but... they just lack the "rootedness" of the Dead. The Dead seems to be earthy, grounded in real life, soulful melodies... Phish kinda seems like its disconnected. Great jams, but... no real point of reference in anything meaningful (and I would assume they strive for that). I think that's seen lyrically... as very few of their songs seem to relate to anything remotely serious or even real (Esther, Reba, Meat, Split Open and Melt, etc.). That being said, I still really enjoy them, only about once a month and in moderate doses.
I think that the only real negative influence they could possibly have, and this is really determined by the individual's situation, is on a new Christian just coming out of that scene. I stopped listening to the Dead for... I dunno, possibly a year or so after I got saved, just because of all the memories, ideas, and feelings it conjured up. But after being a Christian for almost six years, all of that stuff is gone, and I just enjoy the music. I think the Dead is a little different than other bands, in that, for many, the Dead-connection borders on a religious bond, but I think that's because the scene was birthed in Eastern mysticism and psychedelics, and people who were "after that" usually gravitated towards them.
However, the music is top-notch. A lot of the "favorite songs" I listed are really only on the list because I liked them in my formative high-school years, and they just remind me of the past. But the Dead are here to stay. I might just be musically stultified (I only really listen to music when I'm in my car, but I drive quite a bit on a regular basis), or apathetic about tryin' out new stuff, but I've never heard any music that could remotely compare to the Grateful Dead. They have some melodies and jams, in my opinion, that are simply without comparison. But then again, maybe I'm just burnt from back in the day.
I would agree with Rick about Phish. I like some of their stuff, and have maybe six or seven concerts, but... they just lack the "rootedness" of the Dead. The Dead seems to be earthy, grounded in real life, soulful melodies... Phish kinda seems like its disconnected. Great jams, but... no real point of reference in anything meaningful (and I would assume they strive for that). I think that's seen lyrically... as very few of their songs seem to relate to anything remotely serious or even real (Esther, Reba, Meat, Split Open and Melt, etc.). That being said, I still really enjoy them, only about once a month and in moderate doses.
Me Died Blue
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
Never heard of 'em.
tfelice
Puritan Board Freshman
I just have to add how refreshing it is to be able to visit a message board where strong Reformed believers can kick back and talk about the Dead.
I don't know if you all know about this site, but I'll post it here. There are tons of legal downloads from bands that allow taping. I hope this link does not violate any posting rules though.
http://www.archive.org/audio/
I don't know if you all know about this site, but I'll post it here. There are tons of legal downloads from bands that allow taping. I hope this link does not violate any posting rules though.
http://www.archive.org/audio/
Authorised
Puritan Board Freshman
At first I thought this thread was about Arminians.
Me Died Blue
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
heartoflesh
Puritan Board Junior
I always thought "Ripple" was one of the best songs ever written, lyrically. It seems to me like Robert Hunter (the author) almost has it right, but alas, it ends on a sad note since he doesn't "know the way".
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come through the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps they're better left unsung.
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.
There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
You who choose to lead must follow,
But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come through the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps they're better left unsung.
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.
There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.
Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.
You who choose to lead must follow,
But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.
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