At my high school, there was a dividing line; you either loved the Dead, or couldn’t stand them. I think reality was probably a lot more muddled, but to your quote, a lot of people let music define them. Plus, it was the early 90s, and there were already enough weird orthodoxies as it was. A kid that liked hardcore also listened to “American Beauty?” Perish the thought!
It all seems so silly in hindsight, doesn’t it? Anymore, if something moves me (or makes me move), it counts as “good music.” And there’s a deadhead sticker on my car (not a Cadillac).
I feel like I've heard this point being made on the 36 from the Vault podcast, but learning about and listening to 70s Dead and not seeing them as just a 60s hippie artifact (which they never were but in that uber reductive narrative they were cast as) played a big part in my desire to take this plunge.
I've definitely been listening more to the live albums/Dick's Picks, in keeping with that trope for Dead listeners. Vol. 10 (which is a 1977 show at Winterland in SF) has been spinning a lot recently.
At my high school, there was a dividing line; you either loved the Dead, or couldn’t stand them. I think reality was probably a lot more muddled, but to your quote, a lot of people let music define them. Plus, it was the early 90s, and there were already enough weird orthodoxies as it was. A kid that liked hardcore also listened to “American Beauty?” Perish the thought!
It all seems so silly in hindsight, doesn’t it? Anymore, if something moves me (or makes me move), it counts as “good music.” And there’s a deadhead sticker on my car (not a Cadillac).
I feel like I've heard this point being made on the 36 from the Vault podcast, but learning about and listening to 70s Dead and not seeing them as just a 60s hippie artifact (which they never were but in that uber reductive narrative they were cast as) played a big part in my desire to take this plunge.
Out of curiosity, have you found a favorite record yet?
I've definitely been listening more to the live albums/Dick's Picks, in keeping with that trope for Dead listeners. Vol. 10 (which is a 1977 show at Winterland in SF) has been spinning a lot recently.