Outlaw Music - The Grateful Dead

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By Wesman Todd Shaw

The Music of The Grateful Dead

I've always loved the music of The Grateful Dead. I recall running around with my grandfather at a young age, and at the Canton, Texas flea market, First Monday, we'd happened into a booth where there were some musical instruments to look at, and things everywhere that had something about something called The Grateful Dead on it on everything. I had to ask someone what it was, and I was told that it was a rock and roll band.

I have to admit that I was mostly a metal head at that early age. I saw those cool skulls and stuff, and thought that The Grateful Dead must be some kind of heavy metal band. I couldn't wait to hear my first Grateful Dead tune. Boy, was I ever disappointed!

The Grateful Dead

Folk Rock, Sinners, and False Saints.

The Grateful Dead performed anything but metal. They are masters of American Folk Rock, and so much more. The Grateful Dead along with others like Gram Parsons, and his Flying Burrito Brothers, and the later stages of The Byrds, performed American Cosmic music, which melded folk, rock, and storytelling into a high art that hasn't been approached since the mid 1970's.

But there is so much more to The Grateful Dead than any of that. The Grateful Dead pioneered not just new themes in music in an age of change in America. They pioneered new concepts of how a band relates to it's audience. They interacted with their audience in a way that had never been done before.

What the Grateful dead did better than anyone not named Johnny Cash, however, was perform songs about unsavory sorts of persons - all out Outlaws, if you will. Murderers, Thieves, Womanizers, Drug Dealers, and more. It's a tremendous slap in the face of those that are forever trying to pretend as if they do not indulge in any sort of "sin" that we Grateful Dead lovers are able to live out the parts of our lives that we don't present to corporate America through their music.

Life is full of ups and downs, and anyone who tries to pretend that everything they do or ever did was on the up and up - is simply a liar.

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The Grateful Dead: The End of the Road - The Final Tour '95
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Modern America, Outlaws, and The Grateful Dead.

Admit it, if you live in the United States of America - you live in a police state run by oligarchs through their corporate fascist system that they've created. The ethnic monopoly that controls the entire mass media has instilled some sort of meme in order to make every single person that is exposed to their lies, garbage, and subtle manipulations, feel as though they are guilty of something.

You see - not feeling guilty for what we are all charged of makes us want to speak our minds in opposition to what they imply that we deserve their derision for.

In a land where the Department of Homeland Insecurity finds that support of the United States Constitution and it's citizens Bill of Rights is reason enough to investigate a person under the malignant and false pre tense of being a "domestic terrorist" for such - the common man, the thinking man, and any non conformist to corporate media memes is now the target, the "outlaw," if you will. Corporations like Monsanto - a corporation that has never produced any product that a human being can safely be exposed to - is pushing to make it illegal for you to even grow your own vegetables. They rely upon your ignorance and your willing compliance. Do not give them what they do not own, and do not deserve.

Get your Grateful Dead on!

We no longer have our government. The tail is wagging the dog. We are all outlaws in a world where the oligarchs seek only two classes of people - 1. them, and 2. US.

We can only live on, and preserve our traditions, tune out their contrived and plotted confusions, social divisions, and guilt. We must form our own networks of information, and our own communities of barter and trade - totally eliminating any middlemen that use the fruits of OUR labor to support fascist murders of lands and the rape of resources and persons overseas - so that THEY can become more wealthy, and the divide made much greater between our means, and theirs.

The mass media sells fear, but the righteous go as boldly as lions. We will not conform to their slave class, no "overman" will exists in the elite class/ slave class world. There will only be elites, slaves, and outlaws.


Brown Eyed Women, The Grateful Dead!

Jack Straw, The Grateful Dead!

The Grateful Dead - "Me And My Uncle."

The Grateful Dead - Peggy O!

Grateful Dead Memorabilia

Comments

FloraBreenRobison profile image

FloraBreenRobison 9 months ago

I'm not a Deadhead, but I know a lot of their music. I can't think of Frank zappa without thinking about his unfortunate decision-and assumably the mother of his children's decision too-to name his children Moon Unit and Dweezil. Then I start thinking about the other names of children of that era. Celebrities still give their children weird names. Rachel Griffiths (six Feet Under etc) named her son Banjo. Why do this to a child?

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

LOL! I think there's a trade off - those kids get to be born into lots of money by common standards. I'd gladly have been a Banjo instead of a Wesman to be born into millions! "Banjo Todd Shaw" - Sounds kinda cool!

poetvix profile image

poetvix Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago

Love the music, the band, the era, the attitude, the hub!

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

Why Thank You, Ma'am!!!!! I wish I'd been into their music when Jerry was still around. I was late. . . .as usual!

:=\

justom profile image

justom Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago

Todd you're the do-da-man! I saw 2 Dead shows before all the hoopla and they were a really good and FUN band but at some point for me it just got old. I think Don Henley summed it up when he sang "Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a cadillac, a little voice inside my head said don't look back, you can never look back". That's what it ended up too, a bunch of spoiled rich kids trying to be what they were not. Good hub, music and politics, you always manage to get your point across don't you :-P FYI, I do have that Dead sticker still laying around somewhere, if I run across it I'll send it to you if you want it. Later!

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

HELL YEAH TOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, I imagine you're right. I had a real good friend that traveled from show to show for a while - and he'd told me some stories that just made me think "how damn stupid."

Oh well, I do like a lot of the music though.

justom profile image

justom Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago

Me too! That's what it was supposed to be all about from the git-go. We all had nothing but still managed to share :-P

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

LOL!!!! yeah - I'm a hippie at heart, a very short haired hippie that could pass for most anything. I should have been a spy. . . .for who, I don't know.. .

I need to do some writing. I'm completely out of freaking topics at the moment. Tom, assign me something to write about.

justom profile image

justom Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago

Well remember those first Dead shows out on the coast/ They used to do and hand out acid by the hands full. What if Abba were to do the same thing except they would pass out seeds from Monsanto and if you planted them we'd all never have to listen to that shit ever again! I'll try to come up with something but that sounded kinda' funny..I think~

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

LOL!

Man - I'd do damn near anything to go back in time and enjoy another great acid trip. That stuff is just special. That shit that is everywhere is just evil. Acid wasn't like that.

50 Caliber profile image

50 Caliber Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago

Dude Jerry was da bomb, he could eat more acid than me at one time, he was good for 15 mocro dots I topped at ten but with the whiskey flowing who was counting? I dug their stuff and it like my acid trips faded, I do enjoy a round of listening now and again, great hub bro, dust

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

OH MAN!

I've probably not even had that good a acid. I did have two hits of blotter one time that I'd have been scared to have three of. How someone could get to where they could perform on stage on that stuff, I'll never know.

I used to drive all the way to Austin, Texas to have a nice acid trip with some friends - and the stuff down there was real enough - but I'd take five at a time.

I got some shit I KNOW that you haven't heard that I'm going to send ya. It's not Dead, but it's got Jerry in it, and wasn't exactly ever meant to be available in stores. The pizza delivery boy stole the tapes!

Alladream74 profile image

Alladream74 Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago

Great hub.I had not looked into their music before.I will certainly look at buying their albums,sounds really cool.

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

I'm told that in the U.K. that "Hawkwind" is thought of as a sort of British version of the Grateful Dead.

I'm not sure if that analogy is very relevant, or not - but I do like Hawkwind!

christopheranton profile image

christopheranton Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago

The great thing about you Wesman, is that you are never afraid of speaking/writing your mind.

Another great hub there.

I will listen to the music a bit later, and then, probably, get back to you.

Mark Ewbie profile image

Mark Ewbie Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago

Hawkwind have been performing for ever - so they are a bit like the Dead in that respect. But Hawkwind are just an amphetamine band really, I wouldn't say musically within a mile of a band like the Dead.

Wesman I really liked this page. I expected it just to be a Dead homage but the inclusion of political comment (which I agree with of course) was done skillfully and without the sin of being rant filled or boring.

I feel, briefly, like a hippy all over again. It's a good feeling. Easy to forget what you once believed in when office, mortgage and the rest of the corporate world has you firmly in its hold.

Sueswan profile image

Sueswan Level 8 Commenter 9 months ago

"The tail is wagging the dog" I have never heard this expression but I like it just like I enjoyed reading this hub.

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

LOL!!!!

Thanks Mark!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the Hawkwind comparison is a good one. It's pretty damn sad that Hawkwind isn't given the sort of respect in the states as it has elsewhere. I love all the music of theirs that I've heard.

Mark, I've found that were I to try to write a hub about white tail deer - it would still turn into a political rant. I'm absolutely helpless!

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

Thank you very much, Sueswan!!!! Just please don't credit me with that cool little line - I didn't create it, but I can't recall where I got it from either!

Sueswan profile image

Sueswan Level 8 Commenter 9 months ago

I googled it first so I know it wasn't your line.

DoItForHer profile image

DoItForHer Level 3 Commenter 9 months ago

I have some type of conflict with law enforcement at least once a year, sometimes twice a year and I seldom do anything wrong. When I have actually done something wrong, it is incredibly minor like crossing the train tracks but not using a marked crossing. Those confrontations have led to only one 32 hour incarceration, but it still sucks. I'm tired of getting into potentially serious trouble for little to no reason.

When I was a kid, I did stuff that I should have gotten in trouble for but didn't. It seems karma is coming around- with interest.

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

LOL!!

I'm right there with you, Willie!!!! If I spit on a sidewalk these days - I get arrested!

Hey, I got away with shit for years and years and years that I'm scared to even talk about - no, nobody got hurt or anything, it's just embarrassing the shit that I used to do!

justom profile image

justom Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago

Hey Todd WTF? Let's hear some of the embarrassing shit. You tell me your and I'll tell you mine :-P We've all been there!

Wesman Todd Shaw profile image

Wesman Todd Shaw Hub Author 9 months ago

HELL TO THA NO EFFING WAY, TOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tell you what though - if I live long enough without being murdered by Mossad or some federal police agency - I'm going to write some short stories or short novels. . . and if I get a chance, there will be some characters that ain't named Todd in them that do some really crazy shit!

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