Customer Reviews

Conversations with the Dead: The Grateful Dead Interview Book

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4 star:		(1)
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This is probably the single best book I've ever read about the Dead. It's so much more immediate and satisfying to hear how things went down from the Dead themselves than from a faceless biographer. David Gans asks the questions *I* would have asked Jerry & Bob & Phil & Mickey & Billy. You'll feel like you're there hanging out in their living room with them. A wonderful insight into what made that magical machine run for over 30 years... --Mike Dobbs

This is the best collection of primary material available on the Grateful Dead. David Gans is a well informed interviewer who asks the right questions. As a musician, Gans is able to delve into what made the music of the Grateful Dead so arresting. Insights galore on every page, plus excellent photographs, often by the great Herb Greene.

I think years from now the book will be pointed to as a benchmark in the art of interviewing-- at the very least. It's of course by far the most revealing portrait of these people, what makes them tick, what they are about, that has ever been produced.

My cousin Craig is 45 years old this year and he has spent many of his years as a huge fan. I still have the books to give to him, but I know he will enjoy them.

This is the only bio by a member of the Dead to this point, so it is a must have for all true fans. I read it in a week or so , a very easy and pleasant read. my only criticism of the book is thatthe timeline seemed a bit skewed, with a lot written about the 60's and 70's but not so much about the later years of the band and the decline of the health of some members at the time of their greatest success (Brent, Jerry and Phil). overall I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it to those who would like to peer behind the scenes at the band and their lives.

MM in Philly

I am enjoying this book. I have read other books about the "life " of the Grateful Dead. This one is different. It is interviews, not so much a story. I find it interesting to see how Bobby and Phil have changed as the years passed. Not Jerry- always stayed try and true! While reading this story I went to see a Further Show. During the sets, I thought about what the interviews said. Phil smiled the entire show while Bobby was "in charge". I felt like I knew the Boys a little better. Very enjoyable!