Customer Reviews

The Dead : A social history of the Haight-Ashbury experience

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book back in '80 when it first came out. Good inside story of the "scene" around San Fran and the Dead. I'm gonna read it again and then sell it, seeing that I could get a hundred bucks for it!!!

This book goes beneath everything you know about Mother Mcrees uptown jug champions, the Warlocks, the New Riders, the Pranksters, and anything else that the Dead spawned, or spawned the Dead. Cassady, Kesey, Mountain Girl...it's got the whole bunch. I highly recommend this book to any DeadHead, just to test your knowledge, or to a casual Dead listener, to inform them, it's a great read.

This 1980 book is Hank Harrison's second documentation about the world that surrounds The Grateful Dead. Along with this volume I still have my copy of: "The Dead Book" from 1973, Hank's first book on this subject.

As certain text and photographs are re-used from his earlier edition of the Dead story, I would say Hank learned to recycle long before the rest of us. This as was the 73 Book, never ever considered a straight-up rock-bio of the band. But, it IS interesting and from Hank's viewpoint it is at least a very entertaining look at this world of Deadness by way of extreme weirdness {almost in the style of the Beat Journals from the 1950's}.

Most reviews of: "The Dead" slighted this book as being too mainstream when they compared it to the 1973 edition, and there is a bit of truth found there as this volume isn't as far out there as "The Dead Book" but as a side-trip for this observers insight into Planet Dead, this 1980 book works well.

*Special Note* My copy was signed by the author at a place called: "The Archives Catalog" on Geary Blvd, San Francisco way back in 1980.
Alton Kelley's: "Flying Eyeball" cover design is very cool.
Three Stars

Funny how after a couple of decades, attitudes change! I bought this book back in 1981, I think, and didn't really like it all that much. There weren't ANY books about the Grateful Dead back then, except Harrison's initial '73 book "The Dead", so Dead Head expectations were pretty high for this book, as I recall. I remember the band being asked about this book during an interview and the official take was that they "collectively" thought it sucked. If you never toured with "The Boys" and want to learn about the Dead and that scene, I suggest reading these books: "The Official Book of the Deadheads" by Paul Gruskin; "Playing In The Band" by Blair & Regan Jackson; "Searching for the Sound" by Phil Lesh; and "Long Strange Trip" by Dennis McNally. If you really want to dig for more info on the Dead scene, check e-bay for old issues of "The Golden Road" (the best Grateful Dead fan 'zine published) or Relix issues from the '70's.

It's interesting to see how the book is dedicated
to "Coutney,Nana and the boys at the Bohemian Club". Little did Hank know in 1980 that his
daughter Courtney would wind up with Mr.Cobain,
who would give the Gratful Dead a big thumbs down.
Funny how life is, although the Dead and Cobain
both 'blew thier brains out', Cobain did it litteraly. Maybe if Kurt read the Chapter "Encountering Neal" he might have understood what
Cassady meant when he told everybody to "always
keep that light lit,your candle can snuff itself,man....you can lose the wick and f*** over
the candle so it can't work."
Anyway,when I first read the book,I got this sense
Mr.Harrison was under the care of Dr. Feelgood while he wrote. It gave me a sense of 'You Had To
Be There......',that's why I read it so many times
until it finally set in. It's a book for real purists. It made one out of me.