Garcia: A Signpost To New Space [Paperback]

Jerry Garcia (Author), Charles Reich (Author), Jann Wenner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2003

Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) is an American icon. The guitarist and de facto leader of the Grateful Dead was a gregarious talker, keenly engaged with the new world exploding around him. In 1972, Garcia was visited by Charles Reich, a Yale law professor, and Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone. Garcia was just thirty-one years old but already viewed--to his lasting dismay--as a social avatar for the new sensibility sweeping the land, an anarchist streak with a populist undercurrent that had roots in Ken Kesey's pranksters, the writers of the Beat Generation, and the libertine tradition of the American transcendentalists. In this interview, Garcia reveals how he is a combination of these and other influences, a high-school dropout and autodidact blessed with a gift for eloquent turns of phrase and a refreshing directness. He speaks of the saga of the Grateful Dead and his hoodlum youth growing up in San Francisco's Mission district. He delves into fascinating discourses on the music that shaped his own playing and writing, and freely discusses his use of drugs and explains why he felt it was important to stay high. Like the Grateful Dead's best music, Garcia: A Signpost to New Space is familiar, friendly, and inviting.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Reich is Professor of Law at Yale University and the author of The Greening of America. Jann Wenner is the founder of Rolling Stone and Wenner Media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; export ed edition (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306812533
• ISBN-13: 978-0306812538
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Signpost to New Space, September 13, 2003

By 

D. Chesnut (Murphys, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garcia: A Signpost To New Space (Paperback)

Wow! Someone finally reissued this excellent book. First published by Straight Arrow Publishers, I bought my copy new back in '72 and read it often. It is a great interview with Garcia at a time when the Dead were just taking off. Garcia reveals he "has just made the commitment" to see where the music takes him, and as we all know, the band really went places. Hopefully, the current publishers have reissued it in its original form.

The second part of the book, "A Stoned Sunday Rap," is a great piece that really gets to the heart and soul of the Dead experience, beyond the music. I've always admired the philosophy behind the music for its zen-like approach to life and living; Garcia and Reich tease out the details.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys the Dead. Much better than any of the tell-alls that have been published recently.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like A Smile On Empty Space, March 10, 2006

By 

applewood (everywhere and nowhere) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Garcia: A Signpost To New Space (Paperback)

I've just finished reading this book for the first time, and as I was nearing the end I started thinking I'd like to come back to this again and again to be reminded of the spirit of those times, and the way to live into the future, and so this truely is a signpost to new space. The Rolling Stone interview is good, real good, but the stoned sunday rap is magic. Charles Reich (visiting Yale law professor and early new age intellectual) opens up, exploring his own journey, like a large innocent child, and Garcia and Mountain Girl stay right with him providing just the right balance, a remarkable and true mix of wisdom and compassion. Many times I laughed out loud, a few times I repeated lines out loud (to help to put myself there?), many times I felt like the two stoned guys, shaking my head and murmuring "right, right, yeah right" to the deep insights. I guess it got me stoned.

In the RS interview I learned alot of the Dead's evolution and trip to that point ('71). In the rap I was right in there and intimate with Jerry's life. Like Reich says this is a book to change and guide one's life (you can see it happening to him during the visit). It is fun and tender and silly and profound, really and truely profound. And timeless.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading, July 19, 2005

By 

Kenneth M. Goodman (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garcia: A Signpost To New Space (Paperback)

If you're already a fan of Jerry Garcia, this book is
quite rewarding, entertaining & even enlightening.
The interview really helps you "get to know" Jerry,
where many of his motivations root & bloom--- The
"stoned Sunday rap" should bring a smile to many faces...
you can CLEARLY read that these people are STONED...
and some of the subjects they talk about are indeed
enlightening. The interview took place around 1972,
when all of Jerry's powers were extremely strong and
energetic...before any "touch of grey" kicked in.
This book is no fluff entertainment piece of crap,
but really has substance.