Customer Reviews

The Tomorrow Show - Tom Snyder's Electric Kool-Aid Talk Show

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3 star:		(2)
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While recorded in the late 70s and early 80s, the theme to this Tom Snyder release is icons of the 1960s. Two words sum up why you should get this DVD: Grateful Dead. Out of the four segments, the May 7, 1981 segment is the money maker. The episode features Ken Kesey and the Dead. Initially, the interview features Kesey and Jerry Garcia. Next, Snyder interviews Jerry and Bob Weir. Eventually Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart join the session. In the middle of it all, the band plays a short set of 'On the Road Again,' 'Dire Wolf,' 'Deep Elm Blues' and an abbreviated 'Cassidy.' The DVD menu is actually set-up so that viewer can jump to the live songs. The video and audio is fantastic, as is the performance. The only drawback to the overall quality is that Brent Mydland is excluded from the video feed with the exception of two glimpses of the back of his head. "The Electric Kool-Aid Talk Show" is one of the few looks at the band during their acoustic phase of the 80s. The deadicated will recall that it was only seven months earlier that the band played their memorable string of acoustically infused Radio City shows. Tom Snyder's questions are as interesting as the Grateful Dead's responses. This is a valuable look at the Dead during an irresistible period that hasn't been well documented on video. The other interviews vary in quality. Merry Prankster Ken Kesey ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") offers an enjoyable look into the Acid Tests. The August 6, 1979 interview with Tom Wolfe ("The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test") is entertaining. While not related to the Grateful Dead or the Acid Tests, his interview is engaging. While the decade is often reduced to a caricature, Wolfe's conversation stands as a rare look at the 1970s from within the 1970s. In contrast, the October 14, 1980 Tom Wolfe segment isn't nearly as compelling. In it, he discusses his book "The Right Stuff" that would eventually be made into a film. While his social observations are less interesting than his first interview, it's a good talk for aviation enthusiasts. The final interview is with Timothy Leary ("The Psychedelic Experience"). Considering the interviewee, it is surprisingly dull. While the Kesey and Wolfe interviews have their moments, it is legitimate to criticize the non-Dead material as filler. While Deadheads will cherish "The Electric Kool-Aid Talk Show," they should purchase this with eyes wide open.

This has been available on the bootleg circuit for years, nice to see a HQ official release. The interviews with Kesey and Garcia are very insightful. Steve Urbauer Stephen Urbauer

the segment with kesey, garcia and the dead is great. the music is good, nice performances. the segments with tom wolfe are boring and have nothing to do with the acid tests or any of that. the segment with leary is kind of sad with snyder attacking tim. get this for the grateful dead performances only. the rest is just filler.

You can probably get most of the Dead's concert stuff on youtube, which is probably the best thing on here. Tom Snyder is such a square he might as well be speaking another language when trying to grasp Ken Kessey and Jerry Garcia. Still, it is interesting to see the Dead so well behaved, playing short versions of songs acoustically. Probably the ommission of Phil Lesh from the interview sequence (let me guess, he said "no way") probably kept it cordial though arguably Bill K. and Mickey H. are about as interesting as a paperweight. I bought this DVD at a store in Haight-Ashbury, I was definately in the moment. My Dead Head buddies will love this rare glimpse when they were still more or less on top of their game.

This is s a great transcription of tape to DVD,
IF you are a Tom Snyder and/or Grateful Dead Fan.

The interview with Jerry Garcia is just a hoot, and the
Dead in-studio performances are pretty good also.
The remaining Snyder interviews with Tom Wolf and Tim Leary
are OK. I always felt that Snyder had the most interesting and
intellegent talk show on TV. This is a good example of his interviewing style and format.

The quality of the DVD is not the greatest, since the shows
were recorded between 1978 and 1982, and just transferred from tape.

The Dead segment is cool, but if you're expecting this to be an investigation into the whole acid test scene you'd be wrong. You've seen Leary do his thing before. And I'm a huge Tom Wolfe fan, but he has no reason to be taking up half of this disc. Ho hum.

The Tom Wolfe interviews have zero to do with the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, few chuckles and nice tunes from the Dead, Leary acts like a fool. The Dead should be embarassed to be involved with such a misleading product.

...doesn't meet up to the book's version in any manner.Synerder's dsicussin with Leahry's version is worthy of colletction

This is great.You get to see another side of the dead.Songs performed are a-one.