Skeleton Key (Paperback)

by David Shenk (Author), Stephen L Silberman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
dead-icated followers. While many picture a Deadhead as a scruffy youth in a tie-dyed T-shirt who drives a wildly painted bus and follows the Dead from concert to concert, Deadheads form a unique subculture that includes people of all ages and from all walks of life. In attempting to capture a culture that mythologist Joseph Campbell called "the most recently developed tribe on the planet," this book includes album reviews, band member profiles, and Internet addresses. But best of all, it captures the Deadheads' rich jargon-from crispy, the ick, and jonesin to rezzie, spacedancing, the Zone, and many more. Essential for larger public libraries, music collections, and any venue where Deadheads park their bus. [See also Sandy Troy's Captain Trips: A Biography of Jerry Garcia, reviewed on page 79.-Ed.]-Tim LaBorie, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphi.
--Tim LaBorie, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
One of the most long-standing subcultures in America today is that of the Deadheads--the fans and followers (literally) of the perdurable 1960s San Francisco rock band the Grateful Dead. Over the years, an impressive number of cottage industries--including a newsletter, books, magazines, and a thriving trade in audio and video performance tapes--has sprung up to serve this subculture. Now comes the dictionary of the Dead, in which we learn, for example, about "energy balls," a recreational form of glowing energy that "psychedelically sensitized Heads" play with at concerts as more mundane souls might with beach balls. Besides such curious phenomena, the dictionary includes tiny biographies of significant members of the Dead community and technical entries such as one for MIDI (musical instrument digital interface). And that's the beauty of the book; indeed, of the whole Deadhead thing--you're just as likely to be talking advanced electronics and music as to be tossing pure energy back and forth. Not just informative, this book's a great trip. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1ST edition (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385474024
• ISBN-13: 978-0385474023
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #503,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Author's Perspective, January 8, 1996

By A Customer

Being one of the book's authors, I can hardly claim a detached perspective (grin), but I did want to say a few words about Skeleton Key so amazon.com readers could get a clearer picture of the book.

Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads is the first in-depth map of the Deadhead subculture, the global community of folks who love the music of the Dead and the experience of Dead shows, and build community with others who feel the same way.

I am very grateful that my co-author and I got to record so much of the humor, lore, depth, and passion of our community before the Grateful Dead ceased to exist. In writing this book, we interviewed hundreds of Heads - at shows and online - and we tried to undo a lot of the shallow stereotyping of Deadheads promulgated by lazy journalists by depicting as broad a spectrum of Heads as possible.

You're welcome to read excerpts from Skeleton Key by following the link from my home page at http://www.levity.com/digaland/

Take care!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitive, June 4, 1998

By	William Kennedy "bulldogdoc" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a labor of love from a person who has been immersed in the cultural phenomena known as he "Grateful Dead".

Any person who has attended Grateful Dead "shows" will find that this book tremendously enriches the memories and experiences.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grate Book!, June 12, 2005

By	Uncle Sam - See all my reviews

I've had this book since 1995 and my copy is about worn through! I've read it dozens of times from cover-to-cover and still find new and interesting things. Great book for anyone interested in the scene and/or the music!