Read on Twitter
A Thread In Which I Extract The Dead-Related Content, 1/
The author of this piece, @geoffedgers , places more blame on the Dead than have most chroniclers of Altamont.
GOOD FOR YOU, @geoffedgers https://twitter.com/ThoughtsOnGD/status/1197996341894549505
The author of this piece, @geoffedgers , places more blame on the Dead than have most chroniclers of Altamont.
GOOD FOR YOU, @geoffedgers https://twitter.com/ThoughtsOnGD/status/1197996341894549505
The Grateful Dead had the power/influence to have stopped Altamont, and multiple opportunities to do so. It was always clear that the festival was going to be a disaster. There were jokes about the impending massacre pinned to the fridge at the Dead's rehearsal studio.
2/
2/
They could have soured the scene on the deal, and gotten the other bands not to appear. Could've talked Bill Graham into opposing the show.
Or--and this is a big one--the Grateful Dead could have not provided the PA system.
3/
Or--and this is a big one--the Grateful Dead could have not provided the PA system.
3/
I got ahead of myself.
Remember: not only were the Dead partially responsible for the debacle's conclusion, they also helped set it in motion (via Rock Scully).
4/
Remember: not only were the Dead partially responsible for the debacle's conclusion, they also helped set it in motion (via Rock Scully).
4/
And then booked the bands.
(Side note: Is Graham Nash aware of what San Francisco's weather is like in December? "Sunshine" is not the first word that comes to mind.)
5/
(Side note: Is Graham Nash aware of what San Francisco's weather is like in December? "Sunshine" is not the first word that comes to mind.)
5/
Fellow Dead Scholars, has Mickey ever discussed this before? I don't remember ever hearing this version of the story.
What other great 20th-century events did Mickey, Zelig-like, attend?
6/
What other great 20th-century events did Mickey, Zelig-like, attend?
6/
OH GOD MICKEY NO.
7/
7/
And, as mentioned in the Post article you should go read, Rolling Stone magazine didn't blame the Dead for anything in their big article about Altamont, and thereafter the band took a "let's talk about something else" approach to the topic.
8/
8/
Garcia didn't wanna talk about Altamont so bad he'd go Full Guru on ya.
"The true spirit of Altamont was within your heart all along."
9/
"The true spirit of Altamont was within your heart all along."
9/
In conclusion, the Grateful Dead:
-Introduced and vouchsafed the Angels to the Stones.
-Booked the bands.
-Provided the PA.
AND THEN flaked on their set.
In their defense, they were kids and it's not like anyone died.
10/End
-Introduced and vouchsafed the Angels to the Stones.
-Booked the bands.
-Provided the PA.
AND THEN flaked on their set.
In their defense, they were kids and it's not like anyone died.
10/End
