Lamorinda Weekly Issue 23 Volume 8

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: B1 Still Grateful for the Music By Cathy Dausman versity, Stack became a KSCU radio DJ, hosting a 4-hour weekly show. “We were cool,” he smiled. “That’s when I started meeting rock stars.” And then? He said he just s t a y ed with the music. After college, Stack took a Sil - i c o n Valley-based job and bought a house, still managing to travel up See a Doctor Today and down the state to take in live At our Urgent Care clinic in Lafayette music concerts. But when Stack’s girlfriend left and his longtime buddy Burt died in a motorcycle ac - cident, Stack felt “the universe was telling me something.” He consid - ered writing a baseball stadium book, using research as an excuse to travel. Then on a lark, while at - tending a Grateful Dead concert in Ventura, he sold T-shirts he had de - signed in the parking lot for cash. “I sold 72 shirts in 25 minutes,” h e said. “Deadheads knew to buy in the parking lot [before a con - cert],” where Stack said the atmos - phere was like a bazaar. He began Emergency medicine physicians Tom Stack admires his Grateful Dead Platinum record commemorating the designing other shirts, riffing on re - on-site 365 days a week 1978 closing of San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Photo Cathy Dausman sort motifs. He made a Virgin Island Weekdays 8 AM - 8 PM shirt proclaiming “Club Dead” and om Stack refuses to be orabilia is also abundant – in addi - Weekends & Holidays 9 AM - 5 PM a Rastafarian knockoff shirt printed Armando Samaniego, MD., Tpenned in, either literally or tion to being an admitted “rock ‘n’ with “Club Dread.” Gradually 925-297-6397 Lafayette Resident figuratively. “I’m into music,” roller,” this fifth generation San Stack developed an entire line of Stack said, but cautioned, “Don’t Francisco son is a basketball and Grateful Dead souvenirs – shirts, 970 Dewing Ave, Suite 100 B pen me in as a Deadhead.” This baseball loving sports junkie and Lafayette hats, stickers and posters. URGENT CARE from a man who followed, then longtime San Francisco Giants fan. “In 18 years I went from listen - www.statmed.com worked with the Grateful Dead for In fact, Stack credits “three Bills” – i n g to the radio to selling [Grateful nearly two decades. Bill Russell, Bill Graham and Bill Dead] shirts,” Stack said, “all the “Most realtors have another Walton – for inspiring him. while attending concerts in major l i f e ,” Stack explained when re - It began in 1973 inside a St. Ig - arenas across the country.” It be - counting his story, but few can n a t i us College Preparatory school came a business taking $10,000 in match the Lafayette man’s first ca - classroom in San Francisco when orders and selling 5,000 shirts. “I reer. Stack’s English Literature teacher knew in ’77 it was fleeting,” he said Entering Stack’s home office put “Truckin’” on a record player of his time as a Grateful Dead afi - t o d ay is like walking into a late 20th for the class to hear and challenged cionado, living an “untethered” life, century music history collectibles his students to analyze the song. but Stack’s motto was “Carpe museum. His 4-inch thick binders Stack thought lyricist Robert diem,” and he felt there was simply are filled with ticket stubs amassed H u n ter was “cool.” Yet Stack made no other place for him to be. from 432 shows in 27 states and a career out of chasing his musical In time, Stack rose from hawk - four countries, during his late teen dreams without being able to “play i n g Grateful Dead T-shirts in the and young adult life. Eight drawers a note or read music.” After the parking lot to become vice presi - are filled with cassette tape music “Truckin’” exposure, Stack discov - dent of merchandising and licens - recordings; seven of those drawers ered San Francisco’s KSAN radio. ing, managing worldwide are exclusively devoted to Grateful He loved their album oriented rock distribution and web content at Dead music. format, finding “a reservoir of Grateful Dead Productions in No - There are posters, CDs, vinyl music” which he says “was the vato. Stack sadly recounts being in r e c o rds and DVDs chronicling the making of me.” a DMV line with his father when Grateful Dead, Santana and other He remembers being “on the he learned of Jerry Garcia’s 1995 Bill Graham concert headliners dat - f l o o r” with eight or nine friends at death. He felt constrained and un - ing back to the late 1970s. Framed Winterland Ballroom in San Fran - able to mourn, thinking it might and signed music themed artwork cisco during an October 1974 distract his father from taking a lines the halls and decorates one Grateful Dead concert. driving test. bedroom in his home. Sports mem - In college at Santa Clara Uni - ...continued on page B5 Stack selling his wares outside Oakland’s Kaiser Convention Center in 1985. “If a dog had come by [and taken my shirts] I’d have been out hundreds of dollars,” he said. Photo courtesy Tom Stack For a limited time become a Fitness Member of Itrim for only *$49/month! 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