VOL 7 ISSUE 10 contents04.16 118 A GRATEFUL LEGEND An inside look at Grateful Dead vocalist, guitarist, father and all out amazing performer, Jerry Garcia, and his influence on the cannabis scene. 16 APRIL 2016 iReadCULTURE.com ON THE COVER: Photo © Jay Blakesberg Photography 118 APRIL 2016 iReadCULTURE.com Photos © Jay Blakesberg Photography erome John “Jerry” Garcia deadheads with day jobs. By the late 1980s, online archive of concert recordings; surviving was a larger than life figure, the travelling circus was so huge it could stop band members who have continued to tour the musical and spiritual a city in its tracks. And Garcia was the driver, in various incarnations; and dedicated fans leader of the Grateful “Uncle Jerry” or “Captain Trips,” whose wildly who refuse to let go. Some 70,000 of them Dead—a band so beloved improvisational guitar style melted the minds turned out in the summer of 2015 when the that many fans devoted their of generations of fans. band played what was billed as their last lives to following them from He also shared his fans’ love of cannabis; show together, ever. show to show. And when he when the house lights at a Dead show went CULTURE recently caught up with two died, millions mourned as if down, the whole audience lit up. But it was of Garcia’s four children, Trixie, 40, who they had lost a family member. heroin Garcia was battling when he checked represents the Garcia family in the Grateful Originating as the house band of the himself into rehab after a summer 1995 tour. He Dead organization; and Annabelle Garcia, mid-‘60s San Francisco acid freak-out, the died there of a heart attack at the age of 53. 44, an artist and painter. They talked about Grateful Dead built a cult following of stoners More than 20 years later, the music is as the man behind the songs and why his and vagabonds, flower children and closet popular as ever, kept alive by a voluminous music will never go away. >> iReadCULTURE.com APRIL 2016 119 What is your earliest memory of the Grateful Dead? Trixie: I suppose it was probably being surrounded by people dancing and spinning and hugging and stuff like that. I just remember a general air of festivity, just being in the crowd, seeing everybody you know, that kind of thing. Annabelle: It’s probably my very first memory period. I have a memory of being held in my mom’s arms and looking out over an audience and my dad on stage, so probably like one year old. What was it like to go to the concerts, to see the way people revered your father From left to right: Mountain Girl AKA Carolyn Adams, Trixie Garcia, Sunshine Kesey and Annabelle Garcia and his music? Trixie: It made Jerry those things. It was kind of a to do, kid?” He just could not uncomfortable, the way some given that music was his life. be a parent in that way. people fixated on him. To me, That is his purpose. That is his He sacrificed I was always fascinated . thing and I never really held it pretty much Jerry has been called a I used to just sit on the side against him, for being on the workaholic when it came to of the stage and watch the road, because I didn’t really everything to keep music. Do you agree? peoples’ faces, watch them go know any different. He wasn’t playing, because Annabelle: Completely through the motions of a song a perfect person. He was very dedicated to the task. He or I’d find that one person human and I think he was so that’s what sacrificed pretty much who is really dancing their exhausted when he got off everything to keep playing heart out and just be amazed the road he had to rest for a he understood because that’s what he by how free they were, how while. best. understood best. He wasn’t expressive they were, and how really cut out to be anything enraptured they were. Annabelle, at his funeral you else other than this creative called him “a great American my homework, none of that. exultation of music and spirit. It’s How did Jerry balance the but a shitty father.” He was like the most killer pretty awesome on that level. constant touring and spending Annabelle: He was a shitty friend you could have as a kid He’s my dad but he’s also this time with his family? father but he was also my growing up. He never wanted positive force for so many other Trixie: I don’t know that he best friend. He never made to sell himself as a great father, people that you kind of separate did a great job of balancing me brush my teeth or do like, “Who am I to tell you what the two in your head a bit. >> move to live with to his disappointment. over his hobby of Uncle Jerry’s Story their maternal He exchanges it for painting and drawing. grandparents for five an electric guitar 1942 to lose much of years. It is during this and amplifier, and August 1 – Jerome the middle finger time that he explores his stepfather soon 1962 John Garcia is born on his right hand his creativity and introduces him to an Spring – Jerry and in San Francisco, CA at the age of five. begins playing the open-tuning style. Phil Lesh meet to Jose Ramon “Joe” five-string banjo. during a party in Garcia and Ruth Marie Menlo Park. Phil later “Bobbie” Garcia, WINter 1960 suggests recording joining older brother JERRY’S April – Jerry enlists one of Jerry’s Clifford “Tiff” Ramon. FAthER in the U.S. Army at 1961 performances to age 17. February 20 – Jerry broadcast on local DROWNS narrowly survives a radio station KPFA. 1947 whILE ON A major car accident, The recording lead to Spring – A wood FIshING TRIP. December – Jerry is which he cites as a a 90-minute special chopping accident 1957 discharged from the “slingshot for the broadcast, “The Long with his older brother August 1 – On his Army on the basis of rest of [his] life.” This Black Veil and Other at the Garcia family 1950 15th birthday, Jerry “lack of suitability to revelation causes him Ballads: An Evening cabin causes Jerry Jerry and Tiff receives an accordion, the military lifestyle.” to choose the guitar with Jerry Garcia.” 120 APRIL 2016 iReadCULTURE.com It’s no secret that How do you think he’d cannabis was everywhere feel about it being sold at Dead shows. Did your legally in stores? There are so many parents try to shelter you Trixie: He’d be amazed. from it? It’s such a huge deal for things Jerry would be Trixie: No, not at all . I everybody who watched was sheltered from hard their friends spend their delighted about these drugs, cocaine and heroin lives in prison for an ounce and stuff like that, but not or whatever . There days and weed for the from cannabis. And drunk are so many things Jerry people were definitely would be delighted about people is definitely one not welcome around the these days and weed for scene. the people is definitely of them. Annabelle: We were one of them. rolling weed when we Annabelle: He was a firm were kids because little believer in using cannabis tiny fingers could clean and our culture to kind up stems and seeds of further his own ability better. Every kid I grew to explore the guitar. It up with, we all have the was a huge part of how skill of digging the seeds they got to where they out, which is a lost skill were . It was one of nowadays. I have very the reasons he decided fond memories of the to have fun instead of smell of weed, everything becoming a really square, about marijuana. My mom normal person. He got wrote the first book about turned on early and how to grow at home, realized there was a more called The Primo Plant, positive way to get things and we were part of her done than the grind. I experimental garden, so think weed in general it was totally 100 percent was kind of the seed for with us our whole lives. all of that. >> 124 APRIL 2016 iReadCULTURE.com 126 APRIL 2016 iReadCULTURE.com iReadCULTURE.com APRIL 2016 127 1963 perform their first Spring – Jerry and show as the house Sara Ruppenthal band at a Ken form Jerry & Sara. Kesey Acid Test in They marry later San Jose, CA. that same year. 1966 Jerry joins October – Jerry the Zodiacs and the rest of the August 23 – Jerry formed by Bill band move into a appears on the Kreutzmann, with communal house cover of Rolling Ron “Pigpen” on Ashbury Street Stone Magazine McKernan in San Francisco, for the first of 12 and Troy CA. It becomes total covers. Weidenheimer. a fixture on the local music scene, and provides 1970 free concerts January 20 – throughout the Jerry records year and a half his only solo they all lived there. electric guitar This leads to the performance at Grateful Dead MGM Studios in Fall – Jerry performing more Los Angeles, CA, forms The Black free concerts than for the movie Annabelle Garcia and Jerry Garcia Mountain Boys any other band in Zabriskie Point. with friends David history. that was going on with the crowd How do you explain the Dead’s Nelson and Eric popularity more than 20 years .