Jerry Garcia left us 20 yrs ago today

[WytchCrypt]

A sad day for many music lovers, today is the 20th anniversary of the death of Jerry Garcia. Living in the SF bay area from 1960 until 3 years ago, one of the things I always admired about Jerry was he always seemed to be playing somewhere. When The Dead weren't touring, Jerry was always appearing somewhere with the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and In The Way, The Garcia/Grisman Duo, etc...electric or acoustic didn't matter, as long as he was playing. Always appearing somewhere with someone, he personified the ideal of the dedicated musician who cared about one thing...playing music.

As with Frank Zappa, the main thing that connects them both together for me is how they both left our music world way too soon. FZ at 52 and Jerry at 53.

RIP Jerry

[Spiral]

Hadn't remembered the date, but I've been rotating Europe '72, Reckoning and Dead Set all this past week. So much magic.

[Supersonic Scientist]

I had not known (or either forgot) that FZ left us at 52.....CRAP...I've got 5 years on him already with no plans on slowing down any time soon.

(I'm sure FZ or JG didn't have plans on slowing down either but the "powers-that-be" had other plans)

[revporl]

Don't smoke that government dope, folks! That's what killed these two wonderful musicians way too soon.

Blah, blah heroin blah, Jerry, heroin blah. Burroughs never quit and lived to 89. Its the impurities that make people ill (although I'm not advocating heroin!)

But tobacco, that's the wrecking ball.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Still love his playing, as I do the other S.F. axemen; Cipollina (talk about death from nicotine!) and Duncan, Kaukonen, Melton, Miller (both Steve and Jerry), Stephens, Anderson etc.

The S.F. scene still makes for the dominant bulk of my 60s US psych collection.

[Jerjo]

I'm not here to judge but Jerry didn't exactly take good care of himself. According to author Robert Greenfield:

Greenfield: I would say the turning point comes when Garcia is given what he is told is a very pure form of opium -- which turns out to be Persian heroin. And he likes it. He really likes it. Garcia didn't do anything moderately. He didn't eat moderately and he didn't smoke moderately. But he didn't die from heroin. He was a diabetic who ate sugar all the time. He was someone with emphysema who smoked. So Jerry doesn't just smoke this form of heroin occasionally and feel good about it. He goes so far into this that it's amazing he survived as long as he did. He was so bloated he couldn't get his shoes on.

Still, he was an amazing musician and the world is a duller place without him. Here's a damn fine tale of the day he died.

[N_Singh]

I'm a big fan of course but his playing was at times bad and generally uninspiring during the last few years. According to his widow, he was ready to break up the band after 1995. And generally, the Brent era was not nearly as good as the 1970s.

Notice how little archival material has been made available after 1990 .

The only bandmembers doing interesting things musically and who got their chops honed these days are Phil and Mickey.

I will not be going to any dead and company shows that's for sure. I'm good with the fair the well concerts .

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

He didn't f***ing "leave us." He f***ing died because he didn't take care of his health.

(I hate gooey euphemisms...)

[WytchCrypt]

He didn't f***ing "leave us." He f***ing died because he didn't take care of his health.

(I hate gooey euphemisms...)

Had nothing to do with a "gooey euphemism", I was simply showing respect for a great musician who spent most of his life performing and made millions of people happy...both statements are true, take your pick and f*&^ off - how's that for a gooey euphemism?

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Fair 'nuff.