I’ve played and have enjoyed hearing others—who are better at it—play live music. I’ve seen well over 100 shows, including Springsteen (for $6 in 1977), Wilco, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joan Armatrading, The Pogues, Queen Ida, Lucinda Williams, Pat Metheny, Habib Koite, The Roches, Shovels & Rope, Gillian Welch, Joe Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Five Chinese Brothers, Little Freddie King, Billy Bragg, Lake St. Dive, Jackson Browne, Beausoleil, Wynton Marsalis, The Persuasions, Brad Paisley, Cat Power, Chris Thile, Sede Toure, Violent Femmes, Graham Parker, The Dead Milkmen and many orchestras and choirs. My wife and I have also participated enthusiastically on many packed dance floors in urban America and Latin America.
Reminds me of the time I walked into my band's rehearsal space for a load-out and was told "we're masking up for safety". I angrily replied: "I'm NOT masking up...for danger" and continued to load up the gear. It's not easy to swim against the current and get called names for using basic common sense (I'd rather breath air than CO2, etc). I God-bless my hard-headed ancestors. I lead when necessary. I only follow when I choose. Your mileage may vary.
I still don’t understand why I knew it was a scam from the beginning. Watching Pres Trump tell us to shut down everything to flatten the curve made no sense to me at all. And how did they make all those commercials so fast, you know ‘we are all in this together’ etc. I just turned the tv off and refused to buy into the panic porn. Maybe because I am old and never have fit in with the crowd. At any rate I sure am thankful!
Dennis Prager and Rush Limbaugh were about the only two I heard on radio that didn’t buy into it either.
It all comes down to a lack of self worth/self confidence..
If one finds oneself among a group of deadheads, it is easier to fall in with them and become a freak than to stand apart and, for instance declare your undying admiration of Clapton and his music.
I can count on one hand the numbers that the Dead play that I like, but Clapton?
Never heard a Clapton song I didn't like.
When it comes to being amongst a group of coronamaniacs ........ my disgust for their stupidity and general "go along to get along" attitude made me stay as far away from them as possible.
That seems to have saved me from a lot of confrontations that could have happened.
One major revelation I gleaned from the whole situation was how easily Germany became consumed by Nazism.
Can't tell you how disgusted I get when Green Day, Smashmouth or Neil Young pops up on XM or Spotify. If you haven't tuned into Five Times August yet, please give him a listen. He was at the Defeat the Mandates rally and keeps fighting the good fight.
A better name is covidheads, given the context of the deadheads, all of whom I've known were eccentric and prone to cult behavior. The covidheads are very cult-like, as well, even in the face of the overwhelming evidence, that's been around for a couple of years, that the virus was not dangerous except to a very small subsegment of a very small part of the population.
Great story Mark, and so very well put. Your criticism of the Dead Heads is right on the money.
I am reminded of Stephen Colbert, who I once greatly admired during the Dick & Dubya times. He too has become an agent of the state in advocating for the clot shots. Today he is undergoing and appendectomy, and has to cancel several days or weeks worth of shows because of the chronic flu symptoms they all seem to have.
Nov 30, 2023·edited Nov 30, 2023Liked by Mark Oshinskie
We are quite similar Mark. Been to well over 100 concerts too. Pat Metheny put on a great show I have to add. Anyway, I didn’t get around to seeing the Dead. Some of my schoolmates and friends insisted I just ‘didn’t get it.’ Very true. Still don’t.
Yeah, my idea of fun is not spending hours breathing in pot smoke while countless deadheads(ah the term) spin like tops uncontrollably.
Your statement…. ‘I concluded that Grateful Dead fandom was driven* by hype, not musical quality.’
*Definitely driven by acid and weed as well, positively.
Last year I played behind a Grateful Dead tribute band at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony. SSDD. Fat, wrinkled hippies in tie die taking full advantage of legal cannabis. We were almost asphyxiated by the smell. The Dead and the Dead Heads were never about "Freedom" per se. They were about acting recklessly in order to enable the revolution that ushered in a "tyranny" of their liking. And they loved Covidmania.
Having been to more than a dozen Dead shows in the Midwest and New England between 1989-1992, I can say definitively I was not there for the music. I had a wonderful time, each and every time.
Based on my sister, who is a gigantic DeadHead, those who followed the Dead were also the worst of the covidians, still don't quite understand how those who are supposedly anti-conformity were so easily led to conform to measures that were so draconian, especially over a virus with a 99.8% survival rate.
I followed the Dead from 1983 until 1995 when the band dissolved after Jerry Garcia's death. There hasn't been a GD for 28 years, although some of the band members do perform their music. I am also a lockdown sceptic and have not been vaccinated for covid. It's discouraging to think that the fact that my taste in music is somehow dirty and disgusting to some of the commenters here. It reminds me very much of the general response to the unvaccinated: We're dirty, stupid scum.
Nov 30, 2023·edited Nov 30, 2023Liked by Mark Oshinskie
Nice broad cross-section of musical choices there Mark! I have for a long time said, “I love any kind of music, as long as it’s good!” (And there is a lot of K-rap out there!)
Music has been huge in my life. First concert was Elton John, the Yellow Brick Road tour. My best friend and I cleaned houses and washed windows to earn the money. Her mom took us to the ticket office and her dad had to drive us to the concert (we were 14/13 respectively). That was the beginning of a long love affair with live music. I loved the shared experience of listening with all the other people and admiring the artists’ mastery and showmanship. I thrilled over clever lyrics or a great musical riff.
I don’t even think I can count the number of concerts and festivals I’ve attended. Over time I grew out of the Cow Palace/Oakland Coliseum mega-concerts and settled into the smaller venue concerts where you could see the artist sweat and the facial expressions they made as they played (and took my breath away!).
I never saw the Dead, but I was never into drugs, and I think, unless you are in the altered group consciousness state, you wouldn’t enjoy it. It’d be like standing and watching Oz behind the curtain the entire time, seeing it for the bogus act that it is.
That was the covid thing. An altered group consciousness state, but with a menacing twist. Not goofy like the hippie chicks twirling around, but vicious and cruel.
Sadly, I don’t go to many concerts anymore, mostly because I don’t like the crowds and people piss me off. So I’d rather stay on our farm outside of town. But I have had the opportunity to see many great artists, and the memory enriches my life still.
Reminds me of the time I walked into my band's rehearsal space for a load-out and was told "we're masking up for safety". I angrily replied: "I'm NOT masking up...for danger" and continued to load up the gear. It's not easy to swim against the current and get called names for using basic common sense (I'd rather breath air than CO2, etc). I God-bless my hard-headed ancestors. I lead when necessary. I only follow when I choose. Your mileage may vary.
Thank you for standing against the mask. So few did. It really mattered.
Both my drummer and my guitarist (but my drummer more) were believers. We almost split up over it.
I still don’t understand why I knew it was a scam from the beginning. Watching Pres Trump tell us to shut down everything to flatten the curve made no sense to me at all. And how did they make all those commercials so fast, you know ‘we are all in this together’ etc. I just turned the tv off and refused to buy into the panic porn. Maybe because I am old and never have fit in with the crowd. At any rate I sure am thankful!
Dennis Prager and Rush Limbaugh were about the only two I heard on radio that didn’t buy into it either.
Such an obvious scam.
Thanks, Sherry, for not playing,
The people who fell for it disgust me. Far worse than stupidity.
They have the same mindset that leads women to watch Sex in the City for dating advice.
And the geniuses as Messy Times who were broadcasting how stupid this all was by March 2020. Maybe you head us first.
Flaws In The Coronavirus Pandemic Theory published June 2020.
Eerily prescient. At least read the conclusion.
http://saveelsobrante.net/CoronavirusPanic.pdf
Good old Dennis! I just love him.
It all comes down to a lack of self worth/self confidence..
If one finds oneself among a group of deadheads, it is easier to fall in with them and become a freak than to stand apart and, for instance declare your undying admiration of Clapton and his music.
I can count on one hand the numbers that the Dead play that I like, but Clapton?
Never heard a Clapton song I didn't like.
When it comes to being amongst a group of coronamaniacs ........ my disgust for their stupidity and general "go along to get along" attitude made me stay as far away from them as possible.
That seems to have saved me from a lot of confrontations that could have happened.
One major revelation I gleaned from the whole situation was how easily Germany became consumed by Nazism.
I like to discuss this topic with the lunatics. But they don't like to discuss it with me.
Someone pointed out this movie clip a while back, and the way you put this reminded me of it. I like to think we are, collectively, Rorschach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3lsJmwNO40
Propaganda works because people do not want to be abandoned by their friends for being different.
Preach!
Can't tell you how disgusted I get when Green Day, Smashmouth or Neil Young pops up on XM or Spotify. If you haven't tuned into Five Times August yet, please give him a listen. He was at the Defeat the Mandates rally and keeps fighting the good fight.
Here's his latest song and it's spot on. Enjoy!
https://x.com/FiveTimesAugust/status/1710266209462092128?s=20
This ia a great song.
The video is SO well crafted. I found myself pausing and replaying each scene. So much detail and data.
100%.
I did the very same!
Love the song. Fantastic. Thanks!
Fucking genius piece.
💝
I want to work with him.
So many of my former heroes have covered themselves in hypocrisy and every shade of fake.
Power to you, Five Times August. 💜
darrensimmproductions11@gmail.com
Thank you for the link. That was great 👍
Here's a joke that was told to me when I was last stoned (28 years ago).
Q: What did the Deadhead say when the pot wore off?
A: "This band sucks!"
Which is one of the things we yelled from the upper deck.
🤣😂🤪
"I follow The Dead."
"I follow The Science."
At least the former came with acid trips with irresponsibly promiscuous hippie girls.
Both came with dirge-like, un-harmonious refrains.
Both made you considerably dumber if you were a member of the Cult.
Both were comprised conspicuously of whiners and losers.
They were also similar in that you had to be stoned beyond stumbling to believe any of it.
Van Morrison for the win.
A better name is covidheads, given the context of the deadheads, all of whom I've known were eccentric and prone to cult behavior. The covidheads are very cult-like, as well, even in the face of the overwhelming evidence, that's been around for a couple of years, that the virus was not dangerous except to a very small subsegment of a very small part of the population.
Danny Huckabee
Great story Mark, and so very well put. Your criticism of the Dead Heads is right on the money.
I am reminded of Stephen Colbert, who I once greatly admired during the Dick & Dubya times. He too has become an agent of the state in advocating for the clot shots. Today he is undergoing and appendectomy, and has to cancel several days or weeks worth of shows because of the chronic flu symptoms they all seem to have.
We are quite similar Mark. Been to well over 100 concerts too. Pat Metheny put on a great show I have to add. Anyway, I didn’t get around to seeing the Dead. Some of my schoolmates and friends insisted I just ‘didn’t get it.’ Very true. Still don’t.
Yeah, my idea of fun is not spending hours breathing in pot smoke while countless deadheads(ah the term) spin like tops uncontrollably.
Your statement…. ‘I concluded that Grateful Dead fandom was driven* by hype, not musical quality.’
*Definitely driven by acid and weed as well, positively.
Shrooms, too.
But def not the showmanship.
Last year I played behind a Grateful Dead tribute band at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony. SSDD. Fat, wrinkled hippies in tie die taking full advantage of legal cannabis. We were almost asphyxiated by the smell. The Dead and the Dead Heads were never about "Freedom" per se. They were about acting recklessly in order to enable the revolution that ushered in a "tyranny" of their liking. And they loved Covidmania.
Always found the Dead, their merch and their music grating.
Grateful for your parallel to the Branch Covidians; different name, similar cult.
Same here. I like a few of their studio songs, but the rest is garbage. Never met anyone I felt comfortable sharing that with. Thanks, Mark!
OK, JC, I'm reporting you to authorities.
Having been to more than a dozen Dead shows in the Midwest and New England between 1989-1992, I can say definitively I was not there for the music. I had a wonderful time, each and every time.
Based on my sister, who is a gigantic DeadHead, those who followed the Dead were also the worst of the covidians, still don't quite understand how those who are supposedly anti-conformity were so easily led to conform to measures that were so draconian, especially over a virus with a 99.8% survival rate.
I followed the Dead from 1983 until 1995 when the band dissolved after Jerry Garcia's death. There hasn't been a GD for 28 years, although some of the band members do perform their music. I am also a lockdown sceptic and have not been vaccinated for covid. It's discouraging to think that the fact that my taste in music is somehow dirty and disgusting to some of the commenters here. It reminds me very much of the general response to the unvaccinated: We're dirty, stupid scum.
Nice broad cross-section of musical choices there Mark! I have for a long time said, “I love any kind of music, as long as it’s good!” (And there is a lot of K-rap out there!)
Music has been huge in my life. First concert was Elton John, the Yellow Brick Road tour. My best friend and I cleaned houses and washed windows to earn the money. Her mom took us to the ticket office and her dad had to drive us to the concert (we were 14/13 respectively). That was the beginning of a long love affair with live music. I loved the shared experience of listening with all the other people and admiring the artists’ mastery and showmanship. I thrilled over clever lyrics or a great musical riff.
I don’t even think I can count the number of concerts and festivals I’ve attended. Over time I grew out of the Cow Palace/Oakland Coliseum mega-concerts and settled into the smaller venue concerts where you could see the artist sweat and the facial expressions they made as they played (and took my breath away!).
I never saw the Dead, but I was never into drugs, and I think, unless you are in the altered group consciousness state, you wouldn’t enjoy it. It’d be like standing and watching Oz behind the curtain the entire time, seeing it for the bogus act that it is.
That was the covid thing. An altered group consciousness state, but with a menacing twist. Not goofy like the hippie chicks twirling around, but vicious and cruel.
Sadly, I don’t go to many concerts anymore, mostly because I don’t like the crowds and people piss me off. So I’d rather stay on our farm outside of town. But I have had the opportunity to see many great artists, and the memory enriches my life still.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!