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Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead
Right in time for the Grateful Dead's 40th anniversary, eccentric bass player extraordinaire Phil Lesh has delivered fans a most welcome gift: his autobiography. There are many books out there about the Dead told from the perspective of roadies, journalists, third party observers, and fans. However, with the exceptions of Jerry Garcia's ramblings in Garcia: A Signpost to New Space and Conversations With the Dead, Lesh's Searching for the Sound is the first time a founding member of America's favorite band tells their own story of what it was like inside the Grateful Dead. And what a wonderful, strange tale it is.
Phil Lesh, considered the most academic of the group due to his avant-garde classical composition training, literate mind, and passion for the arts, decided to write his story himself. Written without the crutch of a ghostwriter, Searching for the Sound might be considered disjointed in places, but overall it comes across as conversational, intimate, informative, and candid (particularly regarding topics of drug use and death). If you are familiar with the band and their extended family, their history, the sixties' musical milestones and influences and all the band's famous tales (the Garcia/ Lesh "silent" confrontation, being busted on Bourbon Street, the Wall of Sound), you may be a little disgruntled there is not much new here in the way of content. However, what is "new" and totally satisfying is Phil's warm, optimistic perspective on the many events that helped shape his life. As described by Lesh, his life's journey, much like the Dead's music, is "a [series] of recurring themes, transpositions, repetitions, unexpected developments, all converging to define form that is not necessarily apparent until it's ending has come and gone." For the many fans who enjoyed the fruits of his life pursuit of sonic explorations, Searching for the Sound is a welcome addition to their Dead library.
Phil Lesh, considered the most academic of the group due to his avant-garde classical composition training, literate mind, and passion for the arts, decided to write his story himself. Written without the crutch of a ghostwriter, Searching for the Sound might be considered disjointed in places, but overall it comes across as conversational, intimate, informative, and candid (particularly regarding topics of drug use and death). If you are familiar with the band and their extended family, their history, the sixties' musical milestones and influences and all the band's famous tales (the Garcia/ Lesh "silent" confrontation, being busted on Bourbon Street, the Wall of Sound), you may be a little disgruntled there is not much new here in the way of content. However, what is "new" and totally satisfying is Phil's warm, optimistic perspective on the many events that helped shape his life. As described by Lesh, his life's journey, much like the Dead's music, is "a [series] of recurring themes, transpositions, repetitions, unexpected developments, all converging to define form that is not necessarily apparent until it's ending has come and gone." For the many fans who enjoyed the fruits of his life pursuit of sonic explorations, Searching for the Sound is a welcome addition to their Dead library.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2005
296 people are currently reading
2383 people want to read
About the author
Phil Lesh
13 books13 followersPhilip Chapman Lesh was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he developed a unique style of playing improvised six-string bass guitar. He was their bassist throughout their 30-year career.
After the group disbanded in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with a side project, Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead's music by playing their repertoire, as well as songs by members of his own group. Lesh operated a music venue called Terrapin Crossroads. From 2009 to 2014, he performed in Furthur alongside former Grateful Dead bandmate Bob Weir. He scaled back touring in 2014 but continued to perform concerts.
After the group disbanded in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with a side project, Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead's music by playing their repertoire, as well as songs by members of his own group. Lesh operated a music venue called Terrapin Crossroads. From 2009 to 2014, he performed in Furthur alongside former Grateful Dead bandmate Bob Weir. He scaled back touring in 2014 but continued to perform concerts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
November 25, 2024
Phil is so Phil-ly throughout. An oddball goober with a sarcastic sense of humor, backbone of a renegade, a committed techie audacity streaked with psychedelic mysticism ("consciousness" often comes up), all of which made him such a uniquely note-y contrapuntal bassist -- a major reason why the Dead sound like the Dead. But the takeaway is that this group of misfits somehow had no idea what they were doing but were doing it for sure, more concerned with experience and music than anything else until the entity they created, the organization needed to sustain them that also lived off them, ultimately ate them alive.
Moving, definitely, toward the end about Jerry's dissolution and death. Also everything with Brent. Felt like the '70s and '80s were glossed over, particularly '77 or so, considered by many as their best years. Could've been 100 pages longer with more detail about playing on stage, recording, relationships with other band members, etc, the way it opened up the Egyptian trip, more of those insightful asides for a few pages. But ultimately a wholly enjoyable listen recommended to anyone interested in the ever-expanding sub-genre of GD tales in print.
Tried reading this in ebook form a few years ago but just couldn't manage more than a few pages. The prose seemed overdone and heavy, but also I didn't need to read it at the time. This past week, listening to this read by Phil himself, streaming it on Spotify when alone in the car, at the gym, doing dishes etc, hearing it come through a metaphorically significant pair of new cheap excellent noise-canceling headphones, I feel like it helped me pass through the post-election stages of mourning, and also of course it was sweet to listen to after the recent passing of the author too. Just noticed recently that Spotify has a ton of audiobooks and the first few I downloaded are all Dead-related. Reading about the Dead has been in the modern era my variety of escapist lit, my beach read. Some people read thrillers, detective novels, chick lit, YA, etc -- I turn to rock bios, particularly related to the Dead, which, accordingly, I probably know more about than nearly any other subject and can use as a sort of filter through which to see the world.
Moving, definitely, toward the end about Jerry's dissolution and death. Also everything with Brent. Felt like the '70s and '80s were glossed over, particularly '77 or so, considered by many as their best years. Could've been 100 pages longer with more detail about playing on stage, recording, relationships with other band members, etc, the way it opened up the Egyptian trip, more of those insightful asides for a few pages. But ultimately a wholly enjoyable listen recommended to anyone interested in the ever-expanding sub-genre of GD tales in print.
Tried reading this in ebook form a few years ago but just couldn't manage more than a few pages. The prose seemed overdone and heavy, but also I didn't need to read it at the time. This past week, listening to this read by Phil himself, streaming it on Spotify when alone in the car, at the gym, doing dishes etc, hearing it come through a metaphorically significant pair of new cheap excellent noise-canceling headphones, I feel like it helped me pass through the post-election stages of mourning, and also of course it was sweet to listen to after the recent passing of the author too. Just noticed recently that Spotify has a ton of audiobooks and the first few I downloaded are all Dead-related. Reading about the Dead has been in the modern era my variety of escapist lit, my beach read. Some people read thrillers, detective novels, chick lit, YA, etc -- I turn to rock bios, particularly related to the Dead, which, accordingly, I probably know more about than nearly any other subject and can use as a sort of filter through which to see the world.
January 3, 2016
My college roommate flew back to Connecticut from Texas in 1978, and because of some mix-up, they bumped her for free into first class. She sat next to a tall, blonde guy, who started a conversation with her and was very interested in everything she was doing, a great listener, and insightful. He didn't talk much about himself. When she asked where she was going, he said he was flying to a job. As the flight ended, she asked him what his work was, and he said his name was Phil and he played bass for a rock band. When asked which one, he said The Grateful Dead. She didn't know anything about the Dead, but knew that I did, so asked me about it when she got back to school. Of course, I was blown away, and everything she said about him fits my impressions of him.
My trip with the Dead started when I was about 11 or 12. My brother had an 8 track tape of Live Dead, which he wore out. I liked St. Stephen some, but thought the whole thing was too weird. Then, he and his friend would lock me into a room and force me to listen to Dark Star until I acknowledged how great it was. I never did at the time, so I heard it a lot, and then got to the point where I refused to acknowledge it partially so they would keep up the game of forcing me to listen.
I saw Jerry with the Jerry Garcia Band in 76, but never saw the Dead until much later, not until 1985 in California. And I saw them only the one time. That's one of my few regrets in life. But I've made up for it, I think, in the number of hours I've spent listening to records, and then tapes, and now streamed audio. And also in the number of different styles of music that I meandered into because of loose connections to the Dead - Bluegrass, Country, World, Avant Garde, Cajun, Reggae, Blues and Jazz. And no matter where my interests go, they always seem to cycle back.
Like for most people, Jerry's charisma and his uncanny melodic sense were a primary calling card for me. And so, like most people, I have thought that Garcia was the heart of the group. When he died, I figured that was it. And this book confirms that everyone in the bands relationships centered around Jerry, so in that sense they were right.
Phil, much like he was on the plane with my roommate, always struck me as too willing to take a back seat, too far back in the mix, too self-effacing. So it's taken me a long time to appreciate his role in the band. Garcia can be heard in other combinations - with Saunders, with Grisman, with his own band, and his voice tends to be fairly constant. Those groups don't take on the quality of the Dead. And I think the reason for the Dead taking on its character, from a musical standpoint, comes largely from Phil's avant-garde background, his persistent weirdness, and his insistence on not playing the bass like a bass.
Because his approach to the bass is so different from anyone else, it pretty much forced the other band members to adapt to what he was doing. Weir, for example, famously learned how to intuit where both Jerry and Phil were going, and to get the right chord voicing that would fit well in between. Other rhythm guitarists wouldn't have to do that, because the bass was providing the anchor. But with the Dead, and this is both the cool and the aggravating thing about them, there is rarely, if ever, an anchor.
A few words about the book itself. Like Phil, its humble and somewhat self-effacing. It does a great job of catching much of the feel for the early years. And Phil talks amazingly well about the music, and how other things in their lives connected with the music. As more and more problems started to crop up, he tends to be a bit more terse. Its as if he doesn't want to say anything too bad about anyone, including the guys who stole from the band, even including the people who created the fiasco surrounding Jerry's estate. He's more trying to focus on the good stuff and the positive energy, and for that reason alone, the short shrift that's given to the band's final twenty years is something of a testament to how bad things became over time.
I would recommend this book of course to any Deadhead, but also to anyone who has a taste either fully improvisational work, or for the avant garde. From beginning to end (or at least until now, since he is still at it), it seems that that's where Phil's heart is.
My trip with the Dead started when I was about 11 or 12. My brother had an 8 track tape of Live Dead, which he wore out. I liked St. Stephen some, but thought the whole thing was too weird. Then, he and his friend would lock me into a room and force me to listen to Dark Star until I acknowledged how great it was. I never did at the time, so I heard it a lot, and then got to the point where I refused to acknowledge it partially so they would keep up the game of forcing me to listen.
I saw Jerry with the Jerry Garcia Band in 76, but never saw the Dead until much later, not until 1985 in California. And I saw them only the one time. That's one of my few regrets in life. But I've made up for it, I think, in the number of hours I've spent listening to records, and then tapes, and now streamed audio. And also in the number of different styles of music that I meandered into because of loose connections to the Dead - Bluegrass, Country, World, Avant Garde, Cajun, Reggae, Blues and Jazz. And no matter where my interests go, they always seem to cycle back.
Like for most people, Jerry's charisma and his uncanny melodic sense were a primary calling card for me. And so, like most people, I have thought that Garcia was the heart of the group. When he died, I figured that was it. And this book confirms that everyone in the bands relationships centered around Jerry, so in that sense they were right.
Phil, much like he was on the plane with my roommate, always struck me as too willing to take a back seat, too far back in the mix, too self-effacing. So it's taken me a long time to appreciate his role in the band. Garcia can be heard in other combinations - with Saunders, with Grisman, with his own band, and his voice tends to be fairly constant. Those groups don't take on the quality of the Dead. And I think the reason for the Dead taking on its character, from a musical standpoint, comes largely from Phil's avant-garde background, his persistent weirdness, and his insistence on not playing the bass like a bass.
Because his approach to the bass is so different from anyone else, it pretty much forced the other band members to adapt to what he was doing. Weir, for example, famously learned how to intuit where both Jerry and Phil were going, and to get the right chord voicing that would fit well in between. Other rhythm guitarists wouldn't have to do that, because the bass was providing the anchor. But with the Dead, and this is both the cool and the aggravating thing about them, there is rarely, if ever, an anchor.
A few words about the book itself. Like Phil, its humble and somewhat self-effacing. It does a great job of catching much of the feel for the early years. And Phil talks amazingly well about the music, and how other things in their lives connected with the music. As more and more problems started to crop up, he tends to be a bit more terse. Its as if he doesn't want to say anything too bad about anyone, including the guys who stole from the band, even including the people who created the fiasco surrounding Jerry's estate. He's more trying to focus on the good stuff and the positive energy, and for that reason alone, the short shrift that's given to the band's final twenty years is something of a testament to how bad things became over time.
I would recommend this book of course to any Deadhead, but also to anyone who has a taste either fully improvisational work, or for the avant garde. From beginning to end (or at least until now, since he is still at it), it seems that that's where Phil's heart is.
August 18, 2011
An old maxim states that if you can remember the 1960s, then you probably weren't there; a sentiment that suggests, I suppose, that if you really were an active participant in that frenzied decade, with its recreational and psychedelic drug use, then your brainpan should be too sizzled to recall any of it. Putting the lie to this old adage is Phil Lesh, in his 2005 autobiography "Searching for the Sound." If there's any survivor of the '60s who should have his cerebrum toasted well past the point of recall, it is Phil Lesh. As one of the original hippies, a participant at every one of the eight Acid Tests, a veteran of the true Summer of Love (1966), AND the 30-year bass player extraordinaire for that most psychedelic and improvisatory of San Francisco bands, the Grateful Dead, Lesh certainly did have his fair share of electric Kool-Aid pass under his bridge! But, as his beautifully written book reveals, his memory remains remarkably clear, even regarding those events of four decades ago surrounding the birth of his seminal band. To his great credit, Lesh has written his story all by his ownsome--with no ghost writer or coauthor--and tells the Dead's story with clarity, passion and a good deal of touching sentiment; as he movingly tells us in his intro, "I was born an only child but found my true brothers through the art of music."
I have personally been a "Deadhead" since the late '60s, and was still unaware of the vast majority of the tales that Lesh doles out in his book. What stories the man can tell! One of the more distressing ones comes early on, when we learn of how guitarist Jerry Garcia almost fell out of a train whilst en route to a Vancouver gig in summer 1966, and would have been crushed by an oncoming train if fellow bandmember Bob Weir had not pulled him back in time. Our good ol' Grateful Dead might have been finished before it had properly begun! Phil matches his writing style and choice of words to match the craziness of some of those Acid Tests, and his way-out description of his craziest (accidental) acid trip is a memorable one indeed. The incident with Barney the Dinosaur and Garcia will surely have all fans of the band laughing out loud, as will Lesh's revelation that an early moniker choice for the nascent band was Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle! Lesh seems to hold little back, detailing his descent into alcoholism without maudlin self-pity. Needless to say, many of the stories in this book are sad ones; the Dead lost too many of its family over the years--three keyboardists (well, four now that Vince Welnick has left us) plus Uncle Jerry--and Phil's recounting of these losses is obviously deeply felt. The usual highlights are touched on, of course: Woodstock (pretty nightmarish, from Lesh's description), Altamont (even more so), the bust in New Orleans, the Europe '72 tour, the Dead's gig at the Great Pyramids. But for every by-now-familiar tale (and even these seem fresh through Lesh's eyes) there are a dozen less familiar ones, and the author tells his stories with insight, articulateness, and the wisdom that comes from great trial and experience. (And how gratifying, for me, to learn from Phil how much the band valued audience participation and feedback--I sometimes wondered--and that Madison Square Garden, where I attended so many of my Dead shows, was one of his favorite venues to play in.)
What Phil does NOT do in his book is explain the meaning of the Dead's songs ("Box of Rain" excepted); those looking for an in-depth discussion of the recondite significance of "What's Become of the Baby" are advised to seek out another publication (such as David Dodd's excellent new "The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics"). The first five years of the band's history take up the full first half of Phil's story--I gather that he finds the earlier stuff more noteworthy--and, in the book's second half, the final 25 years are increasingly compressed; we can almost feel the accelerating, frenzied tempo of the group's final years. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not complaining here about any disproportionate emphasis. The truth of the matter is that Phil's book could obviously have been four times longer than he has chosen to make it; 30 years in rock music's most heavily gigging band would naturally provide Phil with a superabundance of material, and, again to his credit, he has chosen to write with great economy, cherry picking the incidents that he wants to include and excluding much else. (Perhaps one day we'll be able to coax another book's worth of stories from him...I hope!)
I mentioned up top that Phil's memory seems to be preternaturally clear, and it does; and yet, some sticking points crop up. For example, he tells us that in summer 1970, at the end of the trans-Canadian railway tour so finely chronicled in the film "Festival Express," Janis Joplin received a birthday cake from the tour promoters. But Janis' birthday is widely quoted as being January 19th. Something strange there. Also, Phil tells us of one of the best double bills that he ever witnessed at Bill Graham's Fillmore West: Chuck Berry and Count Basie's Big Band, in summer 1967. BUT, according to the complete listing of Fillmore West concerts provided in the old double CD "Fillmore, The Last Days," such a double bill never occurred that summer. Rather, Chuck Berry appeared with the Steve Miller Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 16-17, and Basie appeared with the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 20-21. I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong--how should I know?--but it sure does leave a reader scratching the ol' noggin.
Anyway, these are mere quibbles. The bottom line is that Phil Lesh has done all fans of the Grateful Dead and 1960s rock a tremendous service by putting pen to paper and sharing some of his memories with us. Needless to say, as the only band member to do so thus far, he has provided us with a work of great historical significance. I have read the book twice already, and will surely continue to refer to it for years to come. Thanks, Phil! And, on a personal side note TO Phil, please remember to take your milk thistle! We all need you around for as long as humanly possible!
I have personally been a "Deadhead" since the late '60s, and was still unaware of the vast majority of the tales that Lesh doles out in his book. What stories the man can tell! One of the more distressing ones comes early on, when we learn of how guitarist Jerry Garcia almost fell out of a train whilst en route to a Vancouver gig in summer 1966, and would have been crushed by an oncoming train if fellow bandmember Bob Weir had not pulled him back in time. Our good ol' Grateful Dead might have been finished before it had properly begun! Phil matches his writing style and choice of words to match the craziness of some of those Acid Tests, and his way-out description of his craziest (accidental) acid trip is a memorable one indeed. The incident with Barney the Dinosaur and Garcia will surely have all fans of the band laughing out loud, as will Lesh's revelation that an early moniker choice for the nascent band was Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle! Lesh seems to hold little back, detailing his descent into alcoholism without maudlin self-pity. Needless to say, many of the stories in this book are sad ones; the Dead lost too many of its family over the years--three keyboardists (well, four now that Vince Welnick has left us) plus Uncle Jerry--and Phil's recounting of these losses is obviously deeply felt. The usual highlights are touched on, of course: Woodstock (pretty nightmarish, from Lesh's description), Altamont (even more so), the bust in New Orleans, the Europe '72 tour, the Dead's gig at the Great Pyramids. But for every by-now-familiar tale (and even these seem fresh through Lesh's eyes) there are a dozen less familiar ones, and the author tells his stories with insight, articulateness, and the wisdom that comes from great trial and experience. (And how gratifying, for me, to learn from Phil how much the band valued audience participation and feedback--I sometimes wondered--and that Madison Square Garden, where I attended so many of my Dead shows, was one of his favorite venues to play in.)
What Phil does NOT do in his book is explain the meaning of the Dead's songs ("Box of Rain" excepted); those looking for an in-depth discussion of the recondite significance of "What's Become of the Baby" are advised to seek out another publication (such as David Dodd's excellent new "The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics"). The first five years of the band's history take up the full first half of Phil's story--I gather that he finds the earlier stuff more noteworthy--and, in the book's second half, the final 25 years are increasingly compressed; we can almost feel the accelerating, frenzied tempo of the group's final years. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not complaining here about any disproportionate emphasis. The truth of the matter is that Phil's book could obviously have been four times longer than he has chosen to make it; 30 years in rock music's most heavily gigging band would naturally provide Phil with a superabundance of material, and, again to his credit, he has chosen to write with great economy, cherry picking the incidents that he wants to include and excluding much else. (Perhaps one day we'll be able to coax another book's worth of stories from him...I hope!)
I mentioned up top that Phil's memory seems to be preternaturally clear, and it does; and yet, some sticking points crop up. For example, he tells us that in summer 1970, at the end of the trans-Canadian railway tour so finely chronicled in the film "Festival Express," Janis Joplin received a birthday cake from the tour promoters. But Janis' birthday is widely quoted as being January 19th. Something strange there. Also, Phil tells us of one of the best double bills that he ever witnessed at Bill Graham's Fillmore West: Chuck Berry and Count Basie's Big Band, in summer 1967. BUT, according to the complete listing of Fillmore West concerts provided in the old double CD "Fillmore, The Last Days," such a double bill never occurred that summer. Rather, Chuck Berry appeared with the Steve Miller Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 16-17, and Basie appeared with the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 20-21. I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong--how should I know?--but it sure does leave a reader scratching the ol' noggin.
Anyway, these are mere quibbles. The bottom line is that Phil Lesh has done all fans of the Grateful Dead and 1960s rock a tremendous service by putting pen to paper and sharing some of his memories with us. Needless to say, as the only band member to do so thus far, he has provided us with a work of great historical significance. I have read the book twice already, and will surely continue to refer to it for years to come. Thanks, Phil! And, on a personal side note TO Phil, please remember to take your milk thistle! We all need you around for as long as humanly possible!
March 21, 2012
As a biography of sorts, it's a wonderfully written and quite expository book. As a story it's a complete tragedy. Despite how good it was, I couldn't help but be heartbroken when it ended. There was a band that had so much talent, so much potential, and their story arc only ever curved down from their high and mighty start. In those first few years they wrote some of their most iconic tunes, and had things gone differently, they may have changed music more thoroughly and lastingly. Unfortunately, a series of crooked managers, deaths in the family, and a whole lot drugs derailed those true warlocks of music until they faded away from the world, save for the handfuls of hippies, still committed to the ride.
As a sad but true history of one of the most magical bands earth has seen, it is honest and solid. As the years wore on, however, more and more chunks of time got gobbled up in fewer and fewer chapters. The first half of the book covers their hay day, while the other 80% of their career is much less thoroughly shared in the remaining half. Still, it is the most important memories of one of the guys that was there for the whole ride. If you want to know the Dead, read this book
As a sad but true history of one of the most magical bands earth has seen, it is honest and solid. As the years wore on, however, more and more chunks of time got gobbled up in fewer and fewer chapters. The first half of the book covers their hay day, while the other 80% of their career is much less thoroughly shared in the remaining half. Still, it is the most important memories of one of the guys that was there for the whole ride. If you want to know the Dead, read this book
February 29, 2008
Phil Lesh is an extraordinary musician. And he had the good fortune to be part of an amazing musical enterprise. But Phil Lesh does not pat himself on the back or brag or self promote. He simply tells his story. And in doing so what this book reveals (in addition to some entertaining stories and fascinating history) is a man with a good heart and sweet nature. I'm not the "hugging type", but after reading this book I wanted to hug Phil Lesh and say "Thank you for sharing that with me." This book is a gift. And I'm grateful for it.
October 23, 2009
Wow, Phil Lesh is a great writer!!!!! I'm not that electronically savvy so a lot of the sound parts baffled me but his music history and the relationship of the Grateful Dead family was powerful. I especially admired his intelligence, wry sense of humor and honesty.
January 22, 2016
I listened to this on CD in my car while commuting to work and it blew me away. Not only is it read by Phil, himself, but I never knew what a poetic and spiritual soul he is!
This band and its music has played such a starring role in my life that I can't help but be drawn in to their story and Phil's philosophy, spiritual perspective and beautiful musical metaphors echo feelings I have when I listen that I have never really been able to articulate.
I spent most of the last CD trying to drive while sobbing--with such light there must be much darkness and such is the story of the macrocosm of American life in the last half of the last century and in the microcosm of the band and its members. Isn't it like that in all of our lives? But even so, wouldn't you brave the shadows to be able to feel the sun?
I'm not ready to extend the story and contemplate about what comes next in my life or in Phil's, but I imagine it will continue in chiaroscuro and we'll both continue turning it up and searching for the sound.
This band and its music has played such a starring role in my life that I can't help but be drawn in to their story and Phil's philosophy, spiritual perspective and beautiful musical metaphors echo feelings I have when I listen that I have never really been able to articulate.
I spent most of the last CD trying to drive while sobbing--with such light there must be much darkness and such is the story of the macrocosm of American life in the last half of the last century and in the microcosm of the band and its members. Isn't it like that in all of our lives? But even so, wouldn't you brave the shadows to be able to feel the sun?
I'm not ready to extend the story and contemplate about what comes next in my life or in Phil's, but I imagine it will continue in chiaroscuro and we'll both continue turning it up and searching for the sound.
May 28, 2016
I'm a huge fan of Phil Lesh's bass playing - especially in his Phil Lesh And Friends gigs. Right now I can't get enough of Phil's gig at the Warfield (San francisco 2006) with Joan Osborne and John Scofield: amazing concert and DVD.
This book seldom mentions Phil's side projects. Actually, I would rather read a book about Phil's life after Jerry Garcia. it seems Then it might be all about the music, family and just playing music with friends.
I came to appreciate Phil when he played on Gov't Mule's The Deep End album (Vol. 2). "Lay Of The Sunflower". Then Phil showed up on the Documentary "Rising Low" (filmed by Phish's Mike Gordon). Now I'm watching the Grateful Dead live in Chicago July 5th 2015 (DVD... with Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby playing in the band.) Great song selection and filming.
This is the 3rd book ive read about the Grateful Dead - and my favorite by far. Phil is a fairly good guy just trying to survive in the chaos of the music industry and juvenile Hippydom. Yes sadly, many of Phil's friends and associates are dead from the passions of Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll. Those Hippies assumed they had the answers to the meaning of the universe: Nope. Just stupid hippy crap - but they did seem to make some great music along the way - but in the wreckage of failed marriages, poorly raised confused children, bad health and habits, and broken hearts and empty pocketbooks --- the corporate Capitalist Music business marches on and feeds their families and empire. Hmmm? Yay Capitalism (we wouldn't have a record industry without it).
Phil doesn't talk too much about his basses and equipment. He does chat about music and inspiration a fair bit and shares some song writing moments with us. The Dead sure wrote some great classic tunes. I'm thankful we got to hear the adventures of every studio album they made. It would have been great to hear even more tales of recording with Lowell George producing --- but then the book would have been HUGE. (and that album turned out a little weird anyway).
WE get to hear about all the infamous gigs (Woodstock, Altamont, Festival Express, Summer of Love gigs)... even the one at the Pyramids in Egypt. Hopefully Phil writes another book and discusses his later gigs with Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring. I saw them play at the Gorge in Washington (2004?). Truth be known: I wasn't much of a fan until Warren Haynes joined the band for a tour.
i'm glad Phil raised some good kids and stuck with his wife all these years. There's hope for musicians yet.
But poor Phil is still a spiritual hippy fruitloop. He thanks God, blames god, calls everything god, mixes and matches religious views. Phil - would you like me to send you a Bible and a commentary? Then you can sort this mess out. After that we can JAM.
Yep, Phil is in my top 5 list of people I want to jam with. (With Bruce Hornsby, Mike Cooley from Drive-by Truckers, Cesar Rosas and Cougar Estrada from Los Lobos)
This book seldom mentions Phil's side projects. Actually, I would rather read a book about Phil's life after Jerry Garcia. it seems Then it might be all about the music, family and just playing music with friends.
I came to appreciate Phil when he played on Gov't Mule's The Deep End album (Vol. 2). "Lay Of The Sunflower". Then Phil showed up on the Documentary "Rising Low" (filmed by Phish's Mike Gordon). Now I'm watching the Grateful Dead live in Chicago July 5th 2015 (DVD... with Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby playing in the band.) Great song selection and filming.
This is the 3rd book ive read about the Grateful Dead - and my favorite by far. Phil is a fairly good guy just trying to survive in the chaos of the music industry and juvenile Hippydom. Yes sadly, many of Phil's friends and associates are dead from the passions of Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll. Those Hippies assumed they had the answers to the meaning of the universe: Nope. Just stupid hippy crap - but they did seem to make some great music along the way - but in the wreckage of failed marriages, poorly raised confused children, bad health and habits, and broken hearts and empty pocketbooks --- the corporate Capitalist Music business marches on and feeds their families and empire. Hmmm? Yay Capitalism (we wouldn't have a record industry without it).
Phil doesn't talk too much about his basses and equipment. He does chat about music and inspiration a fair bit and shares some song writing moments with us. The Dead sure wrote some great classic tunes. I'm thankful we got to hear the adventures of every studio album they made. It would have been great to hear even more tales of recording with Lowell George producing --- but then the book would have been HUGE. (and that album turned out a little weird anyway).
WE get to hear about all the infamous gigs (Woodstock, Altamont, Festival Express, Summer of Love gigs)... even the one at the Pyramids in Egypt. Hopefully Phil writes another book and discusses his later gigs with Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring. I saw them play at the Gorge in Washington (2004?). Truth be known: I wasn't much of a fan until Warren Haynes joined the band for a tour.
i'm glad Phil raised some good kids and stuck with his wife all these years. There's hope for musicians yet.
But poor Phil is still a spiritual hippy fruitloop. He thanks God, blames god, calls everything god, mixes and matches religious views. Phil - would you like me to send you a Bible and a commentary? Then you can sort this mess out. After that we can JAM.
Yep, Phil is in my top 5 list of people I want to jam with. (With Bruce Hornsby, Mike Cooley from Drive-by Truckers, Cesar Rosas and Cougar Estrada from Los Lobos)
April 2, 2015
A labor of love. This is the only autobiography written by a member of Jehovah's favorite band, the band beyond description, the one and only Grateful Dead.
I first got on the bus to never-neverland in 2002. The Grateful Dead is one of my favorite bands ever. They combine blues, rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, folk, ragtime, and whatever else they wanted with trippy spaced out jams. From 1965-1995, they endured a long strange trip one show at a time. Although they achieved minimal commercial success, they have perhaps the most faithful band following ever ("Dead-heads"). Like Trekkers to sci-if, Dead-heads go to great lengths to follow GD, some living show-to-show. Everyone knew that when GD was in town, it was like the circus came.
It goes without saying, Phil Lesh's perspective is welcoming. Who is Phil Lesh? When most people think GD, they obviously think Jerry Garcia. And of course, Jerry WAS the captain. Captain Trips, that is. To an outsider, Phil is easy to overlook, as bassists tend to be. As the old joke goes, "did you hear the one about the bassist who was so bad that the band actually noticed?"
To an audiophile, this is not the case. Phil's bass is equally (if not more) integral to GD's sound as Jerry's. Sometimes, Phil was as good a lead instrumentalist as Jerry. In fact, the adage goes "when Phil is on, so is the rest of the band; when Phil is off, so is the rest of the band."
Enter Phil's perspective. Phil is the only permanent member of the Dead to receive formal music training. Phil was a nerd. Phil was more into John Cage and Frank Zappa before Jerry recruited him. If not for Jerry, Phil would probably have been some obscure alternative jazz composer/horn player. But Jerry had vision. Jerry saw in Phil a bassist (Phil never played a bass in his life before GD). And from the bottom up, with nery a lesson, Phil taught himself to be a bassist.
This story has something for everyone. Plenty of great anecdotes from the road. A defense of GD's role in the Altamont riot. And of course, plenty of Phil! Whether you are a casual fan of GD or a die-hard "head", this book is a great read.
Also worth noting: my copy has been autographed by Phil. He was doing a signing at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ. I waited 3 hours on a long line. Phil asked excitedly "how are you?" I said good. I asked him to make it out to "Fish". The lady behind him said he can't personalize. It was an experience. My first book signing. It was like waiting to see Santa at the mall. I wouldn't know, I'm Jewish, so I've never done the Santa village thing; but I have seen it on TV!
I first got on the bus to never-neverland in 2002. The Grateful Dead is one of my favorite bands ever. They combine blues, rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, folk, ragtime, and whatever else they wanted with trippy spaced out jams. From 1965-1995, they endured a long strange trip one show at a time. Although they achieved minimal commercial success, they have perhaps the most faithful band following ever ("Dead-heads"). Like Trekkers to sci-if, Dead-heads go to great lengths to follow GD, some living show-to-show. Everyone knew that when GD was in town, it was like the circus came.
It goes without saying, Phil Lesh's perspective is welcoming. Who is Phil Lesh? When most people think GD, they obviously think Jerry Garcia. And of course, Jerry WAS the captain. Captain Trips, that is. To an outsider, Phil is easy to overlook, as bassists tend to be. As the old joke goes, "did you hear the one about the bassist who was so bad that the band actually noticed?"
To an audiophile, this is not the case. Phil's bass is equally (if not more) integral to GD's sound as Jerry's. Sometimes, Phil was as good a lead instrumentalist as Jerry. In fact, the adage goes "when Phil is on, so is the rest of the band; when Phil is off, so is the rest of the band."
Enter Phil's perspective. Phil is the only permanent member of the Dead to receive formal music training. Phil was a nerd. Phil was more into John Cage and Frank Zappa before Jerry recruited him. If not for Jerry, Phil would probably have been some obscure alternative jazz composer/horn player. But Jerry had vision. Jerry saw in Phil a bassist (Phil never played a bass in his life before GD). And from the bottom up, with nery a lesson, Phil taught himself to be a bassist.
This story has something for everyone. Plenty of great anecdotes from the road. A defense of GD's role in the Altamont riot. And of course, plenty of Phil! Whether you are a casual fan of GD or a die-hard "head", this book is a great read.
Also worth noting: my copy has been autographed by Phil. He was doing a signing at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ. I waited 3 hours on a long line. Phil asked excitedly "how are you?" I said good. I asked him to make it out to "Fish". The lady behind him said he can't personalize. It was an experience. My first book signing. It was like waiting to see Santa at the mall. I wouldn't know, I'm Jewish, so I've never done the Santa village thing; but I have seen it on TV!
February 11, 2016
Phil Lesh's reminiscences of his forty year musical journey with the Grateful Dead are as close to being there as most will get and great fun for any true Dead Head. (Modify this review down to 3 stars if you aren't a fan.) The long, strange trip includes stories about meeting Jerry and the rest of the band, the Acid tests, the bust on Bourbon Street, partying with Belushi after being the musical guest on SNL, and playing a gig at the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Heavy on musical theory and technique and light on dishing dirt (Phil readily admits to his partying ways, but never spills the sordid details as so often happens in rock memoirs), my big complaint with the book is that it doesn't feel personal enough without some of those details. You feel Phil's pain at the loss of his father, and when Jerry passes, but the deaths of bandmates Pigpen, Keith and Brent and even his first marriage all pass with barely a paragraph of reflection. First published in 2005, the memoir stops shortly after Phil's liver transplant and before his musical renaissance with Furthur. An index and a discography would have been nice additions.
January 9, 2009
Its pretty simple, really. If you like, and I mean really like, the Grateful Dead, then you are going to really like this book. If you are a casual fan, or merely interested in rock and roll, then you may find parts of this book interesting. If you are looking for a tell-all, dish all of the dirt book about the slow, drug and alcohol addled decline of Pigpen, Keith, Brent and Jerry (the book was published before Vince died), well, here's an idea of what you are going to get - "At the end of the 1990 summer tour, I stopped by Front Street to pick up my instrument. As I got out of the car, soundman John Cutler ran into the parking lot, tears streaming down his face, to tell me Brent had died from an overdose of cocaine and heroin the night before, during one last binge before he went into rehab for DUI. I sagged against the fender of my car, the sadness and waste of it coming down on me like a wall of concrete." That's about it for ol' Brent. And so it goes throughout.
That being said, Phil is writing for fans of the band, and he presumes that you know a lot about the Dead and, more specifically, a lot about the culture that surrounded them. For the uninitiated there could be parts of the book that don't make a lot of sense, since Phil uses a lot of first names and nicknames without giving any background information clarifying who the people are - he presumes that if you bought his book, you probably know already. On the whole, its still pretty readable for people not well versed in Dead lore.
Finally, and as a few other reviewers have noted, the majority of the book focuses on the period up to the early 1970's - if your favorite Grateful Dead moments include the Greek Theater, 7/13/84, or Madison Square Garden, 9/20/90, then you aren't going to get a lot of insight into those moments, or the decades that surround them, from this book.
That being said, Phil is writing for fans of the band, and he presumes that you know a lot about the Dead and, more specifically, a lot about the culture that surrounded them. For the uninitiated there could be parts of the book that don't make a lot of sense, since Phil uses a lot of first names and nicknames without giving any background information clarifying who the people are - he presumes that if you bought his book, you probably know already. On the whole, its still pretty readable for people not well versed in Dead lore.
Finally, and as a few other reviewers have noted, the majority of the book focuses on the period up to the early 1970's - if your favorite Grateful Dead moments include the Greek Theater, 7/13/84, or Madison Square Garden, 9/20/90, then you aren't going to get a lot of insight into those moments, or the decades that surround them, from this book.
April 4, 2014
I was at a used bookstore yesterday and I found this book on the very skimpy music shelf. I decided I had to have it, even though it cost quite a bit more than I usually pay for a book. (Well, I usually get books free, so more than a dollar is quite a bit more than a usually pay for a book.)
I started reading it immediately. (Phil Lesh's stories of his life with the Grateful Dead sends everything else lower on the to-read pile).
I'm about halfway through it and it's incredible. I should probably have a full review the next time I have internet access.
UPDATE: I can't possibly convey how wonderful this book is. Every Deadhead needs to read it.
Phil Lesh is a geek in all the best ways! I have to read this book again with a dictionary on hand so I can learn all the unfamiliar words he uses. And of course, he talks about playing music in terms that I (as a non-musician) simply don't understand.
But don't let either of those things deter you. Most of the this book consists of stories about the band, the history of the Grateful Dead and Phil's place in it.
Did you know that Phil was the last of the original members to join the Grateful Dead? Did you know the first song they played as a band (in a rehearsal) was "I Know You Rider"?
From stories of the Acid Tests in the early 1960s to the loss of Jerry in 1995, this book is essential reading.
I started reading it immediately. (Phil Lesh's stories of his life with the Grateful Dead sends everything else lower on the to-read pile).
I'm about halfway through it and it's incredible. I should probably have a full review the next time I have internet access.
UPDATE: I can't possibly convey how wonderful this book is. Every Deadhead needs to read it.
Phil Lesh is a geek in all the best ways! I have to read this book again with a dictionary on hand so I can learn all the unfamiliar words he uses. And of course, he talks about playing music in terms that I (as a non-musician) simply don't understand.
But don't let either of those things deter you. Most of the this book consists of stories about the band, the history of the Grateful Dead and Phil's place in it.
Did you know that Phil was the last of the original members to join the Grateful Dead? Did you know the first song they played as a band (in a rehearsal) was "I Know You Rider"?
From stories of the Acid Tests in the early 1960s to the loss of Jerry in 1995, this book is essential reading.
January 2, 2016
Enjoyable read. There were parts of the books that were a little clunky, but the end--particularly around Jerry's death--was well written and very compelling. There were parts I would like to have covered in more depth--or covered at all--such as May 1977 which many consider the very best Dead shows around...there isn't even a mention. Still, a good read, and while some punches may be pulled, it does go into detail on the drug use that seemed to both bring the band together in the mid-1960s and, ultimately, destroy it years later.
October 31, 2009
Pretty good! Not a comprehensive history of The Dead, but an interesting look into the inner workings of the band by one of its founders (and, arguably, its most interesting and multi-faceted member). I wish he had spent a little more time talking about the group's improvisational dynamic, and a little less on re-hashing the usual road stories, but it's a worthwhile read, especially if you're just getting into this band's music for the first time (as I was last summer).
July 22, 2008
Surprisingly fast-paced and compact (from a member of the Grateful Dead), this book gives an awesomely trippy account of the band's heady early days, the peak of their musicianship in the early 1970s, their drug-fueled decline and resurgence during the 1980s til Garcia's death. A must-read for fans and an interesting read for those not on the bus.
March 1, 2009
Being a dead head I finally got around to reading about the bass player that defines my style. Wonderful book. I wanted to add that I am a bass player that looked at Phil as the bass player I wanted to be. So I am more inclined to like this book than the average reader. But if your a dead head and you want to know Phil's thoughts on his life with the Dead, this is the book for you.
August 3, 2009
If you are a fan, you'll love it. Can't imagine why you'd read it otherwise...actually, it's great for musicians...there are parts that are very musically technical...and probably interesting to any musician and live performer...Phil Lesh is just awesome...personally I love reading Grateful Dead books because you get the different perspectives from everyone on the same stories...
September 29, 2007
Interesting biography from Phil Lesh about his development as a musician and his longterm gig with The Grateful Dead.
November 25, 2024
Been on my reading list a while and since his death last month…seemed like a good time. Brilliant musician even beyond his role in the Grateful Dead.
I will never not like a rock memoir. They are endlessly fascinating.
I will never not like a rock memoir. They are endlessly fascinating.
March 5, 2021
Deleshious! Told with the whimsical éclat one would expect of an upper middle age father of teenagers out to a steak dinner.
April 15, 2024
Phil gets too tripped up trying to be a ‘writer’ and pushing his intellectual savoir for my personal taste. This detracts nothing from his gifts to music. But if I want to read about geomantic energy portals…please hit me w a stack of Dick’s Picks taped together into a solid brick.
Verdict: too much groovy, ‘I am going to qualify the psychedelic experience in words’ (impossible), not enough ‘I ran the Alambic rig through a chain of bass > phaser (3 o’clock); > chorus (same); > echoplex; > Wall of Sound’s low/high impedance DI router/splitter.’
I recognize this would be niche publishing. Think I’ll read some Jer interviews, and put this short, normal trip in the rear view.
Verdict: too much groovy, ‘I am going to qualify the psychedelic experience in words’ (impossible), not enough ‘I ran the Alambic rig through a chain of bass > phaser (3 o’clock); > chorus (same); > echoplex; > Wall of Sound’s low/high impedance DI router/splitter.’
I recognize this would be niche publishing. Think I’ll read some Jer interviews, and put this short, normal trip in the rear view.
November 30, 2021
One of the good ones written about the Grateful Dead. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and was sad to see it end. Phil Lesh is smart and writes well. He was as "inside" the band and Jerry's head as anybody ever could be. A huge talent. And a story of personal redemption even in light of the astounding strange trip he gladly participated in.
July 18, 2017
I was really looking forward to this for two reasons:
1. The Dead is the best band of all time.
2. Phil Lesh always struck me as the Michael Palin of the Dead.
And while it begins well enough, Searching for the Sound soon becomes the written version of the 15-minute Space of set two that--admit it--you skip each time it comes up on iTunes. The problem is that Lesh continually tries to describe what he felt during some of his shows, and the result is unreadable:
"Invisible bands march across the soundstage in two different directions at different speeds; a solo viola mutters an occult hymn-tune as the rest of the orchestra spreads fireworks in all directions; the chorus intones wordless transcendental benedictions as the music fades away into silence."
Or:
"It was as if the music was being sung by gigantic dragons on the timescale of plate tectonics; each note seemed to take days to develop, every overtone sang its own song, each drumbeat generated a new heaven and a new earth. We were seeing and singing the quantum collapse of probability into actuality--it was frightening and exhilarating at the same time."
What the hell is he talking about? I feel bad ragging on a guy who has written "Box of Rain" and "Unbroken Chain," and maybe the second half of the book is better, but I'd rather hear him hold forth with his bass. Yet again I claim and bemoan the fact that no one has yet written a readable, engaging history of the Dead. Everything is either a freakshow or faux-philosophical treatise on "layers of being," etc. And don't get me started on that awful Amazon documentary.
1. The Dead is the best band of all time.
2. Phil Lesh always struck me as the Michael Palin of the Dead.
And while it begins well enough, Searching for the Sound soon becomes the written version of the 15-minute Space of set two that--admit it--you skip each time it comes up on iTunes. The problem is that Lesh continually tries to describe what he felt during some of his shows, and the result is unreadable:
"Invisible bands march across the soundstage in two different directions at different speeds; a solo viola mutters an occult hymn-tune as the rest of the orchestra spreads fireworks in all directions; the chorus intones wordless transcendental benedictions as the music fades away into silence."
Or:
"It was as if the music was being sung by gigantic dragons on the timescale of plate tectonics; each note seemed to take days to develop, every overtone sang its own song, each drumbeat generated a new heaven and a new earth. We were seeing and singing the quantum collapse of probability into actuality--it was frightening and exhilarating at the same time."
What the hell is he talking about? I feel bad ragging on a guy who has written "Box of Rain" and "Unbroken Chain," and maybe the second half of the book is better, but I'd rather hear him hold forth with his bass. Yet again I claim and bemoan the fact that no one has yet written a readable, engaging history of the Dead. Everything is either a freakshow or faux-philosophical treatise on "layers of being," etc. And don't get me started on that awful Amazon documentary.
March 29, 2013
Strangely, since they touched most of the bases of my interests - blues, folk music, R & B, improvisation, bluegrass, old-style country and rock and roll - I was never a fan of the Grateful Dead. Something in the combination of their sound and lyrics just never did it for me. However, having read over the years of the polyrythmic world-music explorations of Mickey Hart and hearing a little of the classical/avant-garde background of Phil Lesh and knowing that the story of the group as a whole would be full of incident and strangeness, I decided to give the biography of Lesh's involvement in the band a go.
I wasn't disappointed. Lesh has a candid and intelligent style that makes the reader forgive the odd lapse into 1960's mysticism during his narration of the story of a unique musical journey. The characters we're introduced to along the ride are also eccentric and depicted artfully with all their humanity intact. It's an entertaining and surprisingly moving story of one man's involvement in the powerful and mysterious world of music which had so many influences and tributaries in the last half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the 21st. A really egaging read. - BH.
I wasn't disappointed. Lesh has a candid and intelligent style that makes the reader forgive the odd lapse into 1960's mysticism during his narration of the story of a unique musical journey. The characters we're introduced to along the ride are also eccentric and depicted artfully with all their humanity intact. It's an entertaining and surprisingly moving story of one man's involvement in the powerful and mysterious world of music which had so many influences and tributaries in the last half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the 21st. A really egaging read. - BH.
July 30, 2008
I've not ever held much interest in the Grateful Dead's music, as it just never grew with me. Friend's have tried and so have I, but it just never has been the life affirming and changing experience other music provides.
Still I respect very much what the Grateful Dead brought to music and agree strongly with views I've heard Jerry Garcia and others espouse in interviews.
I'm glad to have learned much more about the and reading this book. I've read a good many band biographies and thought that Phil Lesh's prescience for the Grateful Dead's greatness seemed invented when I read this book. I doubt some of what he wrote about the band's development and a knowledge or thought that they would get where they got, especially considering the substantial set-backs. Still, I think many bands experience that thought that something powerful and special is happening when you play. That's not more true for bands that become famous than for those bands who play their whole existence out of the limelight.
Still I respect very much what the Grateful Dead brought to music and agree strongly with views I've heard Jerry Garcia and others espouse in interviews.
I'm glad to have learned much more about the and reading this book. I've read a good many band biographies and thought that Phil Lesh's prescience for the Grateful Dead's greatness seemed invented when I read this book. I doubt some of what he wrote about the band's development and a knowledge or thought that they would get where they got, especially considering the substantial set-backs. Still, I think many bands experience that thought that something powerful and special is happening when you play. That's not more true for bands that become famous than for those bands who play their whole existence out of the limelight.
July 10, 2007
granted the writing, for the most part, is sub-par, i really enjoyed this book. being a huge fan of the dead since i was younger, i was completely fascinated by lesh's insight on the band's development musically and spiritually. my favorite period of the band's career was it's inception in '65 until about 1973, when wake of the flood< was released. While the remainder of the music from the 70s was good, I think that their earlier period was most interesting (as is often the case), mainly due to their constant experimentation and evolution from genre to genre, while still maintaining their own unique sound and vision. it seems that much of the blame can be placed on drug use, which really pushed the members apart from one another, in terms of why they fell apart musically.
March 23, 2009
Of course I'm interested in the material, but Lesh has a surprisingly strong voice and sense of story. And he's refreshingly frank about a lot of sensitive issues: drug and alcohol problems in the band, the decline of the music in general, personal gripes, etc. What struck me the most was how much of a fanboy he sounds like when he talks about Jerry Garcia. Just like anyone else in the crowd, he would get excited just by Jerry looking over at him and winking. All in all, a decent read, but maybe only if you're a deadhead.
May 17, 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed this book for its inside look at the Grateful Dead. I would, of course, have preferred more detailed recollections of some of my favorite parts of the history, but with 50+ years to cover, I completely understood why not everything was completely discussed. All in all, a very informative and interesting read.
September 22, 2007
This is a very earnest but enjoyable memoir. I've always liked the Dead, but their fans drive my nuts. It was interesting to get more inside info from one of the founders who was not Jerry. Lesh's positive attitude is infectious.
November 15, 2007
Get Phil's POV of this iconic bands trials and tribulations. This is the only Grateful Dead memoir I've read so far, but it was a great read. I think even all you non-heads out there will find this book entertaining.
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