This post started as a Facebook post - third in a series "Summer Cum Louday" I just started on summer songs. I post and ask folks to play..."dance"'along and reply with their favs. My intention was simple...but grew as my Muse utilized the services of other guides I count on: Guru Google Yogi YouTube "I'm just a soul whose intentions are good..." This combined energy turned my "work" time into PLAY TIME. I love my "JOB"!!! SUMMER CUM LOUDAY-3 “Hear are” today’s offerings in sort of CHRONOS time… Dancin’ in the Streets Martha & the Vandellas (from 1964, Marvin Gaye contributed this classic) The Mamas & The Papas (video ends at 2:15 but song continues to end of video) Stevie Winwood & Chaka Khan from the Songs & Visions Concert Wembley 1997 Mick & David (their added countries now make this about dancin’ around the world) DANCIN’ IS A "DEAD" END Gym Time: Get ready for some "Callie-stenics"... 'Dancing In The Streets' (432Hz) Grateful Dead Live @ Cornell University '77 (17:00) “GRATE” version of fans just following the Band’s “marchin’” orders and dancing in the streets. You’ll feel like you were/are there. FYI - the video repeats around midway (08:45), so, you can stop watching, put on yer dancin' shoes...or go bare-footin" and dance to the music (dig the "Sly" pun?). Seeing that this show was at Cornell University in NY's Finger Lakes Region, I invited Jerry to give us his famous "4 & 1/2 finger" salute: Grateful Dead - Sesame Street Mash Up - 'Dancing in the Sesame Streets ' - 5/19/77 (03:40) --I blogged about the video’s creative creator – Jack Abramson – in my post for Daze #5 of Jerry Week: Jerry Garcia Week: 9 DAZE OF HAIGHT – Day #5: JACKS are Wild…CarTUNES & Slap Schtick BONUS TRACKS Takin' some artistic "post-etic" license here...and offering a dancin' song that contains the tune for the "sunny" image above: Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion (an illustrated version) (02:08) Grateful Dead "Dancing In The Street" live 1967 San Francisco (01:25) (The uploader added this description) "This is actual news footage from a seven-minute spot on the six o'clock news on CBS in 1967. The Grateful Dead live on Haight-Ashbury doing a street show. The video is a bit old, but the footage is awesome." My Comments: There is talk part way through by the news person speaking of the dangers for youth being sucked into the counter-culture of the era... but the music continues. On the announcer’s remarks about the Dead ("style but no content") and young people dropping out from a culture they didn’t agree with and going to their own private spaces…I could and I’m sure many of you could weigh in on his biased perspective on this “heavy” topic…But, for now, take a look at the website for the Grateful Dead’s charitable wing: The Rex Foundation. I described this organization in my ninth and final post for Jerry Week in a 1988 video interview with Jerry. (miss you) PLUS…each member of the band has been individually involved in giving back and encouraging us – their fans – to get involved in making our shared world a better place. I wrote about Bob Weir’s role as spokesman for Headcount – an organization that shows up at music events to register concert-goers to vote. I recently penned a piece on his 3-rd-eye involvement with Seva – an organization started by Ram Dass that performs remarkable eye care in underserved parts of our shared world. In 2018 in my first blog post (“Music as Medicine -1”), I described the work Mickey Hart has been doing using music to help folks with cognitive impairment – an effort that includes collaboration with the world’s top neuroscientists such as Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Brooklyn-born (where else?) and working in San Francisco (ditto - where else???)… (Source) Adam Gazzaley is an American neuroscientist, author, photographer, entrepreneur and inventor. He is the founder and executive director of Neuroscape and the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. He is co-founder and chief science advisor of Akili Interactive Labs and JAZZ Venture Partners. Gazzaley is the inventor of the first video game approved by the FDA as a medical treatment. He is a board of trustee member, science council member and fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. He has authored over 160 scientific articles. PLAY/DANCE LIST (all 8 tunes)... #music #humor #GratefulDead #JerryGarcia #BobWeir #MickeyHart #MarthaandVandellas #MamasandPapas #SteveWinwood #ChakaKhan #MickJagger #DavidBowie #JackAbramson

SUNSET: August 9, 1995 Opening Song... "Touch Of Grey" (Soldier Field, 7/9/95) (Grateful Dead) (07:25) Somewhere in the Middle... “So Many Roads” – Grateful Dead (Soldier Field, 7/9/95) (12:25) Closing Song... “Box of Rain” – Grateful Dead (Soldier Field, 7/9/95) (04:55) "Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there"... Grateful Dead Final Concert 7-9-1995 (2:31:15) REMEMBRANCES Jerry Garcia 1988 Rare Lost Interview Tapes FULL INTERVIEW (25:49) -- During the interview, Garcia was asked how he wanted to be remembered. "I don't know. I never thought about it in those terms," he said with a laugh. "I guess I would want to be known as the guy who had a pretty good time while he was here...you can go at any moment so you might as well crowd as much possible into your life." Jerry Garcia Opens Up About Life In Long Lost 1988 Interview Tapes Rare Jerry Garcia Interview from 1988 Here are some highlights: • 'I hate to play anything twice ever. In fact, I'm almost constitutionally unable to do it. It isn't fun for me, and luckily everybody else in the band, the Grateful Dead, is like me in that regard. Our problem is to keep ourselves interested, and that means to keep changing. So that means every night we play the material differently. We don't do a "show" as such. We have a large repertoire of pushing 200 songs when we really are working a lot, and we just go on stage and play. It's the only way we can do it and keep it interesting… No two shows are alike. If you really want to see the Grateful Dead you have to go to all of these shows… To go on the road and play mechanically would cheapen this whole experience. We're interested in providing something that isn't just a live version of a record. We want it to be more dynamic, we want it to be more exciting, we want it to be unexpected, we want there to be surprises there, we want the people to feel they're participating in it… The audience becomes a part of the music and it becomes a very rich experience. If you decide what you're going to be is a jukebox, then pretty soon you get bored. Being on the road gets to be a real drag… Doing something that stays interesting, that really is the key.' • 'We've always really avoided expressing any particular message with our music. We've made an effort to make it as ambiguous as possible so people could create their own sense. If we're standing for something, we hope that the whole gesture says it rather than the individual songs. So our songs have purposefully not been focused in a topical sense.' • 'PCP is not good. Crack is not good. A lot of drugs will definitely kill you… You just have to be careful nowadays.' • About his diabetic coma: 'I lost about four or five days there, they're gone... It was like a complete meltdown, I really had to start everything over again.' • 'I'd like to be known as a guy who had a pretty good time while he was here.' Listen to Grateful Dead perform 'Box of Rain' as their final encore before Jerry Garcia's death --The slightly off-kilter performance on the night was concluded with a saddening moment as The Grateful Dead perform the all-too-apt ‘Box of Rain’. After the first encore of ‘Black Muddy Water’ subsided, the song Phil Lesh wrote with Robert Hunter for his dying father would be the final song The Grateful Dead would ever play with Garcia. Jerry Garcia would die on August 9th, 1995. Leaving Phil Lesh to sing “Such a long, long time to be gone,” as the audience left the arena, “and a short time to be there.” Its sentiment that rung out over the crowd that evening and every other fan of The Grateful Dead ever since. Jerry Garcia: Funeral for a Friend (RollingStone, 1995) --spend time with these wonder-filled memories… In addition to family and members of the band, Bob Dylan, Ken Kesey, Bruce Hornsby and basketball great Bill Walton were among the mourners. Ken Kesey's letter to Garcia 1995 --a must read…short and deep…about Kesey’s reflections on Jerry’s wake… Elegy for Jerry Garcia – Robert Hunter’s elegy read by Wavy Gravy) (03:11) -- Robert Hunter's elegy for Jerry Garcia read by Wavy Gravy 4 days after his death at a memorial for Garcia in Golden Gate Park The poem Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter wrote in tribute to Jerry Garcia TIME's 1995 Obituary for Jerry Garcia I’ll close with this song about the passage of time… "The Wheel" - Jerry Garcia (04:02) "The Wheel" from Jerry Garcia's debut solo album 'Garcia'. Written by Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia. Video directed & created by Justin Kreutzmann (Bill’s son) Naw…changed my mind…I want to leave us with a different energy… Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey (Official Music Video) [HD] (04:52) #music #JerryGarcia #GratefulDead #RobertHunter #KenKesey

START “HEAR”: Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter (Bob and Jerry) - "All My Trials" - Before The Dead (04:00) -- Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter ("Bob and Jerry") perform "All My Trials" from the upcoming Jerry Garcia retrospective, Before The Dead. This traditional song is associated with Joan Baez, who had it on her first album. Very much part of the Civil Rights Movement. The first three songs and their performance were part of the common stock of the American folk revival. But here Bob and Jerry, as budding musical professionals, began to bring in personal touches—care- fully arranged vocal and instrumental parts—to the music. This is a haunting song, and their rendition delivers an appropriately somber intensity. Part 1: ROBERT HUNTER & JERRY GARCIA “Let there be songs to fill the air…” Their collaboration was…what can we say? Just listen to their combined magic… In 2015, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Robert Hunter performing “Ripple” at this 2015 event (04:09) Jerry Garcia Band & Robert Hunter - Promontory Rider - live 2/29/80 (06:29) --at The Calderone in Hempstead, NY --per uploader: “*There is almost 2 minutes of dead air+crowd noise beginning at 4:45. I left it in by accident.” Bob and Jerry - "Trouble In Mind" - Before The Dead (Jerry Garcia) (03:09) The Wheel – Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (04:02) --video by Bill Kreutzmann’s son Justin (see next article) All In The Family: Justin Kreutzmann (2014) --What is it like to grow up Dead…as Bill Kreutzmann's son? -- Justin Kreutzmann was born into the highly creative if unconventional world of the Grateful Dead. So, it comes as no surprise that when his dad gave him a Super-8 film camera back in 1977, his path was set for life. Find out more about Justin's work as a documentarian, what bands he'd love to work with, and of course, what life was like growing up Dead in this edition of All In The Family. You are in the unique position of being able to share experiences of what life was like growing up Dead so to speak. Give us a little taste of what that was like. Click on above link to read the rest of this story. For more Robert Hunter, see “Encores” below. Part 2: BRIDGE (over troubled waters) This section will attempt to connect Part 1 to Part 3 using the song “Bertha” – another “grate” Hunter-Garcia “joint” project. In Part 3, I tell the tale of my recent replacement of our ceiling fan in the master bedroom. It was a “long, strange trip” in which I had to pause often to “listen to the music play…” so as to stay calm and focused on all the twists and turns… As you’ll read in the next article, according to some Dead lore, the inspiration for this tune was a story about an office fan “that would run around and try and catch everyone and cut their fingers off. They started calling it Bertha.” (L) from next article, (R) at my 2019 kundalini yoga class in Echo Park, W. Hempstead, NY Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Bertha" (article) Grateful Dead - Bertha (Orchard Park, NY 7/4/89) (07:17) --Jerry just smiling and enjoying himself…as the beach balls go bouncing by… Part 3: JOHN HUNTER This home repair project began when I tried to purchase a replacement remote controller for our master bedroom ceiling fan. It was here when we moved in over 25 years ago. No part was available. I grew up with a Dad who could fix anything and I also worked with my hands for many years…so, rather than spend hundreds of dollars on a new fan, I looked for another solution. I found a kit that included a replacement receiver to attach to the original fan motor (below) and matching controller for under $50 bucks. I like challenges and learning new things, so, I figured I’d give it a try. Well, after weeks of on and off time with this project and learning all about the different kinds of fan motor wiring, I found out that the kit wouldn’t work and had to give up and buy a new fan. Along the way, I stopped to ask directions...REALLY!!! I asked a friend who's a union electrician for help with my fan motor wiring questions. Interestingly, once I reached out to him to set up a date to meet...I was able to figure out that the kit I bought wouldn't work. Hmmm...I needed to let go of trying to figure it out...and then was shown the light... New fan - Before installation One of the two studs for the fan mounting bracket was loose…had to access it from the attic side to tighten In the attic above bedroom to access the ceiling box and secure the loose studs to the fan mounting bracket . Fortunately, Eileen saved me a bunch of time - as she had gone through all the various models and selected a beautiful replacement from Hunter. THANKS, MATE!!! Hunter’s Customer Service representatives were very helpful – from my first call about getting a wiring diagram for our old fan…to help in selecting a new one. Part 4: LESSONS LEARNED “If you get confused, listen to the music play…” (song) “Confusion clouds the heart…but it also points the way…Quiet down the mind…the more the song will play” (song) Ask for help (song) “Know when to hold them…and when to fold them…” (song) Grateful Dead - Franklin's Tower @ Radio City 10-31-80 HALLOWEEN LIVE (09:03) Franklin's Tower ☮ Grateful Dead, 5/9/77 (14:08) --with cool video imagery Part 5: ENCORES Jerry Garcia's last days recalled by Robert Hunter -- Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter recalls being “alarmed” by Jerry Garcia’s kind words in the days leading up to the mainman’s death… The poem Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter wrote in tribute to Jerry Garcia (June 2022) Jerry’s Bands --Jerry Garcia moved fluidly between duos, trios, and larger bands from the early 1960s, all the way to the end of his life in 1995. Each new endeavor had Jerry jumping between instruments and roles with a ceaseless passion for revolutionary forms, interesting sounds, and the next opportunity to effect rapid change on an ever-evolving art form. --Jerry and Bob were a duo from May ’61 to June ’61. Franklin's Tower Lyrics By: Robert Hunter Music By: Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann In another time's forgotten space Your eyes looked from your mother's face (note a) Wildflower seed on the sand and stone May the four winds blow you safely home Roll away the dew Roll away the dew Roll away the dew Roll away the dew I'll tell you where the four winds dwell (note b) In Franklin's tower there hangs a bell It can ring, turn night to day It can ring like fire when you lose your way God save the child who rings that bell (note c) It may have one good ring, baby, you can't tell (note d) One watch by night, one watch by day If you get confused, listen to the music play Some come to laugh their past away Some come to make it just one more day Whichever way your pleasure tends If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind In Franklin's tower the four winds sleep (note e) Like four lean hounds the lighthouse keep Wildflower seed in the sand and wind May the four winds blow you home again (a) Robert Hunter's lyrics in "Box Of Rain" are "Your eyes looked through your mother's face" (b) the lyrics in "Box Of Rain" are "You ask me where the four winds dwell" (c) the lyrics in "Box Of Rain" are "God help the child ..." (d) the lyrics in "Box of Rain" are "It may have one good ring left ..." (e) this is the lyrics in "Box Of Rain" and the studio recording, but Jerry mostly sang "I'll tell you where the four winds sleep." Thanks to Dan Franzen for pointing this out. #music #humor #RobertHunter #JerryGarcia #GratefulDead #TrevorHall #Beatles #KennyRogers #JustinKreutzmann #HunterFanCompany

START “HEAR”: Jerry Garcia Band w/Clarence Clemons: Knockin' on Heaven's Door - 09-10-1989 - Mansfield, MA (12:38) --the saxophone of Clarence Clemons adds to the effects…Close your eyes and you might drift back to the Village and be in one of the clubs of yesteryear or today: Village Vanguard, Café Wha?, Gaslight Cafe. If you got a few, check out the Wikipedia links for some cool history… --yet another song about outlaws – a frequent subject for the band Grateful Dead - Knockin' On Heaven's Door 7-7-89 (08:55) --In this version, at 07:35 they included these refrain lyrics: “Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Just like so many times before…” Considering Jerry’s lifestyle choices, it’s likely he was in this place several times… DIGGIN’ DEEPER... The Story Behind 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' By Bob Dylan --An iconic song he was asked to write for the 1973 Western movie “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.” AND, he also played a role… --includes links to some amazing covers…Check ‘em out! --Gotta share one: In October 2007, 1,730 guitarists in Shillong, India strummed this song for five minutes to set a world record for the largest ever guitar ensemble. Bob Dylan Remembers Jerry Garcia (RollingStone) Did Bob Dylan really say that Jerry Garcia played his songs like he imagines them in his head? Dylan & the Dead Album - February 06, 1989 --released in 1989, it features songs from the six 1987 "Dylan & the Dead" shows This one’s in a league of its own…Hmm, 20,000 leagues under the sea… Guns N' Roses - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Live In Tokyo 1992 (12:54) --WATCHING Axl cavort around the stage AMPlifies the energy of his and the band’s performance. Do you agree? And he added these lyrics: "You just better start sniffin' your own rank subjugation jack 'cause it's just you against your tattered libido, the bank and the mortician, forever man and it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive" Guns N Roses - Knocking on Heavens Door – with imaginative water imagery (05:23) Knockin' in Africa... Knockin' on Heaven's Door | Afro Fiesta w/Twanguero & I-Taweh | Playing For Change (05:26) --In dual languages with musicians from around our shared world. --(from the video description) In honor of Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday today, we’re excited to share this acoustic rendition of his hit song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” This intimate performance features Afro Fiesta (Mermans Mosengo and Jason Tamba) along with Twanguero and I-Taweh performing live outside during a special filming of Mark’s Park. Eric... Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door - Eric Clapton 1977 (04:56) --with a reggae interpretation Dylan’s for the Byrds... Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, 1976 (09:11) --segues into “Lay, Lady, Lay” PURE BOB… Bob Dylan - Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Official HD Video) (04:33) --includes these lyrics that Jerry used: “Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Just like so many times before…” FOR THOSE WHO IDENTIFY WITH A HIGHER POWER... #music #humor #JerryGarciaBand #GratefulDead #BobDylan #GunsnRoses #PlayingforChange #EricClapton

START “HEAR”: One More Saturday Night – Grateful Dead (5/27/72) (04:09) “Weir” Everywhere…from Europe ’72 Tour “Sometimes we visit your countries and stay in your homes…” Put on your dancing shoes and get out on the floor…Bob is a true howling “wolf” - a foretaste of his future Wolf Brothers spinoff…and Pigpen is on organ… Europe ’72 Source 2018-now Image Source …In the beginning…the first Saturday night... In my version of the GRATE News (upgrade from “Good”), after 6 days when the heavy lifting of creation was done, the Chief Musician on that first Saturday night, looked out at what had been accomplished and… “Then God way up in heaven, for whatever it was worth Thought he'd have a big old party, thought he'd call it Planet Earth Don't worry about tomorrow, Lord, you'll know it when it comes When the rock and roll music meets the rising, shining sun” …needs something else… Some of my Best Saturday Nights · My first – Sept. 27, 1947 – as my Mom ushered me into the big dance hall. I was the first of 7. Thanks, Mom! · In our single years, my buddies and I would rent halls and throw awesome parties. They were usually on Saturday nights at venues like VFW Halls and Masonic Temples. Sometimes we’d attract the attention of the local constabulary and wonder how come they knew just where to find our stash. Always a “grate” time for everyone. · At Saturday night parties at friend’s places, we’d stop everything to watch the latest antics in Saturday Night Live. · The best - I met Eileen in a local bar (10 Downing Street on Metropolitan Avenue)…a few years later, on a Saturday night, I proposed to her on a weekend retreat…this was followed by our union in a monastery on the same holy grounds. All stories for another post. · Oct. 8, 1988 Our son John’s arrival. Taking some artistic license here on night and day…Eileen ushered him into the big recital hall minutes after 12 AM - as two songs played consecutively over the Mercy Hospital (RVC) PA: Morning Has Broken and Here Comes the Sun (which became “son”). · Aug. 6, 2022 I’m sitting here at the keys writing about Jerry and the Grateful Dead. I love my job! Jerry & the Grateful Dead Make their Debut on Saturday Night Live - 11/11/78 Saturday Night Live Episode 197 Nov 11, 1978 S04E05 - Buck Henry (whole episode) (1:06:34) “It’s a “buck” dancer’s choice my friend better take my advice…”…and listen to this episode… Buck Henry/The Grateful Dead. Sketches include--"Concession Speech,", "Rovco Chinch Canch" commercial parody, "Samurai Optometrist," "Uncle Roy #1," "The Death of Rasputin," "Nick Sands, the Lounge Singer," More Flu To Worry About, and "St. Mickey's Knights of Columbus." The Grateful Dead perform: Casey Jones (23:15-26:55) I Need a Miracle (50:50-54:02) Good Lovin (54:03-58:00) --check out the smiles on their faces…the band is really enjoying one more Saturday night… Grateful Dead on SNL - Alabama Getaway 1980-04-05 (03:28) --check out Bobby’s headgear "We're from France" (part of Europe '72 tour?) Source Greatest Stories Ever Told - "One More Saturday Night" – David Dodds As I’ve said in other posts, this is my go-to for dives into Dead songs. According to Dodds, this is Bob’s song. Here are a few comments from the post: “There aren’t all that many originals in the Dead repertoire that adhere to a fairly straight-ahead rock and roll progression. I think every band should have at least one. And as Garcia once said: ‘Cause, playing rock and roll...it’s fun!’ And the big walk-up in the middle is always a blast to hear.” “Weir played around with the words some over the years, depending who was in office. During the Reagan years, he would refer to Nancy and Ron. With Bush in office, he would stick the word “George” in there—'His wife say don’t get crazy, George, you know just what to do...’ (There’s evidence he did this with both Bushes, though obviously, not with the Dead.) Performances The song was first performed on October 19, 1971, by the Grateful Dead. Aside from Ace, it also appeared on the Dead's Europe '72 live album. After 1972, it became a regular part of the Dead's repertoire, and as might be expected, was frequently heard on Saturday shows; with its short, compact form and energetic crescendoes, it was a popular break from some of the Dead's more challenging pieces. It has continued to be regularly performed by post-Grateful Dead collaboratives, including The Other Ones, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Dead, Furthur, RatDog, Dead & Company, and various solo Weir projects. U. S. Senator (D-MN), comedian, and political commentator Al Franken, a Grateful Dead fan who used the group's music on his radio show, named his 1986 comedy film One More Saturday Night after the song. Basketball player and Deadhead Bill Walton's 2000s Sirius satellite radio show is named after the song. One More Saturday Night (Live in Veneta, Oregon 8/27/72) (05:02) --show finale --RollingStone article Move over, John...Big Boss Man's in town tonight...and he's got the fever AND he's got the cure... SOME POST-POST SILLINESS: MR. SATURDAY KNIGHT Family Guy Season 3 Episode 9: Mr. Saturday Knight Full Episode (22:00) -- When Mr. Weed dies, the toy factory shuts down, and Peter is out of a job. Now with the chance, Peter decides to fulfill his dream to become a Knight at the Renaissance Fair. However, when his role model the Black Knight turns out to be a jerk, Peter becomes discouraged. Family Guy - A celebrity on Saturday Night Live (01:13) Non-sequitor... That's what I thought until I just found this sequitor...continue below Jimi... When Jimi Hendrix stood up The Grateful Dead (June 23, 2022) --they ALMOST got to play together...article includes the Dead doing Jimi's "All Along the Watchtower." Grateful Dead - All Along the Watchtower Live at Shoreline 5/29/93 (07:48) Good Night, All... #music #humor #GratefulDead #BobWeir #SNL #SaturdayNightLive #FamilyGuy

In this post, I hope to introduce new and veteran Deadheads to one of my favorite sources of pure delight – a source that might not be where you might usually turn when you need some musical medicine. Today, we’ll meet Jack Abramson (a.k.a, “Bacon Man”) and his creative videos that feature jam bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish. His combination of music and humor mirrors what I do (or “Dew”) in my blog posts. JACK ABRAMSON Jack’s YouTube Channel/Grateful Dead Mashups Before I highlight some of his fun musical creations pairing Dead songs with TV shows, movies, and other media, here’s some idea of his mission in life. About My Background I’ve always had a passion for telling stories, making people laugh, and documenting raw moments in time. I mostly enjoy taking pictures of nature, but I also love exploring the life of big cities through my various lenses. I especially like taking candid shots of people to capture that essence of real-life moments. Photography and Videography as Communication What excites me about my photography, videography and editing projects is the process. Every one of my projects starts with me visualizing the completed work in my head, many times challenging myself to do something that I haven’t done before. That feeling I get when a project comes to life exactly how I first envisioned it, that’s what lights me up! Sharing Stories I also have a passion for acting and I play several different comedic characters, one of which is “Bacon-Man” who is a bridge to my other passion, music. Bacon Man does really fun musical news and reviews, and these videos give me a chance to showcase the total array of my offerings. If I was a musical instrument, I would be a washboard, a raw instrument that can mesh itself into any sound. It makes people laugh and dance, me and my washboard, we have quite the bromance. So come on in and have a look around. Let me know if I can get you some more information, and please feel free to send me your photo or video project proposals. I look forward to seeing you around the studio. Uh, Oh...an escapee from a local institution...trying to hiJACK this post... “Hey, hit the road, Jack, go back to the Cuckoo’s Nest…we’re here to meet another JACK and explore his creative combinations of music and comedy.” JACK ABRAMSON'S GRATEFUL DEAD MASHUPS Gonna start the turntable with my favorites from Jack’s collection. I’m using my 5th-grade male mind to pick. Lemme ‘splain…I’m 74, and love this early part of my cerebellum. When people ask if I’ve made plans for my departure to go be with Jerry, Pigpen, Jim, Jimi, Janis and others…I tell ‘em this…I’ve told my mate Eileen that if I’m ever on life support and the docs tell her that my 5th-grade male mind has gone offline…it’s OK to pull the plug. The 27 Club My top pick... ...combines orphans, convicts, outlaws and other “misfits” – characters that are frequently portrayed in musical tales from the Grateful Dead, New Riders and Phish. This initial offering is loaded with amazing musicians, dancing, and copious humor. 'Turn On Your Lovelight From God' - The Grateful Dead 'Lovelight' 6/21/89 (07:00) Next up… The Grateful Dead Meet the Three Stooges - The Grateful Dead 'Shakedown Street' 5/12/81 (02:12) I’ve danced like this at concerts…how ‘bout you? The Grateful Dead Meet the Marx Brothers - The Grateful Dead 'Franklins Tower' 10/31/91 (02:30) Scoundrels, skullduggery and dancing…perfect combination. Jack Abramson is brilliant! The Grateful Dead Meet Mel Brooks - The Grateful Dead 'I Need a Miracle' 10/16/89 (01:45) More humor, dancing and “Grate” music. The Flintstones - 'Let it Bedrock' - The Grateful Dead 'Let it Rock' 6/23/74 (01:52) Again, dancing, music, laughter…just like the live shows… I’ll leave us with this and leave you explore on your own the remaining Dead mashups and those of other bands… The Grateful Dead Meets Seinfeld - The Grateful Dead 'Going Down the Road Feeling Bad' 5/6/81 (03:14) BONUS “JACK” TRACKS Jack Straw - Grateful Dead (05:54 – first track of the whole first set April Fool’s Day 1993 @ Nassau Coliseum) --Another tale of desperate scoundrels on the run "We used to play for silver, now we play for life And one's for sport and one's for blood at the point of a knife And now the die is shaken, now the die must fall There ain't a winner in the game, he don't go home with all Not with all" Personal Story about this venue: Went there with my brother Mike. We dressed in skeleton masks and full-body black cloaks…and wondered when we were profiled and stopped by the Nassau County PD. Grateful Dead - Jack-A-Roe - 12/31/1980 - Oakland Auditorium (Official) (05:38) --Jerry telling the tale of mistaken identity and the power of true love to bring a man back to life… …this sure applies to ME…I married up!!! Thanks, Eileen for 44+ Re: the cannon balls lyrics... Blowing In The Wind (Live On TV, March 1963) (02:35) #music #humor #GratefulDead #JerryGarcia

"You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by..." I'm just a garden variety Deadhead... ...trying to get back to the Garden... There's a playlist at the end of all songs in the post for your next road trip... START "HEAR": Golden Road (to unlimited devotion) - Illustrated (02:08) Love "bears" all things..." ADVISORY: Flashing strobe lights and other paranormal activity Grateful Dead Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion - Whicker's World 1967 (02:10) HOUSE/TRIBE RULES OF THE ROAD... St. Stephen - Grateful Dead 1969 (04:01) Post from St. Stephen Day Dec. 26, 2021 Grateful Dead - Scarlet Begonias (Winterland 10/19/74) (Official Live Video) (12:57) Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey (Official Music Video) (04:52) Grateful Dead - Ramble On Rose (Philadelphia 7/7/89) (Official Live Video) (07:18) Grateful Dead - Eyes Of The World (Winterland 10/19/74) (Official Live Video) (07:12) Grateful Dead - He's Gone (Foxboro, MA 7/2/89) (Official Live Video) (13:55) Bonus road trip song Grateful Dead - Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad into Not Fade Away 5/7/1972 (12:32) NOW...get out the door...turn on your love light...AND LEAVE IT ON... Grateful Dead - Turn on Your Love Light - 1970 Live w/Pigpen (09:03) PLAYLIST OF ALL SONGS IN THIS POST #music #humor #JerryGarcia #GratefulDead #children

I woke up during the night (Tue-Wed) with the ideas percolating…but I’m just getting to my laptop now (Wed. 6:48 pm) due to home repair issues…So, If you’re interested in today’s “Deadline story”, please skip this part and head down to "POST TIME" below. That said, Jerry, the Grateful Dead, practicing Buddhists and others simply see that life just IS…IS…IS… and “our mission should we decide to accept it” is NOT impossible…as long as we practice acceptance without judgment. Practicing this made the day’s “interruptions”…well, they just were part of the long, strange trip…and I stayed focused and relaxed... “When life looks like Easy Street, there’s danger at your door…” …our landline stopped working and the condensate from our basement ductless A/C unit started dripping onto the carpet…Oh! One more, when I logged in, Windows crashed and I had to do a restart… Ahh! But I wasn’t deterred and started my morning with centering prayer meditation, read inspirational email from some friends, listened to movin’ music, had a Filipino-Mex breakfast…was reminded to feed our backyard birds ("the crow told me") then contacted Verizon and had a fun and wonderful encounter with their representative and then moved in HVAC land. After several hours of learning, watching, reading and experimenting, I found a clogged condensate drain line, To do this I had to dig up the dirt next to the foundation and go down until I found the end of the tube. Got my trusty coat hanger and pushed it through (“Keep on Pushing”) [1] until I “Broke on through to the Other Side”). After removing the clog, I repositioned the drain tube so it was pointing DOWN – For some reason, the installer had made the tube like a sink drain with a U bend so the open end was pointing UP. Never having worked on this, I called the installer to see what he thought of my idea. He agreed and I proceeded. AND IT'S FIXED!!! [1] I liked this version as it shows these veterans years later and still pushing - provided role models for the younger musicians who are accompanying them. It is now post time… JERRY: A FRIEND OF THE DEVIL First stop: David Dodds "Greatest Stories Ever Told" site - THE place to dig deep... From the article: The character in the song is on the run—a theme that comes up again and again in Grateful Dead songs from “Sugaree” to “Bertha” to “Jack Straw.” It’s a story song for the ages. One for the campfires and the hoedowns and the tributes and the masses. My adds: Outlaws are a recurring theme...so we can see connections between the Dead and the Hell's Angels. This will be explored in this post. *************************************************************************************************** First played: 1970 Time played live: 420 Last played: 1995 *************************************************************************************************** Wikipedia The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album American Beauty. The song is largely acoustic, like most of American Beauty. It is known for the guitar riff Garcia plays in the bass register, which is a descending G major scale (G F# E D C B A G). The song is among the most covered songs written by the Grateful Dead; Hunter later stated, "that was the closest we've come to what may be a classic song." The song was introduced in concert on March 20, 1970 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Following the group's October 1974-June 1976 touring hiatus, the song was performed in a significantly slower arrangement with extended guitar and keyboard solos. Loggins and Messina, whose version of the song was slowed down, might have inspired the Dead to do the same. In more recent history, Phil Lesh and Friends have performed a more uptempo version similar to the original. Hunter plays a slightly different version on his album (released only in LP format) Jack O'Roses. He adds a final verse: "You can borrow from the Devil/ You can borrow from a friend/ But the Devil'll give you twenty/ When your friend got only ten" VERSIONS Grateful Dead - Friend Of The Devil 12-31-78 (09:48) --closing of Winterland Jerry Garcia Band - Friend Of The Devil - 4/2/1976 - Capitol Theatre (Official) (07:49) --Donna providing the Devil’s female face Garcia & Grisman, "Friend of the Devil" on Late Show, Sept. 15, 1993 (07:40) --this song ends at 4:39… followed by bonus audio during the commercial break: The CBS Orchestra, along with solos by David, then Jerry, perform the Jagger/Richards song made popular by Marianne Faithful in 1964, "As Tears Go By." Friend of the Devil – Robert Hunter (acoustic) (02:58) --great version, includes these alternate lyrics: “You can borrow from the devil You can borrow from a friend The devil will give you twenty When your friend got only ten” Friend Of The Devil - 7/4/15 - Dave Matthews Band w/ Béla Fleck – SPAC (05:10) -- Béla on banjo just adds to the fun in this acoustic gem Friend of the Devil-Lyle Lovett (Deadicated) (04:16) --singer’s voice captures the country energy and the video adds to this effect. Told Mike, my transplanted New York friend now in Arizona, that the scenery looks like where he lives in the desert. Friend Of The Devil: Remembering Jerry Garcia From the article: One of the group’s earliest major performances – the ‘Mantra-Rock dance’ – was organized by the San Francisco Hare Krishna temple and took place on Jan 29th, 1967, at the Avalon ballroom. Accompanying the band on stage was the Hare Krishna founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, beat poet Allen Ginsberg and singer Janis Joplin. Proceeds from the concert were donated to the temple and soon after the band released their first LP, The Grateful Dead, on Warner Brothers. The album cover featured an image of Yoga-Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. One of his very last collaborations was on Calcutta-born composer and guitarist Sanjay Mishra’s album, Blue Incantation, a gorgeous set that effortlessly locates Indian classical music within a western context. On tracks like “Clouds and Monsoon,” Jerry’s bluesy riffs are worked into the song, evoking a rich, atmospheric palette while Samir Chatterjee’s virtuosity on tabla matches the layered texture of Mishra’s compositions. The centerpiece of the album is Sanghamitra Chatterjee’s intense vocals in “Passage Into Dawn,” an impassioned tribute to beauty and impermanence. Garcia’s bargain with the devil finally ran its course when he was killed by a heart attack on August 9, 1995, barely a week after his 53rd birthday. But not before he had created an alternative American reality that still lives on through the vast ecosystem of bootleg recordings, folklore, lyrics and the Deadhead community. As per his wishes, a portion of Jerry Garcia’s ashes were spread into the Ganges river in the holy town of Rishikesh by Bob Weir and his widow Deborah Koons, accompanied by Sanjay Mishra. The remaining ashes were scattered into the San Francisco bay. The Grateful Dead (first album cover - cited in previous article) BRIDGE BETWEEN HELL AND HEAVEN Sympathy For The Devil - Phil Lesh and Friends Halloween 2016 Capitol Theater (12:03) --Luther (Lucifer) Dickinson heating it up…pure Baccanalia!!! Thanks, Phil, for keeping a watchful eye on these modern-day Pranksters. JERRY: A FRIEND OF THE ANGELS “Jerry Angel Unplugged – Jerry Garcia 2002” - Stanley Mouse (Source) Dead History: Jerry Garcia debuts ‘Wolf’ aboard a Hell’s Angels cruise with Merl Saunders The long, strange saga of the Grateful Dead and the Hell's Angels (June 22, 2022) From the article: Backstage at a Grateful Dead concert in the early 1980s, band lyricist John Perry Barlow cornered Jerry Garcia and asked, “Why do we have the Hells Angels around?” It was a fair question. At first glance, the two groups could not have been more different: The Angels were a motorcycle club known for their penchant for violence; the Dead were musicians whose philosophy skewed distinctly pacifist. But there were deeper connections that linked the unlikely pairing. Far beyond the tragic events of the infamous Altamont concert in December 1969, which cemented the two groups in the public imagination, the Dead and the Angels had a long history and a number of mutual friends that bonded the two groups in surprising but enduring ways. But beyond geography and similar countercultural sensibilities, what really connected the two groups was history. The Angels hired the Dead to play on New Year’s day 1967, a free concert in the Panhandle, and two weeks later, the Angels guarded the power cables and even tended to lost children at the Human Be-In, a monumental free event in Golden Gate Park featuring the Dead and several other bands along with Beat poets and politicos. Barlow discovered that when he managed a tour for the Dead. “You know,” he complained to Garcia, “these people are actually committed to darkness, if you think about it.” Garcia replied, thoughtfully: “Well, you know, good wouldn’t mean much without evil.” It startled Barlow, but left an enduring lesson. “The integration of the shadow and the light and the complete seamlessness of both is to me so fundamental to my philosophy,” Barlow explained. “The reason we had those Angels around was so that I could learn that.” But Garcia was also saying something about the Dead. Community was a guiding principle of the Dead’s project, and that meant inclusiveness — which was why there was a place for the Angels in the Dead’s world. At Garcia’s funeral in August 1995, journalists watched in amazement as a phalanx of Angels, dressed in their colors, rode their Harleys up to the church and walked inside — only to reappear a few moments later, dressed in black suits, to act as security. More than two decades after the Dead played for Chocolate George’s funeral, the Angels returned the favor. ********************************************************************************************************* The one person to play with both the Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones (June 25, 2022) --includes a song from each band that included Brian Cutler – a guy who brought some order to the Dead as their manager and also spent time managing the Stones The Concert That Almost Ended the Rolling Stones (from this article) By the Stones' third song, "Sympathy for the Devil," Jagger saw just how tense the situation is and stopped the song. He implored the crowd and the Angels to remain calm. "Hey, people. Sisters. Brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters. Come on, now," Jagger said. "That means everybody just cool out. Will you cool out, everybody. I know. Everybody, be cool now. Come on. Alright? How are we doing over there? Alright? Can we still make it down the front? Is there anyone there that's hurt, huh? Everyone alright? OK? Alright. I think we are cool. We can go. We always havin' something very funny happens when we start that number." THE VERDICT: WHAT SAY YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY? "Guilty on both charges...just like the rest of us..." "We're all a mixture of darkness and light..." #music #humor #GratefulDead #HellsAngels #RollingStones #Altamont #Impressions #TheDoors

START “HEAR”: A Grateful Dead Father's Day at The Rock and Roll Playhouse | 6/16/19 (2:40) If this doesn’t whet your appetite for more…You’re dead (small “d”)… some Jerry-tol might help…Read...Rock...on... IS MUSIC A DEAD END FOR KIDS? If anyone tells you music is a Dead end for kids…tell ‘em, “Huh?!” and draw your six-shooter… Jerry (Source) …then tell ‘em to “Roll over and play Dead!” For nearly all my adult life I’ve worked in children’s ministry: First, I love their energy, curiosity and imagination! Next, they are our future and I want to have some part in helping create it… (around town) INTRODUCING CHILDREN TO THE GRATEFUL DEAD IMPORTANT: This is a parent’s responsibility…don’t leave it for someone else! That said, also go to school board meetings and lobby for the inclusion of our classics. Before he was 18, our musician son had a better Dead collection than I did…Ahh! But not VINYL! I was 40 when he was born and, years earlier, had given all my vinyl records to a nephew who loved music. See, I had become a Christian and somehow thought or was told that I couldn’t listen to that devil’s music. Years later (I’m now 74), when I became a “Friend of the Devil,” I began to see how much spirituality (that’s different from “religion”) was in what I had given away. So, caregivers, after you’ve done your Dead-level best for their musical Deaducation, then you can take them to places like this: Rock and Roll Playhouse A Grateful Dead Father's Day at The Rock and Roll Playhouse | 6/16/19 (02:40) The Rock and Roll Playhouse's Music of The Grateful Dead for Kids - Brooklyn Bowl - 11/11/18 (1:03:04) --This particular time, the Playhouse featured Texas’ Barton Hills Children’s Choir (see below) Barton Hills Children’s Choir Groups like this might just get another one (Other One) on the bus (i.e., a “Furthur” school bus)…to never ever land…where it doesn’t look like Kansas anymore… Grateful Dead Medley - Barton Hills Choir with David Gans (19:03) Jerry as a teen (Source) 😔 He’s Gone - Barton Hills Choir (06:21) 😔 Check their links for more Dead and other bands. There’s hope for our future… Barton Hills Choir YouTube Channel Barton Hills Choir Facebook Barton Hills Choir Website PLAYING FOR CHANGE I’ve cited Playing for Change in so many blog posts. Besides their original works and their collaboration with the world’s most awesome musicians, PFC’s 501c3 Foundation builds and supports music education programs for children in under-served parts of our shared world. (below from their website) Mission: Our mission is simple: to inspire and connect the world through music. We believe that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome the differences that divide us. Our primary focus is to record, and film musicians performing in their natural environments and combine their talents and cultural power through a variety of videos. Chances are, one of those videos brought you here today, along with millions of others music-lovers from every continent. To date, we have produced nearly 400 videos, recorded over 1,400 musicians in 60+ countries, and touched the hearts of over 2 billion viewers through our music videos, performances, and school programs. None of this would be possible without our loyal supporters. And for that, we thank you for helping us bring more music and more positive change into the world. The Grateful Dead and Playing for Change Members of the Grateful Dead family have long been involved with Playing for Change and moving the musical medicine around our planet. My first awareness was via a PFC cover of “Ripple” that featured Billy as timekeeper, Jerry’s daughter Keelin on vocals j- all joined by Jimmy Buffett at Montauk, David Crosby and the Chicago Children’s Choir. It was released in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. A former Catholic nun waxes the praises of PFC and the Grateful Dead in their “joint” “Ripple” effort. Another was their fun collaboration with PFC as combined they covered the 1953 song “Iko Iko” originally written as a single by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and his Cane Cutters. Billy and Mickey were featured, as well as Dr. John. For more fun versions of this song – including by the Dead, check out my Mardi Gras post: Feasting: Mardi Gras - Happy Fat Tuesday Playing for Change Meets Planet Drum (Mickey Hart) --Features several songs King Clave Planet Drum ft. Mickey Hart Song Around the World (02:49) #music #humor #children #GratefulDead #PlayingforChange #BartonHillsChoir #RockandRollPlayhouse

August 1-9 is Jerry Week (born on Aug. 1 & went home on Aug. 9) In celebration of his life and legacy, I'll be creating a new offering for each of the 9 days. I got a very hang loose idea of a plan...but will show up each day opening myself to the musical muse of the universe and allowing her flow to come through my fingers and onto the keys... Feel free to offer your ideas, experiences... SUNRISE: August 1, 1942 Best 30 Jerry Garcia Early Childhood photos FIRST DAZE…Dec. 1964 – Nov. 1965 For The First Time, Here Are Jerry Garcia's Earliest Known Recorded Performances (HuffPost) --in these two songs ("All My Trials" and "Trouble in Mind") we can hear some of the pain that’s already part of his life/musical path…and, we can see his early identification with the common man and how he used the folk music genre to tell our stories…the ones the crow told him...and us... “Well, the first days are the hardest days Don't you worry anymore 'Cause when life looks like Easy Street There is danger at your door” THE WARLOCKS The Warlocks were formed in Palo Alto at the end of 1964 when Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Bob Weir—the original members of Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions—decided to “plug in” at the urging of McKernan. They added a rhythm section: Dana Morgan Jr. on bass and Bill Kreutzmann on drums. Their first performance was in May of 1965 at Magoo’s Pizza in Menlo Park. After a handful of performances, Phil Lesh replaced Dana Morgan. (Source) THE GRATEFUL DEAD How San Jose Became Dead First — And Hosted The Band’s Debut Performance (from this article): --December 4, 1965: The Grateful Dead’s first performance as the Grateful Dead occurred in a home in downtown San Jose now the site of San Jose’s City Hall. --By any measure, the night of December 4, 1965, is one of rock and roll’s most significant dates – which makes the address of 43 South Fifth Street in San Jose one of the world’s most historic musical spots. --The Rolling Stones were in town and after their gig, stopped by the Grateful Dead house party... Unraveling The History Of The First Grateful Dead Show (from this article): --The Grateful Dead are thought of as a San Francisco band. That was certainly true after 1966 when the group planted itself in Haight-Ashbury and occupied a “band house” there. But before then? The band’s members began their musical journey largely in the South Bay – leading epically to their first show under the “Grateful Dead” name at a house in downtown San Jose. In that regard, here are the bullet points that document all of that history and all of those connections to San Jose and Santa Clara County: -- includes "high" lights of years1962 - 1965 -- click on link for more First Concert: Dec. 10, 1965 @ The Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco (from the article) --Forming up around the same time as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead were no doubt inspired by the psychedelic rock sounds produced by that age. But they went a step beyond: behind their lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia, they infused their music with whiffs of country and bluegrass, rhythm & blues and soul, and long, winding improvisational sessions. They inspired legions of followers, more fanatics than fans, who called themselves “deadheads,” following the band on tour from city to city. They contributed, as much as anybody, to the 60s shift in American music and culture. On this day, December 10, in 1965 the Grateful Dead played their first concert at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The week before they played their first gig together as the Dead, at Ken Kesey’s “Acid Test” public party in San Jose, California. The Fillmore concert, the first recorded performance of the Dead, also featured Jefferson Airplane, The Great Society, The John Handy Quintet, The Mystery Trend, and Sam Thomas. Organized by Bill Graham for a “Mime Troupe Benefit,” it was staged in protest of racism and segregation, and sponsored in part by Berkeley’s Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the very same ones that staged a 1,000-member sit-in on campus around the same time. Very First Grateful Dead Concert Poster, December 1965 (01:17) Grateful Dead Live at Carthay Studios on 1966-03-19 --includes 17 tracks, one of which is labelled "Ice Cream Man"...Hmm...wonder is Ben & Jerry were listening..."Cherry Garcia" will be included in one of the 9 Jerry Garcia Week posts. #music #humor #JerryGarcia #GratefulDead #TheWarlocks

In January 2022 I did a post with the title: "Seva, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart: He's got two good eyes and helps others to see..." This post introduced readers to the sight-saving, sight-restoring work of Seva in under-served parts of our shared planet. Use this link to their website to get a quick overview of their mission, philosophy and history. Included among the founding members were spiritual teacher Ram Dass, and Berkeley activists Wavy Gravy and his partner, Jahanara Romney. You can meet them in this fun and informative 19-minute video interview hosted by Seva's Director Kate Moynihan. It just so happens to include photos of some of the members of the Grateful Dead. FYI - Bob Weir is listed on their Team page as both a lifetime board of directors member and an honorary founder, along with Steve Jobs. Bob also serves as a musical ambassador for Headcount - an organization that greets concert goers and encourages them to get registered and vote. Here's a 2020 post I did about this effort. JOIN US: Eileen and I have supported Seva's healing work for years. Conversations with Kate: The Wonder of Wavy and Jah (19:36) --Wavy's describes himself as a "chocolate head" as he tells the story of a 50th birthday gig held in his honor - a story that includes a bathtub filled with the sweet, brown delight and a scuba diver... Introducing Wavy Gravy Start "Hear": Wavy Gravy & Ace of Cups music video: "Basic Human Needs" (04:52) --his song and its message are sure to open your heart to this compassionate human being. I found mention of a poem with this name in a 2009 chat on Internet Archive. At the end of the post you'll find links to more Wavy Gravy. I chose the above caption for this section for ME...SEE, prior to watching the "Conversations with Kate" video, while I'd heard Wavy's name, I didn't know anything about this preeminent clown and social activist - who, among his credentials includes being the emcee at Woodstock, the official clown for the Grateful Dead and having a Ben & Jerry's flavor named in his honor - as did Grateful Dead's leader via their Cherry Garcia - a sure cure for the after-show munchies. Recent Board of Directors meeting with staff and board (can you find the clown?) Early Board of Directors meeting, early 1980s (Ram Dass lower left, Wavy lower center) Opening the Eyes of Children Seva: Restoring Sight to Cambodian Children (01:41) Many Cambodia children do not have access to eye care services. Seva trains Cambodian doctors and provides infrastructure so that Cambodia can provide care to it's own citizens. (In 2014), over 70,000 children in Cambodia received eye examinations as a result of Seva's work. 1/2 of children who go blind in developing countries will die within the first year. By preventing and treating blindness, Seva provides opportunities for life to children around the world. Celebrating Ram Dass: SEE Here Now "When I got involved with Seva, it was like putting on an outfit that multiplied my capacity to be involved with the relief of suffering a thousand-fold. Because this group had such extraordinary diversity of skills and talents and preoccupations, if you will. And we were able at the same moment to do something that was sophisticated scientifically, and that was financially large-scale and responsible andat the same moment be involved with the individual human heart." – Ram Dass: Seva co-founder "This servant of God Whose light burned bright on Maui Now illuminates eternity" – Wavy Gravy Ram Dass: Healing Spiritual Blindness My Ram Dass Testimony (short version) - In 1972, while at a critical juncture, I spent a weekend with Ram Dass, as I sat in my apartment and read his Be Here Now. Through the text and illustrations in the brown pages, he introduced me for the first time to a G-d of love in the person of Jesus...Here's a Hindu guru opening my Catholic eyes to a version of G-d I'd never met. See next image...Amazing!!! When Monday came, I called my Dad and asked if I could see him. I had no idea what I was going to say but I KNEW I had to go. What happened at that encounter changed our rocky relationship. As we met, I looked at Dad, saying, "How come we've never been able to express our love for one another..." That's all I could get out and then hugged him. That first embrace was mostly one-sided but it created an opening for healing. A few months later he and I made a men's retreat and shortly afterwards, my Dad and Mom accompanied me in my '65 VW Bus, as we drove across the country to California, where I would begin the next leg of this adventure called life. Thanks, Ram Dass!!! More Seva testimonials here... Let There Be Sight Let There Be Sight - HD (07:28) --Video includes an actual cataract removal surgery. --Turk Pipkin chronicles his journey into the Himalayas with a Seva medical team for a remote surgical eye camp in Nepal that restores the sight of blind people who've been carried across the mountains by their family members. The modern miracle of restoring sight to the blind is a moving testament to Seva's work to provide eyecare across the globe. Special thanks to Jackson Browne for the use of "Doctor My Eyes", courtesy of Open Window/Criterion Music. See song link further down the page. Wavy - a Pied Piper Using Music to Connect People These lyrics from "One More Saturday Night" and the meme seem to describe Wavy's raison d'être - use music and humor to gather people together to help fellow human beings in need: "Then God way up in heaven, for whatever it was worth Thought he'd have a big old party, thought he'd call it Planet Earth" Wavy Gravy | Woodstock | American Experience | PBS (01:21) “Seva has done an incredible job all over the world helping people who really need it. I am proud to be one of the many who followed Wavy and his friends down this particular yellow brick road.” --David Crosby Singer / Songwriter Jackson Browne (Original Complete Version of "Doctor My Eyes") 1970 (03:50) Click here to see the artists that have and are still supporting Seva's sight-restoring mission. ExtraSEE...EcstaSEE Ace of Cups – The Well (feat. Bob Weir) [Official Video] (04:25) add selected lyrics Wavy's website Viewers are greeted with (don't worry - a pie won't be thrown in your face...Hmm???): Wavy Gravy is not your ordinary clown. He certainly has had a long run since his earlier days as a poet and stand-up comic, improvisational theater artist, psychedelic bus caravan luminary, and rock concert MC, and often jokes: “if you don’t have a sense of humor, it just isn’t funny anymore.” Yet his reach extends far beyond the comic. He is devoted to “do something good for a change,” and his creative activism on behalf of peace, justice, and good humor is legendary. Along with Jahanara, his wife of over fifty years, he has brought joy and helped to relieve suffering for countless people around the globe, largely through his favorite projects, the Seva Foundation and Camp Winnarainbow. Wavy has been called “clown prince of the counter-culture” by Entertainment Weekly, “a saint in a clown suit” by Bob Weir, and “the illegitimate son of Harpo Marx and Mother Teresa” by Paul Krassner. Now in his 80s, this iconic figure from the 60s refers to himself as a “temple of accumulated error,” yet he’s always ready with a twinkling insight, a fantastic story and a helping hand. About those stories, Ram Dass said, “everything Wavy says is true, although it’s all unbelievable.” Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie Trailer (02:55) The Hog Farm Movie trailer (02:20) Wavy and Jahanara were founding members. Check out their bus trip...and get on the bus yourself! Just 4 the Laffs... 1. Hippie Test - Or, If you can remember the 60's...you WEREN'T there... Earlier, I tested your awareness in time & space, as well as your visual acuity when I asked you to find the clown in the picture. NOW...Watch the birdie...Look carefully at the bus image. How many Woodstock's do you see? If you think this is a trick question...Relax and follow the advice in the last image... "Do not attempt to adjust your television set...and fasten your seat belt..." The Other One (08:45) --it's like you're there in the front...Awesome footage... 2. Find the Popes in the Pizza Contest Tip: You'll score better if you're hungry. Near the end when Fr. Guido is giving contest instructions, follow them carefully. Use tracing paper and NOT rolling paper. : )) Popes in the Pizza Contest (06:29) 3. Spaceballs: Merchandising The Pope's return the Rome left Fr. Guido with what he called "post-papal depression" - which he attributed to all the commercialization and merchandising that went on. So, my 5th-grade male mind served up this next classic. Note: In my last will and testament, I've told Eileen that if I'm ever on life support and the medical professional tell her that my 5th-grade male mind has gone offline...she can pull the plug. Spaceballs: Merchandising (02:00) 4. Commercialization of Egyptian Artifacts [well, not all facts...: )) ] King Tut - Steve Martin (03:33) My Story: Clowning Around with Friends and Family I’ve enjoyed dressing up in costumes... Recently for a Mardi Gras post, using some of our son’s props from the attic trunk. And YES, I did Iko, Iko responsibly : )) From this post: Check out this time some Deadheads commandeered a NYC subway train and held an Iko, Iko dance party. It's just the first 2 minutes...then it repeats...and repeats...just like at the shows... With a younger brother went to Dead concert at Nassau Coliseum dressed in skeleton outfits complete with full length black capes with hoods…and we wondered why the Nassau County PD profiled and stopped us on the way in. As school bus driver for a Montessori school in Queens I dressed as Santa Claus. It was interesting that one 4-year old pointed out my subterfuge to his classmates with, “That’s our bus driver - see his black beard (under my costume’s white facial hair).” Sadly, some children grow up too quickly and lose the magic of the “wonder years.” After dropping off my last charge near JFK Airport in Queens, the van broke down. Since it was Christmas Eve I knew it would be a long wait for our tow truck driver, so I tried hitchhiking back to the garage. Do you know - no one would stop for Santa Claus and on his big night!!! I had to wait until the wee hours of the morning for my rescue tow truck and, as a result, missed our family’s Christmas Eve gathering with my parents and six brothers and sisters. With a surfing friend we took two high school girls to their senior prom at the Terrace on the Park at the old 1964 Worlds’ Fair site - dressed in white suits with tails, canes and top hats. We were the envy of all their friends, as we arrived at the formal affair in an old yellow Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) van, smoke rising as we exited at the main entrance. I’d met my date a few months earlier when I picked her and a friend in NYC and drove them home to Brooklyn in my big yellow taxi. Hey, Robert De Niro , eat your heart out! All’s “fare” in love and war. As my taxi descended on their Greenpoint neighborhood, I was hoping that one of them would get out first, so I could engage the other. Lady Luck was with me that night…and the Dead’s “Good Morning Little School Girl” was wafting through the late-night airwaves… Check out this 1992 version from Chicago's Soldiers Field with Bobby doing lead vocals and joined by Steve Miller and James Cotton on the blues harp (harmonica). Years later, I went with family and friends to the premier of Lord of the Rings…Yup, dressed to kill…Orcs and dragons… Get Involved with Seva On the Home page, hover over the "GET INVOLVED" link at the top row and pick your way to support Seva. Thanks, tOM #music #humor #GratefulDead #BobWeir #MelBrooks #SteveMartin #SaturdayNightLive

Liner Notes: This image of the iconic, happy, musical dancing bears appears wherever children appear in one of the songs I've included. New Dad...or Dad with young child??? Be a really "grate" Dad and start their musical Deaducation early... A Grateful Dead Father's Day at The Rock and Roll Playhouse | 6/16/19 (02:40) Teddy Bear's Picnic - Jerry Garcia and David Grisman (04:04) Grateful Dead - Sesame Street Mash Up - 'Dancing in the Sesame Streets ' (03:40) --This video guy - Jack Abramson - does really fun mashups to TV shows, movies, lots more... ...and at the end of a day in the fun house, tuck them in with this read-along...sing-along... Casey Jones - Lullaby Renditions of Grateful Dead - Rockabye Baby! (01:09) Out of the Closet - New “T” Shirt Arrivals This and 2 other shirts are on the RIGHT track and heading toward me (ordered them too late to be here for the day) I Need a Miracle This song became my prayer as well as Eileen's as we tried to conceive. Seems like I has "laid back" sperm (slow swimmers). Found this out after 10 years of marriage via a medical test. We decided that I'd have an elective procedure to increase our chances of success... Now check this out...one morning, at a morning men's prayer group in our Malverne church (St. Thomas then Charismatic Episcopal Church [CEC]...I asked the guys to pray with me for our desired child. So, they laid hands on me and earnestly prayed. When they finished, one guy (Tom H) asked if there was anything else I wanted prayer for. I replied "hemorrhoids"...I'll leave it at that and spare you their reactions : ))) Then...the miracle...a few days before I was to go into the hospital, Eileen called me at Avis WHQ in Garden City with the "grate" news that she was with child. Immediately, I saw the Bible story of Abraham standing over his son Issac with upraised knife...that, in my modern version, was a scalpel poised over my privates...get the picture!!! I Need a Miracle - Grateful Dead @ Giants Stadium (06:10) Train Up a Child… “Casey Jones a child in the way to go Furthur …and when they have a Touch of Grey…or are Old & in the Way, they will continue to walk in a way that’s right for them…” (TPT Translation of Proverbs 22:6) “Train a child in the way she/he should go and when he/she is old, they will not depart from it…” (Proverbs 22:6) Touch of Grey - Grateful Dead (05:23 Check out these 2 young boys playing in the band with their Dad...the kid on keyboard got the lyrics memorized...priceless!!!) Old & in the Way - Old & in the Way (03:07 featuring Peter Rowan - guitar and vocals, Jerry Garcia - banjo and vocals, David Grisman - mandolin and vocals, John Kahn - bass, Vassar Clements - viola ) Grateful Dead Life Lessons From Oteil Burbridge to Teach Your Children During The Holidays (from this article) Oteil Burbridge is many things, but first and foremost he is a father. For someone who has played as a member of Dead & Company, Allman Brothers Band, the Aquarium Rescue Unit, and more, Burbridge's biggest achievement in life is being the father of Nigel andKavi. Go Where??? A little bit Furthur than we’ve gone before… Original bus used by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters was called "FURTHUR." Going Furthur Documentary Official Trailer (02:40 -A 50-years-later recreation of the Ken Kesey-led original trip - this time with his son Zane at the wheel...) As parents, we have hopes that our offspring will keep on growing in wisdom and grace and as they “dew” they’ll be light and salt to those around them…In the case of Eileen and I, our son John has given back by taking us further...and we're forever grateful... The Wheel – Grateful Dead (07:14 – Doseneyland "cartune" version) Around 4 minutes in, Minnie joins Mickey and soothes his shattered nerves with her musical accompaniment…for a little while…until the next bump in life’s road. The moral of this story (“the crow told me…it’s the only one he knows…when life looks like Easy Street, there’s danger at your door…”)…the moral is…the practice is (from “Franklin’s Tower”): The above wisdom is from… Franklin’s Tower (14:08 – from a “grate” video guy – check out his moniker…) Jah-rey Garcia The Wheel Grateful Dead Reggae Cover – The Congos (03:38) When we’re “Dead” our children will carry on with what’s we’ve given them and, for the record, will put their own spin on it… Next, Jerry Garcia’s daughter Keelin Garcia joining with drummer Billy Kreutzmann, Jimmy Buffet, David Crosby and other musician around the globe in carrying the message of the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” to the next generations… Ripple – Playing for Change Band (04:41) And an enlightened music teacher in NJ, did a "hand-me-down" to his young students, who, in turn, did a "hand-me-up" to him, their parents and now to us... Ripple - NJ school kids chorus (03:15) Colt Clark and the Quarantine Kids play "Ripple" (03:59) --Check out the moves of this early-in-life young performer-Deadhead... --Happy Sunday friends! We’ve received a lot of requests for this one and we were happy to play it because it’s so pretty. When Cash found out that Jerry Garcia was missing a finger, he tried to learn this song without playing with that finger to see how Jerry played it. Not easy, but it was cool to see him try to experience it from Jerry’s point of view. Hello everyone! We're the Clark family. Colt (the Dad) is a professional musician and Aubree (me, the Mom behind the camera) is a photographer. Together we home school our three children (even when we're not in the middle of a pandemic). :) We're keeping busy during our time at home by learning a new song every other day. We thought we'd record them and share as we go. Hopefully it brightens your day! How to Spot if Your Child is a Future Deadhead (02:58) The Grateful Dead's "Ripple" by The Barton Hills Choir - #DeadCoversProject (03:59) --from Austin, TX...a veritable music mecca... --check out this prophetic comment from a Youtuber "Captain Kangaroo: "I chased the Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band around this country for over 20 years. I used to tell people that eventually school children would be singing their songs. It wonderful to know I was right." This next one's for my friend Tom K - who includes in his multi-talented bio, membership in the Long Beach, LI Ukulele Orchestra 'Ripple' baritone ukulele lesson - The Barton Hills Choir (04:21) The Grateful Dead's "The Wheel" by The Barton Hills Choir (04:10) Grateful Dawg This was the name of an acoustical collaboration between Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Friend of the Devil - Jerry Garcia & David Grisman (07:24) Parting Prayer for You Who Follow... Forever Young - Jerry Garcia Band (08:23 A passionate, soulful cover of Bob Dylan) Encore Grateful Dead - Live at Farm Aid 1986 (20:44) Grateful Dead perform "The Wheel," "I Need a Miracle" and "Uncle John's Band" simulcasted from Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY to the Farm Aid concert in Austin, Texas on July 4, 1986. Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid's board of directors in 2001. Keep on Truckin', "Farthars"...Let there be songs to fill the air... tOM #music #humor #children #GratefulDead #Furthur #FarmAid #John #JerryGarciaBand #FarmAid #BartonHillsChoir