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So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead
15 hours and 31 minutes
The Grateful Dead’s long, strange trip has been the subject of countless books—but none like So Many Roads. Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle along with previously unknown details gleaned from the group’s extensive archives, David Browne, acclaimed music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, lends the Dead’s epic story the vivid feel of a novel. He sheds new light on the band’s beginnings, music, dynamics, and struggles since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.
No longer dismissed as relics of the hippie era, a new generation has lionized the Dead for creating a culture that paved the way for social networking, free music swapping, and the uncompromising anti-corporate attitude of indie rock. Now, fifty years after the band first began changing rock ’n’ roll—both sonically and psychically—So Many Roadspaints the most vivid portrait yet of the Grateful Dead, one of the most enduring institutions in American music and culture.
The Grateful Dead’s long, strange trip has been the subject of countless books—but none like So Many Roads. Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle along with previously unknown details gleaned from the group’s extensive archives, David Browne, acclaimed music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, lends the Dead’s epic story the vivid feel of a novel. He sheds new light on the band’s beginnings, music, dynamics, and struggles since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.
No longer dismissed as relics of the hippie era, a new generation has lionized the Dead for creating a culture that paved the way for social networking, free music swapping, and the uncompromising anti-corporate attitude of indie rock. Now, fifty years after the band first began changing rock ’n’ roll—both sonically and psychically—So Many Roadspaints the most vivid portrait yet of the Grateful Dead, one of the most enduring institutions in American music and culture.
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First published April 28, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
August 18, 2016
This is my fourth Grateful Dead book in the last year, so yeah, I'm a little obsessed. It's also probably the best written of the four, but has the least stamp of authority when compared to Phil and Bills' memoirs, or the "oral bio" of Jerry.
Browne uses a nice framing conceit. Instead of a straight chronology, he has each chapter focus, more or less, on a particular critical day in the history of the band. Thus, we have a chapter that centers on the day when Phil gets invited to play bass. Another chapter that focuses on one acid test, the one where the band meets Rock Scully. A chapter for the bust at 710 Ashberry.
In these early chapters, the device works really well. In the later chapters, such as the chapter where Hornsby confronts Jerry about being out of it, the device feels much more like a device - one used to allow for a backtrack through the last few years of mishaps. But overall, I think it worked really well.
Another aspect I liked about this book is that it's pretty clear that Browne plays an instrument, and he seems to have some actual musical understanding. Thus, the section which involves an extensive description of a performance of Dark Star is amazingly good. At other times, however, I feel like he runs through lists of songs or sets, giving a one adjective description of each. A jaunty Scarlet Begonias, an elegiac Stella Blue, and so on and so forth.
When I started the book, seeing its structure, I thought I would listen to the show closest to each of the dates that are the focus of chapters. That fell through very early, because I went through the book too fast. I still think it would be worthwhile, however, though I'm not about to do a reread just for that. I did, however, find some tapes from Acid Tests on Relisten, and these were really fun to listen to.
Most of what's here is simply another view of parts of the elephant. By reading several of these books, I am getting different pictures of the beast, and some of it is coming together. And some of it never will. A new tidbit here is that Garcia and Weir got close to the Big Man (Clarence Clemons) after Springsteen dissolved the E-Street band. There was some talk of the three of them moving in together, and even some suggestion that he might join the Dead. But that was not to be. As I've heard before, Weir says that there are some guys in the Dead who hate the saxophone. This is really strange to me now. I remember seeing the same thing in one of the memoirs about having Branford Marsalis play with them more than he did.
I find this a really strange story, and a pretty good indication of why, no matter how much history you read, you will never really get to the bottom of some things. This book makes it clear that Weir and Garcia were ok with the idea of a saxophone player. In both Billy and Phil's books, they say how much they loved playing with Marsalis, and how the band really stepped it up with him. (Of this there can be no doubt.) It's not Jerry or Bobby or Billy or Phil. So was it Mickey? He has a saxophonist on Mysterium Tremendum, but that proves little. Or maybe it was Brent? But it's hard to believe Brent would have had that much influence if Jerry Bobby and Phil felt strongly about something. Or maybe someone is lying? I don't think anyone will ever know.
Browne does a pretty good job with the tragedy of the Grateful Dead keyboard players, who must have been the inspiration for Spinal Tap's drummers. In very limited space, he gives a touching portrayal of Pigpen's growing isolation, and places the blame for his death equally on Pigpen and the band. He doesn't deal with Tom Constanten in any depth, which is too bad. And, as always, Keith Godchaux remains something of a cypher, although he does give the most complete version I've seen of his death. He does a really good job showing how the band also marginalized Brent, while embracing him. And he has a whole chapter basically devoted to Hornsby, which was really nice to see. Welnick gets less attention, but then, Billy doesn't even acknowledge Welnick as a member of the Dead, so perhaps that's fitting.
I would recommend this book to Deadheads. Despite my long and deep interest, I don't consider myself one. I saw the Dead once, at Laguna Seca on a day that is the focus of one of these chapters (the recording of the Touch of Gray video). And I saw the Garcia band once in 1977. With years of opportunities to see them, this paltry list is not enough to get me onto the bus. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an easy to read, interesting take on the band.
Browne uses a nice framing conceit. Instead of a straight chronology, he has each chapter focus, more or less, on a particular critical day in the history of the band. Thus, we have a chapter that centers on the day when Phil gets invited to play bass. Another chapter that focuses on one acid test, the one where the band meets Rock Scully. A chapter for the bust at 710 Ashberry.
In these early chapters, the device works really well. In the later chapters, such as the chapter where Hornsby confronts Jerry about being out of it, the device feels much more like a device - one used to allow for a backtrack through the last few years of mishaps. But overall, I think it worked really well.
Another aspect I liked about this book is that it's pretty clear that Browne plays an instrument, and he seems to have some actual musical understanding. Thus, the section which involves an extensive description of a performance of Dark Star is amazingly good. At other times, however, I feel like he runs through lists of songs or sets, giving a one adjective description of each. A jaunty Scarlet Begonias, an elegiac Stella Blue, and so on and so forth.
When I started the book, seeing its structure, I thought I would listen to the show closest to each of the dates that are the focus of chapters. That fell through very early, because I went through the book too fast. I still think it would be worthwhile, however, though I'm not about to do a reread just for that. I did, however, find some tapes from Acid Tests on Relisten, and these were really fun to listen to.
Most of what's here is simply another view of parts of the elephant. By reading several of these books, I am getting different pictures of the beast, and some of it is coming together. And some of it never will. A new tidbit here is that Garcia and Weir got close to the Big Man (Clarence Clemons) after Springsteen dissolved the E-Street band. There was some talk of the three of them moving in together, and even some suggestion that he might join the Dead. But that was not to be. As I've heard before, Weir says that there are some guys in the Dead who hate the saxophone. This is really strange to me now. I remember seeing the same thing in one of the memoirs about having Branford Marsalis play with them more than he did.
I find this a really strange story, and a pretty good indication of why, no matter how much history you read, you will never really get to the bottom of some things. This book makes it clear that Weir and Garcia were ok with the idea of a saxophone player. In both Billy and Phil's books, they say how much they loved playing with Marsalis, and how the band really stepped it up with him. (Of this there can be no doubt.) It's not Jerry or Bobby or Billy or Phil. So was it Mickey? He has a saxophonist on Mysterium Tremendum, but that proves little. Or maybe it was Brent? But it's hard to believe Brent would have had that much influence if Jerry Bobby and Phil felt strongly about something. Or maybe someone is lying? I don't think anyone will ever know.
Browne does a pretty good job with the tragedy of the Grateful Dead keyboard players, who must have been the inspiration for Spinal Tap's drummers. In very limited space, he gives a touching portrayal of Pigpen's growing isolation, and places the blame for his death equally on Pigpen and the band. He doesn't deal with Tom Constanten in any depth, which is too bad. And, as always, Keith Godchaux remains something of a cypher, although he does give the most complete version I've seen of his death. He does a really good job showing how the band also marginalized Brent, while embracing him. And he has a whole chapter basically devoted to Hornsby, which was really nice to see. Welnick gets less attention, but then, Billy doesn't even acknowledge Welnick as a member of the Dead, so perhaps that's fitting.
I would recommend this book to Deadheads. Despite my long and deep interest, I don't consider myself one. I saw the Dead once, at Laguna Seca on a day that is the focus of one of these chapters (the recording of the Touch of Gray video). And I saw the Garcia band once in 1977. With years of opportunities to see them, this paltry list is not enough to get me onto the bus. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an easy to read, interesting take on the band.
May 16, 2021
A good book about the rise, start, and great years of the Grateful Dead. It goes into the various band members, theirs stories, and how they all had a powerful effect on the band and the music they made. A really cool book and I enjoyed reading it.
July 18, 2015
Being a Deadhead since the 60's, I found this book enjoyable and entertaining! Most of info I knew,but learned in depth episodes of the Greatest Band from the USA. A must read for all Rock friends of mine on GR. Party on!!
October 21, 2022
This is a really good career-spanning book that gave me a lot of insight and respect to individual facets of the band that I've grown to love over the pandemic!
The book tries to frame its narrative around key moments (usually specific concerts) in the band's history. It comes off a little weird sometimes because the book will go and chronicle things that happen over the course of years, and then for the last bit zip right back to a concert that has little to do with what it was just talking about. Sometimes it works well though, as with one of the last few sections that talks about an infamous Deer Creek show; the whole section talks about the growing crowd control problems with Deadheads and it finishes by talking about them bursting through the fence at a show.
One thing you notice after reading a few rock biographies is that a popular band's arc goes somewhat like "loves making music, gets a record deal, gets popular, trashes hotels, gets disillusioned with brutal touring schedule, still tied to a recording contract so they release an album they're not proud of..." The difference is how each bio is written, and this one is engaging but probably won't be my favorite book of the year.
The book tries to frame its narrative around key moments (usually specific concerts) in the band's history. It comes off a little weird sometimes because the book will go and chronicle things that happen over the course of years, and then for the last bit zip right back to a concert that has little to do with what it was just talking about. Sometimes it works well though, as with one of the last few sections that talks about an infamous Deer Creek show; the whole section talks about the growing crowd control problems with Deadheads and it finishes by talking about them bursting through the fence at a show.
One thing you notice after reading a few rock biographies is that a popular band's arc goes somewhat like "loves making music, gets a record deal, gets popular, trashes hotels, gets disillusioned with brutal touring schedule, still tied to a recording contract so they release an album they're not proud of..." The difference is how each bio is written, and this one is engaging but probably won't be my favorite book of the year.
December 27, 2023
Essential, but frequently frustrating, written for Deadheads who have seen countless concerts and have large portions of the canonic musical catalogue committed to memory. If you're a Johnny-Come-Lately to this extensive body of work, you'll from time to time feel way, way out to sea. The cast of characters is so large that a dramatis personae would have been extremely helpful. ("Uh, remind me who that is, please. S/he was introduced on p. 7 and turns up twice on pp. 322 and 412 and..." There's a lot of that, and a lot of namings of crew members, publicists, managers, producers, labels, etc. etc. "The Big Book of Lists"!)
We have (at least) two books here: one that extols the greatness of Garcia and the band and one that dwells on their contentiousness, substance abuse and addictions, selfishness, pettiness, and, often, not-very-niceness. (Some readers see the book as a takedown of Garcia, a brilliant musician but a cruel, whimsical Lothario who marries, chases a new skirt, kicks current wife out wife out, gets married again....repeat until tired of this act and his irresponsibility.)
I'll get back to this....
We have (at least) two books here: one that extols the greatness of Garcia and the band and one that dwells on their contentiousness, substance abuse and addictions, selfishness, pettiness, and, often, not-very-niceness. (Some readers see the book as a takedown of Garcia, a brilliant musician but a cruel, whimsical Lothario who marries, chases a new skirt, kicks current wife out wife out, gets married again....repeat until tired of this act and his irresponsibility.)
I'll get back to this....
November 18, 2020
So Many Roads started off well and then peters out. Its strong on its history of the band in the sixties. It picks a "key" event throughout their career and then fills in the timeline between events. I felt like he just breezed through the late seventies and early eighties. A lot of time spent on the nineties and Garcia's death. I really wanted more meat on the Europe '72 tour, '73. '78 & '79. All of '80 through '85 goes by in a blur. I just wish there had been more detail on these later eras.
March 27, 2017
Those who know me know my weakness for all things Dead. My favorite line in the whole book (not making this up);
'In one of Garcia's guitar cases his old friend left a poignant note: "Hey Jerry, please take care of yourself out there. Your friend, Laird."'
Garcia's buddy Laird Grant, not me. The strengths of this tome of Dead historiography lie in the author's treatment of the Dead's colossal business empire (highest grossing band of the 80s and most of the 90s) and in the behind-the-music look at their creative processes . Problems lie in the author's approach to their legacy - he's short on describing the band's cultural heft and fan armada because he assumed they were his readership. This book needs a second edition in 20 years' time with some additions for cultural impact and a section on John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge.
'In one of Garcia's guitar cases his old friend left a poignant note: "Hey Jerry, please take care of yourself out there. Your friend, Laird."'
Garcia's buddy Laird Grant, not me. The strengths of this tome of Dead historiography lie in the author's treatment of the Dead's colossal business empire (highest grossing band of the 80s and most of the 90s) and in the behind-the-music look at their creative processes . Problems lie in the author's approach to their legacy - he's short on describing the band's cultural heft and fan armada because he assumed they were his readership. This book needs a second edition in 20 years' time with some additions for cultural impact and a section on John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge.
July 1, 2015
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, I've read a bunch on the Grateful Dead and the circus that followed them around. But this book actually goes into stories from the legendary Roadies that worked for the Dead. What a tough bunch of dudes they were - I love their stories of kicking ass and asking questions after the fact. Especially if you came anywhere near the music gear - DON'T TOUCH..!
If you can't take the good, the bad and the ugly with the Dead - then don't read it. but to me that's what it's all about.
If you can't take the good, the bad and the ugly with the Dead - then don't read it. but to me that's what it's all about.
July 7, 2015
Okay, I will admit that the "end" of the Grateful Dead has brought back lots of fond memories about the music and concerts. That inspired me to do some reading about the band. Of the various books I have read by members and about the band, this is one of the best. I recommend it to anyone who is still a fan of their music.
July 26, 2015
It's a great read. The way Browne structures the book, with each chapter focusing on a significant date in Grateful Dead history, allows for an interesting weave of events, influences, and reflections. Some one needs to tell Browne or his fact checker or his editor, or all three, that William&Mary Hall is not at the University of Richmond. It's at William&Mary.
July 28, 2015
Acquired a few new insights into the good ol' grateful dead... I like the chapter format, focus on a show and use it as a entry point into the larger scope of the band during a certain period.
March 14, 2019
“So Many Roads” by David Browne is a tale of one of the most influential Rock and Roll bands in history, with a pleasant twist. This book is put together in a very unique way. Instead of choosing to focus on all of the massive events the Grateful Dead went through, David Browne tells this story through select days that he chooses. Every chapter in this book is a different day. He tells their tales through minutes, not years. The details, and first hand interviews in this book capture the drama, love, and music perfectly. It is very interesting how certain relationships could change the chemistry of the band, for better or worse. One Example is Keith (piano) and Donna (vocals) Godchaux, a married couple who joined the band from 1972-1979. Keiths life suddenly ended from a drug overdose in 1980. The tension between the married couple could get very high at times, and it was hard for the band to play well with all of the negative energy. “One night Godchaux asked a friend of the band to take him for a ride to a suspicious part of town. “Are you talking white or brown?” she asked him, meaning cocaine or heroin” (Browne, 275) He was abusing drugs behind the bands back, therefore being married to one of the bands singers was a recipe for disaster. It got to a point where he was not giving his all to the band. People noticed, and by the end of his career other pianists would hop in the studio to finish recordings because he could not. What was even more of a challenge was raising their young son on the road. Donna had to confront Keith about his drug habits, but he would not listen. Their relationship was very toxic “Maria Mudlar would try to stand in between the couple onstage so Donna wouldn’t be able to see when Keith would briefly stop playing and give his wife two middle fingers at once, which would often make Donna burst into tears.”(Browne, 275) A relationship that helped the dead immensely, was Brent Mydland. Brent took over the keys after Keith and Donna left in 1979. His explosiveness on stage and amazing voice, was just what the band needed to get back on track. Overall, I enjoyed this book and learned a lot of interesting things about the Grateful Dead. I liked the unique style that the book was written in, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Grateful Dead’s music.
December 19, 2020
Not bad in the content or insight per se. For that I appreciated and enjoyed it.
Clearly the author picked and chose what aspects of things to exclude. Namely focusing on Jer’s substance abuse (but taking almost 75% of the book to even mention it), yet then virtually ignoring that of the rest of the band (which was a’plenty) save for Pig & Phil’s drinking. And didn’t bring up hardly any of the enabling and substance issues with much of the (living) road crew. I can only guess this was attributed to having enough source material & 1st hand account by the likes of Mickey, Kreutzmann, Steve Parish, etc. I get it. And it doesn’t have to be all muck-rakey and exposé like, but just lay it all out or don’t. Either briefly touch it all and move past, or dig into everyone. Don’t pick and choose for like points from those still living.
The author’s foreword making a point of explaining the 30 or 50 pivotal days/moments for the band’s history, was pretty muddled and unannounced. Which took away from it as a theme. It doesn’t have to be a BuzzBait™ article, but some form of structure calling out the moments would have been nice.
Also, it was effectively devoid of motif or thesis. Which I get it, it’s a chronicle/ biography. But the only reoccurring motif or theme was just like “jerry wasn’t as lovely as everyone says and was largely a grumpy douche, and destroyed himself through the inability/unwillingness to take charge and just roll along as a cog in The Wheel that was the machine of the dead”. Which is so played out.
The “timeline” was hyper stochastic and hard to follow. Slowly moving forward from pre-‘65 through ‘95, but constantly moving years in different directions for pages and pages on end, only to jump back to that point again later.
TLDR; good content, but lacked adequately developed structure, theme & thesis.
Clearly the author picked and chose what aspects of things to exclude. Namely focusing on Jer’s substance abuse (but taking almost 75% of the book to even mention it), yet then virtually ignoring that of the rest of the band (which was a’plenty) save for Pig & Phil’s drinking. And didn’t bring up hardly any of the enabling and substance issues with much of the (living) road crew. I can only guess this was attributed to having enough source material & 1st hand account by the likes of Mickey, Kreutzmann, Steve Parish, etc. I get it. And it doesn’t have to be all muck-rakey and exposé like, but just lay it all out or don’t. Either briefly touch it all and move past, or dig into everyone. Don’t pick and choose for like points from those still living.
The author’s foreword making a point of explaining the 30 or 50 pivotal days/moments for the band’s history, was pretty muddled and unannounced. Which took away from it as a theme. It doesn’t have to be a BuzzBait™ article, but some form of structure calling out the moments would have been nice.
Also, it was effectively devoid of motif or thesis. Which I get it, it’s a chronicle/ biography. But the only reoccurring motif or theme was just like “jerry wasn’t as lovely as everyone says and was largely a grumpy douche, and destroyed himself through the inability/unwillingness to take charge and just roll along as a cog in The Wheel that was the machine of the dead”. Which is so played out.
The “timeline” was hyper stochastic and hard to follow. Slowly moving forward from pre-‘65 through ‘95, but constantly moving years in different directions for pages and pages on end, only to jump back to that point again later.
TLDR; good content, but lacked adequately developed structure, theme & thesis.
January 21, 2024
Published in 2015, a full two decades after Jerry's death effectively brought the Dead story to a close, this is a reasonably well-written and even-handed history of America's greatest rock band. Rather than plod through the story in strict chronological order, Browne opts to centre each chapter on a key moment in the band's history (often a single concert) before backtracking to show how that point was reached. He draws upon a wealth of new interviews with everyone from Bob Weir to Mountain Girl, as well as earlier books by Dead historians such as Blair Jackson and Dennis McNally.
Browne closes his final chapter, an Afterword wrapping up the post-Jerry iterations of the band, in an appropriately moving manner:
"The teenagers at Dead & Company shows, the ones fascinated by the legend of the Dead, hadn’t been born when Garcia had passed away—for many of them, he was just one member of the band or a presence on old YouTube clips. Now, they came for the songs, the vibe, the weed—and the promise of an alternate, outside-the-mainstream world and the freedom it implied. For some of them, it no longer mattered how many original members were on the stage. The idea of the Dead was larger than the personnel. What had started five decades before as an experiment—a motley, hairy crew with hardly any songs of their own, no set image, and no idea where they were going—was now a cherished piece of rebel-soul Americana, as ornery and enduring as something out of Mark Twain. Wherever he was, Garcia must have been laughing at the fantastically improbable strangeness of it all."
All in all, a good read.
Browne closes his final chapter, an Afterword wrapping up the post-Jerry iterations of the band, in an appropriately moving manner:
"The teenagers at Dead & Company shows, the ones fascinated by the legend of the Dead, hadn’t been born when Garcia had passed away—for many of them, he was just one member of the band or a presence on old YouTube clips. Now, they came for the songs, the vibe, the weed—and the promise of an alternate, outside-the-mainstream world and the freedom it implied. For some of them, it no longer mattered how many original members were on the stage. The idea of the Dead was larger than the personnel. What had started five decades before as an experiment—a motley, hairy crew with hardly any songs of their own, no set image, and no idea where they were going—was now a cherished piece of rebel-soul Americana, as ornery and enduring as something out of Mark Twain. Wherever he was, Garcia must have been laughing at the fantastically improbable strangeness of it all."
All in all, a good read.
October 10, 2017
"So Many Roads" was a great read. The author explains in detail some of the band's toughest as well as best times, and how those times affected the music and the band members themselves. There are numerous quotations from band members, those who worked for, and were close to the band. This increased the legitimacy of the book, as well as giving the reader multiple perspectives to view it from. I enjoyed the mentioning of specific songs and albums such as "Live/Dead" and "Terrapin Station" and how they were turning points in the band's career. Some readers have commented that the book was a bit jumpy in terms of chronological order, but I do not think that affected the quality of my understanding of the book at all. If anything, the chapters being organized by date made for better understanding of how the world at the time affected the dead. The book is full of shocking (and true) facts that made me say to myself, "wow, did I REALLY just read that!!??" Being a fan of the Grateful Dead, it was very easy for me to enjoy this book and make connections to it. I already knew the band members and many songs mentioned it the book, but it may be difficult for someone who doesn't know the band to easily skim through it. There are many new names and places mentioned, so while it is a great read, it requires the readers undivided attention. Overall, I think this was a great book and would recommend it to any deadhead interested in learning more about this band!
July 14, 2017
For al the good and kind things I ought to, and would say, about this book, I was struck early on by some very apparent errata that someone like myself, who grew up in the same general neighborhoods of the MidPeninsula and Palo Alto as the band, leaped forth like angry frogs in my face; to wit:
Ron McKernan, (aka, "Pigpen") "born in San Mateo" (Not, as he was, in San BRUNO?), Garcia's early adult life Palo Alto home on "Hober" (Not HOMER?) Lane, an early gig happened at a bar called Frenchy's in somewhere called "Haywood" (not HAYWARD?), and the Chateau, where Hunter and Garcia also made digs in the early years (on Sand Hill Road at Alameda de Las Pulgas in Menlo Park) "looked out on" (someplace called "Los Alamos Highway") -which even with my searchable memory and the help of Google Maps I must say must exist no-place nearby but in the imagination of Mr. Browne the author.
Well, niggling over petty historical revisionism aside, then, the book delves into the history of this incomparable American musical phenomenon in myriad ways which attest, for the most part, to the accuracy of the author's intentions, even if as an East Coastie he had little familiarity as someone like myself might with the band's formative geography. A must read for any Dead freak, and I mean it.
Ron McKernan, (aka, "Pigpen") "born in San Mateo" (Not, as he was, in San BRUNO?), Garcia's early adult life Palo Alto home on "Hober" (Not HOMER?) Lane, an early gig happened at a bar called Frenchy's in somewhere called "Haywood" (not HAYWARD?), and the Chateau, where Hunter and Garcia also made digs in the early years (on Sand Hill Road at Alameda de Las Pulgas in Menlo Park) "looked out on" (someplace called "Los Alamos Highway") -which even with my searchable memory and the help of Google Maps I must say must exist no-place nearby but in the imagination of Mr. Browne the author.
Well, niggling over petty historical revisionism aside, then, the book delves into the history of this incomparable American musical phenomenon in myriad ways which attest, for the most part, to the accuracy of the author's intentions, even if as an East Coastie he had little familiarity as someone like myself might with the band's formative geography. A must read for any Dead freak, and I mean it.
October 13, 2018
Written by an outsider to the scene I do believe it gave me some of what I was looking for.
The scene was not always beautiful. Though many might not agree, I appreciate a book that expresses that truth. I like to explore the dualities of it all.
Page xii "It's not always a serene story… the Dead world was inordinately badass, and only the heartiest survived. Their story is comedy, drama and tragedy all in one."
Pg 4 "A world that appeared loose and mellow was, in fact, guarded and suspicious of outsiders."
Pg 11 "The Dead's world could be a constant lurch between light and dark."
Pg 13 Re duality in the Dead world - a seemingly sunny gentility with an undercurrent of hardened swagger.
Pg 101 a demanding world that would take stamina, a thick skin and a proper constitution to survive. The Acid Tests - a prototype for the entire rest of the trip.
Pg 132 the law creating a mythical danger and calling it a felony- "The result is a series of lies that prop each other up."
Pg 145 - calling the Dead world a "tribal survival course."
The scene was not always beautiful. Though many might not agree, I appreciate a book that expresses that truth. I like to explore the dualities of it all.
Page xii "It's not always a serene story… the Dead world was inordinately badass, and only the heartiest survived. Their story is comedy, drama and tragedy all in one."
Pg 4 "A world that appeared loose and mellow was, in fact, guarded and suspicious of outsiders."
Pg 11 "The Dead's world could be a constant lurch between light and dark."
Pg 13 Re duality in the Dead world - a seemingly sunny gentility with an undercurrent of hardened swagger.
Pg 101 a demanding world that would take stamina, a thick skin and a proper constitution to survive. The Acid Tests - a prototype for the entire rest of the trip.
Pg 132 the law creating a mythical danger and calling it a felony- "The result is a series of lies that prop each other up."
Pg 145 - calling the Dead world a "tribal survival course."
January 28, 2023
I know I’m late to the party, but I recently discovered that I like The Grateful Dead during the last half of my life. Since I was planning on attending a few concerts this year, I thought I’d learn a little more about this band that I had shunned for so long. With the help of my Dead-obsessed friend who provided primers, playlists, filmography, articles, etc., I allowed myself to go down a rabbit hole and selected this audiobook to shore up my knowledge on them.
Browne did a phenomenal job compiling interview quotes and historical archives to complete such an extensive in-depth, chronologically-ordered look at the band’s lore and cast of characters. This was one of the most enjoyable and memorable music biographies I’ve ever read/listened to.
Browne did a phenomenal job compiling interview quotes and historical archives to complete such an extensive in-depth, chronologically-ordered look at the band’s lore and cast of characters. This was one of the most enjoyable and memorable music biographies I’ve ever read/listened to.
September 4, 2017
David Browne is an excellent rock journalist and, like in his fantastic "Fire and Rain," he chooses a unique narrative form to tell an already well-told story of the Grateful Dead. He chooses sixteen specific dates over almost fifty years upon which to structure the story while employing flashbacks and tangents to fill in the blanks. The authorized biography by former publicist Dennis McNally and Phil Lesh's memoirs are both excellent but this book brings that slightly different perspective aided by the passage of time and access to the Dead's archives. Highly recommended.
October 6, 2018
This is well-written, well-researched, and patient, but I never got the sense of the people involved or what it was like playing in the band. It's more like a well-assembled collection of anecdotes than a portrait of the artists as young and old men. I wanted to know more of Browne's take on things, but he spends an inordinate time talking about their drug use. I learned more about the Dead in Fare Thee Well, which, ironically, covers the band after their dissolution. I wish that Ian Bell, author of the great Dylan biographies, would take a crack at the Dead.
December 2, 2019
As a relatively recent convert to Deadheadism, this book told the story of the Grateful Dead with a focus on what matters most: the music. This is the first book I've read on the Dead and it has helped me frame a general timeline of the band's existence. I would listen to the sets referenced in the book when they came up, listening for the details described in the prose. It has enhanced my appreciation for their evolution and provided another layer of context for the subtle complexities of their cherished music. I plan to craft my Dead reading schedule around this foundation.
March 12, 2024
…After one particularly bumpy ride van Maastricht told Garcia he needed better wheels, if only for his safety. “Look,” Garcia told him, firmly but politely, “all I want to do is to live my own weird little life my own weird little way and play music for a living.” For decades to come friends and colleagues would hear a variation on that line emerge from Garcia’s mouth…
Please read my entire review here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/msarki/...
Please read my entire review here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/msarki/...
January 11, 2022
3 1/2 stars. I liked the structure and there's a few good stories in there that haven't been told in other books before. I'm not a huge fan of when writers try to describe the sound and style of the music to the person reading the book though. It doesn't matter who the book is about. Hendrix, Aretha, Elvis, The Who. We're reading the book (most likely) because we're already fans of the music, we know what it sounds like.
September 13, 2019
Browne's account of The Grateful Dead takes fans and newbies alike through the many roads travelled by the band, the music, and the culture. Accompanied with the "Relisten" app or website where all taped shows can now be instantly streamed, "So Many Roads" comes alive, the music weaving a black light tapestry with this compelling story.
September 17, 2019
The format of focusing on a certain date in the beginning of each chapter, then backing up the timeline to start about where the previous chapter left off confused me a bit. But the information was great, if a bit superficial due to the vast history of the Dead. As a newbie to the Dead, this was a good introduction to the band.
September 5, 2021
I know the last part of the book gets a bit jumbled, but I think I liked the last part more than the first part. Not being a huge fan of the band, the early days and creation of some of their most iconic music didn't mean too much to me. I was a bit late to the show with these guys. It was an interesting read, though. Definitely more for the Dead Heads out there than the casual fan.
September 30, 2021
A good band biography that goes beyond the usual telling of the Grateful Dead's history. The focus of most documentaries and books is the early years, acid, the transformation into a bloated touring machine, and a revival in the late 80s. This narrative is a little more complicated. It's also critical of some of the decisions the band made in later years without having an axe to grind.
August 5, 2023
I read this in between the first and second listenings to Dark Star on the 500 songs podcast. The Dead are still a mystery to me. Are they great because everyone likes them or does everyone like them because they are great? It's the kind of mystery that keeps you wanting to solve it. This is definitely a good book for a novice, and the author lets you make up your mind about people and events.
February 22, 2024
Kind of the same stories about the dead that I've read before, so no big shakes there. This was well written and organized, but the target audience is pretty much dead heads who miss Jerry. Guilty. I think I'll change my rating cuz the only thing I was down-rating it for was that there's only so much to tell.
December 23, 2017
After reading so much about the Grateful Dead this book shed some new light. The format of a specific date and the events around it made it more engaging then yet another history of the band. Worth getting.
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