The Grateful Dead had a special way of imprinting themselves upon the Californian counter-culture movement that inspired fanatical devotion. Their psychedelic folk-rock firestorm drew generations of Deadheads into their musical caravan, one which perhaps journeyed further into the unknown than any other before or since, as fans followed the band around the country to watch them perform night after night and never play the same set twice.
The same could be said for The Dead’s legendary spokesmen, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir’s interview technique, often half comedic, half deeply philosophic and always highly enlightening. Their relentless dedication to a particularly left of centre world view, immaterial to their company, is what made them worthy cult icons.
Enjoy the philosophic genius of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir with some of their best interviews below!
Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir on Letterman, 1982
When Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir appeared on David Letterman’s late-night TV show, they made sure it was a night that the now-legendary host will surely never forget. Nervously, Letterman says, “Let me, uh, ask you just a question you’re probably tired of hearing of,” he said. “Um, you probably more than anybody, uh, represent
San Francisco and all of the Be-In’s and that sort of thing. What year would this have been?”
Garcia admits to having somewhat diminished his ability to remember time; luckily the important parts made a more permanent impression. “At the time it seemed like things were going to change real fast,” he recalls. “There was this amazing momentum. When the Acid Tests [San Francisco music festival] were happening they started with 50 or 60 people, and within a matter of weeks it had escalated to 3,000 or something. It had this amazing juggernaut quality of picking up lots of people as it went along…There was a sense of history going on."
Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir interview, Philadelphia 1979
It seems no one on set is quite sure what decade they’re in as the interviewer opens with a fairly broad statement about the 60s that backfires somewhat when Bob Weir takes offence at being considered a 60s band, rebounds with some jokes and culminates with some surprisingly profound perspective on life.
Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir on Good Morning America, 1980
Bringing the beating heart of the San Franciscan counter-culture movement to Good Morning America, Garcia and Weir give the young reporter a lightning-sharp chat where perhaps nothing is more surprising than how well she holds her own.
Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir on Letterman, 1987
Jerry and Bob appeared for a second time on the David Letterman Show in 1987 during their five-night stand at Madison Square Garden. Many were shocked the pair chose to perform an old Bob Dylan classic instead of a tune off their new album at the time. But, they'd already sold five nights at Madison Square Garden and the unexpected is what a Grateful Dead show was all about!
Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir on Letterman, 1989
Just two years later, they returned to the Letterman studio for this glorious rendition of “I Second That Emotion” and, what by this point had become standard, hilarious rhetoric.
Grateful Dead on NBC with Tom Snyder (1981)
“A unit of almost mythical reputation around this country. Their story is the story of an exhilarating, volatile time in the American experience...” even the NBC’s Tom Snyder can't hide his inner Dead Head!
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