Bob Weir on the Grateful Dead (taken from MSN news)

[judih]

Click here. MSN news has this feature!
//http://music.msn.com/music/remasters?GT1=7702

Bob Weir on the Grateful Dead
The once and future Dead rhythm guitarist on the iconic band's deep vaults
By Alan Light, Special for MSN Music
Re: Masters is a monthly interview column dedicated to exploring a veteran artist's body of work

July 1, 2007

In 1991, the Grateful Dead began a series of live, archival releases called "From the Vault." The first fruits were titled, naturally enough, "One From the Vault" (a 1975 show from San Francisco) and "Two From the Vault" (a Los Angeles concert from 1968). Since then, there have been more than 50 officially sanctioned live albums from the band -- none of them a follow-up to this series.

( Go to the link to hear "Three From the Vault"
and to view gallery: Grateful Dead
//http://music.msn.com/music/remasters?GT1=7702 )

Sixteen years later, the Dead are finally issuing "Three From the Vault," a 1971 concert from Port Chester, N.Y. Even the official press release offers no particular explanation for the decision to revive this line, stating that it simply represents "the band's longstanding policy of gleefully monkey-wrenching the space-time continuum whenever and wherever possible."

Whatever. What is most interesting about "Three From the Vault" is not the backstory but the sound. It documents the band at an especially intriguing moment: fresh off the releases of "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead," their two strongest studio efforts, and stripped down to a five-piece lineup: just guitarist Jerry Garcia, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, bassist Phil Lesh, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan on keyboards and harmonica, and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir. It was the most conventional rock 'n' roll setup in the Dead's long history (usually they had a second drummer, Mickey Hart, and often a second keyboard player as well), and coincided with the period in which they were most focused on fully realized, well-structured songs.

The set features the world premieres of "Bird Song" and "Deal," and the second ever performances of five other songs, including such staples as "Playing in the Band" and "Wharf Rat." Only a few songs stretch out beyond the 10-minute mark. In some ways, this release could be considered the Grateful Dead for non-Deadheads.

"Three From the Vault" is one of the first results of a comprehensive licensing agreement that the Dead signed last year with Rhino Entertainment to manage exclusively the band's intellectual property. Rhino now oversees everything from the band's live archive and its Web site to its merchandise. (Grateful Dead Productions retains creative control, and the deal does not include the band's music publishing.) But whether the Rhino deal inspired the resurgence of the "Vault" series or whether it was coming anyway ... well, who knows?

From his Bay Area home, Bob Weir discussed the reopening of the Vault, the vagaries of the archiving process, and what he refers to as the Dead's "rock 'n' roll Dixieland" approach to collective improvisation. "The music happens somewhere between what the band does and what the audience captures," says Weir. "So if you're going over their heads, it doesn't amount to much."

MSN Music: So this album is part of the "Vault" series, as opposed to the "Dick's Picks" series, or the other one-off live releases from the Dead's archive. Can you explain the distinctions between all of these, or is it vague to you, too?

Bob Weir: It's pretty vague from my end. It makes sense to the archivist, though, and that's what matters. There has to be some sort of system, and the guy who set it all up for us is a classically trained archivist, so I trust his sensibility.

But do you know why one album is part of one series and another album is part of another series?

No, I don't, but he does, and the people who follow this stuff closely do -- or at least I hope they do! I don't pay that much attention to our old stuff, really. I have bigger fish to fry.

How involved are you in the archival releases? Do you actually participate in the process, or do you just sign off at the end?

The guys in the band really aren't all that involved. We all have different, ongoing projects that take up our time: I have my band Ratdog; Mickey and Phil have their own things going. So I think I can speak for everybody that we look at our archives as our past accomplishments -- we're happy with them, proud of them, but not really all that concerned about them. There's only so much I'm going to be able to enjoy going back to that stuff.

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//http://music.msn.com/music/remasters2

[JRL]

LW, please read this. One of maybe 10 people still alive that have any authority on this subject weighs in with my running stand: The Dead were a band, not gurus, not wizards, just musicians.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about the Grateful Dead?

For some people, there seems to be some sort of sense that we were gurus, that we were implying in our lyrics that by grasping some sort of key that we had that it could open you up to some sort of cosmic consciousness. And that does exist in our lyrics, but it also exists in everything on earth. So I think there was a tendency to read too much into our lyrics.

Again like I said, from one of the few living people really with aything to say about this.

[jikuhchagi]

That doesn't take anything away from what people experienced as a result of the phenomena though, IMHO.

[laughingwillow]

Damn, jiku-bro. Thanks again......

jrl: I guess i missed the part where I proclaimed the band members to be anything other than musicians willing to take it to the edge night in and out.

I was reading a little piece on the dead's 20th anniversary in 1985 called "20th Anniversary Rag." I think one of the stanzas fit in real well here.....

Thanks for 20 years of being
an audience which is the envy
of every other rock and roll band alive.
Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke!

Write if you get work.

Spare change?

Don't touch that plug! - 1985 Ice Nine Publishing Co., Inc. -

Nothing shaking on Shakedown Street.
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart,
You just got to poke around..... - some old disco-dude -

lw

[laughingwillow]

Btw, just to muddle the waters a bit more.....

In my personal spititual psychodrama, I don't really respect the concept of a person needing a guru or acting as a wizard. On the other hand, the dead facilitated psychedelic exploration of the highest order at their shows, imo. Reality was allowed to unfold on many levels; the music and lyrics gave life to songs but kept things ambiguous enough for personal interpretation. The band played its part just as the audience did. That doesn't make the boyz guru's, imo. But it did make them part of something that was pretty special, in my experience. ANd on some levels, I feel sorry for those who never fully experienced the magic of a dead show, as the whole was greater than the sum of Its parts, imo......

lw

[JRL]

I guess I misunderstood your position. And definitly it does not diminish the experience of anyone.

[laughingwillow]

I'm really starting to like this topic. It has moved me to evaluate some personal stances this morning over my first meditation of the day....

Upon further scrutiny, I find that The Tao is probably the organized belief system that best fits with my natural inclinations. Interestingly enough, upon first glance, it appears that if one were to study the principals of the Tao, one would truly gain insight into my instinctive beliefs and practices. As for the two traditional camps of Taoism discussed in the wikipedia article attached, I find myself in the camp of those professing a belief in internal alchemy rather than those who embrace shamanism....  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoist  

How does this pertain to the topic at hand you ask?

Imo, internal alchemy is all about self-liberation through direct contact and dialogue with the spirit. Shamanism is about a specific person (the shaman) who engages and manipulates the spirit world for the benefit (or detriment) of community members in need. In the shamanistic model, the wizard, or guru, if you will manipulates the spirit at his/her will.  Maybe the difference is that I prefer to be guided by the same spirit the shaman wishes to manipulate........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao

lw

[laughingwillow]

So, varj and I are catching RatDog this Friday in Council Bluffs. I really need this show. Hope varj brings a seatbelt. hehe

lw

[laughingwillow]

Lost my boots in transit, babe;
smokin' pile of leather.
Nailed the retreads to my feet
and prayed for better weather.... - Hunter/Garcia -

[JRL]

You know that Kimock is playin with Weir now? My jammer friends Mind X did a gig with Melvin Seals, Martine Fierro, and Kimock all joining their band.

[laughingwillow]

MK has been battling health issues and SK has taken over that spot for the summer gigs, from what I've read. Reviews sound better every day.

lw

[JRL]

I would be interested in hearing a recording.

[laughingwillow]

No problem, bro. Are you interested in hearing a recording of the current tour or the Dog in general? Sounds like it may be possible to buy copies of this tour after each show. I'll prolly buy a copy if'n all goes swell. But I've been listening to a couple of crispy ratdog shows from a few years back, as of late, too.. Btw, I have the dicks picks of the two sets in tahoe, feb of 1968. Sounds like I need to get you a batch of music. Might need the addy again....

lw

[JRL]

I was thinking of the Kimdog shows. The 68 tahoe sounds good. My friend Booty was in an opening act on one of those shows, they ever show up?

[laughingwillow]

LOL They showed up for the shows. But Billy was so tired after a day on the slopes that he actually sat out a couple of songs, leaving the drumming to Mickey.  Phil finally cajoles him back on stage and then there are drums  coming out of both monitors.

I have a few other shows to send your way, too.

lw