Written by Guest Author
Bob Wilson
“Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate” (2017 – by Howard F. Weiner), is a fine addition to the Dylan canon in an often overlooked chapter in Dylan’s lengthly saga. It is equally a filling out of the long, strange trip undertaken by the merry pranksters in the Grateful Dead. Dylan had reached icon status that he was trying to escape before 1970 chimed in. Weiner reports that Dylan mentioned to Levon Helm as far back as 1972, that he had ideas of touring with the Dead. Even tie-die-hard Dylanolgists must be shocked to digest such a flavorful morsel, as related by Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia aficionado, Howard F. Weiner.
It is hard to fathom looking back to 1987, that Dylan had already been written off several times by vitriolic critics. They seemed to follow him like “the men that followed Jesus, when they put a price upon his head.” They went apoplectic when the man went electric. Criticism was sundry when Dylan went to Nashville singing all country. It is hard to fathom that people would pay good money to come in and then “boo” Dylan. Before the Dead, Dylan went preaching about the man from Nazareth who is arisen, bringing Gospel live to the befuddled Grammys, as well as Saturday Night Live. If he threw the bums a dime for every time he irritated his following, we would likely be able to eliminate welfare. None of us would have been better off though, for missing out on the jousting surrounding the fanfare.
Author Howard F. Weiner also offers up in this book the head scratching nugget that Dylan offered to permanently be playin’ in the band. Weiner whittles down the naysayer who shot the idea down from under the red sky in a vote that required only one Grateful Dead dissenting member and offers up a bounty of insight, recounting anecdotes of Dylan & Deadheads which you will love tearing through in these pages.
Jerry Garcia and his band members had a profound effect on the Bob Dylan they met, caught between the gears of his own career. Weiner hashes out how the band’s touring machinery would plant the seed for Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour”. The reluctant Nobel Prize winner would go on to do more shows in the remainder of his career than the Dead did in toto. Not bad for a hermit, folk-rock, protest song writing, born again, wandering minstrel! Did I get that right?
In the video below, Howard F. Weiner joins Bart Sibrel and myself for some lively discussion about Dylan, the Dead, and Weiner’s books on the two. Turn, turn, turn around, tune in, and squeeze the last drop out of one more cup of coffee. We look back on the saga that brought these musical icons together.
~Don’t you dare miss it.
~Bob Wilson
Just click HERE or below to enjoy.
Thank you for your kind support.
–Brother Bart-
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