Ever found yourself lost in a parking lot for hours after a mind-blowing Grateful Dead concert? George Michaels, author of 'Grateful Dead Tour Tales', not only knows exactly how that feels, but also crafted an entire collection of captivating stories based on such experiences. Join us as we journey through George's transformation from a club kid to a devoted Deadhead, and get a glimpse of the Grateful Dead culture through his eyes. Hear about his first Grateful Dead concert in Saratoga, where he lost his car for three hours, and the tale behind the unexpected Mississippi Half Step performance at the Nassau Coliseum show.
But wait, there's more! What if you could relive the magic of attending 35 Dead shows in a single year? Get ready to ride along as George recounts his transformative adventures as a Deadhead. From the memorable show where he heard Shakedown Street for the first time, to the European tours and the breakout shows with the Warlocks, there’s a tale for every tune. We also talk about his writing journey, as he crafted a book that aims to encapsulate the myriad experiences and life-changing moments that come with being a part of the Grateful Dead fandom. And speaking of being part of this unique culture, let's not forget the indispensable Tangle Free Dreadlocks Hairbrush!
Ever found yourself lost in a parking lot for hours after a mind-blowing Grateful Dead concert? George Michaels, author of 'Grateful Dead Tour Tales', not only knows exactly how that feels, but also crafted an entire collection of captivating stories based on such experiences. Join us as we journey through George's transformation from a club kid to a devoted Deadhead, and get a glimpse of the Grateful Dead culture through his eyes. Hear about his first Grateful Dead concert in Saratoga, where he lost his car for three hours, and the tale behind the unexpected Mississippi Half Step performance at the Nassau Coliseum show.
But wait, there's more! What if you could relive the magic of attending 35 Dead shows in a single year? Get ready to ride along as George recounts his transformative adventures as a Deadhead. From the memorable show where he heard Shakedown Street for the first time, to the European tours and the breakout shows with the Warlocks, there’s a tale for every tune. We also talk about his writing journey, as he crafted a book that aims to encapsulate the myriad experiences and life-changing moments that come with being a part of the Grateful Dead fandom. And speaking of being part of this unique culture, let's not forget the indispensable Tangle Free Dreadlocks Hairbrush!
Tales from the Lot, episode 19 from club heads to dead heads overnight. My guest, george Michaels, is here to discuss his book Grateful Dead Tour Tales, volume 1, the Warlock Shows and much more. Here we go. Hi, welcome to Tales from the Lot. Uh, this is Will. My guest today is George Michaels. He's coming to us from New Jersey. He is the author of Grateful Dead Tour Tales, volume 1, 1984 through 1987. Uh, hello, how's it going, George?
Speaker 2:
It's doing, doing very well, Will. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:
Awesome, yeah, yeah, I'm glad to have you. I, uh, I noticed you had a book come out recently and I was like man, this is exactly the kind of person I would like to talk to, somebody who remembers stuff, cause uh you know, I sure don't. So, uh, that's awesome. So, uh, you're in New Jersey. Is that where you're from originally? Is that, uh, where you grew up?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's correct. I'm from Northern New Jersey, uh, very close to Manhattan, like a suburb of Manhattan, say, or New York City.
Speaker 1:
Gotcha and then, uh so, uh, growing up, where, where, where your family big dead heads and you grew up following the dad, or or what were you listening to? You know, my family wasn't a big dead heads. They, my parents, are more.
Speaker 2:
Uh, they were from the Bronx and like 50s music and sock hops and stuff like that. So but my aunt, my uh, my father's, you know younger sister went to Walken's Glen and had seen Jimi Hendrix live and stuff like that. So she kind of took me under her wing in a way.
Speaker 1:
Right. So what were you listening to growing up, like you know, asking for on your birthday?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I mean uh, I would say I started, you know, around the mid seventies getting albums and stuff like that, like the Beatles starting out like that. And then I got into Frampton and all the seventies stuff and the rock music scenes back then. But, like I said, my notes back then, you know, if you were into the dead, you know you weren't into progressive, you know people had their own little niches, uh, that they loved, you know, um, but I was into a classic rock. And then, you know, in the early eighties I got very into like the MTV stuff, you know, and uh, and I was very surprised the grateful dead who I was into before, but not a hundred percent, you know, uh, they really came back once I saw them live came back into my life in a hard way.
Speaker 1:
Did you have friends that pulled you into that, or did you just kind of, were you reminded by something you saw?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it was one friend of mine, kevin Cunningham, and we used to. We used to be club kids going to Manhattan. We were like 17, even too young to go in the bars, but they let you in. And then one day his brother, mark, said, hey, do you want to see the grateful dead up in Saratoga, new York, on a Sunday in the summer? And uh, you know, we said okay, why not? And uh, it just turned into a thing. It really rained really hard.
Speaker 2:
It was 1984. And uh, I lost my car for three hours. I, you know, I was in a port of sand with a girl and my friend also for a while, and the music was cool. They did satisfaction that night, you know, it was, uh, it was quite a show in the rain and uh, just something clicked. And then all my friends, we all went from being club kids to deadheads overnight, literally. Um, to the point where, yeah, I mean the first year, I'd seen like 15 shows. Right away, we're traveling. The next show I went to was in Virginia, you know, and then I just started going, but not 100% every tour of his show, but you know, um.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it seems that that was that. Once that button is kind of flicked, yeah there's, you just dive in, because there's so much to dive into really like as far as past history.
Speaker 2:
Yeah it's like where's this world been? You know?
Speaker 3:
it's almost like where's it going?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, exactly it's, it's.
Speaker 1:
it was a really cool thing, though, you know right, and so you saw like 15 shows the first year and then, yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw a couple in the fall that year I went down to Richmond.
Speaker 2:
I got my friends to go down to Richmond and we saw the metal and shows. But then the spring of 85 that was a lot of fun we went up to Springfield and did the Nassau shows. When Phil broke out, tom Thumb, blues and man, I went up to Rhode Island that that tour and then down to Philadelphia. Of course I think I did nine shows on that tour and then then that's what this book is.
Speaker 2:
It goes basically every show it has a story is the way I break it down. And the first book I have is about 43 shows I think I go to, you know, and each one has a story and a title, almost like a time filled episode where it's like I make it. I call it a name like half step. Who knew? And that's about the Nassau Coliseum show when they played that I had broken out Mississippi half step and I had no idea it was even a thing you know. But it was.
Speaker 2:
And you know I do a whole comical sort of story about it. But it's an absolute true story with my friends what we do and it's a lot of fun. You know surprised how much fun and how much I had to write. I just couldn't stop writing. I would just keep writing, even on the weekends, by friend bill. It's like I'm going to go out and party and I'm going to stay home and write and they'd like what are you going to do? But I loved it and it really became a you know, a love project for me.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome. Yeah, you know, as we were emailing ready, getting ready for this, I mentioned this sort of I was. I had a thought, just like an inkling of, like man, I should write a book of what happened and any stories I can remember from when I was following the debt around, and and I, you know, I picked up my pen and, like man I can't remember I was like, oh, I'm going to get a little flash is here and there and here and there. And then so I thought, you know, well, you know, I should talk to some other people that were there with me, or just just other people in general, and I thought, well, you know, I should record it. And it turned into this podcast and and so now I'm hearing other people stories and and it's bringing back a little bit of the, the memories that I had here and I'll get these files as well. Yeah, it's something like that, yeah right.
Speaker 2:
I get a lot of reviews, people saying it brings back their own memories and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:
And it's true, and that's.
Speaker 2:
It's really nice to hear that stuff because that's why I did it. You know I wanted people to remember these times because they were really crazy, as crazy as they were. There were a lot of rewards when they played some good shows. You know everybody was so happy. You know you'd see people that you know would normally see in life that were just kind of, you know, tough, mean, not mean, but you know, but they would. They see Grateful Dead Show and they just be so kind and so happy. You know, I just love to see that, you know.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's, that's. That's exactly what struck me when I first went was the kindness I mean you know, in day to day life everybody.
Speaker 1:
You know I come from the Midwest and it was like a factory town and everybody's like, oh, you know like we work in factory jobs, you know, and and I didn't see a lot, of, a lot of happiness in them and you know, I guess you know people were probably happy and what they did, but it but it wasn't like that first time when I went to Dear Creek and like and saw some people just smiling year to year.
Speaker 2:
Exactly yeah. People who would normally go through their lives with a straight face. All of a sudden, these same people are just got a big grin on their face, right yeah, where they want amazing.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, the transformation.
Speaker 1:
That can happen.
Speaker 3:
Absolutely.
Speaker 1:
You mentioned. You mentioned the, the, the Seinfeld type things and and give me, give me one of those, one of those stories, one of those things. That was just like, so you know, a teaser from the book or just something that you know. All right, yeah, okay. Let's look back on your time following the dead, like this is the one that really just you know.
Speaker 2:
There's so many you know and I'm saying I'll let me hit you up with this. So you want a story like basically, all right, let's go to. Let's go to that national Coliseum show, the Mississippi I called it half step. Who knew? And basically you know, me and my friends get in the car. Yeah, we go out there and, you know, drink a lot of beers and Go and see the show. We went up to the front row and I remember the second set they opened up was shakedown Street and in the book I go into a whole flashback of me and the eighth grade smoking pot for the first time and listening to that album. And Then I come back into the show and describe how Jerry looks like he just kind of rolled out of bed Because I was basically in the front row for that one because I was general admission. And there I am and we see the show. And then in the first set, all of a sudden you know I'm in the front there and Phil goes up to the mic which I didn't realize was such a big thing and he starts singing Tom Thumb blues, you know, and the whole place just erupts. And that was funny.
Speaker 2:
Now I mean, I'm just kind of giving you a whole scattered thing. When I do these stories. They're very, you know, been beginning to and there's a middle, ever beginning, a middle and end to each one of these stories. That has some fun stuff. I'm just kind of put on the spot here. It's trying to make y'all laugh.
Speaker 2:
But yeah, I mean the thing is, one of these things about trying to make this interesting is not just make it so mundane where it's like Okay, I'm in a parking lot and then I'm going to the show. You know there's a lot of stuff I bring in your relationships and girlfriends and all my friends. I have a whole Characters that come in and out, but it's me basically Going to a Grateful Dead concert and who I go with who and what stories are going on around the whole thing and stuff like that. And as time goes on, you know life happens. You know we're all kids when we started out, but then you know life starts knocking on the door. What are you gonna do with your life? You can't just keep doing this, you know, and that comes into play as well. That's why I think this is important book, because it really shows what it's like To be such a fan of the Grateful Dead.
Speaker 1:
Right, we talk about that coming of age, and so this book goes up to 87. Yeah, you kept seeing shows post 87, I presume. Well, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:
I did in fact 1988. I saw probably the most. I think I saw 35 shows that year, so I know I couldn't. If I went into another chapter I'd be another hundred pages, so you know I you know, and my brother Colin.
Speaker 2:
You know I started writing it, writing this book in 2006, and, you know, I put it down, didn't know what I would do with it. I contacted Relics magazine. They ran a few stories, but it just kind of sat there and so, as it built over time, you know it, it grew, you know, and I just didn't know what to do with it. And here here I am now and I've decided to put it out. And my brother Colin said, you know, I said, well, maybe I should go into 88, 88. He said that that's enough. I think you're good here, you know, because it's 43 shows and it's a lot of different stories.
Speaker 2:
So the next book will be 1988, 1989 and 1990 is my plan, you know, and I'm about two-thirds of the way done and I'm gonna go all the way up through Europe. I did go to Europe, and you know. So I went to a lot of breakout shows too, because the warlocks, you know. So I mean, I'm a guy who went to a lot of shows and I'm gonna tell you all about. You know, I'm gonna tell you what the weather was like and what the traffic when the gas prices were, you know, and you're gonna feel like you're there and I wrote it in the first person and I wrote it, you know, as if you know your Present tense. Also, I wrote it in the present tense, so you're gonna seem like you know you're not talking about the past.
Speaker 2:
Right as you're happening, it's happening and you're on the trail, you know.
Speaker 1:
Tangle.
Speaker 3:
Free, tangle Free. It's the only way to be Tangle Free. Tangle Free made just for the dready.
Speaker 1:
Are you tired of the daily dreadlock drama? The everyday struggle of trying to make your hair behave can be as futile as nailing Jell-O to a tree. Well, heady Lott Products LLC has a solution for you, introducing the Tangle Free Dreadlocks Hairbrush. The Tangle Free Dreadlocks Hairbrush is here to put an end to the madness. Say goodbye to the daily tangle and hello to smooth, flowing dreadlocks. With this magical brush, it's like having a personal dreadlock whisperer right in your hand. With just one stroke, you'll have the dreamy dreadlocks you've always wanted, minus the circus act. So why wrestle with your hair when you can dance with it? Say goodbye to the morning dreadlock disaster with Tangle Free Dreadlocks Hairbrush.
Speaker 3:
Tangle Free, tangle Free. It's the only way to be. Tangle Free, Tangle Free made just for the dready.
Speaker 1:
Get your Tangle Free Dreadlocks, hairbrush wherever Heady Items are sold. Right, speaking of that warlock show, you had mentioned that and so, as I was getting ready for this, I put that on and had forgotten that. That's like one of those cassettes that I had worn out From the moment that I feel like a stranger hits. I was listening to 10, 9, 89 and I was like why am I so familiar with this? And then I realized it's the one from Without a Net.
Speaker 1:
It's like I don't even know what that's going to happen. But that whole show, and especially when they hit the Dark Star and you just hear the crowd erupt for like three minutes, it's just louder crowd than it is music. Those moments like that are just.
Speaker 2:
Oh, it was unbelievable. I went down there with $120 on me with two friends of mine. They were tapers, so that was more like a solo show for me because they were the first people in the door that night and we had gotten down there on the Sunday morning and tickets were still on sale. They had a little trailer there. So we actually bought the tickets for the ninth show, but the tickets for the Sunday night show they did help slip flat Franklin's.
Speaker 2:
I went to paint $60, which back then was unheard of, but I thought something was up and I better buy it from my friend Lisa. She came up with an extra ticket and I was in the front row for that and they started helping on the way and I knew this is going down. And then the next night I went right back to my right in front of Phil Lesh on the rail and when they went into Dark Star it just blew everybody's mind. And then they did. You know, death don't have no mercy and addicts in my life. After they played that and the lights went on, I was literally in tears, and I wasn't the only one. There was a lot of people just like weeping and crying and it was just that really was amazing, it really was.
Speaker 1:
I got to say yeah, I have no doubt. I mean, as I was listening to it, I was thinking, man, this is like maybe the best show of the late 80s. Oh yeah, I remember doing Good Love and I'm like I didn't break.
Speaker 2:
I was only 20 something at the time, but I felt like I was going to heart attack.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, no doubt. I mean they're just in and out of playing in the band and like just from beginning to end.
Speaker 2:
Oh, yeah, that was really special and it was just nobody knew. In fact I was on the Sunday shows out there looking for a ticket on like an off ramp from a highway and I'm out there. My friend Roy was like about 100 yards in front of me. He got a ticket. He comes walking back, passes me and then a cop pulls off the overpass, pulls me over. I have to get in the back seat of the car and she writes me up some. I don't know if she even wrote me a ticket, but all she's told me was we didn't even know these concerts were happening until the other day. You know, even the cops were full. They had no idea we were coming.
Speaker 1:
And that was the whole purpose that I from. I did a little research and recently about this and and I've evidently the reason they went by the warlocks is because the city didn't want the grateful dad Like no, we don't.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
What yeah?
Speaker 1:
it's with it the whole Carnival atmosphere and so yeah, what happened in a few years before? I think you know it didn't help, I think right, and so, yeah, they did it as the warlocks and then I guess they only sold tickets locally and it was on sale just a few days before the thing sort of the whole thing was bootstrap underground, yeah yeah, I mean my friend Bob Hester, he's the one who told me about it.
Speaker 2:
He said, well, my couple of my friends are going there, tapers, and I kind of knew them. But you know, I was like, yeah, I'll go. I mean, it's just a completely. We drove all the way down there just on a whim really, but a lot of other people did, and once they played that first show, everyone was on the phone calling their friends. You better get down here, you know.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and for those who don't know, warlocks were what the grateful dead were called Originally, before they were called the great right and it went by formally.
Speaker 2:
The warlocks is what was on the ticket stub right, right, right, right.
Speaker 1:
What? Do you know why they changed from the warlocks originally? Was it just?
Speaker 2:
I heard it was another band was called that. There was another band called the warlocks, so they had to change it or wanted to change it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, back then. Yeah, it was good change, I think yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely I Mean. When I first started the book I was gonna call it. It must have been the roses. You know, that was my working title for the longest time. And my brother, colin, once again says well, what does that mean? And I try to explain. Well, you know, I did this, all this crazy stuff because it must have been the roses or something and but then I just went with, you know, the old grateful dead tour tales, you know, which is tells you exactly what it is. But a lot of people get confused, thinking it's a bunch of different people's stories because they have this other book deadhead stories out. So but this is really just my story, you know.
Speaker 1:
Gotcha, gotcha, you get it on Amazon and that's what I did.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I just went on Amazon itself published it myself. So it's all me and all the all the publicity. Whatever I'm doing is just, you know, word-of-mouth, I, you know, I you probably saw something on Facebook I posted, you know, and that's what I do. You know, and I've been posting some reviews. I've gotten and that's gotten some good responses. I mean, my book was the number like 15 place book this weekend in Music, history and criticism. I was surprised, you know, but I'm, I'm up there, you know, in, yeah, as far as popularity goes for sure.
Speaker 1:
Yeah well, so I'll put the link in the show notes, so anybody out there who does want to go check it out They'll be able to yeah, yeah. Just go straight to Amazon, where it's at.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'd appreciate it, you know sure, yeah, how long ago.
Speaker 1:
so what you published it in August, is that right?
Speaker 2:
I published it in August of 22. Okay.
Speaker 2:
I had a different cover and it was actually a. Again, my brother Collins, he's a graphic artist and he he gives me this cover. It turns out to be an album cover of the Grateful Dead from 19, 2015 that I didn't know about, and and then they shut me down and he took it off, you know, after a few months, and then I just kind of put the book back on. You went out this, this picture here, which I drew myself, and, no, there was no sales whatsoever and I was kind of even just gonna just give up. And then my brother said you know why don't you put that picture? You did you know what cherry with it? You know that doodle, basically. And so I did that and add a nowhere. All the sudden, I'm selling books.
Speaker 3:
Wouldn't you know it?
Speaker 2:
It's crazy but yeah, it's that picture, did it and it's. It's a cool little doodle. I did it work and took me five minutes, but it wound up being the cover of my book.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I agree with you, as I was scrolling through Amazon and I was like oh, what's that picture?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, and if you really look close it's very. It's just a bunch of boxes that turn into Jerry.
Speaker 1:
Unfortunately, at this point in the episode we had some technical difficulties. We were sort of able to recover for a few minutes, but this is definitely going to be a shortened episode because of that. I want to thank you very much for coming on and sharing your story and sharing Just. You know about your, your passion for the Grateful Dead and and I'm glad that you know that you're you're doing what you're doing To to keep these stories alive and to keep you know, to let other people know that that we had a really great time back when we Know we don't want to let that we don't want to let the stories pass or be forgotten exactly.
Speaker 1:
Alright. Thank you, George. Thank you Alright. Take care, take care.