The Grateful Dead, "He's Gone" (Track of the Week)

Longtime friends know that I am a longtime Grateful Dead hater. I first encountered them in the late 80s, when they were selling out stadiums and had a big hit with "Touch of Grey." Their name made them sound like a metal band, but this song sounded like some far too mellow 80s pop music. The way Jerry Garcia sang "I will survive" like he was falling asleep seemed to drain the song of any urgency. I just didn't get it. 

Soon after that I started listening to classic rock radio, and so I heard songs like "Casey Jones" and "Trucking" with some regularity. I bought a cassette of the Skeletons from the Closet comp (admittedly not a good place to start) and was singularly unimpressed. I just could not get over how all this music steeped in the soulful roots of blues and country could be sung so feebly. At that point in the early 90s I was confirmed in my opinion that the Dead sucked.

Over the years I met people whose taste in music I respected who liked them. My dislike was so intense that I just refused to listen and assumed that my friends had been hypnotized by hippies at some point in their lives, or that they had enjoyed the Deadhead culture without paying much attention to the product at the center of it. (As a Mets fan I can certainly understand this dynamic.)

As I have aged I have learned not to trust the prejudices and attitudes formed in my youth. After all, I once told people in my mid-20s that I would never get married or be a father, and now I enjoy both so much I can't imagine a different life. I once poo-pooed musical theater and graphic novels, and now I enjoy both. In that spirit, earlier this year I reached out to some Dead fans in my life for recommendations to attempt to change my ways. 

Not surprisingly, they all gave me live songs to listen to. My big mistake in my youth was getting my impression of the Dead from their studio recordings, which I have certainly not changed my mind about whatsoever. Live, however, they could weave quite a sonic tapestry, including taking old songs and adding something new to them. It's obvious that Garcia was a true student of American roots music, which I also love, and that he had a great ear for musical nuance. 

This all came to me yesterday when I was listening to the Europe 72 album in my car while waiting to pick my kids up from camp. "He's Gone" was not one of the songs recommended to me, but it just hit me the right way. The rhythm and feel grabbed me from the start and I found myself grooving along, not concerned about waiting for my kids in the hot July sun. 

I still think that the Dead could've been a truly great band had they brought in a lead singer with the soul power that the music requires. Nevertheless, I can enjoy the interplay of their live music, and the reminder that you can always change your mind about things, even in middle age.