Op-Ed: ”JERRY GARCIA’S DEAD (UNDEAD, UNDEAD, UNDEAD)” — If Bauhaus were Humboldt hippies
By Jake Pickering
Why are there so many Grateful Dead cover bands in Humboldt County, California? (And yes, that was a rhetorical question.) I like the Grateful Dead too, but damn, you would think there would be some local musicians here in Northern California who would be interested in doing something original musically instead of playing “Casey Jones” or “Touch of Grey” for the thousandth time in their life. C’mon, y’all. You can do better.
And then there’s this: most tribute bands do a disservice to the band they’re attempting to honor, because most bands that only play cover songs usually stink. And this is certainly true in regards to Grateful Dead tribute bands. But don’t be discouraged deadheads, because most bands’ versions of cover songs are awful, including The Grateful Dead themselves who were well-known for butchering songs on stage written by other even older and/or long dead artists who were sent spinning in their graves.
For instance, ever hear The Grateful Dead’s live version of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away”? It’s the version that only a true deadhead could love. For those Buddy Holly fans reading this, you know what I’m saying – The Grateful Dead lived up to their band name by doing everything they could to drain the life out of that song sonically, somehow making an otherwise great tune boring and unlistenable. How dare they! R.I.P. Buddy Holly. (Rush’s version is so much better anyway.)
So don’t do the same here in Northern California with the Grateful Dead’s music, much of which was outstanding. Do not dishonor them with your lousy cover versions of their many great original songs. We get it already, deadheads, you love Jerry Garcia almost as much as you love LSD, but to put it bluntly you are boring audiences with seemingly uninspired musicians and bands that are just rehashing old, worn material which is a paid ticket to musical disappointment for most listeners. Just saying.
Music should be interesting, for the listeners at least, if not for the bored and/or boring musicians themselves. Do yourselves (and us) a favor. Stop wasting your time and ours playing Grateful Dead songs already and write something new and if not necessarily original, at least write and perform some music that is derivative of bands other than the Grateful Dead. We can listen to “Ripple” on our own at home without having to pay a cover charge, and if some unrepentant paleo-hippie octogenarian deadhead can’t handle that, just do your best Tommy Chong impression and tell them to “mellow out, man.” Then offer them some acid.
And then there’s this: most tribute bands do a disservice to the band they’re attempting to honor, because most bands that only play cover songs usually stink. And this is certainly true in regards to Grateful Dead tribute bands. But don’t be discouraged deadheads, because most bands’ versions of cover songs are awful, including The Grateful Dead themselves who were well-known for butchering songs on stage written by other even older and/or long dead artists who were sent spinning in their graves.
For instance, ever hear The Grateful Dead’s live version of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away”? It’s the version that only a true deadhead could love. For those Buddy Holly fans reading this, you know what I’m saying – The Grateful Dead lived up to their band name by doing everything they could to drain the life out of that song sonically, somehow making an otherwise great tune boring and unlistenable. How dare they! R.I.P. Buddy Holly. (Rush’s version is so much better anyway.)
So don’t do the same here in Northern California with the Grateful Dead’s music, much of which was outstanding. Do not dishonor them with your lousy cover versions of their many great original songs. We get it already, deadheads, you love Jerry Garcia almost as much as you love LSD, but to put it bluntly you are boring audiences with seemingly uninspired musicians and bands that are just rehashing old, worn material which is a paid ticket to musical disappointment for most listeners. Just saying.
Music should be interesting, for the listeners at least, if not for the bored and/or boring musicians themselves. Do yourselves (and us) a favor. Stop wasting your time and ours playing Grateful Dead songs already and write something new and if not necessarily original, at least write and perform some music that is derivative of bands other than the Grateful Dead. We can listen to “Ripple” on our own at home without having to pay a cover charge, and if some unrepentant paleo-hippie octogenarian deadhead can’t handle that, just do your best Tommy Chong impression and tell them to “mellow out, man.” Then offer them some acid.
