Grateful Dead Facebook Fan Pages - Communities Reviews

Disclaimer: I love that people put their time and energy into sharing information and media of GD on facebook.  I commend them for doing so and they all enhance my life in a positive way.

I link to them below and also add a bit of a review of which ones I like the best. My "review"  is just for fun and only one guy's opinion (see blog disclaimer).  Just because I prefer not to see posts of GD lyrics snippets or "post Jerry" Dead family projects does not mean that isn't great information for other users. One thing though, it really chaps my hide when these pages post incorrect lyrics (happens way too often) - that's totally gross.

Grateful Dead Facebook Fan Pages/Communities Reviews

Parking Lots of Grateful Dead Tours - Mike's Favorite 

Current Members:  9,2645

Location:  San Francisco

Posts Per Day:  10-20

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts:  Medium

Unrelated Acts/Information:  Minimal

The name alone makes this page great, and you gotta love the choice of content on this facebook fan page.  My favorite thing about it is that they administrate a youtube channel and put links to great footage on it.  And my second favorite thing about this fan page is that they post youtube videos of ENTIRE SETS/SHOWS.  Delicious. 

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Grateful Dead Books - Another Great Page  

Current Members: 14,088

Location: Atlanta Georgia

Posts Per Day: 40+

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts: Medium

Unrelated Acts/Information: A lot of content unrelated to GD

I must point out that the "Grateful Dead Books" community is a treasure trove.  I think it's the first "unofficial" GD Facebook community I joined, and they post great stuff.  I think there's at least couple of different administrators (sometimes you see signature like ~GDB-SEPA~, or a reference to Grateful Dead Books West). This is where I learn about a lot of great books (and other products). They post links to good youtube videos and often post several original/alternative versions of songs that the Grateful Dead cover (which I find interesting but never watch).  I believe it was this page that "live tweets" shows that are broadcasted online (like from TRI Studios), and I enjoyed one time when they were critical of the song Corrina.

A little too much "un Dead" related content though (for my tastes), and I was deeply disturbed by the recent post of  a youtube video of Warren Haynes singing a Metallica song.  It seems like JK has nailed down the guitar duties for the remaining Dead acts (wish Kimock would also be in that mix, or even Jimmy Herring), but we need to do everything we can to make sure Warren Haynes does not somehow slip back onstage with the Dead.

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Grateful Dead Hall of Fame  - Ooooh, the awesome "child" of Grateful Dead Books

Current Members:  2495

Location:  San Francisco

Posts Per Day:  5-10

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts: Never

Unrelated Acts/Information:  Medium

I wish there was a "love" button that would allow me to differentiate from merely "liking" things on facebook.  This page appears to be an offshoot of Grateful Dead Books page but there's nothing wrong with that.  This page seems to have mostly GD related posts including links to FULL SETS/SHOWS on Youtube and more notably FULL JGB Shows (yes!).  

I just found this one recently and I can already tell when I need something to listen to, it's going to be my "go to" page.

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Grateful Dead - I think this is the "Official" GD Page

Current Members:  1,248,181

Location:  San Francisco

Posts Per Day:  1-2

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts:  Never

Unrelated Acts/Information:  Almost None

This is the "official" Grateful Dead Facebook page so of course it's a "must follow" but much like The Grateful Dead Almanac was not nearly as juicy as Relix Magazine, sometimes the polished corporate voice isn't as fun as fan generated content.

I'm couldn't be less interested in the recent video series called the "Dead Covers Project" but I am sure it's great fun for others. There's lots of other great content on here and of course many many reminders about upcoming "official" GD releases.

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Grateful Dead Tour - Nothing Left to Do But Like Like Like

Current Members:  14,262

Posts Per Day:  10

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts:  Often

Unrelated Acts/Information: None

The profile picture above (of Brent) and the pictures to the right of it (including blotter artwork) should tell you that this fan page is legit. Of course, what I also love is the links to youtube of JGB shows and ENTIRE SHOWS/SETS of the Dead (!) This page posts lots of really nice youtube finds of rarities and interesting tunes.  No "post Jerry" Dead projects here that I can find (thanks).

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DeadheadLand 

Current Members:  18,794

Location:  Alameda

Posts Per Day:  10

Gratuitous Dead Lyrics Posts:  Never

Unrelated Acts/Information:  Tons of good info about Dead side projects

A good resource for modern day Dead related events.  Lots of updates about Jackie Greene, Mickey Hart, 7 Walkers and other Dead related projects.  So I'm not that interested in this one, but another good tool to keep on top of what's going on in the  "Deadsphere."

It is also apparently the facebook manifestation of a blog about current Dead topics (naturally located at www.Deadheadland.com).  This blog is where you can find some good editorial content about recent Dead related shows and setlists, etc.Deadheadland has a couple of youtube channels as well.

Deadheadland is doing a lot of fundraising on the facebook platform and the blog, and at first I thought there was an actual Deadheadland location but it turns out it is just to support the costs of the guy who writes the content... that's cool I guess, if you enjoy it I suppose you should contribute.

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I will update with more pages as I become aware of them...

Tiger in a Trance - Grateful Dead Book Review

Tiger in a Trance

I did a lot of reading during the 3 years hiatus from this blog and one of the books that I enjoyed was Tiger in a Trance by Max Ludington.

This is an autobiographical account of a head on tour during the 1980s in his teens and twenties.  It is really great to read his account of life on tour including:

• making ends meet on tour
• drug use on tour 
• life in the GD parking lot
• romantic encounters and relationships on tour 
• travelling throughout America on tour

It delivers the kind of stories you would hope for and definitely made my pulse quicken a little as I read his account of events like going to shows and taking psychedelics.

You get to read a little about some family type relationships that the protagonist manages, as well as romantic ones.  But if you are like me, you are reading for the extensive accounts of tour life - going to shows, getting to the next show, getting a hotel room, dodging the police.  This book does deliver on this account.

One quote that really got me from this book was Max describing a night of tripping after a show (at this point he's back in the hotel):

"... I was hit with the change-of-atmosphere bug, a mild case of it since the acid had mostly worn off, but there it was. Fresh air, new places.I ppushed myself into a standing position against the wall and felt for the room key in my pocket.  I pulled it out and looked at the blue plastic Sheraton diamond.  I would need it to get past security in the lobby."

Suffice to say little moments like these are what triggered great memories for me as a reader.

The protagonist ends up leaving the tour scene and experiencing a whole different kind of life experience (and probably this other part of his life would make a great novel as well). He checks back in on tour after and things have changed or he has changed so the road seems to end.

This book is a thoroughly enjoyable for fans of the Grateful Dead, drug culture, or coming of age stories.  If you are a fan of all then it is a must read.

Tiger in a Trance Book Rating: N/A(not going to do any more numerical ratings of books like this because they are not perfect yet I am too appreciative of their existence to give anything but a 10.0).