"Stephen Stills & the Dead: Legendary Collaborations Unveiled" Larry Mishkin discusses various aspects related to the Grateful Dead, December 11th, 2023 show including historical performances, the significance of particular songs like "China Cat Sunflower" into "I Know You Rider," insights into the band's music evolution, and notable appearances by Stephen Stills with the Dead during their performances. Larry also pays tribute to Denny Lane, a musician associated with Wings and the Moody Blues, following Lane's recent passing. Additionally, he delves into the musical significance of the song "Black Queen" by Stephen Stills, its themes, and its rare appearances in Dead concerts. Furthermore, he provides updates and insights into ticket sales for upcoming concerts, specifically for Phish. .Produced by PodConx
"Stephen Stills & the Dead: Legendary Collaborations Unveiled"
Larry Mishkin discusses various aspects related to the Grateful Dead, December 11th, 2023 show including historical performances, the significance of particular songs like "China Cat Sunflower" into "I Know You Rider," insights into the band's music evolution, and notable appearances by Stephen Stills with the Dead during their performances. Larry also pays tribute to Denny Lane, a musician associated with Wings and the Moody Blues, following Lane's recent passing. Additionally, he delves into the musical significance of the song "Black Queen" by Stephen Stills, its themes, and its rare appearances in Dead concerts. Furthermore, he provides updates and insights into ticket sales for upcoming concerts, specifically for Phish.
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Grateful Dead
December 12, 1969 (54 years ago, tomorrow)
Thelma
West Hollywood, CA
With Stephen Stills
Grateful Dead Live at Thelma Theater on 1969-12-10 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive
INTRO: I Know You Rider
Track #1
2:10 – 3:42
Every Deadhead knows this song, but what makes this version unusual is that it is a show opener AND is not preceded by China Cat.
In the Grateful Dead universe, few song pairings stick out with such adoration and favoritism among the band’s legion of fans more than “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider”. The Grateful Dead performed the two-song combination over 500 times throughout their 30-year run, making it one of the more dependable mid-set segues capable of launching a show into orbit at any moment thanks to its dance-friendly tempo and lengthy jams transition jams.
It makes it that much more special to note that the “China” > “Rider” combination made its first appearance at the legendary Cafe au Go Go in New York City on September 30th, 1969—54 years ago today, and less than a month before the venue closed its doors in October of that year.
"I Know You Rider" (also "Woman Blues" and "I Know My Rider") is a traditionalblues song that has been adapted by numerous artists. It has appeared in folk, country, and rock guises and is not overly identified with any particular artist.
Modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Deceitful Brownskin Blues", which was released as a single in 1927. It appears in a 1934 book, American Ballads and Folk Songs, by the noted father-and-son musicologists and folklorists John Lomax and Alan Lomax.[2] The book notes that "An eighteen-year old black girl, in prison for murder, sang the song and the first stanza of these blues." The Lomaxes then added a number of verses from other sources and named it "Woman Blue".[2] The music and melody are similar to Lucille Bogan's "B.D. Woman Blues" (c. 1935), although the lyrics are completely different.
By the mid-1960s, rock acts had begun to perform or record the song. James Taylor sang it as "Circle Round the Sun" on his 1968 debut album James Taylor).[2]Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin were performing it in concert; a rendition from 1966 was released in 1984 on the live album Cheaper Thrills.[2] The Grateful Dead's interpretation was a staple of their live shows from the beginning of the band's existence in 1965, where it would soon be performed as a connected song from "China Cat Sunflower" and represented the group's forging a bridge from their psychedelic music to their more traditional country and folk side.[1] This combination was featured on their 1972 triple live album Europe '72.[1] (The Grateful Dead's segue approach was later used by Bruce Hornsby and the Range in the late 1980s, with "I Know You Rider" following their song, "The Red Plains"
The combo was first released by the Dead on the original Europe ’72 album. Although Rider can be found on earlier Dead recordings.
1st – Nov. 3, 1965 at Mother’s in S.F.
Last – July 8, 1995, Soldier Field
Total 563 No. 4 most played, not counting Drums and Space, China Cat is No. 3 on that list at 564
Show is at Thelma, a nightclub on Hollywood Blvd. with a very uncertain history. First, it was a Hungarian restaurant called The Little Gypsy, then it became an upscale restaurant called The Golden Violin. In mid-60’s, the owner turned it into a rock club, Galaxy. Was located in the middle of a block filled with music venues. To the east, was Whisky a Go Go (most famous of them all), to the west Hamburger Hamlet (for late night munchies). Right next door was the London Fog where The Doors, in their formative years, had a residency before Jim Morrison’s behaviour got them kicked out – moved to the Whisky to become the house band. Initially, Galaxy’s house band was a fledgling Iron Butterfly. Became Thelma in the fall of 1969.
Was a three night run from 12/10 – 12/12. Night one is the concert featured on Dave’s Picks No. 10 – another great concert, but this one has one thing that the Dec. 10th show does not have – Stephen Stills playing with the boys.
Recall this past spring we featured Stephen Stills playing with the Dead on April 16, 1983 at Brendan Byrne Arena in NJ when they played Stills’ song, Black Queen and one of my favorite versions of Iko ever recorded by the Dead. The next night they played Love The One Your With. Only a 14 year gap in between!
SHOW No. 1: Casey Jones
Track #8
2:48 – 4:15
The first tune Stills came on stage for (although some remember him playing in the first set as well).
Just like we discussed last week (Fillmore West on 12.4.69), there is a bridge here between primal dead and americana dead. This show features a mix of primal dead and new americana tunes. Casey Jones was an entirely different type of song for the Dead but it rocked and Stills seems very comfortable figuring out his place in the mix.
Garcia/Hunter tune
Released on Workingman’s Dead in spring, 1970.
First played on June 22, 1969 at a show in Central Park in NYC
Last played on March 27, 1993 at the Kickerbocker Arena in Albany NY
Total played 313 times (No. 42)
BUT, after 1972 it dropped off the regular set list rotation. From 1973 till the end, only played 47 times and by the ‘80’s it became a rarity that required good luck to catch:
1982 – 2x
1984 – 2x
1992 – 3x
1993 – 1x
I unfortunately never saw it live. Very disappointing. Closest I came was the ’84 show at Merriweather Post pavilion outside of D.C. I was with a group of friends on summer tour but did not head out for the east coast swing and missed that show. But my good buddy Rick was there because he took the long car ride that I avoided. Miss a little, miss a lot.
Article re Stills and Dead
SHOW No. 2: Good Morning Little School Girl
Track #9
7:00 – 8:39
We featured this song last week but had to feature it again, because on this version Stills finds his footing and jams along with Garcia and Weir as well as Pig on the harmonica. A very cool sound. Pig kills it as usual.
SHOW No. 3: Black Queen
Track No. 11
2:15 – 3:52
We featured this song on the episode earlier this year featuring the April 16, 1983 mash up show. This is an earlier version and just as down and dirty as the later version. A great Stills tune that the Dead feel right at home with.
As a reminder,
Black Queen is a song written by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills. It was featured on his self-titled debut solo album released in 1970. The song holds a significant place in Stills’ body of work, as it explores powerful themes of love, equality, and racial injustice. Let’s delve into the meaning behind this iconic song and unveil the message Stephen Stills intended to convey through his heartfelt lyrics.
Black Queen is a passionate ode to the African American community, expressing solidarity with their struggle for equality and justice. The song’s opening line, “White knights for the black queen, marching to the stirrings of the breeze,” immediately sets the tone for the uplifting and empathetic message throughout the song. Stills paints a vivid picture of a world where individuals of different races join hands to fight against racial discrimination.
Throughout the song, Stills calls for unity and emphasizes the importance of embracing diversity. He acknowledges the strength and resilience of the Black community, praising their ability to overcome adversity and stand tall in the face of systemic racism. With lines like “Black queen, your dreams are on the ground,” Stills recognizes the struggles that African Americans have faced but encourages them to keep fighting for their rights and aspirations.
This show and April ’83 are the only two times the Dead played the song in concert.
SHOW No. 4: Turn On Your Lovelight
Track #12
:46 – 2:25
A very short version of this tune, considering its 1969 and Pig has the lead, but after only a few minutes, they segue into a killer Cryptical/Other One which apparently was a bit too out there for Stills as he leaves the stage at the transition. Still Pig at his finest singing and rapping as only he could do. A tune that died with Pig until Bobby brought it back in the early ‘80’s and it became more of a regular after that although never as much as it was when Pig was around. Great jamming with Stills in his final number with the band for the night.
OUTRO: Cosmic Charlie
Track #17
Start – end (just about a minute because it cuts out)
Released on Aoxomoxoa in June, 1969.
Grateful Dead was known for their unique and poetic songwriting style, and “Cosmic Charlie” is no exception. Released in 1969 on their album “Aoxomoxoa,” this song has captivated fans for decades with its enigmatic lyrics and psychedelic sound. Exploring themes of spirituality, love, and the human experience, “Cosmic Charlie” takes listeners on a sonic journey unlike any other.
The meaning behind “Cosmic Charlie” is open to interpretation, as with many of the band’s songs. Some believe it was inspired by the vision of a fictional character named Cosmic Charlie, who travels through different dimensions, spreading joy and love. Others see it as a metaphor for the human longing for connection and transcendence. The lyrics, although cryptic at times, convey a sense of wonder and mystery that invites listeners to delve deeper into their own consciousness.
The overall message of “Cosmic Charlie” seems to be one of embracing the cosmic and spiritual aspects of life. It encourages listeners to let go of their inhibitions, explore the unknown, and seek connection with the universe. The song invites individuals to tap into their inner selves and discover the hidden realms of existence.
Very rarely played by the Dead. Only a total of 45 times.
1st – Jan. 16, 1969, Robertson Gymnasium at UC Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA
Last - Sept. 25, 1976, Cap Center in Landover Maryland.
Played 20 times in 1969, 18 times in 1970 and one time in 1971. The tune then went on hiatus until 1976 when it was played a total of 6 times between June and September.
Thereafter, a tune the deadheads literally begged the Dead to play again. Around 1983 or 1984, a group started asking for signatures on a petition to the Dead asking them to play the song again. They would also hand out cards with the song’s lyrics so “when” the Dead played it, the Deadheads would be able to sing along. Alas, they just became Dead trinkets in the same cigar box as my ticket stubs because the Dead never did play it again.
Sorry this is a “cut” version of this version, but it’s still great music and as any Deadhead who never heard it live would agree, this would have been an amazing tune to hear so even just a little of it is worth the listen. Enjoy
Larry (00:27.086)
Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of the Deadhead Cannabis Show. I'm Larry Mishkin of Mishkin Law in Chicago and happy to be with you guys today, December 11th, 2023. We've got a wonderful, grateful Dead Show to share with you today. We've got some really interesting marijuana news that's going on in the world. And let's just dive right in. We're looking at a show that was played on December 12th, 1969, 54 years ago tomorrow at Thelma in West Hollywood, California. And if you were there...
This is how it sounded at the beginning.
Larry (02:35.658)
Deadhead knows that song. What makes this version of it so unique really in a couple of different ways. Number one is to show opener which then logically follows number two. It's not preceded by China Cat right? In the Grateful Dead universe there's few song pairings that stick out with such a aterism and favoritism among the band's fans more than China Cat's Sunflower into I Know You Writer. The Dead performed that two song combination over 500 times throughout their 30 year run making it one of the more dependable
Mid-set segues capable of launching a show into orbit at any moment because it has a very dance-friendly tempo, lengthy jams, and great transition jams. It makes it that much more special to note that the China writer combination made its first appearance at the legendary Cafe Agogo in New York City on September 30th, 1969, less than two months before the venue closed its doors in October of that year. I Know You Writer, also known as Women Blues, and I Know My Writer,
is a traditional blues song that has been adapted by numerous artists. It has appeared in folk, country, and rock guises and is not overly identified with any particular artist. Modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemon Jefferson's deceitful brown skinned blues which was released as a single in 1927. It appears in a 1934 book, American Ballads and Folk Songs by the noted father and son musicologists and folklorists John Lomax and Ellen Lomax.
The book notes that an 18-year-old black girl in prison for murder sang the song in the first stanza of these blues. The Lomax has then added a number of verses from other sources and named it Woman Blue. The music and melody are similar to Lucille Bogans' BD Women Blues about 1935, although the lyrics are completely different. By the mid-1960s, Rock X had begun to perform the rock, either perform or record the song. James Taylor sang it as
Circle Around the Sun on his 1968 debut album James Taylor, Big Brother and The Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin, were performing it in concert. A rendition from 1966 was released in 1984 on the live album Cheaper Thrills. The Grateful Dead's interpretation was a staple of their live shows from the beginning of the band's existence in 1965, where it would soon be performed as a connected song with China Cat Sunflower, as we just discussed. And it represented the
Larry (04:57.606)
actually the groups forging a bridge from the psychedelic music, the China cat music, into the more traditional country folk side of I Know You, Writer. This combination was first released on vinyl by The Dead on their 1972 Europe 72 album. The Grateful Dead's segue approach was later used by Bruce Hornsby and the Range in the late 1980s with I Know You, Writer following their song, The Red Plains.
Larry (05:26.87)
So the first time they actually performed, I Know You Writers, November 3rd, 1965 at Mothers in San Francisco. The last time they performed, it was right up till the very end, folks, July 8th, 1995 at Soldier Field here in Chicago. Was played a total of 563 times, number four most played by the dead, not counting drums in space. By the way, China Cat is number three on that list, checking it at 564. So just one ahead of I Know You Writers.
As we say, there were some times when one was played without the other, very rarely. And, um, I never recall seeing China. Uh, I know you're right. Or as an opener of anything without the China cat. So, uh, we think that's great. Love, uh, love it when you get to catch those songs, uh, before they became really kind of the, the traditional way that we know them today. Now the show is at Thelma, a nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard with a very uncertain history.
As best people can tell, first it was a Hungarian restaurant called the Little Gypsy. Then it became an upscale restaurant called the Golden Violin. In the mid-1960s, the owner turned it into a rock club, Galaxy. It was located in the middle of a block filled with music venues. To the east there was Whiskey a Go-Go, most famous of them all. To the west, Hamburger Hamlet, known for late-night munchies after shows. And right next door to Galaxy was the London Fog, where the
doors performed in their formative years. They had a residency there before Jim Morrison's behavior got them kicked out, and they eventually moved over to the Whiskey a Go to become the house band. Speaking of that, the Galaxies' initial house band was a fledgling group called Iron Butterfly, who became famous more among other things, their album and seminal live tune in Agata Da Vida.
Thelma in the fall of 1969. But yeah, so we're talking about Hollywood Boulevard, um, in West LA. And, uh, you know, this is just, uh, think about what's, what's going on here. Um, you know, famous music venues, uh, one that's a venue that the debtor playing in that just kind of got there some way, somehow, uh, and they go in there and they just lay out this fantastic music. This was their only time there was a three night run.
Larry (07:46.518)
from December 10th to December 12th, 1969. And by the way, night one is the concert featured, or perhaps better said released, on Dave's Picks number 10. It's another great concert that has just some amazing tunes and amazing versions of tunes. But this song on December 12th has one thing that the December 10th show does not have, and that is Stephen Still's playing with the boys.
Now recall this past spring, we featured Stephen Stills playing with the Dead on April 16th, 1983 at Brendan Burn-A-Rita in New Jersey, when among other things they played a well-known still song, Black Queen, and still one of my very favorite versions of Iko ever recorded or ever played by the Dead, that ultimately was recorded so we could all hear it. The next night was stills, they played Love the One You're With, so there's only a 14-year gap in between.
But nevertheless, Stills made it on stage twice with the boys. And we're gonna feature now during the show here, tracks on which Stills came out and played with the boys. And this is the first one. So you've got Jerry, the Grateful Dead, Steven Stills, all jamming on Casey Jones.
Larry (10:32.834)
So this is the first tune that still came on stage with the boys for, although some remember him playing in the first set as well. Just like we discussed last week when we featured the show from the Fillmore West on December 4th, 1969, just one week before this show. There was a bridge here between Primal Dead and Americana Dead as the other, what we were just talking about with China Ryder talks about how the song itself exemplifies that bridge. But this was a time period when it was happening.
And this show, like the show last week, has a great mix of Primal Dead and New Americana tunes. A lot of these songs were off of Working Man's, which was gonna be coming out sometime in the spring of 1970. And so everybody was really excited about that. Casey Jones was an entirely different type of song for The Dead, but it rocked and still seemed very comfortable figuring out his place in the mix and really jams out on it. It is a Garcia Hunter tune.
It was released on Working Man's in the spring of 1970. It was first played by the Dead on June 22nd, 1969 at a show in Central Park in New York City. It was last played on March 27th, 1993 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York. It was played a total of 313 times, making it number 42 on the All Time Dead song list. But, and this is the interesting thing about it, after 1972, it dropped out of the regular rotation.
From 73 till the end, they only played it 47 more times. And by the 1980s, it became a rarity that really required good luck to catch. In 1982, they played it twice. In 1984, they played it twice. In 1992, they played it three times. And in 1993, they played it for the last and final time, still two years before they wound things up.
I unfortunately never got to see the song live, but I was very disappointed because it was always right around me. The closest I came was in 1994, the show at Merriweather Post Pavilion outside of DC. I was with a group of friends on summer tour, but did not head out east for that part of the east coast swing of the tour and missed that show. Now my good buddy and roommate from Michigan, Rick, was there because he took the long car ride that I avoided and went out there and had a good time with some of our friends.
Larry (12:53.31)
uh... and i always regretted not uh... not going out there with them and this is one of the reasons why with the dead is always the same you miss a little you miss a lot now this is this uh... performance by steven stills with the dead uh... is something that's been commented on uh... within the rock industry on a number of different occasions i saw an article by tyler goulson uh... that ran a couple of years ago in far out magazine
Exactly what we were saying in 69, the dead was still primal dead territory for the Grateful Dead. They established themselves as one of the most forward-thinking and ambitiously experimental rock bands in all of America. They were beginning to find their footing. Psychedelia for psychedelic sakes was out and so was the garage rock that was found on the band's first album, Grateful Dead. In its place came long excursions that focused on group cohesions mixing in the classic blues covers of the group's early days with the more American
kind of styles that would come to define their next few albums. Even though they were within the state during its proliferation, the Dead were never really part of the California sound, think quotation marks around that, mainly rooted in LA, far away from the Dead's hometown of San Francisco, where artists like the Mamas and the Papas, the Birds, and Buffalo Springfield were integrating folk elements into psychedelic rock arrangements and were pushing boundaries when it came to mainstream pop.
By the time Stephen Stills recruited David Crosby from the Byrds and Graham Nash from the Hollies to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash, their blend of harmonies solidified the idyllic nature of California in the late 1960s. Stills eventually befriended the dead, as did the other members of CSN, and would be instrumental in helping them transition away from the acid soaked experimentation of albums like Anthem of the Sun and Oxa Moxa. The dead took CSN's lead when it came to harmonies.
and acoustic arrangements, eventually crafting some of the most mainstream sounding records yet with, again, what we've talked about, Working Man's and American Beauty, coming out just five months apart. Now, before they entered the studio, the band had a few of the songs already worked out, including Casey Jones and Black Peter from Working Man's Dead and a number of these others. It's uncertain whether Stills had even heard any of these songs before he decided to plug in guitar and hop on stage with the band to perform some of these.
Larry (15:14.03)
tunes not even released during the show at Thelma on December 10th, 69. Not that it would have slowed him down. Now according to this writer, Stills got his legs under him on Black Peter in the first set which we told you was played for the very first time the week before and it's known as a song with quite a few strange chord changes in it. But as a guest, Stills mostly stayed out of the way throwing in a couple of fills just to contribute a bit. We stayed away from that song this week just because we were on it last week.
He steps off for a bit while the band burns through a couple of their classics, like me and my uncle, cold rain and snow, and then steps out again for Casey Jones, which we just heard. With a much simpler structure, Stills gets more confident on Jones. And when the band decided to follow up with the blues of Good Morning Little School Goal, which we're going to get to in a minute, Stills was able to really let loose matching licks with Garcia. And hearing three guitars in the mix is strange for any dead devotee so used to the interplay strictly between Garcia and Weir.
but still his fiery lead style does tend to jump out, especially when he doesn't have to think about the structure and could just play off of pig's harmonies. And I think that really well describes what went down that day with them and how much fun it was to hear them play together. Guys out there who were really kind of making their chops together in the music industry, as we said, Crosby, Sills and Nash working with the dead on acoustical arrangements for working mans.
and American Beauty, and of course Jerry famously playing his pedal steel guitar for CSN on the song Teach Your Children on the album Deja Vu from 1970. But let's take a listen to a minute for that Good Morning Little Schoolgirl which we just talked about when Stills actually got out there and you know, a song that he was comfortable with.
Larry (17:20.618)
morning little school girl. Good morning little school girl, easy for me to say, huh? We featured this song last week, but I had to feature it again because of this version, with Stills getting up on stage, finding his footing with the band, and jamming along with Garcia. And we're, just like the article talked about, you can hear Pig on his harmonicas, very, very cool sound. Pig kills this song as usual. And we gave all the statistics on it last week, but basically it was a tune that disappeared after Pig-Pen died.
It was resurrected a little bit in the late 80s, early 90s. My group got lucky and caught it at Soldier Field one summer. But it's just such a wonderful tune and you go back and listen to early versions of it, or versions of it with the early dead. And anything from 68 or 69, it's almost bound to pop up. And really, really worth listening to. And having Stephen Stills on it just kind of takes it, I think, up to the next level. Now, one thing that I want to talk about today
musical side of things. We have out there is actually some sad and unfortunate news. We talked about we're going to see this more and more folks as we go forward. All these guys who were my rock heroes when I was a teenager growing up are now at ages where people begin naturally to expire for reasons that are not completely related to drug abuse or things like that. And we've had a number of famous rock and roll artists
that we've lost over the past couple of years. And now it's another Denny Lane, who was a founder of both Wings with Paul McCartney and the Moody Blues. He was the original lead singer of the Moody Blues. And as we said, Paul McCartney's co-founder and guitarist in the band Wings died on December 5th after a short battle with some sort of a lung disease. He was 79 years old. His wife wrote that
She was at his bedside holding his hand, played his favorite Christmas songs for him. My world will never be the same. He was an amazingly wonderful person, so loving and sweet. He made my days colorful, fun, and full of life. Lane grew up in Birmingham, England, and formed Denny Lane and the Diplomats with future ELO drummer Bev Bevin as a teenager. But he didn't find success until 1964 when he joined forces with Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder to form the Moody Blues.
Larry (19:43.266)
They started as a blues cover band on the London club scene, but they moved over to pop music after just a few months. In late 1964, they recorded a cover of the Beatles song, Go Now, excuse me, of the Bessie Banks song, Go Now, featuring Lane on lead vocals and guitar. The song charted worldwide and hit number one in England, but Lane quit the band shortly after the release of their 1965 debut album, The Magnificent Moody's, because of a conflict with their record label. They wanted us to stay out on the road.
and make some money, Lane told North Coast Music Beat, like every band, we got ripped off. We got the fame, we didn't get the money. In 1971, Lane teamed up with Paul and Linda McCartney to form Wings. He'd known McCartney since the early days of the Moody Blues when they toured with the Beatles, and he'd seen him open for Jimi Hendrix a few years earlier. That inspired him to call me because he wanted to do something new and different, Lane told Mass Live in 2019. And Wings was formed. We then went up to Scotland, away from the public and press, and played together.
and worked on material for the first Wings album called Wild Life, and we eventually became a touring band. Now, Wings had, of course, the absurdly difficult task of helping McCartney move past the Beatles. It was always in the back of your mind, Lane told Highway 81 Revisited in 2019. How do you follow the Beatles? He started to do his solo stuff, and it took a while to build up to that level. It was easier for me because we knew each other so well, we had the same attitude toward it all.
And we knew if we just played live as much as possible, we'd get good, including the studio performances. So Lane basically spent the 70s touring and recording with Wings, helping them craft classic songs like Live and Let Die, Jet, Silly Love Songs, and Band on the Run. He wrote 1977's Mall of Kinter with McCartney and was the only member besides Linda McCartney to last through every incarnation of the band. They arguably reached the zenith of their creativity in 1973 with Band on the Run.
Me and Paul, we had the same influences musically and had known each other since the 60s, Lane told Billboard earlier this year. It was just easy. It was easy to get a good groove on each other's songs. And I think that's what made the album popular. The Wings, of course, split in 1981 after Paul McCartney was arrested in Japan for marijuana possession while on tour. Lane continued working with McCartney on his early 80s solo album, Tug of War and Pipes of Peace, but they eventually splintered apart due to a business dispute.
Larry (22:05.482)
In the years that followed, Lang cut a series of solo albums and he toured heavily. In recent years, he played a series of special shows where he played band on the run in full with other classic songs by Wings and the Moody Blues. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues after he was initially left off the list of inductees. I thought the rest of the band deserved it because of the amount of work and the popularity, and I thought that's the way it goes, he told Billboard.
Obviously, I'm very pleased I got in there. Also, it's an honor. I think I'm at least a little part of their story So I feel content that it's come full circle now Denny Lane 79 years old Will surely be missed and thank you to Andy Green and Rolling Stone magazine for all of that information on Denny Lane That I could pass on to you Other musical notes do not forget if you are listening to this show today
December 11th, 2023, and you have not yet done so. Today is your last day to mail order to be part of the list for fish, for tickets for the Sphere in April. Fish tickets, you know, the way they do it through the internet, the way the dead used to do it through mail order, right? Which means you go in, you sign up for the shows you want, you have to give them a good credit card number, and you get charged for those tickets.
You're gonna buy, you have to buy the tickets no matter where or what they are. Once you get them of course, I guess if you want to sell them, give them away or you know, burn them like incense, that's your business. But you have to be prepared to do that. But if you're willing to do so, this is your chance to get tickets at face value, which while a little steeper I've heard than for normal fish tickets, will certainly be considerably less than what those tickets will be going for on the secondary market. This is somehow turning into what may be the concert event of the year.
Everyone who I talk to who has any interest in rock and roll at all is telling me that they've already signed up or they're about to sign up on fishtickets.com or whatever the official website is. Go check it out on Google. I'm sure you can find it. It's a big one, folks. And coming on the heels of U2 during the initial residency at Sphere, this is high praise for Phish because although Phish heads will tell you they're the best band in the world and as a guy who would argue the Dead was the best band in the world.
Larry (24:30.614)
fishes right up there with them uh... i have to say that you know you to certainly is in the uh... very upper echelon of rock and roll bands of all time and their residencies is very popular as well and many people have flown out there to see them but it doesn't seem to be getting quite the buzz that this whole fish one is getting so uh... we'll see what happens but do not forget if you if you're not uh... on file with fish by the end of the day today and
I don't know if that's East Coast time or California time, so I wouldn't take any chances, just get it done already. If you're not, then you lose out on that opportunity. You can try and buy them with the public when they go on sale, but anybody who's ever dealt with those public sales knows that that's just a nightmare you don't want anything to do with, and otherwise it's the secondary market for you. And like I say, I expect those tickets to be very, very expensive when they come out. So that is our music news of the moment.
swinging back to our show here, we're going to hit what I think is the highlight when Stephen Stills plays with the Grateful Dead. And that's our next tune here, Black Queen.
Larry (25:46.946)
Black Queen. We featured this song on the episode earlier this year, featuring the April 16th, 93, 83 Dead Stills mashup. This is an earlier version and just as down and dirty as the version 14 years later. It's a great stills tune that the dead feel right at home jamming along with. Again, just to remind everybody who may have forgotten over the last six months or for one reason or another missed our show back.
uh... in april of this year although i would highly recommend you go back and listen to it now black and just f y i for those of you who have any interest on our uh... home page for this podcast there is a uh... available library of all two hundred fifty plus episodes of the deadhead cannabis show that are out there and if you haven't heard all of them some of them are really good i think all of them are really good but some of them people seem to really like a little bit more than others but you can go back and listen and we love listeners and we love the numbers we get when people listen so
Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your favorite band members, and tune into the Deadhead Cannabis Show. But Black Queen is a song written by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills. It was featured on his self-titled debut album, released in 1970. The song holds a significant place in Stills' body of work as it explores powerful themes of love, equality, and racial injustice. Delving into the meaning behind these iconic songs and trying to unveil the message Stills intended to convey.
through his heartfelt lyrics is a task that many music fans often undertake. Now, some will say that black queen is a passionate ode to the African-American community, expressing solidarity with their struggle for equality and justice. The song's opening line, white nights for the black queen, marching to the strings of the breeze immediately sets the tone for the uplifting and empathetic message throughout the song stills paints a vivid picture of a world where individuals of different races join hands to fight.
against racial discrimination. Throughout the song, Stills calls for unity and emphasizes the importance of embracing diversity. He acknowledges the strengths and resilience of the black community, praising their ability to overcome adversity and stand tall in the face of systemic racism. With lines like, black queen, your dreams are on the ground. Stills recognizes the struggles that African-Americans have faced, but encourages them to keep fighting for their rights and aspirations.
Larry (28:08.774)
uh... this show here and then the april sixteenth nineteen eighty three show are the only two times at the dead played the song in concert and although they they'd certainly could have on any other occasion had they wanted to it's that good of a song it's really a steven still song and he does it his own way and uh... the dead defer to him but fans who are lucky enough to see stills on either or even both of those two nights i would be interesting to find somebody who saw both steven stills concerts
If you know anybody out there, have them call us because we'd love to talk to them. But that's a great thing when they bring on a guest performer and the dead are always comfortable enough to let the guest performer perform one of their songs. We've talked about Bruce Hornsby and the dead playing Old Valley Road a number of times while Hornsby was with the dead and Hornsby commenting on how free he felt that, you know, the play in his way and, you know, Jerry sometimes would play along, sometimes wouldn't, but that was always just the...
the luck of playing with Jerry what you got. But Stephen Stills and Crosby Stills and Nash, even though different parts of California, really from the same era, and like we say, had such a close professional working relationship and clearly close personal relationship as well. And it's always great to find examples of these guys playing and sharing their talents and supporting one another, something that's really, really good to see. Now we're going to take a little bit of a detour here.
uh, not a detour, just a little shift in direction, uh, as we always do right around this time and scratch the other side of our show persona and have a little marijuana talk. Dan, what do you got for us today?
Larry (29:54.482)
Okay, well, I'm beginning to get a little suspicious of Dan here because he plays these tongues and revealing that I know the song, it necessarily forces me to fess up a little bit more to just how old I really am. But of course, people from my generation will always recognize Casey and the Sunshine Band belt. Now that I get lifted, and you're damn right they do, old Casey knew what was going on with all that sunshine music. But you know, we'll save the psychedelics for another day.
sunshine, it's out there. Let's focus on some marijuana news for a little while. First of all, a Republican congressman, and I say that for no other reason than that's just the news, has introduced a revamped version of a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition in legal states, to legalize interstate cannabis commerce, to normalize internal revenue, IRS policy for the industry, and to contemplate a federal tax and regulate framework for the industry.
uh... just really quickly here thank you to our good friends over it marijuana moment for uh... putting out such wonderful marijuana content for us to be able to share with our listeners on this show we really appreciate kyle and uh... the gang in the job that they do over there so thank you very much for that guys representative david choice a republican from ohio refiled the strengthening the tenth amendment
Larry (31:23.342)
2.0 Act on Thursday. It's being co-sponsored by reps Laurie Chavez, Deremer, a Republican from Oregon, Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida, Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, and Troy Carter, a Democrat from Louisiana. Like the version he sponsored last session, the bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act to undo federal criminalization of people acting in compliance with state cannabis programs as well as those operated by Indian tribes. But states 2.0 would go further
in part by authorizing interstate marijuana commerce and calling for a currently unspecified federal tax on cannabis sales to support regulation and enforcement. The current federal approach to cannabis policy infringes on the rights of states to implement their own laws, stifling critical medical research, hurting legitimate businesses, and diverting vital law enforcement resources needed elsewhere. Joyce, co-founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, sent in a press release. The States Act
does what every federal bill should do, help all 50 states succeed. This bill respects the will of the states that have legalized cannabis in some form and allows them to implement their own policies without fear of repercussions from the federal government. The text of the bill says that the states and the tribes should be able to enact time, place, and manner restrictions that help to aid small and craft businesses, impose regulations for health and safety, keep cannabis businesses away from schools,
and generally fit with the character and the values of their community. While states have the power to determine what happens within their own borders, they cannot make laws permitting or restricting interstate commerce unilaterally, the legislation says, which is a very important point here, by the way. And that's also a key provision in the 2018 farm bill, which legalized hemp on a federal basis. And it's very important to call out because
We're a big country, but there's some states that are very large. And if you got to drive your product from one state to another, certainly in the hemp industry, you can do that already because it calls for it allows interstate commerce. And more importantly says other states, even if they have not themselves approved for the use or sale of manufacture of those products in their states, cannot bar or ban or otherwise interfere with the interstate commerce of business people going from one legal state
Larry (33:42.158)
to another legal state, meaning you shouldn't have to drive around Idaho for Washington to be able to do business with states in the Midwest. Some states understand that and comply with that, other states don't. Idaho. But we're not going to call anybody out here. But seriously, this is, you know, we're a big country, we have to honor everyone. And the only reason we're passing the states bill right now is because of the fact that
We're basically going in and recognizing that these states that have already approved adult use or medical or both have already indicated that they're all in there, therefore legalized marijuana. So the state is making it easier. The federal government is making it easier on those states by stepping in and saying, we're going to treat you, you states as though the country itself has already legalized marijuana.
which is why all of these other benefits could potentially come into place with respect to the IRS and with respect to the ability to get banking services and with respect to the fact that 280E would not apply to them and a number of other things, which is very good. Obviously we'd all like to see what would happen if we could get marijuana de-scheduled as opposed to rescheduled, which we've talked about quite a bit lately and we're not gonna spend a lot more time today harping on that. We've pointed out
problems inherent in rescheduling rather than descheduling. But until the government can get itself around to doing that, the idea of at least supporting those states that have already taken that plunge and have already said we're in on medical, we're in on adult use, we're in on both, is something that's long, long overdue in this country. These states should not be penalized because the rest of the country hasn't gotten on board with marijuana being sold on a legal basis.
And that's the unfortunate part of all of this. And the states act, which I again have to point out and admire, in the House of Representatives has broad bipartisan support because everybody recognizes this. This is not a difficult concept to understand and come face to face with. It, I'm sorry. It just makes it very, very difficult.
Larry (36:04.174)
uh... in order to be able to do the things that this industry wants to be able to do and even just the bare minimums of two eighty e and perhaps having interstate commerce and uh... any of these other things we've talked about the ability to do anybody in the industry to be able to support scientific research in medical study on marijuana why not take advantage of the fact
but grown in a way that most Americans come to, the manner in which it comes to most Americans, not the watered down version that they grow in Mississippi for federal testing. That's quite frankly, not a good indicator for anything. But, you know, let's really have, you know, some of this really good marijuana that everybody likes to smoke and let's get it tested. And let's find out. I mean, we know it's been tested and we've talked about a number of results on this show, most of which are very positive for the...
people's voluntary use of marijuana for their own personal consumption. And this is really something that needs to do. And it's great to see the House moving on this level. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last month that bringing the marijuana banking bill to the floor is a matter of securing more GOP votes, a task he says is made more difficult by the fact that some lawmakers are afraid that their constituents, particularly the older ones, don't want them to embrace reform.
despite overall majority voter support. Now, as we've said, the Senate is where this issue has traditionally gotten hung up on political issues, and it looks like this again. And, you know, I think that if some of these people to whom Schumer is referring, when he says that some of the senators are afraid that they're more conservative constituents, particularly the older ones, go talk to them. Go sit down with them. Go explain it to them. Why not?
Why isn't anybody explaining to them the benefits that we could be getting? We've talked about lots of articles, folks, over the last few weeks, where senior citizens have talked about the benefits of marijuana, helping them sleep, helping them have an appetite. These are all studies that are out there. We find them, and I'm no genius on the internet. I just go to Google, type in a few words, and boom, there they are. If I can do it, anybody can. This should be common knowledge by this point, and the fact that elected US representatives
Larry (38:28.426)
are deferring to a majority or possible majority of constituents in their state who are operating under misconceptions and misunderstandings, then we're nothing better than reefer madness anyway, although everybody likes to laugh at it. But, you know, let's face facts. We have to be able to step up and address these issues the way we are. Now, here's an issue that I think is very, very important and falls...
also under the category of what we've just been talking about. Being a state registered medical marijuana caregiver or grower does not automatically disqualify a person from owning a firearm, the FBI says. But merely possessing a medical cannabis card as a patient does render a person ineligible. So let's think about this because it highlights the growing tension between federal drug federal gun policies.
and the ever-expanding state marijuana legalization movement, a little-noticed FBI memo from 2019 offers a lens into the Byzantine legal interpretation surrounding cannabis and firearms, an issue that's recently been raised in multiple federal court cases. At their court, the federal rules say that being an unlawful user of a controlled substance, including marijuana, means a person cannot buy or possess a gun, would-be gun purchasers, or
required to disclose such use as part of a bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives form before making a purchase and lying on that form as a felony offense. The statute behind that prohibition has been challenged in a number of federal courts over the past couple of years, with more than one judicial body determining that the restriction is unconstitutional. The Department of Justice has steadfastly defended the ban, however, to listen to this folks, contending that medical marijuana patients and everyday consumers pose unique
dangers to society that justify withholding their second amendment rights. Now, I am no fan of gun ownership, but that's not the topic for my show and we're not going to spend a lot of time talking about that. But when I hear stuff like this, even not being a gun guy makes me want to scream.
Larry (40:43.95)
The government supports second amendment rights over everything these days. States want to say you can walk into schools, you can walk into houses of worship, you can walk into crowded shopping malls with guns strapped to your shoulder, strapped to your hip. That's okay to do. But smoking marijuana makes you a unique danger with those guns. Really? So it's okay for somebody to be drunk out of their mind walking around with those guns. It's okay for somebody to go into a bar with their gun.
get really drunk, get into an argument with somebody else over a lady, over a man, over who gets to play the next tune on the jukebox, that's okay. It's okay for people to be on Xanax and all the other medications that they take and maybe drinking on top of that. Those people are not unique dangers, but somebody who smokes a joint is. I would argue that. I would argue that just based on the studies we've already talked about and seen. I would argue that based on people who I know who smoke marijuana and tend to calm down. And I would argue that based on people I know who drink alcohol.
and want to walk around punching people and getting violent. Even if they're trying to express it as a little, hello, how are you, buddy, I love you, right? You catch one of those fists on your shoulder and that's no fun. No, no, no. People who smoke marijuana do not pose unique dangers at all in comparison to people who drink alcohol or who take other types of drugs such as Xanax and Vicodin and Oxycontin and Valium and...
and all of these drugs and I'm not dissing on those drugs intended medical benefits, I'm saying that the government has not come out and said that using those drugs disqualifies your second amendment rights, so why the hell are we discriminating against marijuana users here? And the fact is that we shouldn't be. We shouldn't be doing that. But yet the government does it. So the FBI says that a person's firearm eligibility is partly determined by whether their use of a controlled substance is deemed current.
FBI says that's not limited to the use of drugs on a particular day within a matter of days or weeks, but rather the unlawful use has occurred recently enough to indicate that the individual is actively engaged in such conduct. Really? So if Dan smokes a joint for the first time, and three days later he applies for a gun, but he had never smoked a joint before that, it says I smoked a joint for the first time three days ago.
Larry (43:05.262)
According to the FBI, that's enough to indicate that he's actively engaged in such conduct. And if you know Dan, we know that's not true. So again, another standard here that just doesn't cut the mustard. ATF has determined that the present time is represented by the time frame within the past 12 months, the memo says. But making the determination also involves an inference of current use or possession that may be drawn from evidence of recent use or possession or a pattern of use or possession that reasonably covers the present time.
What constitutes evidence, however, isn't really quite so simple. For example, if a person admits to using marijuana or if they are in possession of a medical marijuana card, that is enough to establish an inference of current use for the federal drug prohibition, the document says, even without additional evidence of actual current use. I get a marijuana patient's card. I decide, you know what? I've got the card. It's in my wallet. But I'm not going to really use it anymore. And I go in to apply. And they say, do you have a patient card? And I show them, nope.
You're disqualified. That's evidence of current use. Really? No, I don't think so. So otherwise, if you're a user, this is the first part. We'll talk about the other part in a minute. If you're a user and you also have a firearm, then the following time scenarios will disqualify you with respect to possession of your medical marijuana user card. You cannot hold it until one year from the date
excuse me, you can't own a gun until one year from the date of the marijuana user's card expiration date, or one year from the date of admission of possession of the medical marijuana user's card, if no expiration date is available. So if you say I have it, you can't show an expiration date, you have to wait one year before you can go in for firearms, or one year from the date the medical marijuana card is relinquished. Now of course, none of this says anything about adult use, right? So really what this is just prejudice on medical marijuana patients.
and not otherwise. But here's the thing. If you're identified as a caregiver, a grower, a provider, you can carry a gun.
Larry (45:12.598)
maybe for self-defense, maybe not. We've always told dispensary owners not to carry guns because use of a gun in the sale of a schedule one controlled narcotic is an event that could aggravate sentencing, in other words, push the sentence range higher because of the use of that gun. But caregivers, right, so if I'm going to pick up marijuana for somebody but I'm not smoking it myself, I'm not considered a user.
of the marijuana so it's okay for me to have both my caregiver license and have firearms. You know, talking about all this just gives me a headache because I don't like guns. I find myself having to defend the rights of gun growers and all of this, which of course they have rights, but you know, I got a simple idea folks. What if we made marijuana legal? Then we wouldn't have this problem anymore, right? Yes, if we reschedule to schedule three, that would solve the problem because it's no longer a schedule one or two controlled substance.
But if we just de-schedule it and make it legal, we don't even have to have the conversations anymore. So building on the last story and this story, and quite frankly, this is not directly addressed by the new States Act. In other words, it's unclear whether citizens who live in states that have medical marijuana or adult use, which under the States Act would now be considered the same as if it were federally legal, would that entitle them as marijuana users to also hold a...
a gun license registration. I don't know the answer to that. The government maybe hasn't told us or maybe they haven't, I just haven't seen it yet. But you can see where this conversation potentially goes and the problems that it could create. One final marijuana story I wanna touch upon, and this is a little bit different than what we've been talking about lately, but it's very important for a number of reasons, both on a basic level and more on a theoretical level.
And that is that the TH potency of marijuana flowers sold in legal stores in four states is routinely and systemically inflated, sometimes by as much as 25 percent or more, according to an independent analysis of licensed cannabis testing laboratory data obtained by MJ Biz Daley. And we'd like to thank MJ Biz Daley and reporter Chris Roberts for coming to us with this very interesting story, which you can find on MJBizDaily.com.
Larry (47:38.726)
another great source along with marijuana moment for news on uh... the uh... ever-changing world of cannabis perhaps even more troubling though the analysis conducted by yasha con of mcr labs a state-licensed cannabis testing laboratory in massachusetts also found evidence of data manipulation lab testing for yeast and mold the analysis suggests tainted products that should have been failed for contaminants and destroyed or remediated instead was passed eventually sold
by legal retailers. In addition, confirmation that THC potency inflation is running rampant and often unchecked across legal US marijuana markets also stands to undermine consumer confidence in product labeling. That, in turn, can harm the $34 billion legal cannabis industry's credibility while also breaking one of marijuana legalization's core promises of reliability, of reliably tested and safe products, critics say. Khan, MCR's labs vice president of marketing and data science,
obtained anonymized testing results from Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon. He then applied basic data, forensic tools, to identify and quantify abnormal results. He presented his findings to an online meeting of state regulators at the end of October. Several officials who attended confirmed. And industry observers that were contacted said that Khan's analysis is the first known attempt to quantify across multiple legal markets.
what's acknowledging cannabis circles as a widespread dirty secret. The THC percentages printed on product labels in legal stores are often grossly inflated. This is a scientific approach to quantifying lab results we've been trying to get for a long time, said Josh Swider, the co-founder and CEO of San Diego-based Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs. This is not mistakes being made, Swider said. This is fraud. So let's talk about this for a minute. And again, thank you to MJ Biz for that story.
There's two big problems going on here, right? Problem number one is that the labs, which are supposed to be the safety wall between unscrupulous marijuana producers selling tainted products or unsafe products to the public, apparently for the right price are willing to adjust the scores of test number one by not disclosing the presence of yeast or mold
Larry (50:06.342)
of potentially harmful funguses and viruses and anything else that could find their way in and onto the plants and then into eventually products sold by the retailers, by the dispensaries to the public. They have a very, very important duty there, labs, just like labs that test food for us and labs that test anything that we buy and use in this country. These labs rise up and get certain certifications.
uh... by the state's certainly the case of marijuana by the federal government for other products and that certification is kind of a certificate that says uh... that the government is telling us that these people can be trusted to provide us with accurate valuable information i'm not going to go around here and point fingers at any laboratory uh... because i don't personally have my own data or knowledge to be able to do so but i think that the article that we're talking about here and some of the things that have been investigated demonstrate
that there are labs in the states that we're talking about, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon, where maybe it's been pay for play or maybe they're just not qualified enough or maybe they feel they have to give higher THC scores in order to keep business coming in, as opposed to people taking their product to a different laboratory. Either way, that's just not okay. And it's not okay because it is consumer fraud. And in this case...
consumer fraud can be very meaningful. Why? Because if somebody is buying a product specifically because they think it has a lower THC content, only to find out once they've consumed it that they've been impacted in a much more aggressive manner that they anticipated because the THC content was in fact higher than what was stated on the test results on the labels that are always included on the on the packaging of the products. And somebody who says
Well, I never liked to smoke marijuana with more than 15% THC. And all of a sudden, they buy something that's been marked where the numbers have been inflated, unknown to them. Or even the opposite, we should say, too. They say it has two more THC than it really does. Now, in that instance, you're just ripping people off because maybe people are looking for a bigger buzz, and they're not getting it. But no matter which way the THC inflation is going.
Larry (52:27.166)
it's not honest and it doesn't lead to good results and this is a type of product where your consumer depends very much on this information and cannot be a truly informed consumer if the numbers aren't accurate and making it worse of course as most people have no reason to doubt those numbers or to believe they're not accurate in if you think while somebody's tell me this stuff has 30 percent THC and 30 percent up is kinda the magical plateau that a lot of people shoot for
and you take it home and you paid good money for it and you're sitting there smoking it, you're like, you know, this stuff ain't working, I'll try it again tomorrow, next day, nope, this still ain't working. You know, this isn't any better than the other stuff I get over here or over there. You lose confidence, who? In the cultivator, you lose confidence in the dispensary. You know, you may not even be thinking about losing confidence in the laboratory at that point, but you know, nevertheless, all these other businesses that have invested a lot of money to be part of this industry are now gonna lose your confidence.
and it's going to be because maybe bad lab results and stuff, they participated in that and again, play for pay, then they don't really have a moral leg to stand on there. But nevertheless, we need and we need to rely on accurate numbers. Now one other thing I'm going to say about this, and I talk to this with a lot of my buddies who are big and long time marijuana smokers, and that's this. I think that there is a tremendous overinflation of the importance that
people today place on that little magic number. How high is the percentage of THC? Is it 15%? Is it 30%? And I'm going to tell you, I've smoked marijuana that I was told had a very, very low THC count and found myself getting much higher than expected. And I found myself smoking marijuana exactly the opposite, where the number was very, very high and I didn't get as high as I was going to.
as I thought I was going to get. And what I've kind of come to the decision is that I think it's a much more subjective than objective measuring tool. I think everybody's bodies react to it a little bit differently. I think that today when people start talking about terpene profiles and other ways that marijuana plants and the marijuana experience can be enhanced, most of my friends who I would say are regular users of marijuana, I think would all agree that
Larry (54:50.538)
when we're looking for marijuana to buy and to consume, we like the way the marijuana looks, we like the way the marijuana smells, we like the way the marijuana feels, we like the way the marijuana crumbles, we like the way the marijuana tastes. And if you can find marijuana that satisfies all of those conditions for you, and you enjoy the result that you get from it, then to me, the percentage number for THC kind of becomes irrelevant.
Right? When my buddy and I were smoking this marijuana, we thought, boy, this must, this must be 30% THC only to find out that it was only about 17 or 18%. It really kind of surprised us. Um, you know, and we were like, wow, if, you know, those numbers had been on this and somebody had purchased it and all of a sudden been smoking 30% THC or what we feels like 30% is the number wrong is the, you know, what's going on here. Um, but over time I, I don't really pay a lot of attention to those numbers.
You know, I'm curious whether something is more sativa leaning or indica leaning, because I do find that I have a difference in the way that I react to sativas and indicas, which makes them one more suitable than the other, depending on the time of day and my planned activities or what's going to be going on. But you know, I just don't see it. Compare this to alcohol. I like to drink bourbon.
but I'm not a big alcohol drinker in more than one, maybe two glasses and that'll put me out for the night. I can smoke marijuana all night and be fine, but trying to have more than that second drink is usually enough to do me and I find myself nodding off and just falling asleep for the night. That's about the best that I can handle. But I do like the taste of bourbon and I like drinking it with some meals. And when I would buy bourbon, kind of using the old marijuana mentality,
ooh look at this you know knob Creek's 100 proof for this other one's 110 proof or will it's comes out that's 125 proof and you know what happens when you drink 125 proof alcohol you get really fucked up really fast at least I do you know I'm sure there's some heavy drinkers out there who can pound that stuff all night but you know not sorority sippers like me it doesn't work that way so I found out over time that I need I much prefer a bourbon that's in the
Larry (57:11.19)
because it allows me to enjoy the taste and enjoy the experience and not completely get drunk to the point where I can't enjoy the rest of my evening. So there I see a real difference. I have not personally seen such a direct correlation between lab results for THC levels and the overall impact the marijuana has on me. Instead looking at
the other factors that I identified, including the way it smells and the way it tastes and the way you feel it and all of these other things. And I think that for each person, our bodies act differently and that those things trigger different receptors in our body and for some people, it triggers receptors that give a very positive experience to marijuana. And clearly for some people, it doesn't. And I think that those are all important and we need to keep those in mind. But at the end of the day,
marijuana is marijuana it's important for testing to be accurate we need it for safety sake and we need to be educated consumers and again you know even though i may not be such uh... differently affected by it just like i am with alcohol there's gonna be people who can drink alcohol all day and it doesn't bother them but if they don't know the amount of uh... marijuana they're taking into the thc percentage it becomes problematic so things in the marijuana world
but I do get lifted talking about them. So thanks to Dan and thanks to Casey and the Sunshine Band. We're going to dive back into our show and we're going to play now another tune that we also played last week, Love Light.
Larry (58:56.738)
So on this show, this is actually a very, very short version of this tune, just under three minutes, which is strange considering it's 1969. Pig has the lead, but only for a few minutes. He's out there doing his thing and blowing his harmonica and all of a sudden they segue into a killer cryptical other one, which was apparently a bit too out there for stills. He leaves the stage at the time of that transition.
This is still Pig at his finest, singing, rapping, playing the harmonica as only he could do. And as we talked about on the last show, it's a tune that pretty much died with Pig until Bobby brought it back in the early 1980s and it became more of a regular after that, though never as much as it was when Pig was around. Great jamming with Stills and this final number with the band for the night. And then as we say, Steven takes a step down. So
Go find this show, go find the show from April 16th and 17th, 1983, and really enjoy the experience of the Grateful Dead playing with such a renowned and talented guitarist as Stephen Stills, who's really a rock legend in his own way. And a good night with CSN is as good a night with lots of other music. So nice to hear the Dead being supported by him. As we're running out of time and on the way out the door.
uh... we're gonna go out on the uh... what was the last show of the night uh... before we do we're gonna talk about it for just a minute uh... because the tune is cosmic charlie uh... and it's a very interesting tune uh... in the history of the grateful dead it was released on the dead's oxmox album in june of nineteen sixty nine which i think was their third album after uh... grateful dead and anthem of the sun uh... and then came oxmox
which was a really, well both Anthem of the Sun and Axe of Max are their really deep heavy primal dead albums that sometimes can even get a little too deep and dense for me on tune like What's Become of the Baby or Rosemary. But nevertheless, those songs serve their purpose and why they're on there. But Cosmic Charlie is just a very special tune. The dead are known for their unique and poetic songwriting style.
Larry (01:01:18.838)
Cosmic Charlie is no exception. This song has captivated fans for dead fans for decades with its enigmatic lyrics and psychedelic sound exploring themes of spirituality, love, and the human experience. Cosmic Charlie takes a listener on a sonic journey unlike any other.
Larry (01:01:40.214)
The meaning behind Cosmic Charlie is open to interpretation, as with many of the band's songs. Some believe it was inspired by the version of a fictional character named Cosmic Charlie who travels through different dimensions, spreading joy and love. Others see it as a metaphor for the human longing for connection and transcendence. The lyrics, although cryptic at times, convey a sense of wonder and mystery that invites listeners to delve deeper into their own consciousness.
The overall message of Cosmic Charlie seems to be one of embracing the cosmic and spiritual aspects of life and encourages listeners to let go of their inhibitions, explore the unknown, and seek connection with the universe. The song invites individuals to tap into their inner selves and discover the hidden realm, their hidden realms of existence. Not that it's a fair comparison, but it's a song that, the way it's talked about, kind of reminds me of Fluff Head, a tune that Fish plays and is a very, very popular Fish tune as well.
And I think that there's some of those same kind of playful elements in Fluffhead that are found in Cosmic Charlie. Now let's talk about Cosmic Charlie because for a tune that is so well loved, it was very, very rarely played by the dead, only a total of 45 times. The first was on January 16, 1969 at the Robertson Gymnasium at UC Santa Barbara in Isla Vista, California. And the last time was on September 25, 1976 at the Cap Center.
in Landover, Maryland. But listen to this. It was played 20 times in 1969, 18 times in 1970, one time in 1971. Then the boys put it to bed on hiatus until 1976, when they brought it back, but only played it a total of six times that summer between June and September. Thereafter, never played again, even though the deadheads literally begged the dead to play it again. In fact, around 1983 or 84,
group started asking for signatures at shows. We'd be walking in or out of shows and people would come up to us and ask for signatures on a petition to the dead that they wanted to submit asking the band to play the song again. They would also hand out cards with the song's lyrics. So when the dead played it, the deadheads would be able to sing along. Alas, they just became dead trinkets in the same cigar box as my ticket stubs because the dead never did play it again. This is a bit of a cut version.
Larry (01:04:02.646)
here, but it's still great music. It's an older recording of it. But as any dad who ever heard it live would agree, this would have been an amazing tune to hear. So even just a little bit of it is worth the listen. Enjoy. I hope everybody has a great week. Be safe. Please take care of yourselves as we enter into the holiday season. And as always, enjoy your cannabis responsibly. Thanks, everyone. Talk to you next week.