"Exploring the Sweetness of 'Candyman': A Grateful Dead Classic" Larry Mishkin reflects on a Grateful Dead show from 44 years ago on April 1st, 1980, where the band played a prank on April Fool's Day, starting with a Chuck Berry tune and then transitioning to their usual instruments to perform the song again. Larry also talks about the significance of the song "Candyman" and its role in the Grateful Dead's repertoire, as well as Billy Joel's milestone 100th residency concert at Madison Square Garden. Larry also talks about "Friend of the Devil" and its origins, penned by lyricist Robert Hunter in collaboration with Jerry Garcia and John Dawson.
"Exploring the Sweetness of 'Candyman': A Grateful Dead Classic"
Larry Mishkin reflects on a Grateful Dead show from 44 years ago on April 1st, 1980, where the band played a prank on April Fool's Day, starting with a Chuck Berry tune and then transitioning to their usual instruments to perform the song again. Larry also talks about the significance of the song "Candyman" and its role in the Grateful Dead's repertoire, as well as Billy Joel's milestone 100th residency concert at Madison Square Garden. Larry also talks about "Friend of the Devil" and its origins, penned by lyricist Robert Hunter in collaboration with Jerry Garcia and John Dawson.
Grateful Dead
April 1, 1980 (44 years ago)
Capitol Theater
Passaic, NJ
April Fool’s Day
Opener that’s keeping with the theme
INTRO: The Promised Land
Track # 2
1:14 – 3:18
Chuck Berry tune with the Boys having a bit of fun to celebrate April Fool’s Day:
Jerry and Brent on Drums
Bobby on keyboard
Billy on bass and background vocals
Mickey on rhythm guitar and singing lead vocals
Phil on lead guitar
Kind of plodded through the song, but the fans loved the idea and the effort
They then went back to normal instruments, played the tune again and killed it!
A fun opener with a good reality check for the dosed fans in the crowd.
SHOW No. 1: Candyman
Track #4
4:56 – 6:30
Garcia/Hunter masterpiece
The song Candyman is part of the album American Beauty, which found its way into the world in November 1970. American Beauty is an album that is cherished by many, as it brings stories and emotions that feel both personal and universal. Candyman, with its blend of sweetness and shadow, invites listeners to delve into a world that is rich, complex, and thoughtfully spun. The album, with its varied tales and emotions, continues to be a friend to listeners, offering stories that explore the many sides and shades of life’s journey.
The thought-provoking words of Candyman were penned by Robert Hunter, and the compelling music was created by Jerry Garcia. These two artists worked together to create many of the Grateful Dead’s memorable songs. Their collaboration in Candyman offers a rich story that allows listeners to explore and imagine a world that is sweet, slightly shadowed, and full of interesting adventures. The images and tales spun by the words and music invite people to think, feel, and maybe even find bits of their own stories within the tale of the Candyman.
Played a total of 273 times. Almost always a Jerry first set tune alternated with Loser, West LA, and a few others
First played on April 3, 1970 (10 years earlier than today’s show) at Armory Fieldhouse in Cincinnati, OH
Last played on June 30, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.
SHOW No. 3: Friend of the Devil
Track #8
3:36 – 5:20
Hunter dipped out of NRPS almost as fast he dipped in, and so the song became a Dead tune.
Certainly a popular tune with the band and the Deadheads. Played 310X, almost always a first set tune.
First – March 20, 1970 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester
Last – June 2, 1995 at RFK Stadium in D.C.
SHOW No. 4: I Used To Love Her But It’s All Over Now
Track # 9
3:15 – 5:00
"It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack.[1] It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover version, which became their first number-one hit in the United Kingdom, in July 1964.
The Valentinos recorded the song at United Recording in Hollywood on March 24, 1964,[2] and released it two months later.[3] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27, 1964, and stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at number 94.
The Rolling Stones landed in New York on June 1, 1964, for their first North American tour, around the time the Valentinos' recording was released. New York radio DJMurray the K played the song to the Rolling Stones. He also played the Stones' "King Bee" (their Slim Harpo cover) the same night and remarked on their ability to achieve an authentic blues sound. After hearing "It's All Over Now" on that WINS show, the band recorded their version nine days later at Chess Studios in Chicago. Years later, Bobby Womack said in an interview that he had told Sam Cooke he did not want the Rolling Stones to record their version of the song, and that he had told Mick Jagger to get his own song. Cooke convinced him to let the Rolling Stones record the song. Six months later on, after receiving the royalty check for the song, Womack told Cooke that Mick Jagger could have any song he wanted.
The Rolling Stones' version of "It's All Over Now" is the most famous version of the song. It was first released as a single in the UK, where it peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, giving the Rolling Stones their first number one hit.[5] It was the band's third single released in America, and stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks, peaking at number 26. Months later it appeared on their second American album 12 X 5. The song was a big hit in Europe and was part of the band's live set in the 1960s. Cash Box described it as a "contagious cover of the Valentinos' click" and "an infectious thumper that should head right for chartsville."
Dead played it 160 times, always a first set Bobby tune.
First on Sept. 6, 1969 at Family Dog At The Great Highway in S.F.
Last on July 2, 1995 at Deer Creek in Indy/
This version is great with the Brent solo leading into the Jerry solo. Check out the entire clip.
SHOW No. 4: Shakedown Street
Track #19
4:30 – 5:57
When people think of the Grateful Dead, they often think of free-flowing improvisational music. However, the band was known for many things, including their ability to construct incredibly catchy songs with deep meanings. This is exemplified in one of their most iconic songs, “Shakedown Street.”
Shakedown Street, the title track of the Grateful Dead’s tenth studio album, released in 1978, has been interpreted in countless ways over the years.
According to Hunter in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, “Shakedown Street” was a place where the underbelly of society came out and did its trading. “It was a place for freaks, weirdos, and people who didn’t fit in anywhere else. It was one of the only places where they could socialize and be themselves without fear of persecution.”
The lyrics of “Shakedown Street” talk about this place where everybody is welcome, regardless of who they are or where they come from. As the song says, “Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart. Just gotta poke around.”
The song is a reflection of the band’s values and the alternative society that they represented. It highlights the idea that people should be treated equally, without judgment, and that everyone should be able to express themselves.
Played 164X
Popular show opener, second set opener and occasionally, as here, an encore. Great way to end a show rocking out hard for 10+ minutes and then going home.
First: August 31, 1978 Red Rocks
Last: July 9, 1995 Soldier Field – played it right up until the end!
Larry (00:26.574)
Hey there everyone, welcome to another episode of the Deadhead Cannabis Show. I'm Larry Michigan, Michigan Law in Chicago. It's always tough to follow up a show like we had last week with Nick Erickson from Full Moon Farms. If you missed that episode, I strongly recommend you listen to it. Not just because it's one of our show's episodes, but Nick Erickson, man, he's the real deal. He was talking what's going on with marijuana, what happened in the past, what's happening now.
how he operates and just some really, really good stuff. Some great stories about traveling around with various rock and roll acts. So thanks again to Nick. We appreciate you having you on. But today, we've got another exciting show. It is April Fool's Day, so happy April Fool's Day to all of you out there. I could have just said no show and gone home, but I like my listeners, so I would never do that to you. Instead, we are covering a Grateful Dead show today. 44 years ago, April 1st, 1980 at the Capitol.
Capital Theater. No, not that Capital Theater. The other one in Passaic, New Jersey. And if you were sitting there that night waiting for the show to start, this is how it started.
Larry (03:41.454)
The boys having a little bit of fun with the audience on April Fool's if you're turning on tuning in and you're listening to that and saying What the hell'd you pick that show for they sound really flat. They're not doing it. That's because it was April Fool's Day So the boys had a little fun with this Chuck Berry tune They came out with Jerry and Brent on the drums Bobby on keyboard
Billy playing bass and doing a little background vocal, Mickey on rhythm guitar and singing lead vocal, and Phil on lead guitar. So they kind of plotted through it, but the fans loved the idea. They loved the effort. They then switched back around to their normal instruments, played the tune again, and killed it. A fun opener, a good reality check for the dosed fans in the crowd, right? You're sitting there thinking, wait a second, man. That looks like Jerry on drums. What the fuck is going on? And.
You know, had to hang on right there to the very end when Phil yelled out, uh, April Fools. I think it was Phil. I was not there, so I cannot say for certain. Um, but, uh, a fun show, you know, and that's kind of the fun thing about that, that they're not was, they were not always very good about, uh, um, you know, knowing what was happening around them and, uh, uh, taking advantage of things like this. But on this day, uh, they were definitely locked in and, uh, just decided to have some fun with everybody. Uh, what's unfortunate is I can't seem to find any video.
video of it anywhere on YouTube or anywhere else. They do have it on YouTube, but only the audio portion and the video is just a still screen of a Steely with a grilled cheese sandwich right in the middle, which is actually kind of a cool Steely, I think. Would have made for a great sign if you were selling those grilled cheese outside after the shows or before the shows or even during the shows for the folks who didn't get in. But I would love to see Jerry Garcia sitting behind the drum kit,
playing in a way with Brent, I suppose. That's Bobby on keyboard. You kind of figure that rock and roll guys ought to be able to play piano. I know not all of them do, but if I could play piano back when I was in third grade for a year and didn't really study or do anything, which is why I never played it again. But I will give a shout out to my mom, who always told me that learn an instrument, because when you're an adult, you'll be happy. And I never did, and now I'm an adult and I'm unhappy. So mom, you were right on that. Billy on bass background vocal.
Larry (05:58.464)
we said, Mickey on rhythm guitar singing lead vocals. Well, you know, he's wrapped out.
a fire on the mountain before in baba jingo he's he's he's saying but those are kinda like you know more rap bd songs type of thing in this is uh... you know keeping up with the chuck berry lyrics you know he tells a story here you gotta be on top of your game to spit it all out and so i'll leave you tar which doesn't surprise me because i assume phil could play any instrument he ever wanted to uh... and you know the stories are that he learned how to play bass guitar cuz the band needed a bass guitar player not because he walked in with that particular talent so
He's quite the amazing one too. And just to see them all up there, in different positions I think, you hear it and you get the concept, but it's kind of hard to imagine. My images of the boys when they walk out on stage and where they're at and what they're doing are kind of burned into my brain at this point. And anything that changes it up this significantly is really something that needs to be seen to be believed. So I hold out hope that either someday a video of this will turn up or one of my listeners
will point out that I'm a stupid moron and it's actually been on the internet the whole time, I just wasn't looking in the right place. Which wouldn't be the first time that happened to me. And I appreciate that type of notice, it works well and I try not to make that mistake again. So, boys are coming out hot, they're jamming, they got a really strong promised land going and everybody is just having a really good time with it. It really is a fun idea seeing the Grateful Dead on April Fool's Day.
because aren't they kind of like the ultimate in doing that kind of thing? I guess Fish clues in and does that kind of stuff from time to time too. But this is just all sorts of good fun all over the place and it's just really a solid show up and down the line. I was never at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey so I can't really speak about the place, but my belief is it must be very hip and cool. The boys like to play there a lot. Other bands have played there a lot. And the truth of the matter is once you're talking about a small theater,
Larry (08:02.236)
They'd have to really go to great lengths to screw it up to the point where you wouldn't want to go.
all the different me the nice thing about theater means it's just gonna be a much smaller venue you know and uh... i didn't get a whole lot of that with the grateful that unfortunately during my time but i got plenty of grateful that so i've got uh... nothing to be sorry about but uh... the boys come out with the killer promise land and then all without missing a beat after they've played it through as the band all they roll right into this next song and it's a a beautiful version
Larry (10:07.886)
The song Candyman, a Garcia Hunter masterpiece, is part of the album American Beauty, which found its way into the world in November of 1970.
We've talked a lot about American Beauty, an album that is cherished by many as it brings stories and emotions that feel both personal and universal. Candyman, with its blend of sweetness and shadow, invites listeners to delve into a world that is rich, complex, and thoughtfully spun. The album, with its very tales and emotions, continues to be a friend to listeners, offering stories that explore the many sides and shades of life's journey.
The thought provoking words of Candyman were penned by Robert Hunter and the compelling music was created by Jerry. These two artists worked together to create so many of the Grateful Dead's memorable songs. Their collaboration in Candyman offers a rich story that allows listeners to explore and imagine a world that is sweet, slightly shadowed, and full of interesting adventures. The images and tales spun by the words and music invite people to think, feel, and maybe even find bits of their own stories within the tale of the Candyman. The boys liked it. They played a 260
73 times almost always as a Jerry first set ballad. He had some first set ballads and some second set ballads. And this was a first set ballad along the likes of Loser, West LA, and a few others that Jerry would call up at this point in the show in the first set. And it was always fun because it wasn't very high energy, but it really started to give you that.
you know that that that kind of darker lighting I'm talking about they're not mood but uh... you know pulling you in deeper and deeper where you know they're gonna really have you in the second set and if you've got your timing set up just right this can be a good entryway uh... to your nights fun activities a uh... a good candy man or loser uh... or west LA or any of the other uh... uh... more ballad -y type tunes that Jerry would throw in at that point in the first set uh...
Larry (12:04.524)
So yeah, 273 times it was first played on April 3rd, 1970, almost 10 years earlier to the day of the show we're listening to and 50 years earlier to the day of where we're sitting here today at the Armory Field House in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati, a town that is known for its rock and roll spark. WKRP in Cincinnati, for those of you old enough to get the reference, but. Never saw the dead in Cincinnati, unfortunately, my wife did.
She took a trip over there with some friends and caught them playing in the Riverfront Center and saw actually a very good show. I want to say in about 1985, I think, summer of 85. This song Candyman was last played on June 30th, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh always another famous place to see Grateful Dead shows and we've talked about some of them on this show and I'm sure we'll get to more Pittsburgh shows. Always a little bit of a battle between Deadheads and Pittsburgh's blue
finest out there patrolling the streets, but in the end the deadheads always seem to manage to have the last word and get their fun in without being too rambunctious or law breaking in that regard, not causing too much damage maybe to themselves, but not to the Pittsburgh Society at large. I saw a great show at Three Rivers in 1990 with...
Crosby still has a Nash opening and it's a fun place. It's a great place to go. Three Rivers Stadium was beautifully located right on the point where the Ohio and the Mahangahela or whatever it's called turn into, I'm sorry I don't know my geography well enough to be able to name all three of the rivers that we get out of there, but it's a really cool place to be and you can literally like walk down right to the point where the two rivers merge and very, very cool to see.
met up with my good buddy Jack out there for that show. We had a great time. I was actually out there on business and managed to get them to fly me out a day early, arguing that it was important for me to be there early on Monday for an afternoon deposition. Not only to give myself time, you know, so I would be...
Larry (14:13.742)
well rested and ready to go but what if the plane on monday there's a delay and i don't get there on time so they sent me to pittsburgh on sunday and off i went to see the grateful dad i paid for the grateful that ticket myself i did not charge that to the firm or the client but uh... was a great time really great time and uh... we've got a little bit of music for you here right now uh... some music news i'd like to dive into and uh...
Dan, as he's one to do in these moments, I believe has a little bit of introductory music to play.
Larry (15:08.398)
Yeah, yeah, I know it's only rock and roll. We all know it from the Rolling Stones 1974 album. It's only rock and roll This was the Single was released as a single lead song on the album the B -side was through the lonely nights and who better than the Rolling Stones to bring us into our Musical news segment of the show not a ton going on, but I think just enough to keep everybody Entertained here a little bit at least I think
First of all, I would just like to point out that it was 34 years ago, Friday, the 29th of March, that The Grateful Dead and Branford Marcellus played on stage together at the Nassau County Coliseum and cranked out what I think is the greatest version of Eyes of the World ever. And it has to be in like the top three or four.
five maybe, you know, greatest live number performance, you know, the performance of a particular song of any of their songs. Eyes of the World is nothing but a jazz tune disguised as a rock and roll number with all of its long musical interludes where Jerry would just jam and jam and jam and the boys would fill in the holes right behind him and they would just make the most beautiful music together. And then you had a guy like Brantford, right, who as a jazz player is by instinct.
you know, improvisational in nature just like the boys and got up there and I don't think with very much practice or preparation had no problem very quickly picking up the scene in terms of what the boys were doing and fitting in almost seamlessly and almost instantaneously when this was released on the Grateful Dead's live album Without a Net that looked to kind of, you know,
put together what a show might have sounded like in the mid to late 1980s with a number of different tunes from a number of different shows. But this eyes, in my opinion, was the highlight of it all. And as we all listened to it, all my deadhead friends and I all had the same reaction almost at once, which is,
Larry (17:18.51)
Why the hell don't they have a sax player playing with them all the time? This is how great they would sound if they did. I mean, he was just amazing the way he did it. And there's some great interviews with Branford where he talks about how cool it was to play with the dead and how improv is improv. And once you've picked up the basics of it, you can just run with it and how much he really loved it and how clear the dead it was that the dead were steeped themselves in knowledge and education of jazz and blues and of course,
of course, improvisational rock and roll, and it was really just a natural fit for them.
right a far cry even from the rolling stones whose numbers are pretty much four three and a half to four minutes and out without a lot of room in there to really take things off in different directions but you know when you're dealing with the Grateful Dead or you know now Fisher any of the Jam Band's goose everybody widespread you know there that that space is built in and uh brandford filled it so nicely uh it's really just a shame uh he did play with them one more time it's a shame they couldn't you know brandford was a star enough in his own right that i don't think he was going to become a
a touring member of the Grateful Dead, at least not on any kind of a regular basis. But there have to be plenty of younger, talented guys out there who can wail just as hot as Branford and step in and add that background, that sound to it, even like the way that Fish and Phil and Friends now bring in Jennifer and Natalie and James while he was alive, but he's gone now, so we'll see who fills his role going forward. But with their trumpet and...
trombone, they're just such natural sounds. It's just great having those sounds in there and filling that in.
Larry (19:04.174)
this music is made to have horns play with them. Every now and then on New Year's, at least once, if not maybe twice, one of the pre -show acts for The Dead would be the Tower of Power, a horn group that just came out and would just wail. And we'd all be sitting there thinking, wow, this is great, they ought to play with the dead. And they maybe did once so long ago, hard to remember, but it's such a natural sound that goes together so well. Think of Carl Denson and his tiny universe.
them playing and he is just of course one of the great saxophone rock and roll sax players of our time out there doing his thing and how wonderful it would be to get to hear you know even just a little bit more of that every now and then but yeah so 34 years ago a few days ago March 29th 1990 Branford Marsalis plays Eyes of the World with the boys
check it out online pick up without a net it's got some great versions of some tunes on there and you know it's not as good as actual complete show but they do a pretty decent job it's like uh... dead set the electrical uh... company mentor reckoning that came out nineteen eighty they set that one up kind of as a first set second set type of deal pulling songs it would and trying to place them where they would normally be played by the band uh... you know
chronologically in any show or anything like that. But yeah, it's all good stuff and it's fun to check out. So for our Fish fans who are keeping score at home, here we go. Billy Joel, just the other night, so I think about three nights ago, performed his milestone 100th residency concert at Madison Square Garden.
Apparently Sting came out to sing with him and Jerry Seinfeld was there to make some jokes, presumably at Billy Joel's expense. But he did perform his 100th residency concert.
Larry (21:05.198)
at Madison Square Garden. The historic event yielded special moments, including the guests we talked about taking the stage and joining the piano man was comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who provided an introduction ahead of Vienna in addition to a pair of duets featuring Sting. After starting the show with turnstiles, with the turnstiles cut, Miami 2017, see the lights go out on Broadway, Joel and company turned their attention to the 52nd Street originator, My Life, before the emergence of Seinfeld, who told the audience, I'm from Long Island.
like Billy Joel is from Long Island. He captured how we all feel living in this particular part of the world, Long Island, New York. He's like a companion that we've gone through our whole lives with. His music is our best friend for our whole lives, says Jerry.
Prior to the ascent of Joel's landmark venue banner, Seinfeld hit on the interconnectedness of Joel and New York experience, adding, I don't think we can understand how much his music means to us being from where we are. And there was a banner that was hoisted up into the rafters of Madison Square Garden noting Billy Joel's 100th performance. After another helping a fan favorite material, Sting arrived to assist his host with two numbers.
The collaborative moment picked up with the pair duetting Joel's original big man on Mulberry Street before changing things up and concluding their joint live appearance with a take on police on the police's every little thing she does is magic, which represented a view for the night's host. So yeah, so this is Billy Joel doing a hundred shows at Madison Square Garden. We've talked about Fish's love of Madison Square Garden and how much it means to them. And as of their New Year's Eve 2024 shows, so the one
that just ended 2023 into 2024, Fish has officially played in Madison Square Garden 83 times. That puts them on the cusp of Jerry Seinfeld and his...
Larry (23:00.096)
Excuse me, Billy Joel and his 100th show. But Fish will get there. They lost out a few shows over time to the pandemic, which they were able to make some of them up, but not all of them. But we've talked about how cool it is to see Fish out there playing so many times in Madison Square Garden and how cool it would be to see somebody who saw 100 Fish shows only seeing them at Madison Square Garden. And I suppose we could find somebody like that for Billy Joel too, only I don't really know where to go and find fans of Billy Joel as easily as I do.
to go and find fans of the Grateful Dead. So Billy Joel kind of cements his place, throws the gauntlet back towards fish, and we'll see what Tray and the Boys have in mind going down the road here. But I think that their next MSG shows are scheduled probably for New Year's. So.
Unless on the East Coast tour this year, which I don't believe they've announced yet, they decide to throw a couple of shows in there, which why not? And then they can get a whole bunch more, because they tracked down Billy Joel, who in 2017, right before their donut shows, Baker's Dozen shows, famously called them nothing more than a cover band. And Trey and the boys said, oh yeah? And they went out there and played 13 nights without repeating a tune.
uh... most of them fish songs decent number of cover tunes but very creative cover tunes uh... then a lot of keeping in in in track with the uh... theme of each particular evenings doughnut uh... but uh... uh... yeah you know there's uh... uh...
great things going on with all of this uh... they obviously a little friendly playful rivalry going on back and forth with this uh... you know fish took him to the cleaners on that one uh... billy jolt hits one hundred and i'm sure the uh... the best is yet to come uh... as bands vie for dominance in madison square garden long after the grateful dead concluded with i don't have it in front of you but i want to say fifty seven shows maybe sixty but
Larry (25:08.654)
not more than that but at the time they were the strong leaders uh... in terms of shows at madison square garden and then of course uh... after jerry's demise uh... they just sat still on their number while all the others chase them up the ladder and then have now long since passed them as uh... they move forward with their thing and their performances so let's get back to our show here for a minute because uh...
Lots of good music, but nothing as good as you're ever gonna hear from the Grateful Dead in the capital theater of Passaic, New Jersey, 44 years ago today. And coming up just a few tracks after that beautiful Candyman is a friend of the devil, which is always great to hear in concert. Let's check it out.
Larry (28:04.558)
Was that the end?
Larry (28:17.198)
Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter told Relics that Friend of the Devil was the closest thing that the Grateful Dead ever came to creating. He said what may be called a classic song. Not many Deadheads may disagree, but it's an interesting perspective from the man who penned the words for the majority of the Dead's most iconic pieces. Whether or not Friend of the Devil is the sole classic Dead tune, it's hard to argue that the band tapped into the outlaws' zeitgeist to find a timeless song with this one.
Dead chronicler extraordinaire David Dodd who we've quoted on this show many a time for one agrees No other dead tune gets played quite so often Dodd writes in his greatest stories ever told now that's not exactly entirely true and We'll get to some things about it at the end But the dead have only that only played at 310 times and as you see we've got some shows that creep right up into the 400s and 500s so certainly played a not but
Not quite so often, but very distinctive when it is played. Everybody remembers the show when they play Friend of the Devil. It's not always the best song of the night. It's not always the best version of Friend of the Devil. But it's a tune that, in my mind, is so closely linked with The Grateful Dead, right up there with Trucken and Sugar Magnolia, another American beauty tune that.
you know, whenever we would hear it, we would all just go wild and love it. I've talked many times on this show how one of my good deadhead buddies and just all around good buddies from back in the day, Steve Stefano, formerly of Chicago and now of Boston frame. It was his favorite tune. And whenever we were out with him and they played it, he would always be up dancing away, having a good old time and a big smile on his face. And whenever they played it and he wasn't with us, we always imagined him being up there dancing with a big old smile on his face. So it worked out really, really well. And just just a quick
great song, one of the first ones that all the deadheads learned. Maybe you know it even before you know about the Grateful Dead. But it's really interesting story, actually, because Jerry Garcia and John Dawson of New Writers of the Purple Sage wrote the music for Friend of the Devil. Hunter wrote the lyrics, but Dawson played a critical role in that area as well. In his online journal, Robert Hunter recounted writing the lyrics for Friend of the Devil in a single afternoon in Madrone Canyon.
Larry (30:44.334)
Now sing it right, I'm doing my best, I'm from Chicago, what do you want? He actually created the song with the intent of playing it with new writers of the Purple Sage after the band had asked him to be their bassist. This is why he first unveiled the song to David Nelson and John Dawson in their home in Kentfield. At that point, Hunter explains, the Sweet Ann Marie verse, which was later to become a bridge, was only one of the verses, not yet a bridge.
where things get really interesting in this story is where Hunter tells us that the chorus originally went, I set out running, but I take my time. It looks like water, but it tastes like wine. If I get home before daylight, I might just get some sleep tonight. So you notice how the line, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine doesn't play into that chorus. Well, this is where Dawson comes in.
After showing the guys the song, Hunter explains, the band went down to the kitchen for espresso. We got to talking about the tune, and Jod said the verses were nifty, except for, it looks like water, but it tastes like wine, which even I had to admit fell flat. Suddenly Dawson's eyes lit up, and he crowed, how about, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine, bingo. Not only the right line, but a memorable title as well.
We ran back upstairs to Nelson's room and recorded the tune. I took the tape home and left it on the kitchen table. Next morning, I heard early bird Garcia, who hadn't been at the rehearsal. He had a gig, you know. Wanging away, something familiar sounding on the pedal steel guitar.
damned if it wasn't Friend of the Devil with a dandy bridge on the sweet Anne Marie verse. He was not in the least apologetic about it. He'd played the tape liked it and faster than you can say, dog, my cat. It was in the Grateful Dead repertoire. It's interesting to wonder whether or not the song would have still become a staple if Dawson hadn't popped those lyrics. The line, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine, isn't the only great thing about the song, but it's definitely, definitely a critical part.
Larry (32:32.126)
and Hunter actually dipped out of the New Riders of the Purple Sage almost as fast as he dipped in so at that point the song definitely became a Dead tune thanks to song facts for some of that information
And we've talked about how there was actually a whole other verse that Hunter had written, but apparently it got lost when Garcia first got it, so he never wound up playing the last verse, even though in all the official versions of the lyrics, it's there. But that was Jerry just being Jerry and playing it the way he would want to play it. So we said the boys played it 310 times, almost always the first set tune. In fact, I'm not familiar with it being played anywhere else but the first set.
Unless it showed up in like some random third set on New Year's Eve or something when they were kind of you know off script and just playing whatever they felt like
uh... the first time they were played was on march twentieth nineteen seventy at the capital theater yes that capital theater in port chester new york and the last time they played was on june second nineteen ninety five at rfk stadium in dc so on the last tour uh... but very early on the last tour that is just kind of dropped out uh... that's too bad because we all would have loved to have heard that one one last time
even with Jerry being in the shape he was in. It's such a moving tune and so beautiful and such an important and intricate part of our whole dead culture and dead life and dead everything that to not be able to hear it was just really too bad. But a great tune and from there the boys rolled directly into
Larry (34:11.566)
another fun song. So let's listen to this one because they were just rolling at the first set of this show.
Larry (36:07.406)
it's all over now not to be confused with it's all over now baby blue or i used to love her but it's all over now so you can help avoid that conflict uh... that's what we used to do if somebody was saying it's all over now was played to say which one
uh... but this it's all over now is a song written by what bobby wal -mack and his sister in law surely will mac it was first released by the valentino's featuring bobby wal -mack in nineteen sixty four rolling stones heard on its release and quickly recorded a cover version which became their first number one hit the united kingdom in july nineteen sixty four the valentino's recorded the song united recording in hollywood on march twenty fourth nineteen sixty four released it two months later and under the billboard hot one hundred on june twenty seventh nineteen sixty four and
stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at number 94. The Rolling Stones landed in New York on June 1, 1964 for their first North American tour around the time the Valentino's recording was released.
New York DJ Murray the K played the song to the Rolling Stones.
he also played the stones king be other slim harpo cover the same night remarked on their ability to achieve an authentic blue song after hearing it's all over now on that uh... uh... show excuse me uh... on w i a n s the band recorded their first version nine days later chest studios in chicago years later bobby will mix in interview that he told sam cook he did not want the rolling stones to record their version of the song and that he had told mcjager to get his own song cook convinced him to let the rolling stone
Larry (37:37.374)
Rolling Stones recorded the song. Six months later on, after receiving the royalty check for the song, Womack told Cook that Mick Jagger could record any of my songs that he wants. The Rolling Stones version of It's All Over Now is the most famous version probably. It was first released as a single in the UK. We said picked it number one on their chart. Their first number one hit was the band's third single in America. It stayed on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks.
Picking it number 26 months later, it appeared on their second album, 12 by 5. The song was a big hit in Europe and was part of the band's live set in the 1960s. Cashbox described it as contagious cover of the Valentino's Click and an infectious thumper that should had right for Chartsville. The Dead played the tune 160 times. It was always a first set Bobby tune.
First one was on September 6, 1969 at the Family Dog at the Great Highway in San Francisco. And it was last played on July 2, 1995 at Deer Creek in Indy. So right up into the last tour, getting to within about four or five shows of the last show. And they still found time to squeeze it in. I really like this clip in particular because after the lyrics, you've got Brent doing a solo and then he leads right into the Jerry solo. Just not enough time to get the whole Jerry solo. But if you go back and listen to it,
uh... you can just hear how amazing he does it too and uh... you know it it's a uh... but over ten minute version of the song following eleven minute version of friend of the devil uh... they're just plain along and and and and and hot tonight uh...
doing a great job. They came out of this into a don't ease, a looks like rain, and finally deal to close out a killer 12 tune first set, which did of course include two versions of the promised land because they played one as we showed in the wrong positions and then came back and played it again. The boys then came out and played a stellar second set, but before we get into any part of that, we are going to flip over to our cannabis news and as we do that,
Larry (39:37.552)
I'm sure that Dan will play us yet another fun intro song.
Larry (40:14.286)
Released as a single in 1970, Mexico is Jefferson Airplane's lyrical protest against President Nixon and his efforts to curtail the entry of marijuana at the southern border. Operation Intercept. Despite being banned by many radio stations across the country, the starring still managed to find success on the Billboard charts. And as always, thank you to Dan for giving us a great launching off for our cannabis portion of the show. And although this played a much.
larger portion of the show last week with Nick. We still have time to get to it today. We have some interesting stories both coming to us. Thank you to Marijuana Moment as always a great source of marijuana news and content for us to be able to relay on to you. And we start off with one where we see some interesting discoveries that a citrusy smelling terpene in marijuana.
can reduce anxiety and paranoia caused by THC, a federally funded study finds. A new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that a citrusy smelling terpene and marijuana can help ease anxiety and paranoia that are normally associated with THC. The findings, researchers say, could help unlock the maximum therapeutic benefit of THC and protect public health.
Published in the latest issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the new paper says that subjects who vaporize the terpene d -limonene also with a dose of THC experience less anxiety and paranoia compared to those who consumed THC alone. Ratings of anxiety -like subjective effects qualitatively decreased as d -limonene dose increased, the report says. And concurrent administration of 30 milligrams of THC plus 15 milligrams of d -limonene.
significantly reduced ratings of anxious, nervous, and paranoid compared with 30 milligrams of THC alone. Although D -limonene modulated the anxiety -like effects, however, it seemed to have minnifil effects otherwise on the participants' experiences. The addition of D -limonene, which is found in many citrus fruits in addition to cannabis and smells like oranges, had little impact on other common acute, subjective, cognitive, or physiological effects of THC, researchers found.
Larry (42:36.608)
Inhaling the vaporized terpene by itself, meanwhile, did not produce any acute effects that differ from a placebo. To arrive at the conclusions, researchers had participants inhale vaporized D -limonene alone, THC alone, THC and D -limonene together, or placebo distilled water. They then recorded subjects' vital signs, cognitive performances, and subjective drug effects and mood.
The measurements were taken immediately following exposure, as well as periodically over a course of six hours. This experiment showed that simultaneously administering vaporized D -limonene and THC reduced subjective indices of THC -induced anxiety in a dose orderly manner, the 12 -author study found. However, co -administration of D -limonene with THC did not systemically alter other subjective, cognitive, or physiological effects of THC.
and did, and D -limonene did not elicit pharmacodynamic effects when compared with placebo. The new research is part of a growing field of investigation into the entourage effect in cannabis, as well as in ethneogenic plants and fungi. While Western medicine typically seeks to identify and isolate a single active ingredient, the findings underscore the potentially powerful interaction of caries v -
various chemical components produced by the plant. Earlier this year, for example, a study looked at the collaborative interactions between cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other molecules in the plant, concluding that a better understanding of the relationships of various chemical components is crucial for unraveling cannabis's complete therapeutic potential. A separate study last year...
found that cannabis products with a more diverse array of natural cannabinoids produce stronger psychoactive activities in adults, which also lasted longer with a high generated by pure THC. So very interesting that we're now getting to the point where science is going to let us start making our own.
Larry (44:45.742)
particular unique blends of THC and terpenes. And this is a great step forward. A lot of people talk about really like marijuana except for how paranoid it makes them feel and anxious it makes them feel. And you could have the best marijuana in the world and have the best high, but if you're paranoid or anxious, it really cuts into it. So to be able to provide somebody with the benefits of that marijuana high and removing paranoia and anxiety,
can only be a good thing for people. And hopefully that this will be something that the cannabis cultivators and the people who make cannabis products and infused products will take note of and not only start working this into their products, but maybe studying it a little bit further and finding out how mixes of other terpenes, flavonoids, and other molecules in the plant can help enhance the experience for a cannabis user.
I think what I really like about this study, almost more than anything though, is that this is a federally funded study. This is the federal government on its own stepping in and doing a study about marijuana and coming up with this conclusion which does nothing but help improve people's experience. And I like to see that.
Whether this is credited to the Biden administration or whether this is just various federally funded groups making their way over into cannabis and feeling that the time is right to start not only conducting but publishing the results of these types of studies. It's a great thing. And as President Biden talks about rescheduling marijuana to a class three controlled substance.
we can only hope to get more and more of these federally funded studies. And the importance of federally funded studies, even if there's some bit of a natural reluctance to always believe everything the government tells us, still is that this is the government doing the study. And if the government does any study about marijuana where they don't call it a horrible, terrible drug with absolutely zero medical uses or regimens or anything at all, it's not recognized by anybody for that purpose,
Larry (47:06.254)
This is a huge concession by the government. This is the government coming in and saying, maybe even without actually saying it, we were wrong. There are some great benefits of marijuana. And not only are there benefits, but we're going to help figure out ways to make the benefits even stronger and better so that those people who require it, those people who are just looking for it, can have the maximum cannabis type of experience. So hats off to the government on that one. And.
Hats off to all of our cultivators and producers out there who now are going to be looking to take advantage of this and throw some d -limonene in to the products that they make for us so that people who do experience that paranoia and anxiety hopefully will not.
I've never had a big issue with paranoia or anxiety with marijuana. Maybe once or twice. If I was really getting high in the middle of the day instead of doing what I was supposed to do, you might get that flashback of the commercial with the 35 -year -old kid sitting in his mom's basement just playing games with his buddy and his mom yelling downstairs, is that all you're ever going to do with your life? This is your brain on drugs. Don't do it. But.
you know otherwise i just find marijuana to be incredibly relaxing and uh... the antithesis of anxiety inducing or paranoia inducing so you know i consider myself lucky in that regard but you know it's a good thing it's always worked for me and it's always worked for me in that way so uh... you know well i think that this is an important study uh... and i would like to see it out there uh... you know everybody still ultimately have to find their own
plateaus and directions where they want to go in terms of the types of marijuana they want to consume and what manner they want to consume it and all of these things. And hopefully as time goes on and our understanding of the drug increases and technology increases, we really will be able to pull all of the best parts of the drug out and more than that, subdivide them in a way that allows the industry to really manufacture symptoms specific.
Larry (49:17.23)
strains and doses for people who have very specific conditions that they would like to be able to treat with legal and medical cannabis. So let's see what happens with that, but hopefully that's a good thing and it's going in the right direction. Moving on, a recent study in Colorado, here we'll just, we'll spoiler alert right off the bat.
Approximately 70%. 70 % of the labels reported THC percentages more than 15 % higher.
than what was quantified through the lab. A story from Marijuana Moment, coming out of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Thank you to Ann Schwabe. Cannabis flower sold in Colorado claims to contain much more THC than it actually does, according to the findings published in the peer review journal PLOS -1. THC is the psychoactive compound that is derived when cannabis flower, commonly referred to as bud,
is heated through smoking or cooking. Accurate THC reporting is a linchpin for medical patients, recreational consumers, and the overall integrity of the cannabis industry. Medical and recreational flour is generally the same. The differences in testing requirements, prices, taxes, and purchase limits. Misleading potency information can disrupt medical dosages, misguide recreational users, and erode the trust in an industry striving for legitimacy.
consumers often associate higher THC levels in cannabis flower with superior quality, potentially leading to overpayments for products that may not meet their expectations. This misconception can also create incentives for cultivators, testing labs, and dispensaries to generate higher THC numbers, whether through cultivation techniques or through testing fraud. Additionally, testing for toxins, pesticides, and total yeast and mold can also fall victim to falsification.
Larry (51:17.854)
Recent reports reveal instances where labs in New York and other states have passed products that should have failed. This casts doubt on the credibility of the broader testing processes in place. In this study, they gathered a total of 23 cannabis flower samples from 10 dispensaries.
across the Northern California, Colorado front range, which includes Denver, Fort Collins, and Garden City. The samples encompass 12 strains, which included indicus ativa and hybrid types and varied in reported THC values. Some had ranges such to 12 .8 % to 19 .3 % on the lower end and 28 .7 % to 31 .28 % on the higher end, while others had single values such as 16, 14,
or 17 .4%. The samples were then sent to a third -party testing lab that does high -performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, which is a method to separate, identify, and quantify components and mixtures based on their chemical properties.
It is the most common use method in cannabis testing to analyze cannabinoids and detects containments. This can assure product safety, potency, and quality. Approximately 70 % of the labels reported THC percentages more than 15 % higher than what was quantified through this lab. Among the 23 flower samples analyzed, 18 display lower THC levels than reported.
with 16 falling below 15 % of the stated value, 13 falling below 30 % of the reported THC, and three samples falling below half of the reported THC. Notably, one sample had slightly higher THC than reported. Four were within the reported range.
Larry (53:03.342)
The observed disparity was not due to aging. When THC ages and degrades, it turns into cannabidiol or CBN. CBN was not found in measurable amounts in the samples, however, and further indicating tested stable THC levels over time. A fundamental query looms large. With advancements in cultivation techniques, including lighting, nutrients, and selective breeding, has the potency of cannabis flowers surged in the past 15 years?
THC levels averaged 9 .75 % back in 2009 based on the testing of DEA -seized cannabis flower. Today's levels supportably surpassed 35%, though not as common as consumers have been led to believe. DEA -seized cannabis flower averaged 13 .88 % in 2019, which is closer to the observed mean of 14 .98 % than the reported mean, which was 27.
20 .27 % to 24 .10%. We also do not know who is responsible for the misinformation regarding related THC potency for cannabis flower. It could be cultivators or dispensaries selecting only the best flowers to test. Sampling guidelines differ by state, but all require a random sample from the entire batch.
But there is little to no oversight when it comes to enforcing these guidelines. It could also be lab fraud. Facilities might manipulate the testing results or doctor numbers on the certificate of analysis to ensure repeat business from producers and distributors who set prices based on THC content or to generate new customers.
A critical next step is for the cannabis industry to educate consumers on how to make more formal choices by looking beyond mere THC percentages. People generally do not shop for wine or beer based on alcohol content alone. Instead of focusing on THC content, a novice cannabis confuser might consider brands that are reputable or strains that have an aroma or flavor profile they enjoy. Eventually, they may move on to find a favorite breeder or grower or a trusted dispensary that employs a novice
Larry (55:08.288)
knowledgeable budtender. A budtender is kin to a bartender in a dispensary setting serving as a customer representative. Cannabis consumers, industry players, and the public must alone continue to advocate for better oversight in sampling and testing to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability, and to ensure trust from the cannabis community. Now this is all true and very, very important. And one of the things that I hope more than anything else that this does,
is it helps set some real parameters for people who go into the cannabis market looking for a strain or a dose that will work well for them. Getting the highest THC is not always the answer. First of all, as we just heard, you can't always trust the readings that you get that say something is 35 % to 40%.
THC that seems exceptionally large for a single bud to be composed 40 % of THC alone. But I'm no scientist, so I can't sit here and tell you either A, whether such a number is even physiologically possible or maybe not physiologically, botanically possible with something like marijuana. And if so, you know.
how often or how frequent, can that number even realistically?
be hit. But more than anything else, I think one of the things that Nick and I talked about last week was that there's so much more to making marijuana a pleasurable experience for people than THC. And we just heard in the other story, terpenes and flavonoids, the aroma, the appearance of it, the texture to it, the coloring, the presence of the little purple fibers or orange hairs or any of that kind of stuff that the more kind of sewer smokers or consumers really like to see.
Larry (57:01.792)
and really mean a lot to them. And so often we almost get like the frat boy approach to marijuana, I just want the highest damn THC, man, I don't care what else is in there, I wanna make sure that I get high, and not just high, I wanna get wicked high, and blah, blah, blah. And yes, of course, it's not bad to have a higher level of THC from a dependable source so that you can not only depend that it's good cannabis, but hopefully that the numbers that it's relating to you are accurate. But it's also a real problem.
If you're a medical patient and you're looking to a certain level of THC and you're not hitting it, that's problematic to your treatment. If you're going over that level, you may find that the experience for your medical treatment is not pleasurable, which may stop you from going back and using it again for those purposes. And what also really sucks is if the stores are gonna sit there,
and tell us all the THC levels are off the charts and then charge us top dollar for it, again, only to find out that you go home and yeah, you know, this is good weed and it's tasty weed and it looks nice, but there's no way this is 37 % THC, you know, and I just gave them my money for that and, you know, that doesn't really seem entirely right either. So trust is of the greatest importance in this industry.
not only for us as consumers, but in order to gain full trust of the government and the DEA and the health and welfare and everyone else who's out there keeping their eyes on this stuff and just looking for an opportunity to cry foul and shut it down or whatever they would want to do. And it's just so important that the numbers be accurate. It's so important that consumers can trust and retailers can trust and the government can trust and everybody can just trust that packaging and
labeling really means what it says, and allow consumers to become educated and be able to plan their own experiences with marijuana using proper dosages and proper turpene levels and flavonoid levels and all the other information that's now coming out in lab testing. So hopefully states will look into this issue, every state, just as a matter of regular practice, to make sure that you don't currently have
Larry (59:19.168)
either distributors or labs falsifying records, either intentionally or unintentionally, I suppose, if they just don't know what they're doing.
not with the idea that we're trying to bust people, but with the idea that we just want to make sure that numbers that these people are passing on to the public and charging top dollar for are legit. And that ought to be something that isn't so hard to ask for in the wonderful world of legal marijuana. And again, hopefully that's the next stage for many states as they try to fine tune their regulations and really bring their respective marijuana markets to a place
where the public as a whole is ready to embrace it and step into it knowing that they're going to be well informed and which then minimizes the opportunity to choose the wrong thing or the wrong dosage or anything like that. But yes, and I like the shout out to the bud tenders because how important is that? You know, to go in, you know, even those of us that have smoked for years and have tried many, many different strains don't profess to be experts on everything. And when I go in to a dispensary, it really helps if the guy or gal behind the counter is selling.
it to me, can talk knowledgeably to me about the various strains that they have, and either from personal experience or from first, you know, secondhand accounts, talking to people or reading up on it, that just makes my buying experience that much better, and I think legitimizes them as a legit dispensary and seller of cannabis. So, you know, always interesting things going on in the world of cannabis.
my strains at the moment that i'm really enjoying our garlic cookie uh... which is a strain i really really like to go out which i know i've talked about before and just can't get enough of these days from my friends around here who know what people out it can be had uh... and that a a a newcomer to the uh... uh... to my regular routine uh... government oasis a uh... a really really first rate uh... uh... indica uh... that i was lucky enough to be able to pick up uh...
Larry (01:01:25.23)
from friendly people and is now something that has become a go -to for me in the evenings, especially on weekends or at night if I'm just kind of hanging out looking for that little extra push over the edge to go to bed. It's a great one. My best advice is don't smoke it and then think you're going to sit down and write the episode.
to watch an episode to any of the millions of shows out there that you've been watching because you're most likely to fall asleep three times in the middle of it and then realize you gotta go back and watch the whole episode again, which may not be a bad thing, but if you're sitting there watching it with somebody and they're counting on you to be able to talk about it with them, you're not gonna be good for that after you try a little government oasis. So, shout out to all the people out there coming up with these strains and taking the time to grow them and make them great.
more importantly provide them to the rest of us uh... you know keep at it keep coming up with new stuff and you know we'll keep looking out for you so uh... we have run out of time today we're going to walk move towards the end of the show now uh... and again we are uh... listening to a classic grateful dead tune from april first nineteen eighty forty four years ago
Today at the capital theater in Passaic, New Jersey.
and this last two that we're gonna play typically right around this time we play the encore unless the encore is not really what we're looking for and then you know look for a song within the last two or three of the show but this night serendipity we just happen to have a perfect on court to sit there waiting for us because it's a tune that you just don't get very often as an encore when people think of the Grateful Dead they think of free -flowing improvisational music however the band was known for many things including their ability to construct incredibly catchy songs with deep meaning this is exemplified in one of the most iconic song Shake
Larry (01:03:18.016)
down street. Shakedown Street, the title track of the Grateful Dead's 10th studio album released in 1978, has been interpreted in countless ways over the years. According to Robert Hunter, who wrote the lyrics for the song, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Shakedown Street was a place where the underbellity of society came out and did its trading. It was a place for freaks, weirdos, and people who didn't fit in anywhere else. It was one of the only places where they could socialize and be themselves without fear of persecution.
uh... not unlike all of the uh... shakedown streets that you see outside officials today or that were always outside of the dead shows or other live shows where people want to get together and sell goods and sandwiches and fun things like that they just call all shake down street of course they do the lyrics of shakedown street talk about this place where everybody is welcome regardless of who they are where they come from as the song says don't tell me this time it got no heart i just got a poke around
The song is a reflection of the band's values and the alternative society that they represented. It highlights the ideas that people should be treated equally without judgment and that everyone should be able to express themselves. The Dead Love, the song played 164 times, a very popular show opener, a very popular second set opener, and occasionally, very occasionally, as here in Encore.
uh... and what better way to end a rockin show uh... than to come back with a hard rockin ten plus minute version of of the show stopper of a tune and uh... you know just a great thing they they first played on august thirty first nineteen seventy eight red rocks they last played it right up to the last stage line of nineteen ninth nineteen ninety five it's soldier field
And now you're gonna hear it. Thank you all very much for listening quick birthday shout out My mom's birthday is tomorrow mom's been gone for 13 years, but we always like to remember her birthday. Love you Mom We'll be thinking about you all day and then just a day later is my niece Lauren's birthday So happy birthday shout out to Lauren as well. Hope you have a wonderful day Hope all of you have a great week. Stay safe. And as always enjoy your cannabis responsibly Thanks for listening