cannabisnews.com: The Downside of Pop Culture 










  The Downside of Pop Culture 

Posted by CN Staff on January 09, 2004 at 14:13:22 PT
By Chris Plunkett   
Source: San Francisco Chronicle  

If you've seen the recently released DVD of the Grateful Dead's New Year's Eve concert at the old Winterland in 1978, you likely have an incomplete idea of just how big a role drugs played in the group's appeal to its fans. If you caught the feature on the return of the Dead that aired on CBS' "Sixty Minutes II" in November, you were also likely disappointed that the show barely broached the band's wide influence on the drug culture. Yes, one of the world's greatest news organizations covered one of the world's most vocal and successful organizations in promoting drug use. Pretty simple assignment, one would agree. 
But both the DVD and "60 Minutes II" miss the mark about the band members' drug use. The CBS segment reported on the band's "hippie" history and approach to improvisation. Charlie Rose got googly-eyed as he talked to the band. He even did a little dance when the band played a song as they stood in the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco where it all began. Today, the Haight can be a depressing place where kids, many from broken families, still seek solace in drugs and live on the street. But here was Rose, dancing as the "surviving" Dead members played a tune. We did learn toward the end of the interview from one of the Dead's members that the band's deceased leader, Jerry Garcia, "loved the drug (heroin) more than the music." But, that was it. There was no other mention of drugs in the segment -- and no footage of fans getting stoned out of their gizzards at Dead concerts. The news organization missed one of the most important aspects of the story -- either intentionally or because Rose was too star-struck to notice. Some things to consider: -- Garcia was the third member of the band to die of drug abuse -- spanning heroin, morphine and cocaine. -- Garcia and Brent Mydland, a former Dead keyboard player who died of an overdose in 1990, were known to free-base cocaine and mix cocaine with heroin in what is known as a "speedball," among other abuses. -- Years before Garcia died, he once lapsed into a drug-induced coma before recovering and going back on tour. Well past the 1960s, he openly promoted drugs, particularly LSD, in interviews. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/01/09/EDG9Q45I4F1.DTL   Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Chris Plunkett  Published:  Friday, January 9, 2004 Copyright: 2004 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 23 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Site:Grateful Deadhttp://www.dead.net/Wheel Keeps Turning for Grateful Dead http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14745.shtmlGrateful for The Deadheads http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13633.shtml 

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Comment #24 posted by FoM on January 25, 2004 at 10:50:21 PT
Carole King
The news is slow so I've been looking around and found Carole King's web site. She was my favorite female singer back in the 70s and she has her new album on her site available to hear so I thought I'd post it on this thread since it is about musicians and Cannabis and way back.http://www.caroleking.com/index2.phpPlus Paul Simon's Song called Father and Daughter. This song is nominated for best song of the year.http://www.warnerreprise.com/asx/paulsimon_fatheranddaughter.asx
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Comment #23 posted by jose melendez on January 16, 2004 at 18:49:01 PT
grin
damned if I know.I'm Joseph, not Jesus. :)
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on January 16, 2004 at 16:59:35 PT
Music For The Weekend
I believe this radio channel will be only for the weekend. I haven't listened to it before and just found out it was working. These are Neil Young concert tapes.http://www.rustradio.org/
 Grateful Dead's Official Free Music Service http://gdradio.com/Enjoy the music, commercial-free for you, our friends. GDRadio is provided by and is a service of Grateful Dead and Dead.Net.
 
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Comment #21 posted by Truth on January 10, 2004 at 16:56:45 PT
Jerry's doctor
I asked Jerry's doctor "of all the drugs Jerry did which one contributed the most to his death?"his answer, "tobacco"
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on January 10, 2004 at 13:07:37 PT
The Closing of Winterland
I thought I would watch The Closing of Winterland today. It is so beautifully packaged. Even the CDs have gorgeous art work. Back to the music!
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Comment #19 posted by charmed quark on January 10, 2004 at 13:02:11 PT
He died of burrito overdose
I was just having this discussion with a friend. My friend said the papers said Garcia died from drugs. I explained that he died of cardiovascular disease related to diabetes. In fact, his wife said he died from overindulgent in bad food such as burritos. My friend said that all the drugs must have contributed somehow. I said that since he died while at a drug rehab center, perhaps the stress of going off of heroin could have been a trigger.-Pete
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 10, 2004 at 09:17:15 PT
Truth
Thank you. I knew he didn't die from drugs but the damage of long terms diabetes. Why do people blame drugs for causing the death of someone when underlying health issues and just getting older could be the cause? We've been hearing of people we've met over the years just dropping dead recently. As we age we stand a much higher chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke or even an aneurism.
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Comment #17 posted by Truth on January 10, 2004 at 09:00:23 PT
The Dead
Having been to 256 Grateful Dead shows and many, many more shows from the spinoffs I speak from experience. This guy is a liar, plain and simple. Jerry's coma was from diabetes, not an overdose. Nor did he die from an overdose, it was circulator/heart problems combined with sleep apnea that he passed on from. If I were involved with Garcia's estate I'd be talking to my lawyer bout now cause of this guys lies. One, only one of the band members died of an overdose, not three.Newsweek magazine said it best when they said no American has bought as much joy to as many people as Jerry Garcia. I think the author best go have another drink.
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Comment #16 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 10, 2004 at 08:48:36 PT
Jose what exactly goes into kaneh bosom
I have heard a lot about it, is it just olive oil and cannabis? And how much cannabis would they use? Was it active through the skin? Has anyone read the story the Tale of The Hashish Eater from the thousand and one nights? It is available on erowid.
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Comment #15 posted by jose melendez on January 10, 2004 at 03:12:50 PT
on pot-tv
http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1786.htmlChris Bennett asks Cann(a)binoid expert Dr. Ethan Russo about the possibility that NIDA "standardized" cannabis is a spray on THC product and the importance of a full range of canabinoids in effective medical marijuana. Dr. Russo gives his opinion on the potential medical activity of the kaneh-bosem annointing oils used by early Hebrews and Christians and Chris asks him about the use of cannabis medicines for survivors of a Nuclear Holocaust.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on January 09, 2004 at 21:49:28 PT
Grateful Dead's Official Free Music Service
http://gdradio.com/Enjoy the music, commercial-free for you, our friends.
GDRadio is provided by and is a service of Grateful Dead and Dead.Net.
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Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on January 09, 2004 at 20:53:32 PT
What about Nixon?
Nixon ran the free world with a glass of bourbon in his hand!
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Comment #12 posted by ekim on January 09, 2004 at 19:34:21 PT
respect fo those who make the tunes
Dam Ethan that was nice. vibes, just get you going.Doc would you concider callen our cable access show on Jan 12 around 7pm and take a few questions plus enlighten the folks on anything you want. 
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Comment #11 posted by CorvallisEric on January 09, 2004 at 19:11:48 PT
A little odd?
I thought it was odd that there was not a single specific mention of cannabis (or any of its numerous synonyms or its usual mode of consumption). Just the vague "getting stoned out of their gizzards" and "high on drugs." Numerous mentions of heroin, cocaine, LSD. Don't know what this means.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on January 09, 2004 at 17:46:47 PT

mayan
You didn't gross me out but I must say that you must have gotten really stupid! LOL!
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Comment #9 posted by mayan on January 09, 2004 at 17:35:28 PT

FoM...
Yes, we were very stupid on New Year's Eve! I almost vomited on one of my friends and he took off for the bathroom! What the heck, it's the new year! Hope I didn't gross you out!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 09, 2004 at 17:07:19 PT

mayan
Then you really must have enjoyed getting stupid! LOL! I am soon going to watch the whole concert. 
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Comment #7 posted by mayan on January 09, 2004 at 16:57:57 PT

BTW...
The newly released DVD is excellent! I "highly" recommend it to all!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 09, 2004 at 16:55:11 PT

lag 
It is very mellow. I will watch the whole Closing of Winterland soon because it is very long and needs to be watched separately from other DVDs I think. We got Woodstock too. We also got the Concert for George and Silver and Gold by Neil Young. I had to watch Silver and Gold again and just love it. We are getting ready to buy our tickets for Greendale's Theatre Tour tomorrow morning when they go on sale. The Concert for George was about the best concert production I've ever seen and worth having it too.
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on January 09, 2004 at 16:52:32 PT

Long Live "The Dead"
Many people in the music business will confess that Jerry Garcia was the hardest working man they knew. He accomplished more in his life than narrow minded dolts like Chris Plunkett ever will. People will remember The Dead until the end of time. Oh, yeah...Chris who?http://www.dead.net/
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Comment #4 posted by lag on January 09, 2004 at 16:47:58 PT

I got the DVD too
But haven't had a chance to watch it yet...Glad to hear that it is like I hoped, mellow and full of love.
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Comment #3 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 09, 2004 at 15:00:37 PT

George Will
I remember reading him in Newsweek something like George Will on The Greatful Dead im paraphrasing from a distant memory but... "Of course the band can't be held entirely responsible for the miles of devestated cities and families they left in their wake" Well George I know who can be held responsible for the suffering of Dead fans, The American Government and it's insance WoD. Heroin addicts don't start wars. People who want to be blissed out on a bed don't scare me. It's the ambitious, people who can't be satisfied. They put a shiver in my spine. 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 09, 2004 at 14:24:35 PT

Dr. Russo
I bought the Closing of Winterland for us for Christmas. I watched about half of it and will finish it soon. It was so mellow. So peaceful. So much love. It doesn't make sense to me. So some people overdid and died. That happens. It always has and always will.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 09, 2004 at 14:17:10 PT

Spare Me!
It is hard to understand why this fellow bothered to write this piece. He comes off as some George Will-wannabe beating up on the counterculture, and sounds as if he's going through Paxil-withdrawal. He might as well blame Dean Martin for rampant alcoholism in the previous generation for all the relevance that would have.Some of us were there, enjoyed ourselves, learned some things, and never regret the experience. As if a Dark Star->St. Stephen->Wharf Rat->Playing in the Band sublime transmogrification needed any justification from disgruntled moronic editorials such as this!Live Long and Prosper!
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