On the surface, nothing about Grateful Dead would suggest that they were about anything other than peace, harmony, and unity. But to the late great Jerry Garcia, that was seemingly not the case whatsoever. Even though The Grateful Dead is known for their flower power ideals and free-flowing music, there were quite a few people out there who strongly despised the music they created.
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Consequently, The Grateful Dead grew into a band that people either loved or hated. Which, in retrospect, is surprising. The majority of the world has seemingly hopped onto the cult train in some fashion. However, according to the man himself in 1980, that was not the case for everyone.
The Grateful Dead’s Fickle (Yet Dedicated) Music Fandom
If you grew up during the latter side of the 20th century, you very well know just how divisive music and culture could be. In a 1980 interview with Relix, Jerry Garcia opened up about the controversy surrounding Grateful Dead’s ever-changing music, primarily in regards to how their uniqueness didn’t strike the masses in the best possible way.
“What happens is that someone turns their friends on to us in the same spirit or sense that they would turn their friends on to pot,” Garcia stated. ‘They turn them on [to us] because they have a good experience and they have a good time. It used to be real frustrating.”
Per his comments, it seems Garcia was disenchanted with the fact that their music was passed on so colloquially.
“I’ve talked to fans about this who have said, ‘Jesus, I invited twenty of my friends to this, and you guys played awful!’” Garcia explained further. “That stuff used to happen to us all the time. […] We’ve gotten to be a lot more consistent. Now, those people can bring their friends, and at the very worst, they’ll get a nice, professional show. I’m aware of that mechanism.”
In its most elementary form, it seems the general dislike came from The Grateful Dead’s lack of consistency during live performances. Which, in hindsight, is hilarious. It’s hilarious given that Grateful Dead’s main claim to fame was their ability to improvise and reimagine their music on the fly.
When it comes down to it, it takes time for the masses to fully digest and understand innovative music. Hence, The Grateful Dead now holds the unofficial title of one of the greatest jam bands of all time.
Photo by Nicolas Russell/Getty Images
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