![]() When analyzing song lyrics, certain basic differences from poetry have to beunderstood and observed. Otherwork of Hunter's includes lyrics for Zero and Bob Dylan as well as atranslation of Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies and volumes of poetry,most recently Sentinel. His songwriting collaboration with Jerry Garcia and, occasionally,other members of the Grateful Dead yielded such classic Dead tunes as "Truckin'," "Touch of Grey," and "Dark Star".Hunter's lyrics emblazonthousands of tie-dyed t-shirts and skeleton-adorned bumper stickers. ![]() Born in 1941, Hunter grew up in California andstudied drama for a year at the University of Connecticut, before he spenthalf a year with the National Guard and later signed up for the samepsychedelic research that led Ken Kesey to write One Flew Over The Cuckoo'sNest. Stephen," "China Cat Sunflower," and "Alligator" to the bandfrom New Mexico in 1967. Robert Hunter has been the primary lyricist for the Grateful Dead ever sincehe mailed "St. Robert Hunter's response: Fractures of Unfamiliarity and Circumvention in Pursuit of a Nice Time. Just like Ken Kesey, Hunter also took part in the CIA’s MK-Ultra experiments.Fractals of Familiarity essay ".an ambiguous lyrical world." The Fractals of Familiarity and Innovation:Robert Hunter and the Grateful Dead concert experienceBy Jurgen Fauth, who welcomes your comments.Ī contribution to The Annotated Grateful DeadLyrics. ![]() Songs like “Dark Star” and “China Cat Sunflower” - two figureheads of psychedelic rock - were written under the influence of LSD. ![]() Most of them are written by Robert Hunter, the lyricist of the Grateful Dead, who died in September 2019. All this: the diversity and unpredictability, not least the duration (three hours and more) of the concerts make them the central meeting place of acid heads and hippies, of drop-outs and psychedelic aficionados.īut it’s not only the history and sound of the band that puts them in such a close relationship to acid - the lyrics are the perfect trip companion as well. The band’s repertoire ranges from 30-minute sound collages to covers of country classics, from jazz to blues. The Dead play with two drummers, two guitarists, bass and piano, and from 1972 on, Donna Jean, a female voice, also joins in. The songs become jams, the music a medium of psychedelic dimensions. The band’s performances are never identical, on the contrary, they are characterized by a lot of improvisation. Especially when listening to the thousands of live recordings of the band. Everyone - bass, lead and rhythm guitar, drums - gives musical impulses and follows those of his colleagues. The philosophy of the band is formed by the psychedelic experience as well: There is no hierarchy, no leader. Without him, there would be no LSD and no Grateful Dead, and therefore no flower power. He is also the biggest LSD producer in America and sound man, sponsor and friend of the band. They move into a flat in Haight-Ashbury, they perform at Woodstock and Monterey.īesides Ken Kesey, Owsley Stanley (called Bear) is one of the central figures of the 60s. The band is friends with Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, with Tim Leary and Allen Ginsberg, and performs regularly with other San Francisco bands. LSD is now more and more popular, thousands of young people move to San Francisco, they grow their hair long, take acid, make music - and the Dead are right in the middle of it, geographically as well as culturally. The Acid Tests are considered the beginning of the Hippie movement in the months that followed, it became unstoppable. “The first mass acid experience, the dawn of the Psychedelic, the Flower Generation.” In his classic The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, author Tom Wolf gives a nice summary: This communication, communion between band and fans is what gives the concerts the so-called “X-factor” and makes the Grateful Dead the soundtrack of the psychedelic revolution. Oftentimes, they play under the influence of LSD, they are on one wave with everyone present, with the music. The Dead do not see themselves as entertainers, but as part of the audience - or better: for them, there is no distinction between audience and performers.
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