The show-goers of the Grateful Dead fan subculture are called Deadheads. There are a lot of negative preconceptions of them as people. Often times they're mistaken for lazy, stoners, hippies, or dope-heads. This is unfortunate because laziness comes from one who does not ask any questions to attempt an understanding. There is no benefit to generalizing and condemning a whole group of people without the slightest attempt at understanding what defines them as a subculture. A Deadhead would not mind if you called them a hippie, most of the time they are. That is not the epitome of it, which is what this article aims to explain. Deadhead culture is strongly rooted in unity and empathy, and most of all a general fatedness designed around and celebrating the growth of each individual as well as the collective. I have to state here that I'm biased: I was brought up in the warmth and color of this subculture. I was not originally going to write about this, but I felt the need to put it all into words anyway. I was taken to my first show and saw that the divine bum outside had scrounged enough money for a ticket. I met him with pure joy as if a long-lost family member had made it home for the holidays. The family friend who accompanied me smiled and said, "You get It!". I did get It, but what is It? Most importantly, how did everyone in the concert hall understand It without having any words for the experience?
"How did everyone in the concert hall understand It without having any words for the experience?"
All associations aside, the name itself is descriptive of what the band means to the subculture: The Grateful Dead. This is a literary device used frequently in folktales where the protagonist will help the spirit of the dead, and the spirit will come back later in the story to repay the protagonist and help them. It is true that Jerry Garcia is dead, but his existence holds no less power because of that. Deadheads find themselves attracted to this band because they are the protagonist of their own story: and the grateful dead is simply a spirit, who pointed in the right direction. As the song Box of Rain says, "Look into any eyes you find by you, you can see clear to another day. Maybe been seen before, through other eyes on other days while going home." That line encourages empathy, to look into another's existence and see simply that they are no different, they are just trying to get home. Unity to the Deadhead is an essential value: everyone looks out for each other. Tom Wolfe wrote about someone having a bad trip in his book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, people will come in and try their best to make that person feel loved and safe. I've seen it before first hand: at a show in the city, there was a young man huddled on the ground shaking. Two older men in tye-dye shirts came over and brought him water and did their best to talk him through it. They sat with him for over an hour, not thinking about the show going on inside which they were missing. They did not care. There was nothing else they would have rather been doing than helping that man. In essence, the Grateful Dead are not the only ones playing the part of the grateful dead. Everyone involved plays that role, as they realize their role in another's story.
A belief that is commonly held close is one that everyone's going to do what they're going to do. Ken Kesey said in Tom Wolfe's book, "None of us are going to deny what other people are doing. If saying bullshit is somebody's thing, then he says bullshit. If somebody is an ass-kicker, then that's what he's going to do on this trip, kick asses. He's going to do it right out front and nobody is going to have anything to get pissed off about. He can just say, 'I'm sorry I kicked you in the ass, but I'm not sorry I'm an ass-kicker. That's what I do, I kick people in the ass.' Everybody is going to be what they are, and whatever they are, there's not going to be anything to apologize about... We're going to wail on this whole trip." This highlights the value of individuality and the belief that conformity is largely stifling, and disallows one from living their own genuine story. If one cannot live out their truest existence, then they run the risk of living a lie and coming to the end of their life having learned nothing. It's another reason people find themselves attracted to this subculture and another factor in getting It. Many people tend to stagnate psychologically throughout their life, a good way to prevent that, and encourage growth, is to have an outlet for creativity. At the shows put on, it is highly encouraged that one should dance, even if they are not at all good at it. No one will judge, for far better, and far worse dancers have passed through these crowds. Another way the subculture encourages personal growth and creativity is through costume. Many people make outrageously elaborate costumes that they wear to the shows. They are a delight for anyone to look at, and in that way, are favors for those around. Each creative expression is essentially seen as a gift for the collective, and the event as a whole is an artistic feast. Even if the artistic expression is not of professional quality, it is appreciated nonetheless: a child who gifts their parents a hand-print turkey shall not be called a bad artist and shunned. On the contrary, they are showing artistic promise, and generosity. They are not just creating art to impress the parent; they are sharing themselves with the world around them.
"No one will judge, for far better, and far worse dancers have passed through these crowds."
The metaphor of a child and parent is especially relevant in this context, as each person is both the child and the parent at once. It is also a community in which people raise their own children, as they wish to instill the same morals and mannerisms into their own lines. I was sixteen when I entered the Subculture, but as I was there I saw mothers dancing with infants. The babies never cried, they looked happy. It surprised me and struck me as supernatural; with all the noise, and lights, and colors, I did not see one crying baby. There was even a movie made about an Autistic boy who communicated with his parents through Grateful Dead songs. Most people seemed friendly and willing to help out if needed. As a sixteen-year-old, I myself felt safe. In a place where it is expected, but not required to let one's guard down to truly express themselves, it makes sense that they would want to raise their own children in that. A child's psychological job is to grow and explore the world, as they are only just making themselves. This is where the parent can learn from the child, which expresses that the parent is not the only person containing wisdom. That is validating for a child, it acknowledges children in ways that are not commonplace in mainstream culture today. Most parents there hope for their child to feel trusted and capable, still yet supported. The desired result is for the familial structure to have enough fluidity and neutrality to be healthy and cohesive.
Marijuana and LSD have been associated with the subculture originating from it's forming, as the Grateful Dead played for the Acid Test parties hosted by the Marry Pranksters, and Ken Kesey. Though the band itself was involved with harder drugs, the essence of the subculture did not go down that path. They stayed with the substances that the members thought should not be controlled anyway, as they never have caused an overdose or any harm. Both substances are believed to be creative aids which further aligns them with the mission of the subculture. Children are of course not offered anything, as it would still be a social faux pas to overstep parenting boundaries, that is a universal. It has been seen as politically radical that the subculture openly takes part in any substance, however, it is handled nonchalantly. It seems as though they have questioned it, they believe in this sense that the social mainstream is simply wrong, and so they will disregard it. In practice with the subculture itself, it is viewed as highly rude to try to put pressure on anyone, it puts everyone on edge, and the violator will be shunned or ignored as a result. This falls into place with what Kesey said about everyone being naturally as they are.
"They are a musical tradition being passed down in the same way that the Greek myths were passed down orally through the generations."
Material culture to the Deadhead is important, otherwise, one would not know that they are interacting with a member of their own subculture. Relevant symbols include the Dancing Bears emblem, Steal-Your-Face-Skull or, Stealie, Bertha the closet skeleton, or Jerry Garcia's handprint; as he was missing his middle finger on his right hand. Any of these symbols can appear in a multitude of ways, from bumper stickers to tattoos, and tye-dye t-shirts. The artifacts of highest value though, are non-material in nature: the songs. The songs convey the values of the subculture almost in the same way that the stories of the bible convey the values of Christianity. The song, That's it for the Other One talks about the importance of ego death. That is the death of an old way of existing, and being reborn. St. Stephen is about an almost anarchic and curious philosopher, toggling between darkened apathy, and ecstatic beauty. They are a musical tradition being passed down in the same way that the Greek myths were passed down orally through the generations. Rich secrets of life encapsulated in poetry and picked out at length by Jerry Garcia's guitar. Dark Star, which could take an hour to perform with its two verse paragraphs of poetry; the origin myth, or the Big Bang. In this song is the perfect example of Garcia's effervescent Dayglo guitar playing, and how it tells a story far beyond the words of the song.
It is interesting that the subculture, amorphous, and anarchic as it is, does, in fact, regard a leader: Jerry Garcia, who is viewed as a saintly benefactor and patriarch. He's even seen almost in a matriarchal way, as he is largely an expressive leader. His songs talked about being true to the self, even when society says that's not alright. It is hard to say what Jerry Garcia would have said about himself if he were alive. From the image that has been created of him, one could perhaps guess, each one's path is individual, and the dead do not lead, they only show you your options. It is obvious, however, that Garcia's presence or guidance is not necessary. The band itself isn't even necessary, as cover bands are just as respected in the subculture as the real thing. A cover band is essentially just a group of Deadheads who decided to make a recreation of their beloved art and is excitedly celebrated. This way the leaders live on forever, and the subculture itself stays startlingly frozen in time. One can apply the values and beliefs of the subculture to modern-day issues, but the subculture itself will remain simplistic, and still, as a medium for expression, a comforting tradition. The scene stands still so that its people don't have to.
Every time I try to describe It I have used either too many or too few words. Some people describe it as home, others as a canvas for expression or a safe place; but that doesn't do it justice, as it becomes not only a descriptor but a lens to look through at life. It is a family in which you play all of the rolls, and so does everyone else. Most of all, it is a place to come where one knows there is hope, and they can reinvent themselves. It can be described as a musical baptism. An enormous celebration of life. In order to understand life, or even to appreciate it, one must understand death. No song defuses the duality of the two quite like Ripple, which talks about a hand-me-down song, which the speaker isn't sure that he should sing. He doesn't care though, because he likes the song, and so he will sing it. Perhaps others will like the song, and be happy that he sings it. The song is one of impossible beauty: an unstrung harp, a fountain that was not made by the hands of men; a path that rolls between the dawn and the dark of night. The path is an individual thing, and to find another on the same journey is just a happy accident. One cannot lead them any more than they can follow. We are all just trying to go home, wherever that is. The Ripple the song is titled after is the mystery and impossible beauty that we are all involved with: Life. We all walk a razor’s edge between two eternities.
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