The Grateful Dead’s long strange trip through the latter half of the 20th century had a huge influence on American politics, culture and counterculture. From San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock to their record breaking concerts in their last ten years, the Dead had a radical message and created a bohemian community that lasts through today.
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In the latest episode in our Arts and Culture series, we talk with former Los Angeles times journalist and author of “Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening” Jim Newton (@newton_jim) about the political and cultural legacy of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. We talk about the Merry Pranksters, the music, the Dead vs. Ronald Reagan in the 1960s and the 1980s (when the Dead championed AIDs and rainforest advocacy), Tucker Carlson, Phish, Burning Man and that Scott was a secret Deadhead in his youth.
Bio//
Jim Newton is a veteran journalist, best-selling author and teacher. He worked at the Los Angeles Times for 25 years as a reporter, editor, bureau chief and columnist, covering government and politics. He teaches at UCLA and founded Blueprint magazine. He is the author of “Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening.”
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