Thoughts on Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead

Deal by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve found in a while.

It was essentially his experience through the entire Grateful Dad journey starting in the 60s through Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995 and up until the book’s release in the 2000s.

Briefly, I’ve recently gotten way more into listening to the Grateful Dead after I went to Peach Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania over the summer full of jammy music, Grateful Dead tributes, and even their original bass player, Phil Lesh, played a double set.

It’s the bright look on the world and sense of love that comes from their music that I, as well as the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of dead heads have become attracted to since their foundation in 1965. Notwithstanding, the music puts me into a happier mood.

Hearing their entire journey was pretty wild.

Before the Dead and similar bands at the time, the type of music that they played didn’t really exist.

The Dead helped invent a new style of music that is both prevalent today and possibly even inspired other types of music that are similar.

Kreutzmann also made an interesting point at the end, that the best jam bands that have followed the Dead (he used Fish and someone else as an example) haven’t tried to be exactly like the Grateful Dead. They’ve rather embraced the idea of creativity, trial and error and exploration that comes with being a jam band. This is contrary to the countless bands that have tried to exactly replicate them.

It makes sense since even as he said, they never played two songs the same, making it challenging for them to record music.

Either way, it painted a bit more of their historical significance and impact on music today.

They were fearless and insane.

Everyone in the Grateful Dead did crazy, crazy things, some that I respect and others that just blow me away for their insanity.

They would get beyond messed up, Kreutzmann told of a story once racing through a big city late at night for 20 minutes going 120. In their early years, they were doing acid every week, often playing shows while on acid or other drugs.

There were multiple instances when their sound engineer, Owsley Stanley, (who on his own has a super crazy story), spiked drinks or food with drugs to get everyone at a party, or once a music video shoot (I believe) out of their mind.

They did a tour through Europe that was filled with wild adventures, and so much more.

I think, on the positive side, it gave them the same fearlessness on stage to experiment and do things with music that had not been done before.

I’m barely a musician so can hardly empathize or understand what he meant when he said this, but Kreutzmann said there were times when the music would just take over and they would have no idea where it was going to go and that those times were when they were at their best.

Being able to let go I think allows for total presence and an ability to notice the strange and wild happenings around that they channeled into their music.

It comes with its costs, though.

Their partying and crazy antics led to some less serious issues (comparatively) like nights in jail. There were much bigger consequences as well.

Many of the members dealt with addiction at one point or another. Kreutzmann accidentally had a kid at a young age that he wasn’t able to truly parent.

They also suffered multiple, tragic, deaths, often related to drug use.

By the end, Jerry Garcia, their leader in many ways, struggled both on and off the stage because of drug use.

They created something that’s truly special.

Despite those struggles, which are substantial, the Grateful Dead created something incredible.

When I went to Peach Fest over the summer, that beauty and love was still there, and I could tell much of it came from these guys.

Some of the biggest acts were either former members or cover bands for the Dead. And, looking at the crowd, there was such a deep love and appreciation for the joy that their music brings. It touched (and still does) down to people’s souls invoking extreme emotions, like the best musicians are able to.

The fact that the Dead touched as many as they did in the 60s-90s is a testament to just how powerful they were.

They were one of (if not the) top touring band in the US for a while, sold out Madison Square Garden 5 straight nights (as a tiny example), had platinum records (although Kreutzmann said he doesn’t think much of the accolade), and more.

At the core of this music is love. They were apolitical their entire run and emphasize, instead, peace and love.

They fought for loving the world around them, exploring it, being adventurous and soaking up that inherent beauty around, which is what I get listening to their music and sits at the core of my appreciation for them.

It was awesome and fun to hear their story from Kreutzmann’s perspective. Would definitely recommend to anyone that likes the Dead, and even if you don’t but want to get into them or just read about crazy adventures, it’s a good one.

Thoughts on this review/the book in general? Comment or send me a note :)

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