Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wood, Brent

Titel

The tragic odes of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead : mystery dances in the magic theater

Ist Teil von

• Ashgate popular folk and music series

Ort / Verlag

London : Routledge

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Includes bibliographical references and index
• Introduction : Mystery Dances in the Magic Theater -- "Morning Dew" and the Greek Theatre -- "Death Don't Have No Mercy" : Catharsis and Redemption -- Befriending Chaos : "Dark Star," Dionysus and Psychedelics -- Dancing to Fateful Folk Tales -- Meditations on Mortality, from Uncle John to Stella Blue -- Chasing the Dragon and Escaping the Netherworld -- Knockin' on Heaven's Door : Dylan and Garcia -- Is it the End or Beginning? -- The Rebirth of Tragedy.
• "The Tragic Odes of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead is a multifaceted study of tragedy in the group's live performances showing how Garcia brought about catharsis through dance by leading songs of grief, mortality, and ironic fate in a collective theatrical context. This musical, literary, and historical analysis of thirty-five songs with tragic dimensions performed by Garcia in concert with the Grateful Dead illustrates the syncretic approach and acute editorial ear he applied in adapting songs of Robert Hunter, Bob Dylan, and folk tradition. Tragically ironic situations in which Garcia found himself when performing these songs are revealed, including those related to his opiate addiction and final decline. This book examines Garcia's musical craftsmanship and the Grateful Dead's collective art in terms of the mystery-rites of ancient Greece, Friedrich Nietzsche's Dionysus, 20th century American music rooted in New Orleans, Hermann Hesse's Magic Theater, and the Greek Theatre at Berkeley, offering a clear prospect on an often misunderstood phenomenon. Featuring interdisciplinary analysis, close attention to musical and poetic strategies, and historical and critical contexts, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of Popular Music, Musicology, Cultural Studies and American Studies, as well as to the Grateful Dead's avid listeners"--