[ker1227]

Any one have any specifics on what state the boys were in when they were on stage?. Did they do stuff right before the show? Not at all during the shows? What did they do? Just curious

[Mr.Charlie]

depends on the era you're talking about, back in the day, the whole band besides Pigpen and even Kreutzman wasn't so involved, would dose I think. Later on, Jerry was high 24/7 on heroin, so i'm sure he was doing it during set break, before, after, whenever he needed it really, like a true junkie. There was always pot being smoked before, middle, and after, alcohol as well. Cocaine mixed its way in with a few members, no reason to not think it was done during set break.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Getting buzzed was part of the thing from the start.
Early on the Pig and the JD.
The ACID TESTs were about acid so there you go.
The 1st album was recorded in LA with the band high on Diet pills.
I sure everyones seen the Phil interview from way back when where he says the world would be better off if everyone took acid.
Pig Pen(liver) Jerry(decades of abuse) Brent(OD) died from drugs.
Phil has a new liver (I think)due to the "Heineken Years"
Bob was busted down on Bourbon St.and the Haight house.
The shows were probably played under the influence of multiple drugs by multiple members thru the years.....

[strumminsix]

Phil's liver was shot due to Hep C.

I'm sure the Heinekens didn't help.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Yeah- wasnt too sure about that one.
Scratch that one.
On a side note I've found that too much partying kills my jams.
Anymore than 2 or 3 beers and its slopsville.
A little wacky tobacy is always cool though.

[AugustWest]

Phil's liver is from Hep C but he says in his book could probably be traced back to his very short period of experimenting with injectables. I think drugs where a part of their lives. I don't think shows got in the way of their habits in any way. I'm sure there are years where everyone is clean on stage (maybe 87) and years when everyone is fucked up. I know that I play better sober and most here would agree. However music and drug abuse have a LONG history together that goes back way before (and will exist long after) the Grateful Dead. The Dead sorta reflected both the light and the dark of that marriage. The drugs effected the music their is no denying that. Sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

[weirimpressed]

when did the dead really stop experimenting with acid and move on to the harder drugs?
also, did they all kinda stop at the same time, or were there certain members who kept taking acid/tried to steer clear of the designer-type drugs

[tigerstrat]

when did the dead really stop experimenting with acid and move on to the harder drugs?
also, did they all kinda stop at the same time, or were there certain members who kept taking acid/tried to steer clear of the designer-type drugs

Its not like they just stopped dosing and started snorting. The really heavy dosing gradually diminished during 67-70ish, and around 70 was when coke became common with band and crew, peaking with a major blow binge and subsequent stash-burning in London in 1974. But of course coke was still a major presence around the band for a long time afterwards, WELL into the 80's I would think, if not til the very end.

Keith got heavily into various pills early on... Jerry got into Persian smack in late 76... so did Mickey and Keith and John Kahn and so on and so on. Phil got into the booze in the early-mid 70s... Billy would dabble in anything that was around, and was known to be "the most volatile member of the band"... party animal. He and Brent were big drinking buddies... Brent was of course notorious for drinking, and its said (despite the immortal ugly rumors that he influenced Jerry's relapse) that his fatal OD was actually his first time ever trying smack.

[drums>space]

were there certain members who kept taking acid

I've got a funny phil story concerning that. I don't know if phil has been consistantly taking LSD but a good buddy of mine told me that he was at a phil and friends show recently (don't know exactly what year but im gonna say between 02 - 04 maybe?) and one of his good friends that he was with had dosed phil with some powerful liquid (i think my friends buddy had met phil before hand so it wasn't like a random thing). Phil ended up opening the show with Lucy in the sky with Diamonds... lol

[AugustWest]

This is a little off topic. and probably should be started in a different thread. But did scott lernard die of an OD. For some reason I thought he did but I realized the other day that I wasn't sure. It is something i just assumed. I realize that I didn't know (this past summer when I went to their show.) when my wife asked me what happened to the other guy who use to play keys. I said he died but I am not sure of what. maybe an OD. Can anyone confirm or deny that for me? It's sad becuase I was at the state theater which was his last show. He sounded great!

[mttourpro]

I can say with absolute certainty that Scott did not
die from an OD. A very good friend of mine dated him and was with him the night before he was found dead. He liked to eat a lot of the same kinds of stuff (hoagies, pizza, etc) that Jerry did and he had some serious health problems which were previously unknown/not being dealt with. He did complain of weird back pain the night before he died. He, I believe had a heart attack of some sort or another.

[tigerstrat]

did scott lernard die of an OD. For some reason I thought he did but I realized the other day that I wasn't sure. It is something i just assumed. I realize that I didn't know (this past summer when I went to their show.) when my wife asked me what happened to the other guy who use to play keys. I said he died but I am not sure of what. maybe an OD. Can anyone confirm or deny that for me? It's sad becuase I was at the state theater which was his last show. He sounded great!

Larned died of heart failure caused by sky-high cholesterol levels. RIP fellow traveler...

and I don't think giving this its own thread is a good idea, but if you do at least don't perpetuate that rumor please.

[oconnors_35]

I recall and interview with Jerry during late 80's, when asked if he still takes LSD he said "you gotta blow out the pipes once in a while"

[AugustWest]

Thank you for the clarifacation. I've never told anyone he died of an overdose. When my wife asked me is when I realized I had no idea. I guess I unconciously assumed drugs had something to do with it, but without knowing anything about the man I never spoke about it until just now. I even told my wife I had no idea how he died. He was the best. I loved his contribution to the band and now his death is even more of a wake up call for me. My diet consist way too much of beer, hogies, and pizza as well. Sorry if I gave the impression that I go around telling people scott died of drugs becuase that surely is not the case. And again thanks for the insight.

[tigerstrat]

Thank you for the clarifacation. I've never told anyone he died of an overdose. When my wife asked me is when I realized I had no idea. I guess I unconciously assumed drugs had something to do with it, but without knowing anything about the man I never spoke about it until just now. I even told my wife I had no idea how he died. He was the best. I loved his contribution to the band and now his death is even more of a wake up call for me. My diet consist way too much of beer, hogies, and pizza as well. Sorry if I gave the impression that I go around telling people scott died of drugs becuase that surely is not the case. And again thanks for the insight.

no, i didnt have that impression and im sorry if i seemed to- i just meant that opening a discussion about it would keep the (unintentional or otherwise) rumor mill going. Its VERY natural thing suspect drugs as the cause of someone in a traveling rock band to die so young and suddenly, but that's really how it went down- restaurants and carry-out food EVERY meal for weeks on end. He was actually having dinner with his bandmates when it happened.