Jerry Garcia's Conservative Children

The New York Sun ^ | 8/9/05 | John P. Avlon

[qam1]

Think back to the ringing guitars, the spinners, the patchouli oil and the haze of pot smoke hanging over an arena - the psychedelic country rock of Grateful Dead concerts seem like an unlikely cradle for today's conservative commentators.

And yet, 10 years to the day after Jerry Garcia's death on August 9, 1995, no less than three of Generation X's most high-profile young conservatives remain dedicated Deadheads: Deroy Murdock, Tucker Carlson, and Ann Coulter.

[Darkwolf377]

Q:What did the Deadhead say after he hadn't gotten high for 24 hours?

A:"Hey, this band sucks!"

[Cosmo]

I followed the Dead around the country for 2 1/2 years, made a small fortune selling grilled cheese sandwiches out of the back of a Delta 88, and never once gave in to liberalism....Okay, so sometimes I complimented a hippie on her crystal....And then there were the drugs.....

[randog]

LOL!!

[nopardons]

Ann Coulter is in her mid 40s; she's no Gen Xer.

Tucker Carlson is around the same age; maybe older and not really all that Conservative.

[pissant]

I was apolitical until I was seduced by RWR! Not a bona fide dead head anymore, but I sure was up until the early 1990s. Still like alot of their stuff.

[Darkwolf377]

Meandering, droning, endless songs are good background noise while writing about the sense-dulling effects of pot, so of course conservatives like them. But why mention Tucker Carlson in an article about conservatives? Oh, right, he's as boring as a Dead song. He's the human equivalent of a boot of one of their 4-hour concerts.

[M-cubed]

ouch!...that hurts...I don't even know the name of her brunette friend i picked over her!...or maybe it was just a different concert....

[scott says]

Same here...I got into them back in 1979, in high school. On summer break I'd be trekking across the country having WILD adventures while everybody else was ho humming it at home.I had a blast and those times will always be the happiest of memories. I loved the music, after about 1984 they really went downhill and I lost interest. I have a closet full of bootleg tapes, never listen to them, though once in a great while ,after one to many glasses of wine, I'll break out a really fun tape....lets see Ventura Ca July 18,1982...happy trails!!

[kstewskis]

Oh, right, he's as boring as a Dead song. He's the human equivalent of a boot of one of their 4-hour concerts.

You're talking about the "space" portion of the shows, no? ;)

[deadhead]

[M-cubed]

What about Phish fans?<<<<<
.....U mean the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream?
Gawd it was terrible!

[jocon307]

"I've loved the Dead for 25 years and I've never not been a conservative."

Me too! You put it very well. I remember some radio DJ saying his mom loved the Dead too, she called it "the happy music".

[WhiteGuy]

Politics schmolitics. Jerry could play.

Five words of truth.


I was never a deadhead, but I always liked their rhythm.....

[deadhead]

"high-profile young conservatives remain dedicated Deadheads: Deroy Murdock, Tucker Carlson, and Ann Coulter."

And, FR's deadhead :-)

[SteveMcKing]

Liberalism is conservatism's wayward teen. Everything we do, all our work and sacrifice goes to them, and they waste it. Is it worth it? Ask any parent.

Dead Heads had their fun and good times precisely because others created the safe little fantasy bubble in which they could thrive. Same is true for academia and all of liberal wasteland. Conservatives produce dividends, liberals spend them. Or steal them, in most cases....

[Lurker]

The worst concert I ever saw was the Dead. They sucked.

L

[Ma3lst0rm]

I'm a Pink Floyd man myself but the Dead were definently a groovy band.

[blam]

"I've loved the Dead for 25 years and I've never not been a conservative."

I used to go to free 'Dead' concerts in Golden Gate park back in the late '60's, what a trip.

[Fzob]

If you like the old stuff, check out this archive


http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Jerry%20Garcia%20AND%20mediatype%3Aetree%20AND%20collection%3Aetree

[juggernaut]

I spent the 1980s up to 1995, summers and spring breaks with the Dead.

Very little politics, just incredible music and....other....things....

I still miss it.