To quote a line from the movie " Jerry was the king of the DeadHeads", and David Grisman's house was a place where he could just get away and be Jerry. As a former DeadHead and member of the 'cult of Jerry' this movie was an opportunity to spend the evening with someone whose loss I still feel. The film is a look behind the scenes at the musical and personal relationship Jerry and David had for over thirty years. Through interviews with musicians who played with Jerry, concert film of Jerry and David in 1991 and video shot at David's home, I got an opportunity to sit and share in the making, the rediscovery and sometimes reinterpretation of a style of music that they both love. Bluegrass and indigenous American music is somewhat out of the mainstream of American culture, the DeadHeads were exposed to it through Jerry's involvement with 'Old and in the Way' and David. Many only knew Jerry as the icon of '60's San Francisco rock, this film exposes a more personal side of Jerry, one of the guys, who loved music above all else, and explored its backwaters seeking that primeval pool of creativity to draw inspiration from. He found it and shared it with us. This film captures it. As it sat watching, I was grateful that someone had been there, with tape recorder and video camera, saving these moments to share with us, to remind us why we loved Jerry so much. It hurt, feeling the closeness, reminded of the loss. But it was a hurt that felt good. We remembered, we'll never forget why we chased tickets, saw shows so many nights in a row, waited for the moment when the next tour would be announced, danced the night away. Near the end of the movie, David Grisman's young son Sam, recalled those times at his house with Jerry and his dad's band, "...when Jerry died, a part of him died with him, but a part of him lives on inside of him...' I could say much the same myself. This is a film I will see many more times in my lifetime, to be replenished from the well of Jerry's creativity and inspiration. Thank you Gillian Grisman for making this film.
Review of Grateful Dawg
