Episode 117 : Joel Selvin

On August 9th, 1995 the world learned that Jerry Garcia, the once jovial, uber talented leader of the Grateful Dead had passed. Following that was a performance of the Walkin’ Blues, the second song of the set that night. What unfolded for the 20 or so years following that night, has long been the stuff of gossip, rumour and innuendo. To suggest that anyone was completely aware of what went on behind the vaulted doors of the Grateful Dead and its various business tentacles would be folly, since for the most part collecting all the various stories, and connecting all of the dots would be a fairly time consuming but mostly a contentious endeavour. Publishing those findings, and providing a narrative for what could only be described as a complete and utter melt down of what was once a mighty musical industry powerhouse seems on the surface to be a completely impossible task. So while the rumours, gossip, and tall tales persisted, noted music journalist and San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Joel Selvin decided to tidy up some of the loose ends and broken telephone for a book. “Fare the Well: The Final Chapter, The Grateful Dead’s Long, Strange Trip” was published mid June of 2018, and the narrative reads and feels like a profoundly sad tale that for the most part concluded at the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2015.

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