1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: Okay. Double Elvis The Club is a production of I 2 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Double Elvis. Ron Pigpen McKernan died at 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: the age of seven, and he lived a life that 4 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: was never intended to last for long. I can give 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: you twenty seven reasons why that statement is true. Seven 6 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: would be the number of minutes he would masterfully grawl 7 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: out Otis Redding's Hard to Handle on his first trip 8 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: to Europe, all while feeling a nagging, profound pain. Another 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: three would be the number of weeks he would spend 10 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: in a hospital bed upon returning from that trip. Seven 11 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: more for the number of weeks after that hospitalization that 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: he'd once again hit the road against doctor's orders. Another 13 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: two would be the number of months he would travel 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: the European countryside while his body began to make it 15 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: clear to him that it wasn't built to last. And 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: eight would be the number of months he had left 17 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: to live after pig Pen played his final show at 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: the Hollywood Bowl in June of ninety two. All totally 19 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: on this our ninth episode of season five, Profound Paint, 20 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: ignoring doctor's orders, traveling the European countryside, and Ron Pigpen 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: mccernin 'm Jake Brennan and this is the seven Club Ron. 22 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: Pigpen mccernin hung on to the microphone stand. His hat 23 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: was pulled low over his eyes, long go tee, scruffier 24 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: than normal. His leather jacket was his worn and road 25 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: tested as its owner. His legs were weak. It looked 26 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: like the microphone stand was necessary to combat gravity. Gravity 27 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: was winning. Pig had spent most of this particular trip 28 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: in his bedroom. An overwhelming feeling of fatigue and plagued 29 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: him since the Grateful Dead landed in France and the 30 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: confines of Chateau de Ville, the palatial estate where the 31 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: band had taken up presidence, suited him better than any 32 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: excursion into town. Not that he wouldn't have liked to 33 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: hit the local pub or taken the forty minute drive 34 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: down Old Paris, but he felt like ship could barely 35 00:02:55,639 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: drink anymore anyways, the eighteen century chateau, had they been 36 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: converted into a recording studio, it would soon be the 37 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: site where Elton John made hockey Chateau, David Bowie recorded 38 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: Low and the Bgs conceived Saturday Night Fever. But even now, 39 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: in June of Ninete It already felt like the decadent 40 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: playground that catered to the whims of rock star seeking luxury. 41 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:21,959 Speaker 1: But as the rest of the dead were enjoying games 42 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: of tennis, swims in the pool, and good French wine 43 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: on the grounds of the two thirty year old property, 44 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: pig Pen opted for the comfort of patio furniture and 45 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: French cigarettes. His weight loss started to become noticeable, and 46 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: while pig would never be accused of having a healthier, 47 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: well maintained complexion, his skin was now a wider shade 48 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,839 Speaker 1: of pean. But here he was back at the microphone, 49 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: a literal support system, the only thing that made any 50 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: sense to him anymore. The grateful dead had made the 51 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: trek across the Atlantic for a three day festival in France, 52 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: but the weather conspired against them and poured The festival 53 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: was rained. The dead didn't come all this way for nothing, though, 54 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: and so they decided to host a party at the 55 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: Shots Out. Pig Pen noticed that the crowd had assembled 56 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: inside was different than most crowds. It wasn't like the 57 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: place was filled with French speaking deadheads. The population of 58 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: the small village had gathered around the large pool and 59 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: foreigners to both the band and the music they were playing. 60 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: But the vibes were right. The all it took was 61 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: a little booze, a little music, and a few buckets 62 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 1: of electric kool aid circulating through the crowd. Things were 63 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: starting to heat up as the band kicked into a 64 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,119 Speaker 1: cover of Otis Redding's Hard to Handle and Pigs stood 65 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: still as a statue at the mic stand. The opening 66 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: guitar lick hit him right in the stomach, and Billy 67 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: snare and kick rattled the rest of them. Just like that. Sickness, 68 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 1: the weakness, it all started to dissipate. The tension was 69 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: partially released as Pigs started to float above the music. 70 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: He belt it out the first verse, his voice noticeably weakened. 71 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: Something was building on the stage and inside Pig. It's 72 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: hard to feel weak and weary with the immac of 73 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: the Engine of the Dead running so powerfully behind him. 74 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: It bent through up his hand as the chorus started 75 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: and he started to feel something he hadn't felt in 76 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: a while. He felt good. The Pig closed his eyes 77 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: and everything fell away, if only for a few minutes. 78 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: He began to shake his head and roll his shoulders around, 79 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: and there'd be no outrageous dance moves, and they're being 80 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 1: no voluptuous summons made to the audience. But Pig was 81 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: there as he had always been behind the mic, growling 82 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: out some down in dirty tunes with an authenticity that 83 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: was unmatched by anyone else in the group. He went 84 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: inward as the music took him somewhere else, and the 85 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: scene felt like some sort of fever dream. It was 86 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: midsummer in northern France, on a historical state where it 87 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: was rumored the composer Frederick Chopin and once conducted a 88 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: scandalous love affair, playing to a crowd with no other 89 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: intention to feel and dig. The music and the energy 90 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: was fresh. It almost felt like the early days in 91 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: San Francisco, six years in the past and six miles away. 92 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: Whether it was the acid of the wine, the warm 93 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: summer breeze, there was something special happening, something magical, But 94 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: it was not San Francisco. The band had been battle 95 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 1: tested by hard years on the road, shady business dealings 96 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: that had ultimately caused the recent departure of Mickey Heart, 97 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: a shroud of death both family and close friends, and 98 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: though all original members were still standing, they were not 99 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: the same group, and this was not the same pig Pen. 100 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: As the last chords of Hard to Handle'll rang out, 101 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: pig faded to the rear of the deads and promptu 102 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,799 Speaker 1: stage and picked up the tambourine. His energy was spent, 103 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: and that's where we stood for the rest of the set, 104 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: serving little real purpose, just keeping time. It was pig 105 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: keeping time or timing out. The Dead wrapped up the 106 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: show and jetted back to the States. Were The success 107 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: of the previous year's reviouses American Beauty and Working Man's Dead, 108 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 1: as well as their reputation as a live action made 109 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: the Mahawk commodity on the constant circuit. On top of that, 110 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 1: they finally began to make some real money. So the 111 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: engine and touring kept on turning, and pig Pen was 112 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: leaning back into one of his original roles, the Dead. Suddenly, 113 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: a skeleton crew of just five members relied on him 114 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: to play keys throughout the show every night, and the 115 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: Dead weren't just easing back into a full slate. They 116 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: were diving back into the typical four or five gigs 117 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: a week. But after just a few weeks, pig Pen 118 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: began to run out of gas At a show in 119 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: New York, Pigpen felt an intense pain shoot through his stomach, 120 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: a pain that was exponentially worse than anything he had 121 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: ever felt before. Sure, touring and travel were intense, but 122 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: Pigpen had been careful earlier that year, thanks to the 123 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: concern of Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Grateful Dead, 124 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: Pigpen hit a clinic and found a way, against all odds, 125 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: to kick his drinking habit almost completely. The booze, which 126 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: have been a part of Pigpen's whole vibes since the 127 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: very beginning, was suddenly no longer central to his life. 128 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: He started eating healthier, started taking care of himself, and 129 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: started to understand that limitations existed, and the pain started 130 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: to become manageable until it wasn't. It built up and 131 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: built up over the following weeks, and something felt terribly wrong, 132 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: and by mid September, pig was in a hospital bed 133 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: in Nevado, California, just north of San Francisco, and he 134 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,559 Speaker 1: checked himself in and after a few rounds of tests, 135 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: it was determined he had a bleeding ulcer, a direct 136 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,319 Speaker 1: result of his congenital cirrosis, and those issues weren't a 137 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: result of his drinking. Drinking wasn't helping his days knocking 138 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: back bottles of Thunderbird were over. That he was lucky, 139 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: as life wasn't as well. One by one, the members 140 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 1: of the Grateful Dead visited, and those who could donate 141 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: blood to their brother in arms did. They didn't know 142 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: how bad it was. They didn't know how close they 143 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: were to losing their band made and their friend, and 144 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: they didn't know that this wasn't just another bottle sickness. 145 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:04,839 Speaker 1: The doctor made it clear to Pigpen that he was 146 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: in brutal shape and that his chances of walking out 147 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: of the hospital alive weren't good. Twenty One excruciating days 148 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: passed within the sterile white hospital walls. Pigpens slowly transitioned 149 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: from an all liquid diet. The solid foods the doctor's 150 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: nurses and odories delivering curtains of milk were a sad 151 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: substitute for the life pig had gotten used to on 152 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: the road. The medicine they gave him could only help 153 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: so much. Need have to make another serious change to 154 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: his lifestyle, and it wasn't the only one making changes. 155 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,839 Speaker 1: The Grateful Dead were once again riding the carousel. When 156 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,839 Speaker 1: it came to their lineup, pig Pen's recent health scare 157 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: didn't just convince them that they may need to add 158 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: another member to fill in, but that they may need 159 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: to add another member and definitely what if next time 160 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: was the last time for pig Jerry, Bog Phil Bill. 161 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: They were all bound by eternal love to their brother. 162 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: The pig Pen's health was one Gamble was suddenly flush 163 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: for dead, could not take Bill Krutzman was hammering away 164 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,559 Speaker 1: at his drums. He watched Jerry Garcia carefully over his kid. 165 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: Jerry's brow was furrowed. He was deep in thought, but 166 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: he wasn't looking at Billy. He was watching the man 167 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: sitting at the keys in the dead studio space, and 168 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: the man sitting at the keys was watching his own hands. 169 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: He'd heard these tunes before, but he never sat down 170 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: and tried to work them up. She just knew they 171 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: felt right. Jerry pulled the classic Jerry moved and hid 172 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: and unexpected change, shifting songs on a dime. Billy, who 173 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: was used to just about anything at this point, fell 174 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: in right behind him, and to the amazement, so did 175 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: the man of the keys. Jerry and Billy continued their 176 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: musical onslaught, unloading their entire arsenal of improvisations and styles, 177 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: recreating the organic energy of a jam with the Dead, 178 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: and how the musical communication worked on the back and 179 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: the fourth to give and the take, the setting of 180 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: the Dead spaceship on a course for some distant constellation, 181 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 1: and then taking a scenic toll of every planet on 182 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: the way back to Earth. The man of the Keys 183 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: didn't miss a beat or change. He wasn't flashing, simply fit. 184 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: The man was Keith god Show. Just months before, he 185 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: and his wife Donna had met Jerry after a Dead show. 186 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: Donna walked right up to Jerry and pointed a key. 187 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: She looked Jerry square in the eye and told him 188 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,680 Speaker 1: who was next piano player was going to be. Jerry 189 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 1: wasn't unfamiliar with this scenario since Tom constantins departure of 190 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 1: the Dead event any day it was piano players looking 191 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 1: to join grew. Typically, the propositions went nowhere, but now 192 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 1: with Pig got a commission for the foreseeable future, Jerry 193 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 1: was starting to take the bay. Keith had some real 194 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: technical skills and training on the keyboard, but he wasn't 195 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: as experimental as time, and though he had soul and 196 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: proclivity for rock and roll, he wasn't as loose or 197 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: raw as Pig Pam. He didn't try to do too much, 198 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: and he wasn't limited in any capacity just fit. Jerry 199 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,959 Speaker 1: and Billy knew it. As they wrapped up their little 200 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: jam session, they told Keith to come back the next day. 201 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: After a few hours rehearsing with the full lineup minus Pig, 202 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: the decision was made. Keith was in. He signed his 203 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: contract that evening, and by the time the band had 204 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 1: rehearsed with Keith for a month's time, it felt like 205 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: he had been there all along. One October rolled around 206 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:51,439 Speaker 1: the dead and Pig faced a hard reality. The group 207 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: was heading back out on tour, only this time it 208 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: would be without him, their original source of inspiration, and 209 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: they visited Pig at home where he was resting. They 210 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: assured him that he wasn't out of the band, he 211 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: wasn't being replaced. When he was given the green light 212 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: by the doctors and felt up to it, he would 213 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: be gladly welcomed back into the fold, and Pig took 214 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: it to heart. For two months, he sat at home 215 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: while the Dead's tour dates through October and November went 216 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: off without a hitch, and although they would put plans 217 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: for a new album on hold due to the shuffling 218 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: of their personnel, the band was once again cooking, with 219 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: new material beginning to take shape. Keith's wife, Donna, joined 220 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: the band as a vocalist, further injecting a new energy 221 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: into the live sets and giving the band an even larger, 222 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: more well rounded sound. Donna's credentials for stellar the female 223 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 1: vocals on Percy Sledges nineteen sixty six Classic When a 224 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: Man Loves a Woman That was Donna, and the backing 225 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: vocals on Elvis Is nineteen sixty nine, Comeback, Smash, Suspicious Minds, 226 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: and that was Donna doing it. Back at home, Pig 227 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: was getting itchy feet. He started taking care of himself 228 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: in a way he'd never done before, and the boot 229 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 1: was completely out of the picture, and he was following 230 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: the doctor's orders in regards to diet, specifically a mix 231 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,719 Speaker 1: of health food and juice classes. But though he was 232 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: starting to feel back to normal, he was alone. His 233 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: relationship with v was beyond the strain. His band or 234 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: out gigging around the continental United States, without him, and 235 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: here he was laid up at home in San Francisco 236 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: with just a cart and the smokes to keep him company. Bullshit. 237 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: There was only one thing Pigpen ever wanted to do, 238 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: only one thing he had ever done. Just weeks prior, 239 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: he thought his life might come to an end. Every day, 240 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: our minute second was precious time to him now, So 241 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: what the hell was he doing wasting it at home? 242 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: Pick consulted his doctors. He wanted to rejoin the dead 243 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: on the road, and the docks were leary. It's a 244 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: dangerous proposition. Just wasn't a conventional choice for someone recovering 245 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: from a medical ordeal such as the one he had 246 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: just experienced. The word conventional and funk all the Pigpen. 247 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: He hopped on a flight and jetted across the country, 248 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: touching down in Boston on December one. But for all 249 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: his bravado in the face of his physical state, the 250 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: fact remained that he was not the same Pigpen. The 251 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: new diet at the time in the hospital, the treatments 252 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: he'd undergone, but all left him looking like an entirely 253 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: new person. Pig wasn't tall, but who was rovust, looked healthy, 254 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: was never someone you'd call thin. Sickness that had ravaged 255 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: in the past year and also ravaged his weight, slowly 256 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: taking pieces of him away, And now he was thinner 257 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: than ever, with a gaunt look about his face. He 258 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: looked as though he could be blown over by a 259 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: strong breeze. When the dead song, they were both delighted 260 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: and dismayed. It was Pig, the man who would guzzle 261 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 1: down more bottles than they could count, who shot guns, 262 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: who whipped crowds into frenzies with his sensuous dance moves, 263 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: who embodied the very essence, soul, and attitude of what 264 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: the grateful dead were trying to do. The guy who 265 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: dressed like a biker sang the blues like he lived 266 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: them a hundred times, formed like a man possessed the exuberant, effervescent, 267 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 1: energetic enigma ship Man. There was nothing enigmatic about the 268 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: way he looked now, like a shell of his former self. 269 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: Like he walked right up to the doorstep of death, 270 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: knocked on the door, and then turned around and walked 271 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 1: back again. The band hugged their friend, felt how delicate 272 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 1: he was, bones protruding through his pale skin. They didn't 273 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: have time to be rattled by the situation. The show, 274 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: as they say, he must go on, and though the 275 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: Dead were subdued backstage, their live performance showed no signs 276 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 1: of grief or worry. For two nights at the Music 277 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: Hall in Boston, the Dead sounded tight, like they hadn't 278 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: missed a beat. Keith had dropped into the group, and 279 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: the machine was as well oiled and efficient as ever. 280 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: They just kept chugging along, and Pigpen sat behind his organ, 281 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: playing sparingly, and he was, after all rusty and out 282 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: of practice. He gazed out at the audience. Were they 283 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: really there? Was he really here? Felt like some surreal 284 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: dream times seemed to fly by. Before pig Pen knew it, 285 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: it was his turn to step to the microphone center stage. 286 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: He hadn't played in months, years since pig experienced that 287 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: type of gap in performance. And not only that, but 288 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: he didn't have his usual liquid to grease his wheels, 289 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: and there was no vail between him and the audience. 290 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,919 Speaker 1: No fermanted aid to promote his confidence, no deterrence from 291 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: the stage fright that always seemed to linger. That was 292 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: until Billy stopped out the opening snare lick to a 293 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: tune Pig had written with Robert Hunter earlier that year, 294 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: his Blues. He had a fund to it, and it 295 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: grew and it felt right. Pig grip the microphonal confidence, 296 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: belt it out the first verse to Mr Charley, just 297 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: like in France, The Grateful Dead seemed to hold the 298 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: antidote for Pig For three and a half minutes, it 299 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: felt like Pig was back in the fold. I closed 300 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: your eyes and his voice provided a window into the past. 301 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: But this seemed closer, and there was something else there, 302 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: something you couldn't quite put your finger on, distance, some pain. 303 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: His return was undoubtedly triumphant, but was also starting to 304 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: be kind abundantly clear. Ron Pigpen McCarney was on borrowed time. 305 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. After this word word word, pig 306 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 1: pens body slammed to the floor. The fall jarred him 307 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: from his deep sleep, and the bumpy movements of the 308 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,640 Speaker 1: bus he was in kept him awake. His stomach, his kidneys, 309 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: his liver, everything hurt, and the fall from his bench 310 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: seat made it feel like his body had been shattered 311 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: to pieces. Going down the road feeling bad, indeed, Pigpen 312 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: pulled himself off the floor with a grunt and sank 313 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: into the previous position. He had almost gotten used to 314 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: the process by this point. It was an unusual for 315 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: him to be thrown from his seat. During the course 316 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: of the last four weeks on this bus, every time 317 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: that I ever hit a large pothole or took a 318 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,920 Speaker 1: wide turn, when the bus tipped just a little to 319 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: one side, Pig would just slide off his seat down 320 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: to the floor with a pitiful thud. It had the 321 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: potential to get real old, real fast, but it's hard 322 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: to be ornerary with the view he had. He gazed 323 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: out the window at the French countryside, England, Denmark and 324 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: Germany had all passed by like some sort of magical dream. 325 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,479 Speaker 1: And now this, even after a month of touring in Europe, 326 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 1: pigs still had to pinch himself from time to time 327 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: and then a dull ache shot through his stomach. And 328 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: the tour may have felt like a dream, but pig 329 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: Pen was facing some very serious realities. He pulled his 330 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: pack of smokes from his jacket pocket and lit one up. 331 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: The dead were traveling through Europe on two buses. The 332 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: other bus, the fun one, roared past the one Pig 333 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 1: was riding in, someone in a clown mass looked out 334 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: the window pick grinned. The Bozo Bus aka the Party 335 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: Bus was setting the tone for the entire tour. Riders 336 00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:00,200 Speaker 1: had taken a wearing clown mass had picked up in 337 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 1: amster to him, and had rearranged the interior, pushing couches together, 338 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: turning bench seats around to make boots, keeping a fully 339 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: stocked refrigerator, staying up through the night, all hours of 340 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: the day, and consuming whatever happened to find its way 341 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: on board. It was the spiritual spinoff of the Festival 342 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: Express train, and it was somewhere pig wish he could 343 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: have been, but he wasn't, and that was by his 344 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: own choice. It would have suited a different Pigpen, a 345 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: pig Pen from what felt like a lifetime ago. He 346 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: took a long drag on his cigarette, and he surveyed 347 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:35,120 Speaker 1: his own bus. This bus, known as the Bolo Bus, 348 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: was far more subdued, mostly a place to get some rest, 349 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: and getting rest was something pig Pen was doing plenty 350 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 1: of these days. He had spent most of the tourist 351 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: travel time perched on his bench at the back, watching 352 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,399 Speaker 1: the wheels and chain smoking. The tour had been a 353 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: rollicking john through the European countryside for the rest of 354 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: the band, but not for Pig. It was some sort 355 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: of meditation on life. He adult to rejoin the band 356 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: the December before. Was working hard to maintain his health, 357 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: but it was equally hard not to get swept up 358 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: the casual, business like approach to it all. Whether or 359 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 1: not Pig would admit it, the popularity the Grateful Dead 360 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: had inflated them to certified superstars. They were just as 361 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: revered as the bands they had once looked up to, 362 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 1: the bands holding down the top places in the charts. 363 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: Unlike those bands, however, Grateful Dead weren't releasing massive singles. 364 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,359 Speaker 1: It was their commitment to playing live and their recent 365 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 1: run of impeccable albums that made them a cultural touchstone 366 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,719 Speaker 1: in a household name. Thousands of kids began showing up 367 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: the Dead shows, some of them hoping to score tickets 368 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 1: but unable to get in. So the Dead started playing 369 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 1: bigger venues to keep costs down, and once they went big, 370 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: they never looked back. Something was changing in the relation 371 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,200 Speaker 1: to the audience. This wasn't the acid tests of old, 372 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,159 Speaker 1: and it wasn't just five guys getting up on a 373 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,560 Speaker 1: stage at the club and hammering out some blues covers. 374 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: The Dead were playing basketball and hockey arenas massive venues, 375 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: and if they wanted to keep their ands, wallets and mind, 376 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: there was nothing they could do about it. The only 377 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:05,199 Speaker 1: way to make their show affordable was to make their 378 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: show bigger. That had to become a machine that just 379 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: kept turning. And now they had returned to Europe, not 380 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 1: just for a long weekend and an impromptu show at 381 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: a chateau, but for an eight week long conquest. The 382 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: entourage in Europe was well over fifty wives, girlfriends, road 383 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: these children, managers, all stuffed on the two buses, and 384 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: there are also hundreds of pieces of sound equipment. This 385 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: is more like a military operation than hauling year around 386 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: in Bill critsmon station wagon. Regardless of the newfound popularity, 387 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: regardless of the new host of hangers on and shady 388 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:40,840 Speaker 1: visitors backstage pushing harder drugs, and regardless of whether Pig 389 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: had felt up to it or not, there was no 390 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: way he was missing this. With the logistics of the 391 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: Dead's touring and finances weren't the only thing that had changed. 392 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: Try as he might, Pig was forever changed on this tour. 393 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: He combed his hair back, button his shirts neatly, and 394 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: seemed to be more interested in babysitting the kids that 395 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: were present, then playing cars with the crew in the band, 396 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 1: and no calling for his whiskey as much as calling 397 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: for his tea. Pig Pen wasn't just separating from the 398 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: lifestyle as a group, he was separating from who he 399 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: used to be. As if you could feel the fuel 400 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: gauge getting well. Night after night, show off the show, 401 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 1: Pigpen would sit behind the congos, shake a tambourine replaced 402 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: sporadic fills on his organ while the Dead grooved, and 403 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: they did fucking groove. It was the actualization of everything 404 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: Jerry and Phil had dreamed about to that point. The 405 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: lineup was just the right balance. Sure they lost, making 406 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,399 Speaker 1: mc keith and Donna filled in the sound like some 407 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: sort of gift from the heavens, complimenting the rest of 408 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: the group perfectly, further transcending the already transcended music. For 409 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: anyone else who wasn't a member of the band, it 410 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: was hard to even tell the pig Pen wasn't feeling 411 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: percent because when pig Pen was called upon he could 412 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: still deliver a convincing vocal performance, lovely, hard to handle, 413 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: easy win. Mr Charlie Pigpens still brought them all the 414 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: life with his unmistakable fervor and passion, and true he 415 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: didn't throw out the same shoulder shakes or gyrating hit movements, 416 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: but his vocals set fired every ancient, reverent European concert hall. 417 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,200 Speaker 1: The dead played in that intimacy they begun to lose 418 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: playing giant venues in the States, remained intact in Europe, 419 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: even if it was by a threat. These hallowed halls 420 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: were designed for classical music, so the crowds were up close, 421 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: and the acoustics were just right, and the vibrations were 422 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 1: warm and happy. But still there was something in his voice. 423 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: You could hear it, an urgency to sing every set 424 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: like it was his last. In due course, pig Pen 425 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: would finish his tune and return to his congus, tambourine 426 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,400 Speaker 1: or organ until he was called upon again. He can 427 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 1: watch the rest of the band work and lose himself 428 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: in the music. And the next day pick would return 429 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: to his bus, the bolo bus, the quiet bus. He 430 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,480 Speaker 1: crawled at the backseat and light himself a cigarette preparing 431 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: for the next hard turn, the next slip, the next 432 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: eventual will fall, and that next hard turn, that next 433 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 1: hard fall, and had nothing to do at the bus ride. 434 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: The pizza joint known as the Top of the Tangent 435 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: was packed full, as it was most nights in four 436 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: when there was live music, The beer was flowing, and 437 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: the mood was mellow. The Tangent was one of the 438 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: places to go for music. Paol alto up and coming acts. 439 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,400 Speaker 1: Well known groups and singer songwriters gave performances that were 440 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,960 Speaker 1: ordinarily worth the price of admission. But there was nothing 441 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: ordinary about tonight's performance. At least he knew that even 442 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: if no one else did. He was with his group 443 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: on stage, Mother mccree's Uptown Jug Champions. They were attracting 444 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: attention around town, and not just for their lively, eccentric performances. 445 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: They played old timey folk, bluegrass roots music, stuff that 446 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,200 Speaker 1: had long become niche but was beginning to come back 447 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:19,159 Speaker 1: into fashion. He saw their influence everywhere. Jug bands were 448 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,920 Speaker 1: popping up all over the Bay Area, but Mother mccree's 449 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 1: was the best around. He was by as sure. Look 450 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: around the room, the place was jumping. The buzz around 451 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: his band was so strong that to Stanford University students 452 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: had made it a point to record them for a 453 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: local folk music radio show. He wailed on his harmonica 454 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: from the stage, and he thought it worked perfectly with 455 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: the washingtub bass and acoustic guitar. And no one was 456 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: calling him Ron anymore. They all called him Pigpen on 457 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,959 Speaker 1: account of his disheveled appearance, not that it bothered him. 458 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: Who was a nickname, his blues name. He'd wear it proudly. 459 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 1: He ripped a few more notes from his heart, and 460 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 1: they sounded like down at home, familiar, like the old 461 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: warning jacket he was wearing, like he'd known this feeling 462 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: his whole life. It was the only thing he wanted 463 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: to feel it as long as he would live. The 464 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: Grateful Dead's seventy two tour of Europe was highly successful, 465 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,959 Speaker 1: improved positive that they weren't just a national sensation, they 466 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,600 Speaker 1: were a global phenomenon. After a few weeks break, it 467 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: was time for the Dead to get back to it. 468 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:24,439 Speaker 1: Pigpen did his best to drag himself along. The June seventeen, 469 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: seventy two show at the Hollywood Bowl was for all 470 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: intensive purposes, a Welcome Home Gig for the Grateful Dead, 471 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: the conquering heroes returning to their beloved states, bigger and 472 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:37,000 Speaker 1: better than ever before. But a dark cloud hung over 473 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: the group. Pig was frailer, thinner, more gaunt than he 474 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: had ever been before. He no longer looked like a 475 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: stray breeze woul blow him over. It looked like it 476 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: was shatter him to pieces. The crowd, however, did seem 477 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,959 Speaker 1: to notice. As the Dead reached the midpoint of their 478 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: first set, the audience called out for Pig. They wanted 479 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: a dose of his electric blues. They wanted him center stage. 480 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: There would be no love light that night, no hard 481 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: to handle, no easy wind, no Mr Charlie. Pig Pen 482 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 1: spent that evening laboring to keep himself upright. He couldn't 483 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,360 Speaker 1: even manage to get himself to the microphone. Each time 484 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: he'd slump over begin to nod awe, someone would slide 485 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: over and give his chair a gentle bump to keep 486 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 1: him conscious, And each time Pig would shake himself out 487 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 1: of his haze and get back to the show, perhaps 488 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: make it through a tune. One of those tunes Pig 489 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: did make it through was a brand new one, the 490 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,160 Speaker 1: band's live debut of Stella Blue. Pig played organ elegantly 491 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 1: behind Jerry's soft, subtle lyrics and somber He had beautiful 492 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: words and music by a musician reaching the end of 493 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: the line, finally succumbing to the physical and emotional trials 494 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 1: of life on the road. Behind Jerry's volcan and Pig's organ. 495 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: The Dead gave him inspired, heart wrenching performance of the 496 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: new song, and it was fitting because Pigpen was also 497 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: succumbing to the demands of the road and the lifestyle. 498 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: And for the man who was the original impetus and 499 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: engine behind Mother mccree's uptown joke champions the Warlocks and 500 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: the Grateful Dead, the show at the Hollywood Bowl would 501 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: be his last. Um Jake Brennan and This is the 502 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: twenty seven Club Club is hosted and produced by me 503 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: Jake Brennan for Double Elvis in partnership with I Heart Radio. 504 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: Seth Lundie is the lead writer and co producer. This 505 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: episode was mixed by Joel Edinburgh. Additional music and score 506 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: elements by Ryan Spraaker and Henry Lunetta. This episode was 507 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: written by ted Oma, story and copy ending by Pata Healy. 508 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 1: Sources for this episode are available at double elvis dot 509 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: com on the Seven Club series page, talk to me 510 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: on social Act, Disgrace LAM pod, and hang out with 511 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: me live on a Twitch chat, and I'll disgrace Land Talks. 512 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,640 Speaker 1: For more news on your favorite podcast, follow at Double 513 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: Elvis on Instagram. Rock rolla, what's up for your is