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145th out of 411 books
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305 voters
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A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead
The complete history of one of the most long-lived and legendary bands in rock history, written by its official historian and publicist–a must-have chronicle for all Dead Heads, and for students of rock and the 1960s’ counterculture.
From 1965 to 1995, the Grateful Dead flourished as one of the most beloved, unusual, and accomplished musical entities to ever grace American ...more
From 1965 to 1995, the Grateful Dead flourished as one of the most beloved, unusual, and accomplished musical entities to ever grace American ...more
Paperback, 704 pages
Published
December 18th 2007
by Broadway
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I am a casual Dead fan but recently have been drawn in while learning to play and sing some of their songs: Ripple, China Doll, Bertha, Box of Rain, Uncle John's Band. My curiosity was further piqued by the Dead-centric "Psychedelic Posters" exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.
To learn more about the band and its legacy I picked up this book on Goodreads' recommendation.
I was dismayed to learn that the author served as the Dead's publicist during the mid-late Jer...more
To learn more about the band and its legacy I picked up this book on Goodreads' recommendation.
I was dismayed to learn that the author served as the Dead's publicist during the mid-late Jer...more
Whatever brownie points McNally acquired with Garcia with his excellent book on Kerouac, he squandered in this book when he inserted himself into it as a major figure (aka, "Scribe") rather than focusing solely on the history of the band (this, after all, was to be their long awaited "official biography"). While he indeed did so, there was not an awful lot said that I hadn't previously heard through other sources. It is infinitely distracting and irritating for the author of...more
McNally has all the scholarly chops of a true historian -- as he should since he earned a PhD in History at UMass Amherst before started following the band in 1978. At that point, DESOLATE ANGEL, his dissertation-turned standard bio of Kerouac had just been published. Although he spent the next 30 years with band -- half of that with Garcia -- and has more stories than he will ever have time to time tell, this book maintains its academic rigor throughout . . . so much so that you may find it ted...more
I picked this 600-odd page up off my friend's bookshelf, and not being a Deadhead, still told myself I'd read up into the point where the Dead became famous, and then I'd stop. (I like reading cultural/subcultural histories, and I was more interested in learning the band's backstory than reading about their days as a cultural phenomenon.) I got farther than that, to around page 250, and then I just had to put it down. Basically all 600 pages might have well have read, "the Grateful Dead shi...more
Some people see the bus and get on. Others see the bus, but don't get on, and then there are those that don't even see the bus.
It was nice to get more of the background on the Dead, the members, their operations, and more. The book included plenty of the bad that was part of their story.
The book mentioned a couple of the shows I had been to, and several "old stomping grounds" when I used to live in the Bay Area. A fun flashback to memory lane.
I als...more
It was nice to get more of the background on the Dead, the members, their operations, and more. The book included plenty of the bad that was part of their story.
The book mentioned a couple of the shows I had been to, and several "old stomping grounds" when I used to live in the Bay Area. A fun flashback to memory lane.
I als...more
it was alright but the author put stuff very slow and i couldn't really connect with it so i stopped reading it i only got about one forth way through it. the reason i didn't really like the book is the author would take things way to slow then come up with something random i just couldn't comprehend. i am sure if i wasn't rushed to finish it like we are here i would be able to finish the book with a full understanding of it.i now know that the book i pick has to be at least under 300 pages for ...more
Widely considered to be the ultimate compendium for Grateful Dead history, Dennis McNally’s A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead is an extremely dense book. It has taken me a long time to finish it, but it was extremely well-written and contained a lot of information that I did not know prior to picking it up.
The book follows the Grateful Dead from their 1965 gig at Magoo’s Pizza in Menlo Park, CA to Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. McNally was the official band ...more
The book follows the Grateful Dead from their 1965 gig at Magoo’s Pizza in Menlo Park, CA to Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. McNally was the official band ...more
Michael Lawrence
rated it
Recommends it for:
Deadheads, Psychedelic Folks, Jesus
Recommended to Michael by:
A grate friend.
Shelves:
music
Instead of writing a review I will just cut and paste something I had written about my experience with the Grateful Dead. It's sums up the reason I bought this book in the first place.
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After my first Grateful Dead show at the Philadelp...more
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After my first Grateful Dead show at the Philadelp...more
A fine account of the Dead by an insider. It's full of detail, perhaps more so than a casual fan will want. Yet Heads may well find little new here. I read a bunch of Dead non-fiction about 8 years ago and this one stands out over some of the others (like Scully's), but the best is still Blair Jackson's biography of Jerry.
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David
added it
An amazing, blow-by-blow account of the life and times of the Grateful Dead. McNally takes a "fly on the wall" approach, giving you an intimate view of the group with very little, if any, editorializing. A fitting counterpoint to Rock Scully's chatty account of his time with the group. Highly recommended.
The grand story as only an insider could tell it. Everything you could ever possibly want to know about the greatest band to ever set foot on this earth.
I'm proud to classed as a Deadhead! This is ace book. I'll get down to writing a proper review when I get back from my long, strange trip!
Ed
added it
The Dead's and Haight's history without layers of legends and anecdotes.
i read this after i finished cfa level 1 in 2009. it was a good antidote.
Bias aside, this book is and excellent history of the world's most un-rock rock band. Well-written, fact-paced, and full of humor, this book could easily appeal to non-fans interested in rock history, and the immense effort involved in producing/managing headstrong musicians. Unlike other authors of Dead biographies, McNally doesn't make you feel like he's saying "man" every 15 seconds and snapping his finger while delicately balancing a filthy bong on his knee. It's a historical accou...more
excellent
I mostly read this as research for work, so it's not my topic of choice, but the book does a good job of throwing in all the dates and details and stories a fan would want to know: it's the major authority on the band's history. It really sheds some light on the strange emotional passivity and carelessness inside the band at the heart of this lovey-dovey fan phenomenon. Jerry Garcia comes off as a criminally (and ultimately fatally) passive slob in his personal life.
Pvl
marked it as to-read
I heard the author interviewed on a local radio station. He was drawn into the Grateful Dead circle during his time researching and writing the Kerouac book that I also have on my to-read shelf.
From the authors comments, it sounds as though the book will go into the long proud history that links Thoreau with the Beat Generation poets and finally the counter-culture and the Grateful Dead. I'm really looking forward to this read.
From the authors comments, it sounds as though the book will go into the long proud history that links Thoreau with the Beat Generation poets and finally the counter-culture and the Grateful Dead. I'm really looking forward to this read.
I'm not a fan of the Grateful Dead, but I still enjoyed this book.
An enjoyable trip. I definitely learned a lot about The Grateful Dead. McNally was The Dead's publicist so he was right in the thick of things for decades. Unfortunately it often seemed as though he was trying to cram in the names of everyone The Grateful Dead ever came into contact with-- in one sentence he mentioned seven people! Still, a fun read about a band I knew little about.
This was fun. I think Phil's book was a little better. But I appreciated the behind-the-scenes passages in this one. A little wordy.
Confession: I've been a Deadhead since the mid-'80s and I adore their music and everything they stood for. But even if you're not a Deadhead, this book is an amazing read. The author was "family", so he writes with authority and passion about this cultural phenomenon that will never be duplicated. I could hardly put this book down, even though I knew the story very well before I read it!
I gotta say this book wasn't so good. It was a smidge biased and also glossed over a lot of the .... pain in the ass of being the dead. it glosses over things like drug use and infidelity with a soft lens that frankly left me feeling like someone didn't want me to end up hating them. in the end.... i just ended up not liking the book. I'll def. read another Dead book someday, though.
The random snatches I've read of this Grateful Dead bio are pretty awesome. The pictures alone are quite entertaining, especially Jerry in pigtails.
Pretty good book about the band and the music. Leaves out the debauchery and drugs, although gives Jerry's demise an honest exmaination. A good read about the band for us deadheads who don't care to be out on the fringes with acid and Leary.
A respectful history of the band but way too many pages were devoted to the early years. The best part of the book are the "Interlude" chapters. Those chapters make the book worth getting.
Way too long/ exhaustive. Think it sensationalized things. And, I still don't get the obsession w/ the Dead. I guess you either get it or you don't... man.
Great history of the Dead. Focuses much more on the music than any of the "other" stories. For the real fun stories, read Steve Parrish's book.
It wasn't so much that it was a bad book, it's just that nothing can do justice to the experience of being at a Dead show. RIP, Jerry.
A must read for any Grateful Dead fan. This book tells a lot of stories that you won't hear about on VH1's Behind the Music.
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