John Brackett

Dick Picks Dick’s Picks, Volume One (1992-1993) In November 1993, Dick Latvala, a longtime member of the Grateful Dead’s business organization, appeared on an episode of the Grateful Dead Hour to discuss the first volume of Dick's Picks, the latest...

New year - new reads!!!

No Final Curtain: Bob Weir, “Touch of Grey,” and the Evolving Legacy of the Grateful Dead. A Guest Post by John Brackett. Photo by Chloe Weir On August 3, 2025, the musical group Dead & Company performed the song “Touch of Grey” as the encore to their final concert celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the Grate…

Consider heading over to @dukepress.bsky.social blog to check out my post remembering Bob Weir.

I’m glad you had a chance to catch Joe W. play. I’ve had a couple of lessons with him including some improv. Such an inventive, tasteful player and an even better dude.

The “Grateful Dead 20th Anniversary Video” and the Early History of So Far (1984-1986) The history of the long form video So Far offers a unique glimpse into the creative and corporate mindset of the Grateful Dead and the Grateful Dead organization in the middle of the 1980s.

Arriving just in time for the So Far watch party tomorrow night! m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4S9...

The Roots of Relix For over fifty years, Relix magazine has played an influential role in promoting and documenting an eclectic roster of musical improvisers and live performers spanning an array of traditions and styl...

Some more historical Dead tidbits! DIG IT!!!https://open.substack.com/pub/gratefuldocuments/p/the-roots-of-relix?r=3cnrij&utm_medium=ios

The Grateful Dead and Warner Bros. in the 1970s (Part 2): “Make Your Duck a Grateful Duck!” (1970)

Part 2! Electric Boogaloo! open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

“High Magic”/“Magic High”: Financing and Conceiving The Grateful Dead Movie (The documents described below are included among the Steve Brown Papers.

It’s Monday. You definitely need some “high magic.” open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

“With Rainbow Colors Blended” Revisiting the Recorded Form of Anthem of the Sun

More Dead for your head!! And eyes! And ears!! open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

"Hauling items for the mob": "Independent promotion companies," payola, and "Touch of Grey" (1987) This is a document that I examine in my forthcoming book, Touch of Grey, or, How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars (forthcoming spring 2026 from Duke University Press).

deep new @livedeadbook.bsky.social project examining documents from the grateful dead archive. he's got a new scholarly book out in spring about "touch of grey" (!!). "live dead" was ace, too, a close read of the dead's live recordings. gratefuldocuments.substack.com/p/hauling-it... #deadfreaksunite

Thanks for the kind words, Jesse. And I’m loving the deep dive into Blues for Allah on the podcast!! Here’s an early draft of the album credits. The annotations in ink were written by Steve Brown; the pencil annotations are by Weir (he often used a tiny circle to dot his “i”’s).

The Grateful Dead and Warner Bros. in the 1970s (Part 1): When the Dead Got Burned by Lenny Hart (1969-1970)

More historical Dead goodies!!! open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

"Hauling items for the mob": "Independent promotion companies," payola, and "Touch of Grey" (1987) This is a document that I examine in my forthcoming book, Touch of Grey, or, How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars (forthcoming spring 2026 from Duke University Press).

For historical tidbits on the Dead… open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

A Time of "Reckoning" I wanted to kick things off by revisiting a document that I examine in Live Dead (pages 89-93).

open.substack.com/pub/grateful...

Illustration for the "Future Knowledge" podcast. A surreal, retro-futuristic landscape blends past and future elements: a bust of a Roman figure, stacks of books, file cabinets, satellites, DNA strands, skyscrapers, and futuristic buildings. A cartoon mouse steers a ship’s wheel connected to a giant computer mouse. An old desktop computer displays the Authors Alliance logo, and an open file drawer shows a yellow folder labeled Internet Archive. At the bottom, bold text reads: “FUTURE KNOWLEDGE.”

In this week's new episode of the Future Knowledge podcast, author JOHN BRACKETT joins musician DAVID GANS to discuss Brackett's book LIVE DEAD & how live recordings shaped the sound, story, & legacy of the Grateful Dead.

Listen & subscribe ⤵️
futureknowledge.transistor.fm

Thank you! I had a blast!

Image for booktalk featuring book cover, headshots of John Brackett and David Gans. Text reads: Live Dead. May 22nd. 10am PT / 1pm ET. ONLINE. Join us for a book talk with JOHN BRACKETT, author of LIVE DEAD, exploring how live recordings-from fan tapes to official releases-have shaped the history, mythology & enduring legacy of the Grateful Dead. Musician DAVID GANS will lead our conversation.

📚 TOMORROW! Join the LIVE DEAD #booktalk. Musicologist JOHN BRACKETT & musician DAVID GANS explore how tapes, bootlegs & fan recordings shaped the #GratefulDead.

📅 May 22
🕚 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET
📍 ONLINE
🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/1289972294...

#livemusic #InternetArchive #AuthorsAlliance

Stop on by @archive.org tomorrow to hear me chat with @dgans.bsky.social (1ET/10PT). Should be Head-y!! @dukepress.bsky.social

Can’t wait!!

And if you want to learn why these non-commercial, shared live recordings of the Dead have been key to the band’s enduring legacy, register for our May book talk for “Live Dead” by John Brackett.

🎟️ blog.archive.org/event/book-t...