Pete Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 The band is currently the best there is at what they do. They are also in the best shape they've ever been. On a deeper level, the music is as relevant now as it was in the past because the historical context that gave rise to the songs mirrors our own to a surprising degree. The Grateful Dead were a cornerstone of 60's counterculture and the overarching themes of the 60's resonate now more than ever. We're still fighting surrogate wars because we can't fight the real enemy. We can't trust the government that we elected because it insists on lying to us for our own good. Half the country still thinks that some Americans are more equal than other Americans, and the war on poverty has given rise to the war on universal healthcare. No one knows what Russia is going to do next and humanity itself could still be annihilated in the blink of an eye.Buried in this context is the fundamental nature of the music. It's American music in the purest sense, a strange combination of good old-fashioned folk songs and eclectic improvisation, tunes from the hills and hollows of Appalachia and blues from the Mississippi delta. It's rock and roll, bluegrass, country, jazz, ragtime, all thrown in the melting pot and served hot.Democracy, like Dead music, is inherently improvisational. There is no rule book and no safety net. The cold war was won by the idea that everyone working together can do a better job than a few men in a smoky back room. However, it only works when everyone plays their part. The band can't play to an empty room, and I can't stand back and listen without shaking my bones. As long as the music is playing I've got to dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP chuckvegas Posted April 9, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 I second that devotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alabama Getaway Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Third that!! Well said and written in a tone that lends itself to understanding of the context and not breeding argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Tom Banjo Posted April 9, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Very well put. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Teacher Matt Posted April 9, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cheers Pete .... very similar words/discussions I have shared with my AP U.S. History and/or AP U.S. Government students over the years ... usually after a question about one of the stickers on my car or the show we listen to in the background of class ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP gr8fulpair Posted April 9, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 The music is like an amusement park ride. It's pretty fun to watch it, a shitload more fun to get on it and raise your arms in the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Tea Posted April 9, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Dancing to this music ALWAYS gives much more than it takes. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Matt, That's great. It must be hard to inculcate responsible subversiveness in those AP students, especially as an authority figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Rude Posted April 10, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm dedicating my jubilee dancing to the troops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Supplicated Velvet Thunder Posted April 10, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 perfectly stated! i love dancing, but since dancing in the malibu living room to the boulder night 2 show my right toe is in A LOT OF PAIN and I don't know why and every night of tour by the end of second set it is hurting so bad that i sometimes want to cry but…. what? am I gonna sit down? am I gonna NOT DANCE?!?! um, I TRY to slow down, but I can't slow it down!!!! so I just push through it and know nothing lasts forever and it will work itself out and in the meantime, at least I am dancing. works every time. (walking to the car later is less fun lmao) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic Mike Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Dancing is grand, and good reasons to do so, Pete. So long as it doesn't lead to heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Plague_of_1518) I think there is no better way to enjoy one's time on Earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Rude Posted April 10, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 If u aren't exhausted during a DSO show u are either not dancing hard enough or one of those healthy types. Mike is obviously one of those healthy types. As I crashed and burned New Years, he was hopping around like he had springs on his feet. I miscalculated badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPollockDancer Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Haha rude. I fall over the cliff into exhausted often. I said to Sun one time in the middle of a 2nd set, "wtf dude, do you run marathons?" Sun replies, "Marathons? That's only 26.2 miles!" Might be time to hit the treadmill Cool post Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weather Command Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 I dance because I feel like I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 12, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 Don't park it on the dance floor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP PoetryGirl Posted April 12, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 To dance is to live and to live is to dance. Snoopy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP PoetryGirl Posted April 12, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 perfectly stated! i love dancing, but since dancing in the malibu living room to the boulder night 2 show my right toe is in A LOT OF PAIN and I don't know why and every night of tour by the end of second set it is hurting so bad that i sometimes want to cry but…. ) Could be liver toxins....try traditional medicinal liver detox tea. Arnica is a good anti inflammatory. And so is turmeric, especially with black pepper; so belly up to some good Indian food. ;o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian NJ Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Once there came to the court of the Prince of Birkasha a dancer and her musicians. And she was admitted to the court. And she danced to the music of the flute, the lute, and the zither. She danced the dance of flames and fire, and the dance of swords and spears; she danced the dance of stars and the dance of space, and then she danced the dance of flowers in the wind. When she had finished, she approached the prince and bowed her body before him. The price bade her to come nearer, and said unto her, "Beautiful woman, daughter of grace and delight, whence comes your art? And how is it that you command all the elements in your rhythms and your rhymes?" And the dancer came near and bowed her body again and said, "Gracious majesty, I know not the answer to your questionings. Only this I know: The philosopher soul dwells within his head, the poets soul dwells within his heart, the singers soul dwells about his throat, but the soul of the dancer abides in all her body. Gibran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP 2muchfun Posted April 29, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Because I have to...after all what if the "is what it's all about" Because I have to...after all what if the hokey pokey "is what it's all about" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 30, 2014 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Well I mostly just Flail around but it's enjoyable. Flail away the Dew.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP PoetryGirl Posted February 7, 2015 Forum MVP Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 http://annikamartins.com/if-youre-confused-by-spiritual-girls-who-like-to-get-down-low-on-the-dance-floor-read-this/ Cool blog on dance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted February 7, 2015 Forum MVP Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 dancing makes the music sound better, the magic come alive. Why dance? Because it hurts the back and knees to stand still. Because why contain that primal fire within? just one man's viewpoint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP cm_hayden Posted February 7, 2015 Forum MVP Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 So that I don't feel like an old fart next to the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Rude Posted February 7, 2015 Forum MVP Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 I find the lack of twerking disturbing at dso shows. I'm printing up t-shirts that say "bring your twerk". See u in the twerk zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Dead duck Posted February 7, 2015 Forum MVP Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 I think the problem is when I try to work it, I put my thang down, flip it, but keep forgetting to reverse it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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