Growing Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deadhead
- ISBN-10
- 0786752157
- ISBN-13
- 9780786752157
- Category
- Music
- Pages
- 288
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2009-03-31
- Publisher
- Da Capo Press
- Author
- Peter Conners
Description
Told against the backdrop of the American landscape of the late '80s to the mid-'90s, Growing Up Dead is the story of Peter Conners's journey from straight-laced suburban kid to touring Deadhead. Peter discovered the Grateful Dead in 1985, at the age of 15, through friends who exchanged bootleg tapes of live Grateful Dead concerts. A teenager living in the suburbs of Rochester, New York, he became exposed to an entirely new way of life, and friends who were enjoying more freedom and less parental guidance. At the age of 16, he attended his first Grateful Dead concert on June 30, 1987 - he was hooked. Between 1987 and 1995, Conners would attend Dead 'shows' all over the United States. He traveled with a makeshift 'family' of other Deadheads in a Volkswagen camper, selling drugs and whatever else would provide gas money to the next concert. His hair was a wild, unkempt bush and baths were infrequent. In short, he had progressed from suburban kid, to Grateful Dead fan, to full-blown Deadhead. Chronicling this progression, which culminates with the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia, Conners reveals the truth behind Deadhead culture and history. The result is a riveting insight into the obsessive fandom that made The Grateful Dead the most successful touring band of all time, as well as a cultural phenomenon.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2009-03-31
- 290 pages
- Paperback
- Da Capo Press
Similar books
-
Growing Up Dead in Texas
By Stephen Graham JonesReturning to his small Texas hometown, a writer delves into and investigation of a an unsolved-arson in the form of a cotton fire 25 years earlier that split the community and turned family members against each other. Original.
-
Driving with Dead People
By Monica HollowayAt nine years old, Monica Holloway develops a fascination with the local funeral home.
-
The Dead Beside Us:: A Memoir of Growing up in Derry
By Tony DohertyAll rights held.
-
JAMerica: The History of the Jam Band and Festival Scene
By Peter ConnersDraws on interviews with some of the most recognizable names in the jam band scene to trace the genre's origins and evolution, offering insight into key musical influences, songwriting styles, and tour experiences.
-
Tiger in a Trance: A Novel
By Max LudingtonMax Ludington has created a stunningly self-assured American road novel that captures the drug induced euphoria and paranoia of a Grateful Dead concert, while simultaneously probing the self-destructive tendencies of its head-strong ...
-
I'm Glad My Mom Died
By Jennette McCurdyJennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy.
-
Searching for Dad: Nine Side-Effects of Growing Up Fatherless and How to Overcome Them
By Byron RicksOne man shares his story of growing up fatherless, the lessons it taught him, and how sons and parents can combat its side effects. Searching for Dad steps inside the mind, heart, and soul of a boy without a father.
-
St. Marks Is Dead: The Many Lives of America's Hippest Street: The Many Lives of America’s Hippest Street
By Ada CalhounThis idiosyncratic work offers a bold new perspective on gentrification, urban nostalgia, and the evolution of a community.
-
I'm Not Dead... Yet!
YES, the Cleveland Clinic Provides Many with Miracles but that is not the story. What a great read, and what an important story for YOU, too.
-
Grateful Dead Family Album
By Jerilyn Lee BrandeliusTake a trip down memory lane from the band's humble beginnings to international stardom through this collection of memorabilia, photos and writings on the 30th anniversary of the original publication.