Jerry Garcia Art Interview 1994

The day after seeing The Grateful Dead perform at the Omni in Atlanta on March 30th, 1994, I received a call from the assignment desk at WXIA-TV, where I worked as a producer. Would I like to interview Jerry Garcia? As a deadhead since my first show in 1981, I was ready in about two minutes!

When we arrived at the art gallery showing Jerry's work, Dennis McNally escorted us in and laid down the ground rules: five minutes, and only questions about his artwork.

I was starstruck and young and inexperienced as a journalist. I stuck to the rules. I was disappointed when a veteran newspaper reporter followed me, and dug right into the music, the history, and all the stuff that made The Grateful Dead great. Jerry seemed to appreciate it!

So, it might have been a missed opportunity professionally, but it was a huge thrill as a fan!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jerry
• garcia
• grateful
• dead
• atlanta
• interview
• fay
• gold
• gallery
• art

[TOMMYGRINNS]

Yea man....we all wish you would have live to 95 or 103....

[YIPonwater]

Despite his condition at the time he was still so lively and optimistic about life, such a beautiful and inspirational man.

[jerzeytpke]

I loved Jerry. He was so down to earth he TRULY didnt play music and sing for money he did it for the LOVE of music. Add to that what a great poet he was and his wonderful tie line. As I know many men who bought those ties. He never let celebrity get to his head he lived as humbly as most of us do. God Rest his soul.

[snackwells]

So hard to watch Jerry here, you know he's beggin for a fix right then.

RIP Jerry

[PuffSmelly]

dude its scary my dad looks like jerry garcia and has done all the drugs jerry has i hope that doesnt happen to my dad

[FanLedZeppelin]

He looks 82 not 52 :( R.I.P Jerry

[BnibroC69]

@rosen1231 Thanks. Can't believe I never noticed it before...

[rosen1231]

@BnibroC69 At the age of four, Garcia experienced the amputation of two-thirds of his right middle finger. While vacationing in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Garcia was given the chore of steadying wood while his elder brother chopped, when he inadvertently put his finger in the way of the falling axe. Garcia's father drove him, after his mother wrapped his hand in a towel, over thirty miles away to the nearest hospital

[frozenorange343]

@TerrariumFusilage1 "in fact having studied art, he isn't," Who do you think you are? Wow, i've studied art too. Maybe i should go around passing judgement on people's work too. You know? His guitar playing was pretty different from most people's and he had a pretty weird technique. Are you claiming he's not a good guitar player either?