On The Grateful Dead...

This is a pretty weird place to start but what the hell... I only started to listen to The Grateful Dead like 2 years ago. It all started when I was watching episode upon episode of Freak and Geeks. The last episode had a reference to American Beauty and the closing song was Ripple, which I'd heard a thousand times and never thought twice about it. But for some reason, it hit me how great it sounded. I mean in that deep breath, epiphany kind of way. So I got American Beauty and I understood. I understood the fascination. I've had some friends comment on how they listened to all the stuff in high school or talked about all the shows worth talking about long ago. I'm kinda glad I discovered them in my 30's. I can listen to the music for what it is, not as a stereotype hippie thing. I have since watched many live shows and listened to more. I know I like them best in the early 70's. I love Dark Star and Fire on the Mountain and tons more I can't ever remember the names of. Sugaree makes me smile all the time. Right now my hubby is sleeping on the couch watching GD in Europe in 1972 and the music fills my house and the vibe is so good....