Just a quick announcement: On October 3rd, the Stanford Continuing Education Center will be launching an 8-week online course. Did it matter? Does it still matter? The music and culture of the Grateful DeadDavid Gans ( Playing in the Band: A Verbal and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead), this course will feature Jesse Jarnow (host of The Good Ol’ Grateful Dead Cast), Dennis McNally ( A Long, Strange Journey: Inside the Grateful Dead) and David Lemieux (Grateful Dead archivist), the course is open to any adult, and the course description reads:
With their groundbreaking blend of music, counterculture, and community activism, the Grateful Dead forged an enduring legacy that spanned generations and shaped the evolution of music and cultural expression. Nearly 30 years have passed since the band played their last show, but the music of the Grateful Dead, both live and on recording, is more popular than ever. This course delves deep into the phenomenon that was the Grateful Dead through a fascinating exploration of the band’s history, music, and cultural impact.
This course features a series of stories and conversations with scholars and historians that provide factual and personal perspectives that illuminate all aspects of Grateful Dead culture. Take a guided musical tour that focuses on excerpts from live and studio performances, learn the uniqueness of Grateful Dead music-making, and explore the wide-ranging musical universe the band created over its 30-year history.
Finally, we will explore the Grateful Dead’s social impact, delving into the band’s influence on art, literature and social change, as well as their unique fan culture and the Deadhead phenomenon. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive appreciation of the roots, struggles and milestones that shaped the Grateful Dead’s trajectory, an understanding of their profound impact on music and culture, and insight into a legacy that still resonates deeply today.
Again, the course begins on Thursday, October 3. Tuition is $465. You can register here.
Stanford Continuing Education offers affordable online courses across a wide range of subjects. View the catalogue here.
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When the Grateful Dead played in the Egyptian pyramids, In the Shadow of the Sphinx (1978)
Grateful Dead movies: watch online for free
How the Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound,” a gigantic 600-speaker sound system, changed rock concerts and live music forever
