The whole duty of a conductor is comprised in his ability to indicate the right tempo.
Jerry Garcia was a great American master and the Grateful Dead are not just a genuine piece of musical history, but also an important part of American history.
Music has always been my protection against the world, from a very young age. I feel safe inside of a jam.
We want to have a spontaneous adventure. You can't plan an adventure, or it ceases to be one.
Ideally the point of music is community, not the player. Musicians are simply channels to link the audience to the music and to each other.
There are no Jerry Garcias coming down the pike, anymore than there is a Jimi Hendrix or Bob Marley. They are all at the same level - the highest level that you strive to get to as a musician. Me and my friends - we'll all be long dead, people will still be trying to dig into what Jerry Garcia did.
It's like you're surfing. . . The same wave that can be a source of pain can be a beautiful flowing grace and source of power. It's all a matter of how you respond to it.
But the relationship of morality and power is a very subtle one. Because ultimately power without morality is no longer power.
Prejudices of any kind are the destroyers of human happiness & welfare.
The last thing I wanted to do was to be a wartime President.
A man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress.