‘Misfit Power’ and the Historic ‘Other.’
For you are a holy people unto the Lord your God, and you did God choose to be unto God a treasured people among all the people upon the face of the earth.
-Deuteronomy, 14:2
Crippled but free, I was blind all the time I was learning to see. – Robert Hunter, “Franklin’s Tower”
“Misfit Power” is what Bob Weir has called “the particular appeal that the Dead have for those on the fringes of what the straight world defines as the mainstream” (Shenk & Silberman, 1994, p. 195). I came to this same conclusion after many years of attending Grateful Dead concerts and took som e pride in acknowledging myself as one of those misfits attracted to the band. Like so many “freaks” in a traveling circus, everyone is accepted for who and what they are in the Deadhead family of humanity.
This same quality is found among Jews. In spite or perhaps because of the biblically decreed “choseness,” sociologist Michael Kimmel notes that “h istorically, the Jew is an outsider…the symbolic ‘other.’ Wherever the Jew has gone, he or she has been outside…excluded” (Brod, 1988, p. 154). Just as with Deadheads, this is an element of what draws Jews to one-another, and in this ‘other-ness’ is the power of togetherness. Wherever Deadh eads or Jews find ourselves misfits and outsiders, both cultures coalesce and extend unconditional acceptance to our own kind. Study of Lyrics and Set Lists like Torah and Texts
Moses summoned all the Israelites and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, the laws and rules that I proclaim to you this day! Study them and observe th em faithfully.
-Deuteronomy, 5:1
If you get confused, listen to the music play. – Robert Hunter, “Help on the Way”
In Deuteronomy, the concluding book of the Torah (The Five Books of Moses, the Hebrew Bible), Moses decrees what is one of Judaism’s cornerstones: the importance of studying the law which God gave to the Jewish people. This task is undertaken with devotion, at times both solemn and lively, in t he formal setting of a yeshiva (seminary or school) or wherever else Jews (traditionally men) may gather. Interpretive texts including the Talmud, M idrash Rabah, and Zohar, are also the focus of intense and extensive examination, reflection, and discussion. There are few acts of greater value or importance than this type of study.
In much the same way, and often with similar zeal and devotion, Deadheads take what may seem to some like a fanatical interest in the textual and co ntextual output of the Grateful Dead. The vast collection of lyrics by Robert Hunter in particular are studied for meaning, discussed in person and in cyberspace by devoted fans who, like students of Torah, seek a deeper understanding in order to enrich and provide direction to their lives. The literary tradition of Judaism is analogous to being well-schooled in the lyrics and lore of the Dead, and among devoted Deadheads I have even witness ed the competition and jealousy of the yeshiva buchers (school boys/Talmud scholars), each with their contests to prove a mastery of their respective subject.
While Jews look to sacred texts and an oral tradition, Deadheads also have several sources for study. In addition to commercial and bootleg recordi ngs of the band, an extensive literature about the group has emerged. (For a comprehensive listing of such sources see The Grateful Dead and the Dea dheads: An Annotated Bibliography, Dodd and Weiner, 1997). Perhaps the most important and valuable single source of study is DeadBase (Scott, Dolg ushkin, and Nixon, 1995) described as:
the most complete and accurate listing of Grateful Dead concerts and songlists known…[M]uch more than a master list of dates and songs[,] it is a c omplex database-management system capable of performing such functions as identifying all shows where a given song, or group of songs was played, or analyzing the patterns of songs played over the years. (p. v)
This attention to the seeming minutiae of Dead-related matters parallels the practice of Talmud scholars who debate, for instance, the reason for th e placement of a letter, number, phrase or a particular reference in a given text. The use of gematria, numerology that derives numerical values fro m words and phrases, thus lending greater mystical significance to texts, has been practiced by Jews for centuries. And for over three decades now, serious followers of the Grateful Dead have sought revelation and guidance from their cryptic lyrics and the order of songs selected at a particular performance.
In deference to the sanctity of these ancient religious texts, I must acknowledge the vast difference between the sacred dialogue of Jewish scholars and the practice of serious and devoted music fans. Still, as a Jew who more often engages in musical matters rather than those sacred, I feel a cl ear and deep connection between my chosen passion for learning about the Grateful Dead and the devotion of my forefathers in their study of more divi ne matters. I will even go so far as to suggest that the wisdom we find in the words of these twentieth-century teachers and psalmists may be a smil ing example of what is meant by “the seventy faces of Torah.” Shows as Shabbos
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
-Fourth Commandment
The Grateful Dead experience gives you something we all need, time out…There’s something that happens there, and when it’s over, you go back to the world and your TVs, and you punch the clock and it’s no longer ‘time out.’ – Bill Graham (Shenk & Silberman, 1994, p. 116, 118)
While most traditions include a day of rest and cessation of labor, Jews take very seriously the commandment to refrain each week from their work fo r a sacred time devoted to family and Torah study. In effect, the holiest day in Jewsih life is not the annual celebration of Yom Kippur but the wee kly keeping of the Sabbath. Great preparation precedes the Friday night ritual where candles are lit and blessed along with challah (specially braid ed egg bread) and sweet wine. For a people whose history is marked by oppression, this symbolic time of peace proves both sacred and practical for J ews everywhere.
That same special feeling accompanied the anticipation, preparation, and experience of a Grateful Dead concert. Like Shabbos (Yiddish for Sabbath), a show was a time for “being” rather than “doing,” for what Bill Graham called a true “time out” to celebrate in what for many was a truly sacred sp ace. The ritual began, in much the same way that Jews invite Shabbos dinner guests, with the assemblage of friends and family with whom to share the concert experience. In place of lighting candles, there was the ritual and recreational use of incense and other combustibles. Sacred wine was sup plemented by a range of beverages, and in place of challah Deadheads ate ‘kind veggie burritos’ and tofu stir fry. The customs and accoutrements var y, but the spirit remained the same.
In our increasingly complex world, the need for ‘down time’ becomes a physical and psychic necessity. Jews have a mandate to keep the Sabbath, yet not all will choose to make the time to do so. By contrast, devoted Deadheads went out of their way to see shows and enjoy the benefits whenever and wherever possible. Jewish Deadheads, with one exception, seized a familiar, Shabbos-like opportuninity every time the Grateful Dead played. The ex ception to this confluence of two worlds are those Orthodox Jews who are Shomer Shabbos (observers of Sabbath) and whose beliefs and practice led the m to the dictum “no shows on Shabbos” – although listening to tapes of concerts held on Fridays is permitted (Shenk & Silberman, 1994, p. 205-206). Haight -Ashbury as a Shtetl and Jerusalem
If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…For those who come to San Francisco, summertime will be a Love-In there . – Scott McKenzie, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”
Here in our little village of Anatevka, you might say everyone of us is a ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune withou t breaking his neck…And how do we keep our balance?…Traditions! – Tevye the Dairyman (based on the character from Old Country Tales, Sholom Aleichem, 1966)
Left my home in Norfolk, Virginia, California on my mind. Straddled that Greyhound, it rode me past Raleigh, and on across Carolina…Tell the folks back home this is the Promised land callin’ and the poor boy’s on the line. – Chuck Berry, “Promised Land” (frequently covered by the Grateful Dead)
The San Francisco neighborhood named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets was the birthplace of the counterculture, a place where the “shared enjoyment of art, music, psychedelics, and the spirituality and sensuality of daily life” was celebrated during the middle and late 1960s (Sh enk & Silberman, 1994, p. 130-131). The Haight was also the original homeland of the Grateful Dead. Although never a stylish address, this working- class neighborhood attracted its first post-Beat/pre-Hippie residents to run-down, low-rent Victorian houses well-suited to communal living. The are a became a counterculture ghetto serving the same role in its community as the shtetl of eastern Europe did for its Jewish communities. Like Tevye’s “Anatevka” in the acclaimed play and film Fiddler on the Roof, in those modest towns “certain Jewish traditions were preserved and embellished until they achieved a character distinctly their own…Jews produced their own peoples culture, an independent style of life and thought, an original gall ery of human types…there yiddishkeit (Jewish culture) entered a golden age” (Rosten, 1986, p. 373-374). And just as the shtetl Jews were eventuall y dispersed around the globe, members of the Grateful Dead left the Haight after its golden age, leading an exodus to new homes in Marin County, and other havens north of the City and beyond.
In its heyday, and even to this day, Haight-Ashbury has been something of a “promised land” for followers of the Grateful Dead. As such, it also ha s the function of Jerusalem, the capital and largest city in Israel, and a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Beginning in 1967 duri ng the media-dubbed “Summer of Love,” thousands flocked to the Haight for the music, drugs, freedom, and community it promised. The same year saw th e “Six-Day War” in which Jews won back significant portions of their holy city. To this day, much as Jews are drawn to the Holy Land and Jerusalem, carloads of Deadheads make a pilgrimage to San Francisco, stopping for a photo-opportunity beneath the street signs at the corner of Haight and Ashbu ry. (In a telling sign of our times, the infamous corner is now home to a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream store.)
Additional Similarities
This teaching is not remote or mysterious. It is not…across the sea…It is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can fulfill it. – Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right. – Robert Hunter, “Scarlet Begonias”
Along with the above-mentioned similarities, countless connections may be drawn between Jews and Deadheads to further illuminate the appeal of the G rateful Dead for its Jewish fans. For instance, some members of each community comprise its most committed and single-minded followers. Among Jews, the Ultra-Orthodox adhere to the letter of every law and live mostly apart from more liberal Jews and the greater community. There is often tension between the two worlds as is being witnessed currently in Israel where the Ultra-Orthodox refuse to recognize religious conversions performed by rab bis from less fundamentalist branches of Judaism. To those on the right, other types of Jews are not even considered Jewish. A parallel exists with “Deep Deadheads” who are so involved and committed to the music, culture, beliefs, and lifestyle associated with the Grateful Dead that they will no t tolerate, and will often alienate music fans (including Deadheads) of lesser zeal. In both cases I have seen a backlash occur resulting in the rej ection of Judaism or the Dead after contact with Ultra-Orthodox or Deep Deadheads.
Similarly, both communities have held up their leaders in a form of hero worship which resembles deification. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, kno wn to the world simply as “the Rebbe,” was head of the Lubavitcher Hasidic movement of Judaism for forty-four years. Regarded by his followers and o thers as a sage and a visionary of the highest order, the Rebbe died in June, 1994, leaving a movement in sadness and chaos. This sounds to me a lot like the way Deadheads exalt Jerry Garcia, leader of the Grateful Dead for nearly thirty years. Known to fans the world over simply as “Jerry,” the guitarist, singer, and songwriter inspired devotion that, like the Rebbe, has continued and grown since his death in August, 1995. The sorrow over Garcia’s death was evident in an outpouring of grief noted particularly among Jewish fans who have been known to mark Jerry’s death with the traditio nal yahrzeit, the annual observance of the death of a loved-one. (Arnold, 1996, p. 24; Bleiweiss, 1995-96, p. 9).
Furthermore, several Jewish traditions have their counterpart in Deadhead customs. Take for instance the practice of giving tzedakah (charity) in w hich Jews fulfill an obligation to establish justice through righteous and compassionate gifts to others. From an early age I recall being encourage d to give to those less fortunate, a practice I attempt to continue through action and gifts as an adult. The Grateful Dead have aligned with this s ame spirit in their own Rex Foundation, a “growing circle of donors” with a range of interests including environmental, political and cultural concer ns. Philanthropies started by band members include Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum Foundation, the Unbroken Chain Foundation created by Phil Lesh and frie nds, and the recent FOREST AID Benefit Tour featuring Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, and Mickey Hart.
A tradition which mandates that Jews work for tikkun olam, to mend, repair, and transform the planet, has led to Jewish environmentalism and spiritu al healing efforts around the world. The Dead have also taken up the cause of ecology, playing several benefit concerts for the Rainforest Action Ne twork and Cultural Survival. Significant profits from the CD release Deadicated, a collection of fifteen different Grateful Dead tunes performed by different artists, went to these two organizations. Band members have also been involved in tikkun olam through their recent efforts to save the Hea dwaters Redwood Forest in California.
The ancient image of the “wandering Jew” has a modern counterpart in the “Tourheads” who followed the Grateful Dead around the country and the world . Like a people cast to the winds, or moreso like Talmud students who followed their teachers from town to town in turn-of-the-century Russia, devot ion drew followers of each to journey far in their search for enlightenment (Druckerman, 1994, p. 23).
When I reflect on these matters it becomes clear that a certain mystical connection exists between Jews and the Grateful Dead. Jewish mysticism kno wn as kabbalah was rarely taught or practised by modern Jews. My earliest questions about it were met with curt replies and instruction to leave suc h matters to others. Until a recent resurgence of interest, kabbalah was something of a secret tradition, which like other deep and joyous aspects, were not always evident or accessible to most Jews. No wonder then that we sought joy and revelation in the Grateful Dead, unaware how close that ex perience really was to our own religious and cultural tradition.
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