You were 17 years old when you got to play with Jerry on stage. How intimidating was it?
At first when I was learning how to play with John, they would let me do a couple of songs at the end. John would let me sit in for him because he was teaching me. And then one day, we were driving to the Inn of the Beginning (Cotati about 30 minutes from San Rafael) and we’re halfway there and my dad goes:
“Tony, I have to tell you something, John’s not going to be there tonight.”
“Huh?”
“I said, ‘John’s not going to be there tonight, you’re going to play.’”
“What?”
“You’re going to play.”
“The whole gig?”
“You know all the songs right?”
“Yeah.”
“I know you can do it. You just stand by my left hand and what you don’t know, I’ll show you.”
There’s a real granulated picture of that gig and I’m this little guy. Steve Parrish interviewed me about it on Bob Weir’s TV show and told me that they were all nervous because they didn’t know how I was going to do, but then after the first set they all relaxed because I came through and it was incredible. They didn’t know that I would be that good. But I tell you what, I saw John Kahn so much, I just mimicked everything that he did. I could play just like him, I could stand just like him, I could put a cigarette in my mouth and let it dangle like him because I idolized him so much. I didn’t get the butterflies until we were halfway to the gig. And it still happens to me now, when I get on stage, I get a little nervous and then I play the first couple of notes and then I’m cool.
Some of that stuff from that show is on YouTube. When it says Merle and Jerry: “Cucumber Slumber,” that’s definitely me because John never played that song, and the same with “All Blues,” because I knew that song too. They were accommodating me on those tunes. When I stop to think about it, what can you say, “You’re 17 years old playing with the icons.”
Yes, I was scared to death but I didn’t have time to get it. It was like the greatest thing in the world. I thank God to be able to step up to the plate and play decent enough for them to have me around, because they did try out someone else to sub for John when he wasn’t around. They only tried him out once but after they heard me play, then they just used me as a sub.
I even got to play bass in the New Twilight Zone because Phil Lesh didn’t want to do it, so I got to be around John Cutler, Brent Mydland and Bob Weir and Jerry would be there once a week. It was an incredible experience. They were just like normal people to me. I didn’t realize the magnitude until later and I was like “WOW!”
How would you describe your dad’s relationship Jerry as you saw the bond between these two men from start of finish, including seeing your dad re-teach Jerry how to play guitar following his diabetic coma?
Jerry was one of the most incredible learners that I’ve ever met, and part of my determination comes from watching them two. Jerry was always determined to get better and he always wanted to get better. At first, Jerry started coming around when it was just Merl and Friends and then it turned into Merle and Jerry. Jerry would always wanted to learn more music. My dad would add more gigs besides Merl and Jerry. There was was a club we played at called the Sand Dunes and Jerry would show up with no roadies. He would have his amp and play with us and hang out.
I’ve never seen a man who wanted to learn music so much. I never saw it, not be a good relationship because Jerry was into learning music: bluegrass, rock, country, jazz. The guy studied music. He might make a mistake and he would figure out how to do certain things. He used my dad as a muse to get to the jazz stuff, and to watch him relearn after that coma that was amazing. The first day I remember, he couldn’t play it, and then in a couple of weeks, he started to get it back. They went through three or four different groups and played a lot of different music, but when Jerry wanted to learn some new stuff, he would always come to my dad.
What was it about your dad, personality wise, that he was able to re-teach Jerry how to play the guitar?
I think he had such a passion and love for Jerry that to see him in a compromised position that he just wanted to reach out and help. My dad really loved him genuinely. He gave 200 percent to Jerry Garcia. It wasn’t about the hang. It was all about the music and the furthering of music. It was such a pleasure to watch it on stage. If you remember, there weren’t many musicians, especially black musicians, playing with the white guys. I learned stories being around Paul Butterfield and Nick Gravenites, when they were only the white guys around the black guys in Chicago. This was a music heavy population that was basically white music that didn’t have many African Americans or whatever we are, playing with the white guys.
My dad was one of those guys that crossed over along with Chester Thompson. You could pick them out on one hand. I remember my dad when he was just a jazz guy, so for my dad to embrace that music and flourish in it, I was really proud of him because he really embraced it and his love for Jerry was great. When my dad was doing the Twilight Zone, Jerry really didn’t have time to do it, but he would come by once a week to do whatever my dad wanted him to do and that’s a great love for somebody.
One of the things that gave my dad joy, besides his kids, was playing with Jerry. He had an undying love for him and he would go to bat for him 24/7. And to see when Jerry drove up after he had the coma and to see them embrace and to see them go downstairs to my dad’s studio, I would go down and hang out with them. It was like, “Wow! It’s really great.” I know whenever Jerry called my dad, they would play. It’s documented that if Jerry had more time in a day, he would play with my dad.
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