A lot of people say that the Dead scene and the jam scene is going through a little bit of a renaissance right now, with both older and newer bands hitting their stride. From where you’re sitting, does it feel that way?
Wow, that’s a good question. I don’t see that from my perspective. From where I’m sitting, it looks more like stuff branching off. And maybe new stuff getting ready to happen. In terms of The Grateful Dead, I think it’s found a level that it works at. But I don’t think of it as a renaissance. I think it’s remarkable that it keeps going. You can’t compare the current scene to the ‘70s or something like that.
The writing and the playing and stuff like that, it’s happening for a different reason. I’m thrilled, personally, that people have the songs and catalog, but the actual energy and the time that created that music initially is gone. Something else is going to happen later on, I don’t think it’s happening now. I wouldn’t consider this a renaissance.
That being said, a lot of the comparisons people draw between the ‘60s/’70s and now have to do with political strife. There’s a lot of young people today feeling disillusioned, who are turning to this music. Are you glad that there is still this place for people to find that escapism?
Oh boy. I like the question. I like that attitude. The implication being that engaging in art is somehow a revolutionary act in itself. Maybe to some extent, that’s true. The audience is drawn or driven to those artistic acts, those works of art…I would have to say, in majority of cases, the artists that are worth anything would be making that art regardless. And if it happens to be in this time, and the time is fraught with difficulty, then that art is a product of a time of difficulty. But it’s because that fucking dude did it! Not because of the time. I think that people that are compelled to create whether their writing, or painting, or making movies, or making music… they can’t not express it. It doesn’t matter, they’ll express it anyway.
Are these the types of conversations you have when you’re hanging out with Jorma, or Jack, or Bob Weir?
No. [Laughs.]
What do you talk about? Music? Or your gear?
No, anything else: history, religion, food. No, I mean, me and all those guys get geeky on some level because I’m kind of geeky about it. I’m geeky about the production and the hardware. I think when we do talk about it, they might be doing it just to maybe make me feel okay about myself. They know I am interested, and they’re going to engage me. Throw me a bone, and talk about tubes for a minute.
You’ve been playing a bunch of Hot Tuna Electric with Jorma and Jack.
Yeah, I love those guys and love that music. Having done a bunch of Tuna Electric and acoustic over the couple years, boy, those guys do right by their audience! They really do, man. Their audience has high expectations for the Hot Tuna thing. They know how good it could be. They’re not interested in anybody phoning it in. They want their Hot fucking Tuna, and they want it now. They want the real thing. And those guys, they do it.
Despite all of these projects you have going on is there anything else on your list of things you want to accomplish in the next five, ten, however many years?
That question comes up. Like, ?What would you like to do next?” And the answer has been the same for the last twenty years which is to get the hell out of America!
There’s like a huge, huge, huge world out there with all this great music in it. To the extent that I am able to travel in it…I play in Japan, and that’s nice. I play a little bit in Europe, and that’s nice. But I’ve never been to South America. I’ve never been to Africa. Never been to India. There’s a Steve Kimock fan club in Kazakhstan! Why can’t I go?
Well at least you’re moving back to the east coast.
That’s right! The local gigs will be New York City and Philadelphia instead of San Francisco. I’m very much looking forward to it. It may not necessarily be a renaissance for everybody else, this next decade, but it will be for me.
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