Photo: Bill Kelly

The Grateful Dead’s late ‘60s keyboardist, Tom “TC” Constanten, who helped coat the group’s music in a hypnotic layer of psychedelia on albums like Anthem of the Sun, Aoxomoxoa, and Live/Dead, and add instrumental verve to their concerts by leading a cosmic charge across the sharps and flats, has clarified some points relates to the GoFundMe campaign launched in his honor and the financial expectation of his bandmates. 

Constanten’s message elucidates the broader truth behind his finances and state-of-need, while pushing expectations away from his former collaborators and the fan-generated narrative. In a message posted on his official Facebook page, Constanten wrote: 

To clarify.

This wasn’t my idea, but if a friend wants to be helpful, you don’t turn him away.

I know of other options, but, truth to tell, I’m doing better now than I have in years, even though my bout with the taxman took all my savings, and the dream of home ownership is long gone. So I haven’t applied to any of them.

Beyond that, I have a notoriously poor record from the times I did apply. For instance, I was denied unemployment compensation during the pandemic, because none of my work was in-state.

The future looks dicey, though, for several reasons.

I’ve seen remarks presuming on the generosity of my former bandmates. I indulge in no such presumptions. It’s the easiest thing in the world to decide how other people should spend their money. I instead celebrate their success (like, is that their fault?) and don’t expect anything from them.

That includes sharing the stage with them. For one thing, things have changed since 1969. I feel much more comfortable playing with the people I’ve been playing with. Besides, they likely have their reasons for not giving me a call, ranging from not thinking of it at all to not liking my playing. Whatever the reason, it’s their call, and I respect that.

Judgments from the balcony are easy to make. It doesn’t help that they’re often right! I saw this in the first baseball game I ever went to. The Giants were hosting the Braves. Sheldon Jones started for New York, and Boston had gone up a couple of runs. So the Giants brought in Al Gettel to pitch. The crowd reaction was not a welcoming one. Sure enough, he let in a couple more runs. Now, Durocher might have had his reasons for bringing him in, but you can’t argue with reality. Yankee fans might remember Ed Whitson. It got so they’d only bring him in when the Yankees were the visiting team. The home town reaction was too severe.

My point is that the view onstage is often way different from the view from above, and even at that, it’s incomplete. Personnel moves in rock bands – we’re only now finding about ones from fifty years ago! There are stories that’ll likely never be told.

My attitude remains 100% gratitude.

And it’s growing.

At the time of publication, Constanten’s GoFundMe campaign has garnered 641 total donations that have amounted to over $32,000 and represent 94% of the total goal of $35,000. To learn more and donate, please follow this link.

Read our 2023 conversation, Tom Constanten: Dark Stars, Dead Bolts and Dose Hermanos.