Fare Thee Well: The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip - Hardcover

Selvin, Joel; Turley, Pamela

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306903059 ISBN 13: 9780306903052

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2018

Synopsis

A tell-all biography of the epic in-fighting of the Grateful Dead in the years following band leader Jerry Garcia's death in 1995

The Grateful Dead rose to greatness under the inspired leadership of guitarist Jerry Garcia, but the band very nearly died along with him. When Garcia passed away suddenly in August of 1995, the remaining band members experienced full crises of confidence and identity. So long defined by Garcia's vision for the group, the surviving "Core Four," as they came to be called, were reduced to conflicting agendas, strained relationships, and catastrophic business decisions that would leave the iconic band in shambles. Wrestling with how best to define their living legacy, the band made many attempts at restructuring, but it would take twenty years before relationships were mended enough for the Grateful Dead as fans remembered them to once again take the stage.

Acclaimed music journalist and New York Timesbestselling author Joel Selvin was there for much of the turmoil following Garcia's death, and he'll offer a behind-the-scenes account of the ebbs and flows that occurred during the ensuing two decades. Plenty of books have been written about the rise of the Grateful Dead, but this final chapter of the band's history has never before been explored in detail. Culminating in the landmark tour bearing the same name, Fare Thee Wellcharts the arduous journey from Garcia's passing all the way up to the uneasy agreement between the Core Four that led to the series of shows celebrating the band's fiftieth anniversary and finally allowing for a proper, and joyous, sendoff of the group revered by so many.

About this title

Review

"Well-written...[Selvin] has covered the Dead nearly since their inception and did extensive research and interviewing for this book."--Library Journal

"[Fare Thee Well] engages readers intrigued by the Dead's mystique. For Deadheads, sure, but also rock fans who may wonder where the road led after Jerry died."--Kirkus

"Fare Thee Well is a masterful summation of the agonies, trials, and tribulations that beset the Grateful Dead after Jerry Garcia passed away. It made me sigh with sorrow AND give thanks (virtually simultaneously) for such a gifted group of musicians. This book will appeal to every Deadhead on the planet. I loved it."--Sam Cutler, author of You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, and Other Wonderful Reprobates

"Fare Thee Well tells the tale of how the Deadheads rescued the Grateful Dead from themselves. Bereft of their heart leader after Jerry Garcia died in 1995, the love of Deadheads kept the music alive so that the phenomena is not merely enduring but growing--long, strange, and still a trip."--Dennis McNally, author of A Long, Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead

"I felt like the child of a divorce, but this book showed me I never needed to worry, not when I was under the power of something as great as the Grateful Dead."--Steve Parish, author of Home Before Daylight: My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead

"An unblinking and balanced look at the infighting, backbiting, rancor and resentments among the surviving 'core four' band members."--Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal

"An enthusiastic but clear-eyed and enjoyably gossipy piece of modern rock history."--Publishers Weekly


"This phenomenon after its leader dies and how and what it became is a great and inspiring story."--Marty Balin, founder of Jefferson Airplane

"A deep--and deeply reported--dive into the highs and lows of the Grateful Dead world post-1995, Fare Thee Well is the in-depth postscript we need on life after Garcia. As the surviving members navigate their jarring new world, you'll be shocked, surprised, and unexpectedly moved."--David Browne, author of So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead

"As always, Joel Selvin boldly goes where others fear to tread. Fare Thee Well is essential reading for all those who have followed the saga of the good old Grateful Dead to this point in time."--Robert Greenfield, author of Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia and Bear: The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III

Book Description

A tell-all biography of the epic in-fighting of the Grateful Dead in the years following band leader Jerry Garcia's death in 1995

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0306903059
• ISBN 13: 9780306903052
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256