The road crew had a very simple solution to the problem of Billy running into the amplifiers potato salad-first.
Also: this is about what the Farewell Shoes are going to look like, right? Shirtless rhythm section?
Plus: Billy’s ‘burns.
Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To
Tag: Pigpen (Page 11 of 20)
I want you to look at the picture, Enthusiasts, and listen to the song Warren wrote.
Someone in your life needs to be told that they are loved: go find that fucker now, hunt him down in his sadness and isolation, tell him it’s all gonna be okay.
We all need to be lied to when we’re feeling down.
“Your ego done got as all-fired big as your guitar, Fancy-Pants!”
“What’d I do now, Pig?”
“You and them LA weasels making them high-price movies, shot all nice, tellin’ nice stories ’bout days gone by!”
“Pretty much.”
“Ya done forgot about the Pig! Wasn’t hide nor hair o’ the ol’ porker!”
“I mentioned you, man.”
“You pointed out my damn room, brother-man! On that house tour you took that fine lady o’ yours on!”
“Was that it?”
“All she wrote! You didn’t even tell no stories ’bout the goings-on in that room! Like the time I got up early in the morning.”
“Uh-huh?”
“Just before the day was dawning.”
“You and Garcia were always the early birds, yeah.”
“And I begin, you know: t’ feel a little lonesome.”
“Well, that’s weird, Pig: we lived in a very communal manner.”
“And do you know what I needed, Bobby?”
“Your sweet rider by your side?”
“To be mentioned in your damnable moving picture, you carpet-bagging nipple hair!”
“Ah.”
I don’t care if it’s a digital recreation of a photograph taken fifty years ago and four thousand miles away: I can smell him.
This is weapons-grade ugly right here, but Pig’ll always be beautiful to me.
You know: his spirit. Not his physical being, specifically the face area. Hair is also terrible, but the face is where the problem is centered.
His aura, though: like a well-groomed unicorn.
As commentor Correy342–proprietor of Lost Live Dead, the greatest Dead site ever–informs us, these 1965 shots are from the In Room in Belmont, CA, and as an actual nighttime performance would have been too dark, these shots were from the afternoon of the show, probably.
Of note: the sad “The Warlocks” sign taped to Billy’s drums, Bobby’s necklace that makes him the rightful heir to the throne of Wakanda, and Pig’s ugliness.
Pigpen looks like he lives in a bell tower and kidnaps sopranos.
I’m not even making an attempt at going left to right, and shall–just to be contrary–begin with the waif to the easternmost of the pic.
- That might be Yolandi from Die Antwoord. It’s the same haircut.
- And let’s just get the other non-Grateful Dead out of the way: that is most likely an astonishing looking woman and the light’s just hitting her weird.
- Because look how awesome Billy looks. The sneakers and the ‘stache help, but he just looks like a rock star in this shot.
- Which he objectively doesn’t.
- Plus, Bobby had real high standards, and she’s wearing a dress only a stone-cold fox would wear.
- Ipso facto: bad light.
- Everyone is this photo named Godchaux is upright solely because of pride and muscle memory.
- Eagle-eyed Enthusiasts will recognize that Pigpen’s sweater was apparently passed around between band members during the tour, with Phil donning it for the Bickershaw show.
- Also, Pig is no longer “mostly alive.” He is “partly dead.”
- Bobby’s going to pork Billy’s girl.
- Look at his face.
- Disregard the serial killer glasses.
- That’s Bobby’s sexy-face.
- He’s gonna tear those quilts and throw rugs off her and kaiser her right in the Wilhem.
- From ‘1976 to ’78, you could buy a Gremlin with seats upholstered just like Mrs. Donna Jean’s trousers.
- Did Pig bring that pool cue from California?
- Garcia’s just happy to be there.
Presented without comment.
Hey, Pig.
“Don’t you ‘hey, Pig’ me, you four-flusher! I’ll pistol-whip you with my switchblade!”
That’s called stabbing, Pig.
“Aw, you know the ol’ Pig ain’t gonna stick ya: just slice a lil bit.”
Don’t do that, please.
“If you insis’ on being such a fancy-lad, then: all right. No knives.”
Thanks, Pig. Nice bike.
“Part o’ the fleet! Got my hog here, got the Ford parked a few blocks away where none o’ these dopesuckers can find it and destroy it or give it away like the rest of them cars.”
Right, the Cortina scam. Rakow talked some guy into giving you guys 13 Ford Cortinas.
“Oh, yeah. No one knows what ol’ Ronny did to get them cars, but one afternoon: bang. Baker’s dozen o’ little British on the street outside the office and I picked the red one.”
How long did the auto pool last.
“I don’ think they made Christmas! Bank came and got some. Billy’s broke three times in the first two weeks, so he drove it into a swimming pool in the middle of the night. Keith and Mrs. Donna Jean crashed theirs into each other, even though this was 1968 and they weren’t in the band yet. Mickey straight-up lost his.”
So, how did you end up keeping yours?
“Because the Pig ain’t a dummy, that’s why! I drove that lil sedan for a week and she sounded good and felt good and drove good; dammit, I fell in love with that car. First new car I ever had, too.
“I didn’t spend too much time with Rakow, but I knew two things ’bout him: he was exactly who he seemed he was; and he wasn’t too good at paying bis, ‘specially little ones. Note was only for $42 a month, so I went down to the dealership and worked it out where I paid it ‘stead of him.
“But, damn: I still hid the thing when those tow trucks came around, and they sure did, boy. All them cars: whooosh. Gone. Still got mine.”
What about the bike? Nobody else in the band ever rode, did they?
“Ha! These boys? Nah. Hell, nah. Case you haven’t noticed: couple of ’em can barely walk. Bobby likes sittin’ on the thing while getting his picture taken. Phil’s scared of it.”
Huh?
“Don’ understand it much: he starts shrieking and then accuses me o’ being a ‘mechanical centaur.’ It’s weird.”
Yeah.
“I park around the corner and walk now.”
That’s thoughtful of you.
“Well, I do love these boys, in case you haven’t noticed. We spit fire, dammit.”
Sure do.
Hey, Garcia. Whatcha doing?
“Being fashionable.”
‘Fashionable’ is a highly transitory quality.
“Sure.”
Why’s Phil all the way back there?
“He forgot his pants.”
Phil forgot to wear pants to the show?
“Forgot to bring them on the tour.”
Out of character.
“A troubling oversight, yeah.”
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