The mystery deepens, Enthusiasts: we have this article from the 1/6/98 edition of the New York Times which suggests that Terrapin Station, a never-built multimedia venue dedicated to the Grateful Dead, was more than just fantasy. (I mean, it never actually existed, so it technically does still count as a fantasy, but there were plans made and budgets drawn and locations scouted.)
In fact, there was this graf:
Deadheads seem to be behind the project and have already contributed $1.5 million. Unlike most rock corporate ventures, the Grateful Dead has a very elaborate business partnership in which the musicians are heavily involved. Each original member owns an equal share in Grateful Dead Productions and has an equal vote in approving merchandise and business decisions.
Please don’t let this be a grift, please don’t let this be a grift.
Nearly a year after the announcement of plans to build a $40 million multimedia-shrine to the defunct, San Francisco-based psychedelic-rock group, a location is still not secured and a tentative ground-breaking date is not yet penciled in.
As it now stands, the project — which was originally expected to be completed by the end of December 1999 — might not even get underway before the new millennium, according to Gary Lambert, editor of the Grateful Dead Almanac, the band’s official newsletter. – MTV News, 10/6/98
Dammit.
Now I’m officially curious, and I need someone who knows what they’re talking about to fill in the end of this story. Someone bother Gary about this; he’s probably at a show.
“defunct”? thought they were semi-defunct at worst.
Haven’t I been telling you about how crooked the crooked media, who is very crooked, is?
Every time I hear the word “defunct,” all I can think of is Ken Kesey ranting in the middle of Dark Star in Oakland at the 1991 Halloween show right after Uncle Bobo died.
Buffalo Bill ’s
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blue-eyed boy
Mister Death
We need Woodward and Bernstein to follow the money.
A Rodgers & Hammerstein creation would be interesting.
Maybe Wally saw they were going to abscond with his vocal cluster and put the kibosh on it with a quickness.
“Nearly a year after the announcement of plans to build a $40 million multimedia-shrine to the defunct, San Francisco-based psychedelic-rock group, a location is still not secured and a tentative ground-breaking date is not yet penciled in.”
If you don’t hear this in Kurt Loaders voice you are either to young or too old.
In the 1960s-70s, there was this idea called “Deadpatch.” Same concept, also conceived as being in Marin, but in that version the Dead would live there and just play
It can be Googled if you try
I think the $1.5 mil from heads was revenue from the 3-15-90 “terrapin station” release?
http://www.musicbox-online.com/gd-ter.html#axzz4NssIUI3s