Told against the backdrop of the American landscape of the late '80s to the mid-'90s, Growing Up Dead is the story of Peter Conners's journey from straight-laced suburban kid to touring Deadhead. Peter discovered the Grateful Dead in 1985, at the age of 15, through friends who exchanged bootleg tapes of live Grateful Dead concerts. A teenager living in the suburbs of Rochester, New York, he became exposed to an entirely new way of life, and friends who were enjoying more freedom and less parental guidance. At the age of 16, he attended his first Grateful Dead concert on June 30, 1987 - he was hooked. Between 1987 and 1995, Conners would attend Dead 'shows' all over the United States. He traveled with a makeshift 'family' of other Deadheads in a Volkswagen camper, selling drugs and whatever else would provide gas money to the next concert. His hair was a wild, unkempt bush and baths were infrequent. In short, he had progressed from suburban kid, to Grateful Dead fan, to full-blown Deadhead. Chronicling this progression, which culminates with the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia, Conners reveals the truth behind Deadhead culture and history. The result is a riveting insight into the obsessive fandom that made The Grateful Dead the most successful touring band of all time, as well as a cultural phenomenon.
I heard about this book on the Sirius/XM show "Tales of the Golden Road" when Peter was a guest. I decided to give it a shot although Gary Lambert (unfairly) ripped the title, specifically the "tales of a...". I knew I would like the story having an affinity for the Dead. I wasn't old enough to catch the Dead but their music, while in high school, lead me to other national touring acts that embodied similar experiences. The stories were excellent mixing personal experiences with well researched cultural and historical nuggets dispersed throughout. What was a pleasant surprise was how much I enjoyed Peter's writing style and the strange organization of the book. I highly highly recommend everyone read this book if you have even a casual interest in live music and the live music experience.
writes,
I'm 37 and wasn't a dead head, though I was always really curious to know what that life was like. Now thanks to brilliant Peter Conners I understant more about a culture than I never imagined.
writes,
I bought and read this book because I know and am related to the author, not because I knew about or was curious about the Dead or Deadheads. Before very long, though, I was thoroughly enjoying it, and motored through it. I could not put it down! By the end, I felt like I REALLY knew the author, and had insights into a Deadhead culture that I had at best warily avoided in the past. The book was a wonderful journey through the life of Peter Conners, and I felt like I was living a side of his life I had never seen, right along with him. His writing pulled me in and took me along for the trip. I would recommend it both for those who want to learn more about the subject matter, and for those who just want to read something "different" and wonderful.
