Searching for the Sound

I believe that many readers of this book who are looking for the inside scoop on the Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll of the Grateful Dead are going to be disappointed. All of those elements and more are addressed but there is none of the rabid sensationalism that has been a feature of some of the stories about this band.To be fair, I approached this memoir with less than my normal objectivity, I have been a fan for too long to take a dispassionate look. In fact I opened up the cover with a heady mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement at reading Phil's own words as a consumate insider and trepidation that it may be one of those ghastly ghosted tomes which would not serve the memory of the band well. Having just completed the book I can honestly say that I found it very easy to read, there are sufficient errors in it which tends to suggest it was mainly of Phil's doing, and it leaves the reader with a much different sense of events than they may have gleaned from others of this ilk other than from Dennis McNally's authoritative account. I would continue to press Robert Hunter, the band's resident poet in a more familiar guise as a lyricist, to produce his own story but I live in the eternal hope that he will heed my call.This book is a delight for many reasons. Firstly I appreciate that the author does not duck the issues of the sex and drugs but acknowledges instead what we all know and that is that they are an integral part of the popular music scene and very few people who work in that area are non-participants. There is a caveat to my support and that is that there is not enough information out there about why musicians and others who work in the field resort to chemicals to begin with. Secondly, Phil Lesh does not drown the reader in too much material. His focus is on his life with the band and rather than deal with the minutae of events he takes a broader view accentuated with personal stories of experiences undergone or shared. This approach assists with establishing an understanding of how routine much of life on the road is even if you are part of an extended family network which provides considerable support as well as a no holds barred realism. Thirdly Lesh addresses with some candour some of the personal issues of the individual band members, not in much detail, but which nonetheless is somewhat refreshing in acknowledgement that there are real feelings of love and brotherhood in tandem with more ephemeral social interactions. Fourthly, and for me one of the more crucial aspects of this book is the dawning realisation that the guys in the band have different motives and influences and behaviours than those which we as fans attribute to them. As Phil describes the growing gulf between the band members themselves during the eternal touring and their need to establish their own personal routines and spaces, he is also describing the chasm between the expectations of the musicians themselves, the road crew, those who crave audience with the band or somebody with the band and the more general audience. Those stresses and strains on the band are clearly enormous and it is a testament to Phil Lesh and his family that he clearly delineates a private space from the public in order to put his family first while the demands upon him as a band member become collossal. Fifthly and finally, for me this book is somewhat of a labour of love. here is a man who has experienced in a few short years more than most people will ever experience in a lifetime or two. He has some stories to tell and more besides but there is an overarching recognition that what has been and is the most important part of his life is the relationships he has established with certain people - his adopted family that is the Grateful Dead, his parents (his recollection of the passing of his father is one of the most poignant sections of the book, and his own family.I really like this book for several reasons. I am a fan of the Grateful Dead and am eager to hear a different side of the same story (it's the same story the girl told me it's the only one I know). I am very interested in Phil Lesh's influences and his musical interests. Indeed many people do not know how instrumental Lesh has been in bringing little know British composers to wider audiences. Sorry about the pun but Lesh's typical modesty speaks volumes about Lesh the man. Searching for the Sound raises more questions about the Lesh the musician and who he listens to than answers. I like the insight into the main characters in a continually unfolding drama which does not sink into a pit of bad mouthing and name calling. Added to which is the author's implicit acknowledgement thta he has his own axe to grind but he has the intellectual honesty to admit it. It is also a great story about how a few ordinary guys could get together, literally do their own thing and end up as the biggest grossing touring bad in the world. What a long, strange trip indeed.This might not be the best written book in the world but it is a fine story worth telling and worth reading again and again. As Lesh recalls Bill Graham's fondness for introducing the band as being not just the best at what they do but the only ones who do what they do. Absolutely. I commend this book to everyone.

As a long-time GD fan, I had to read Phil's account of the "Long Strange Trip. Informative but not as interesting as Bill Kreutzmann book. Good read though.

Phil's writing is crisp and this book maintains really good momentum. It is night and day with Bill Kreutzmann's (mostly ghost-written) bio which, by comparison, feels like it was penned by a 5th grader with little memory, insight or, indeed, joy in life. Phil almost goes out of his way to reveal himself as the intellectual of the band, peppering his bio with big words and references to high art (opera, classical music) and academia (music theory, philosophers). While it did take him nearly half the book to get out of the 60s, the book does not suffer from the problem many rock biogs encounter: getting bogged down in boring childhood details and life before the band (often losing momentum by the time they get to the interesting stuff). Which isn't to say Phil wasn't an interesting kid. He was, but he covers everything succinctly, almost dancing through the relevant highlights at an effervescent pace. There's a real personality to his writing--again, almost the polar opposite of Kreutzmann's dull tone.While it is a little lighter on the sex & drugs aspect than some other Dead books out there (Rock Scully's "Living With The Dead" is a good one for that), Phil does provide unique, first-hand insight into the Dead’s creative processes through the years, from writing and recording to playing live. Which is precisely the kind of insight you want into one of the more enigmatic bands of our time.

If you plan to read only one book about the Dead, choose McNally's for its exhaustive research and attention to detail. If you plan to read most of them -- and let's face it, if you got this far, you might -- Phil's is one to pick earlier rather than later.The book is most similar to Rock Scully's in its emphasis. The early tours get a lot of weight, perhaps since they were memorable for guys who mostly never traveled out of California before. The midway point of the book is at 1970. Nothing seems to stand out in his mind from the 20 years of touring from 1975-retirement except the trips to exotic places (Europe, Stonehenge, Egypt), events with his wife and kids, and maybe playing Madison Square Garden. Well, maybe you remember events in high school and college better than 20 years of punching the clock too, right? It's interesting to see it from the band's perspective.The basic narrative--Palo Alto / Chateau, Neal Cassady, the Acid Tests, living with Bear in Watts (my favorite), the Haight, first tours... recording the canonical albums at Heider's, the Europe 72 tour, getting ripped off by Lenny Hart, getting ripped off by Ron Rakow... late 70s / 80's malaise, late-80's redemption -- is pretty familiar by now, covered in books published from '82 (Blair Jackson's first) to 02. You almost need a revisionist history to earn the right to publish another book. Phil adds lots of new vignettes to all of these episodes, but basically plows ahead like nobody else had published first.What makes the book worthwhile is that you get to spend a lot of time with Phil Lesh being his best self -- idealistic, earnest, thoughtful, considerate of his "brothers in music" -- but still ironic, rueful, arrogant as he ever seemed in interview or on tape. It is reassuring to learn that he really believed in the whole enterprise in the same way, and maybe as much, as any of the deadheads did.One note about the Kindle edition -- cited photographs are not to be found.

A really fantastic book about the dead. It'll reveal some nuggets even the biggest dead fans will find interesting. Really great to read a report directly from a founding band member too (I couldn't get through a third of McNallys tome).

Great book from mr Lesh.Good to hear his take on the Grateful Dead story.Well written and not too many tales of sex n drugs etc,which i like to hear but,ah well..A must have for fans of the Dead.

Quick delivery, well written book

oki

Faschinating!