Here’s a street musician playing Ripple (lyrics by Robert Hunter, about whom I can’t say enough; music by Jerry Garcia, about whom, well — you know.) There is on the web this sense that John Perry Barlow was the Grateful Dead lyricist, while in fact, well — in fact, if there was a lyricist for the Dead, it was Robert Hunter — and Barlow wrote some lyrics too, mostly songs for the kid. Just my opinion… but I think it was Owsley Stanley who said “you can’t fire your left hand for not writing as well as your right,” which moots the “who was the best lyricist?” issue.
Here’s the point: the video that follows is a sweet rendition of a good song and it provides a counter-point between the maturity of the musician with the callow nonsensical silliness of the videographer. The musician says so much with his eyes, and the videographer says so little with his mouth. At about 2:25, a pedestrian barges through… there’s a whole thing going on throughout the video about knowledge, awareness, powerlessness and acceptance. Hell. Just enjoy it:
so good
I’ve never once ever seen anything that made it seem like Barlow was *the* Dead’s lyricist. (I guess we haven’t been looking in the same places?!) If anything, it seems like Hunter’s the only lyricist because more of his songs became (sort of) widely popular in American culture.
You simply cannot discount Sailor, Saint, BT Wind, Mexicali, Miracle, Bucket, Throwing Stones, Stranger, Cassidy, Looks Like Rain, Let it Grow, Estimated and Music Never Stopped… plus others.
While Barlow’s catalog ain’t as big as Hunter’s, he was still, in the mind of many, nearly equally as important as Hunter.
Thanks!