 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Paul Grushkin, Dead Letters
10/09/2011 7:30 pm
Working together with UCSC’s Special Collections library and archives, Bookshop Santa Cruz is excited to welcome Paul Grushkin here to discuss his new title, Dead Letters: The Very Best Grateful Dead Fan Mail.
Whether or not you've heard every song in their catalog, spent countless hours learning the chords to "Casey Jones," or were one of millions lucky enough to have seen them live, odds are the Grateful Dead are not complete strangers to your world. At the core of the Grateful Dead experience was the world's most devoted fan base: Dead Heads. Addicted, in the best possible definition of the word, to the music and the experience, Dead Heads went to extraordinary, often inspiring, lengths to get their hands on concert tickets by mailing the band and its staff. After all, the only way to get tickets for the Dead was to go directly to the source. Most often, this took the form of letters (and envelopes) with personalized Dead artwork the likes of which the U.S. Postal Service had ever seen. These envelopes are inspirational and hugely insightful, not to mention brilliantly illustrated and unique within the world of rock. Now, for the first time in print, these unique pieces of art have found a home. From author, rock historian, and the Dead Head of all Dead Heads, Paul Grushkin, has collected more than 300 of these mind-blowing envelope masterpieces, and presented them in 14 thematic chapters. Fully authorized by the Grateful Dead, Dead Letters also includes, for further historical context, many rare historical photos and memorabilia, all creating a trip, as it were, down memory lane.
