Beards of a feather

>> Grateful Dawg is a fitting tribute to Jerry Garcia

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

In an opening moment in the rockumentary Grateful Dawg, a solitary video camera captures the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia trying to schedule his recording with longtime musical cohort and friend, the mandolin player David Grisman. Shot mere months before his untimely death in ’95, Garcia tries to free up time to dedicate to their musical collaboration. Having just rediscovered his love for the acoustic guitar and playing music for fun, Garcia tells an off-camera Grisman, “I really need this, this is good for me.” Grisman, it seems, provides Garcia shelter from the pressures of being the patriarch of the Deadheads, while also offering true musical inspiration.

With some file photos that director Gillian Grisman (David’s daughter) has patched together, the film shows the time that has passed since the two first met in ’64 at a Bill Munroe show. After touching on Garcia and Grisman’s ’70s bluegrass band, footage also shows Garcia and Grisman reuniting in the late ’80s, using traditional folk and bluegrass as a stepping stone to twist and turn the music until the output is timeless and without labels.

It’s the sense of home-movie intimacy that really makes this film work. Garcia is painted as the old dawg learning new tricks, with Grisman taking up residence in the driver’s seat and Garcia just happy to be along for the ride.

An especially stunning moment in Grisman’s footage shows a rare glimpse into the writing process and recording behind their epic “Arabia.” Grisman the perfectionist and Garcia the improviser chip away at the song over 20 takes until the finished product is served up in all of its amazing 15-minutes.

It’s great to see Garcia stepping into a different role. But what’s most amazing is the stuff between the songs: the cherubic Garcia chaining smokes, enjoying a meal with the Grismans, churning out his familiar giggling, playing with the kids. Indeed, it’s the unique warmth Garcia shows for the Grisman family that probably serves as Garcia’s most telling and moving memorial. :

Grateful Dawg opens Friday, March 1