dcoleman@vlnvax.DEC (09/16/85)
Here's something I read in the Worcester Evening Gazette last week:
HE'S GONE
A teen-ager found guilty of drug possession has been
barred from Grateful Dead concerts for five years by a judge
in Houston who says most people who attend the rock group's
shows are on drugs. Judge Woody Densen yesterday placed Sean
Foley, 17, McLean, Va. on five years probation and fined him
$500 after the youth pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled
substance. Police say Foley became violent at a Grateful Dead
concert after taking LSD. Densen also banned Foley from Grateful
Dead concerts for the duration of his probation to keep him away
from people who encourage drug use.
As for the recent 20th anniversary press, and the prevalent opinion
that "everybody at a Grateful Dead concert is on drugs", I, too, am
sick and tired of the standard Dead interview, where they focus on the
"atmosphere reminiscent of the 60's" and the "abundance of drugs", as if the
music had nothing to do with it. The worst I've seen was the "West 57th"
feature, when, the interviewer said something like, "Well, isn't everybody
in the audience stoned anyways?" During the interview, the music was barely
mentioned, the interviewer seemed intent on dwelling solely on the drugular
aspect of the shows. I didn't catch his name, but it must have ended with
Marsh.
- Dave Coleman
"If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will"