WILKINS@SRI-AI.ARPA (07/29/85)
From: Wilkins <WILKINS@SRI-AI.ARPA> In response to D.S. Lerner (I won't append "Lerner," on the front of every nth sentence): You seem so sure that you are the wave of the future and I am living in the past, that discussing it is probably futile. I'll be on the lookout for the tidal wave that will "mow me down". (Will it hurt?) With all due respect, you might be living more in the past than me. I did not say that electronic reproduction could never be a substitute for live performances. Despite living in the past, I actually enjoy listened to digital CD's of great music (e.g, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler) on my state-of-the-art stereo more than I enjoy going to any but the very best live symphonic performances. All I am saying is that you guys in the middle of the crowd in Dead shows with battery powered equipment are not going to make the kind of reproductions that future generations will be impressed with. (And therefore do not have the right to prevent the most magical part of Dead shows from happening.) If I could buy Telarc-quality CDs of my favorite Dead shows I'd be first in line. I too am glad they made the movie. (FYI, I saw well over 25 shows with the monster sound system.) But that movie required having a guy with a camera standing inches from Garcia while he played. (I was at all 5 shows.) Sorry, but you ain't gonna do that from the balcony. And even so, one guy on stage with a camera is much less disruptive than a couple hundred doing it independently in the audience. Even if you could make audience movies as good as the Grateful Dead Movie I would still not be in favor of everyone and his brother making a movie out of every show. One is enough. The fact that Dan Healy has already done it makes it even more necessary for hundreds of others to do it also. Of course, I also think good mass transit (as in some European cities) is a better idea than each person driving his own car to work every day. Let's have one guy make a movie, one guy make a CD, let them make some money selling them to us, and the rest of us can just go and enjoy the music and each other's company, and not hassle with all the bullshit of electronic gear. It wouldn't be that hard to do. It could be done now -- just order a state-of-the-art recording for a fair price from Grateful Dead Productions of any show you want. I failed to follow the logic of why you think there will be more space when people bring video equipment. There is ALREADY a problem with the number of people who bring audio equipment, even the Dead have noticed it. Now you claim that when we add more people with video equipment (even if they do not also bring audio equipment) the audio and video people together will take up less space. Huh? You are sure that after a great show I first ask for a tape. You're wrong. If I thought about tapes at all, I would think "I'm sure glad i was at this show because the people that only get to listen to it on tape (and the people who spent the show dealing with their tape decks) will never know what it was like". I have got tapes of my favorite shows and in general on relistening I'm always disappointed and wonder why I thought it was so great. I haven't seen the video of the Winterland Dark Star, but listening to good tapes of it never comes close to what it was like being there. (And anyway, I often close my eyes at shows to better concentrate on the music.) You think your kids will enjoy seeing what Dark Star used to be like. I humbly submit that an alternative, and equally likely, possible future is they will listen to your cassettes (which will have faded considerably after 30 years) after being used to hearing digital CDs of most music, and they will think that old Pops must have fried his brain on drugs if he thinks that muddy sounding stuff is great! Who's living in the past? I don't mean to sound beligerant, but you seemed so convinced I was totally out of it that I was hoping to show you that people with my views are also reasonable, if a bit eccentric and peculiar. If you want to talk the Dead into hiring Telarc to record every concert and make the results publicly available, you will have my wholehearted support. your voice from the past, David -------