GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Grateful Dead

“The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast,” the official Grateful Dead podcast, is a series devoted to exploring the music and mythology behind one of the most enduring, progressive, and influential bands in the history of recorded music. The podcast’s tagline is “For The Committed And The Curious,” as episodes will invite new fans to explore the band’s enormous mythology in digestible chunks and enlighten life-long Dead Heads about corners of the band’s history they never knew existed. No topic will be off limits on “The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast” as hosts Rich Mahan and Jesse Jarnow explore the band’s outrageous history, innovations, and impact from 1965 to today.

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133 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes133

Newest first

Thursday · 1 hr 36 min
Summer Magic 1985: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 6/27
The Deadcast points to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York, set inside the lush green of a state park & home to some of the wildest Grateful Dead shows of the mid-1980s, with a look at the 1985 parking lot scene. Guests: David Lemieux, David Leopold, Johnny Dwork, DNA, Ken Schneider, Andy Perrine, David Moran, Corry Arnold, Nicholas Meriwether, Annabelle Walsh, Donick Carry See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 16 · 1 hr 37 min
Summer Magic 1985: Greek Theatre, 6/14-6/16
Set the controls for the heart of 1985 and the Dead’s 20th anniversary shows at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, with a look at the band’s very busy year, plus Dead Head adventures aplenty. Guests: Dennis McNally, Len Dell’Amico, Rosie McGee, John Leopold, Dave Leopold, Johnny Dwork, David Lemieux, Nicholas Meriwether, Dave Perlis See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 2 · 1 hr 32 min
Independence Ball, 7/3/66
We explore the very high times of the Grateful Dead’s 1966, touring Rancho Olompali with Rosie McGee, swan-diving into Owsley’s magical banana box of mystery reels, and celebrating the feral young Dead heard on the new July 3rd, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium release. Guests: Rosie McGee, Ron Rakow, Bob Matthews, David Freiberg, David Lemieux, Hawk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
June 25 · 1 hr 40 min
Steal Your Face 50, Part 3
The Deadcast explores Steal Your Face’s iconic artwork & visits the Grateful Dead’s June 1976 return to the road, including a tour of the Dead Head culture that bloomed in their absence. Guests: Richard Loren, John Scher, Ron Rakow, Eugene Dolgoff, Pat Lee, Johnny Dwork, Dave Davis, Rob Bleetstein, John Brackett, Starfinder Stanley, David Lemieux See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
June 11 · 1 hr 27 min
Steal Your Face 50, Part 2
The Deadcast tells the dramatic story of when the Hells Angels put ex-Grateful Dead Records president Ron Rakow on trial for walking away from the Dead with $225,000 he believed the band owed him. Guests: Ron Rakow, Steve Brown, Terry Haggerty, John Scher, David Lemeiux See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 28 · 1 hr 9 min
Steal Your Face 50, Part 1
The Deadcast uncovers the secrets of Steal Your Face, the Dead’s 1976 live album with a checkered reputation, dramatic backstory, & sonic experimentation by Phil Lesh & Owsley Stanley. Guests: Ron Rakow, Al Teller, John Scher, Ned Lagin, David Lemeiux See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 14 · 1 hr 44 min
Bobby Weir, Part 2
The Deadcast concludes its extended 2-part tribute to Bobby Weir, ranging into the evolution of his songwriting, stage persona, guitar playing, and unexpected career beyond the Grateful Dead. Guests: Bobby Weir, David Lemieux, Jeff Chimenti, Scott Metzger, Don Was, Gary Lambert, Tim Stevens, Tony Italiano, William Keats, Bretty Pauley See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
April 30 · 1 hr 15 min
Bobby Weir, Part 1
The Grateful Deadcast returns for its 13th season, beginning with a 2-part tribute to the great Bobby Weir, mixing interviews with archival audio to tell the story of how a teenage Atherton folkie found his singular jazz-informed musical voice (dropping a few water balloons en route). Guests: Bobby Weir, David Lemieux, David Nelson, Gary Lambert, Rhoney Stanley, Graeme Boone See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 20, 2025 · 3 hr 1 min
Blues For Allah 50: Blues For Allah
The Deadcast’s overstuffed season finale unpacks Blues For Allah’s oft-misunderstood title track, the unlikely story of its album art, & the remarkable coalition that manifested the Dead’s September 1975 Golden Gate Park show, officially the New Age Bio-Centennial Unity Fair. Guests: David Lemieux, Ron Rakow, Al Teller, Ned Lagin, Steve Brown, Bill McCarthy, Larry Weissman, Gary Lambert, Ed Perlstein, Joan Miller, Geoff Gould, Dan Hanklein, Raymond Foye, Nicholas Meriwether, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins, Keith Eaton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 6, 2025 · 2 hr 19 min
Blues For Allah 50: Sage and Spirit
The Deadcast explores Bobby Weir’s guitar étude, “Sage and Spirit,” speaking with one of the song’s namesakes, Sage Scully, before taking an extended trip to legendary Dead show at the Great American Music Hall in August 1975, where the song received its only full live performance. Guests: David Lemieux, Donna Jean Godchaux MacKay, Sage Scully, Ron Rakow, Al Teller, Steve Brown, Roger Lewis, Lee Brenkman, Steve Schuster, Gary Lambert, Deb Trist, Ed Perlstein, Danno Henklein, Joan Miller, Steve Silberman, Michael Parrish, Keith Eaton, Shaugn O’Donnell, Benny Lander See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 23, 2025 · 1 hr 50 min
Blues For Allah 50: Crazy Fingers
We explore how the dreamy delicacy of Crazy Fingers came about at a time of great tumult in Grateful Dead history, with visits from new record company boss Al Teller of United Artists and Seastones composer Ned Lagin, plus a stop at Winterland for the Bob Fried Memorial Boogie. Guests: David Lemieux, Al Teller, Ron Rakow, Ned Lagin, Gary Lambert, Michael Parrish, Danno Henklein, Ed Perlstein, Geoff Gould, Jay Kerley, Blair Jackson, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins, Christopher Coffman, Nicholas Meriwether See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 9, 2025 · 1 hr 45 min
Blues For Allah 50: The Music Never Stopped
Bobby Weir & John Perry Barlow’s classic “The Music Never Stopped” came into being when the music was briefly in danger of stopping, the song transforming from live jam to final form as the Dead struggled to solve the financial difficulties that came with a retirement from the road. Guests: David Lemieux, Ron Rakow, Steven Schuster, Steve Silberman, Sean Howe, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins, Christopher Coffman, Graeme Boone, Eric Lindquist, Benny Lander See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 25, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
Blues For Allah 50: King Solomon’s Marbles/Stronger Than Dirt or Milkin’ The Turkey
The Deadcast unpacks the two-part extra-heady “King Solomon’s Marbles”/’Stronger Than Dirt or Milkin’ the Turkey,” using the instrumental to get into the Dead’s 1975 dalliances with holography, as well as Phil Lesh’s other unfinished pieces from Blues For Allah. Guests: David Lemieux, Ned Lagin, Ron Rakow, Eugene Dolgoff, Michael Parrish, Ed Perlstein, Keith Eaton, Nicholas G. Meriwether, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 11, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
Blues For Allah 50: Franklin’s Tower
The Deadcast examines how Franklin’s Tower bucked every trend on Blues For Allah to become one of the Dead’s all-time classics, including a tape of its studio creation, a look into the multi-tracks, & a rare line-by-line breakdown by lyricist Robert Hunter himself. Guests: David Lemieux, Geoff Gould, Jürgen Fauth, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins, Will Backstrom, Max Ritchie, Hannah Grabbenstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 28, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
Blues For Allah 50: Slipknot!
The Deadcast uses Blues For Allah’s complicated instrumental Slipknot! to explore the musical and creative ambiguity the Grateful Dead pursued in early 1975, when there both was and wasn’t a Grateful Dead, & their public reemergence at Bill Graham’s S.N.A.C.K. benefit that March. Guests: David Lemieux, Ned Lagin, Ron Rakow, Steve Brown, Gary Lambert, Joan Miller, Jay Kerley, Chadwick Jenkins, Shaugn O’Donnell, Melvin Backstrom See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 14, 2025 · 1 hr 30 min
Blues For Allah 50: Help On the Way
The Grateful Deadcast points itself towards 1975 to begin a song-by-song celebration of Blues For Allah’s 50th anniversary, loaded with raw session tapes, early lyric drafts, & the story of how the Dead built a new studio, musical language, batch of songs, & LP from the ground up. Guests: David Lemieux, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Ron Rakow, Stephen Barncard, Ned Lagin, Steve Brown, Gary Lambert, Keith Eaton, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chadwick Jenkins, Matt Campbell See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 7, 2025 · 1 hr 41 min
Bonus Rerun: From the Mars Hotel 50: Ship of Fools
The Grateful Deadcast visits the set for the Grateful Dead Movie, aka the Dead’s five “retirement” shows at Winterland in 1974, with heads who attended. This bonus episode is a re-run of the 2nd half of Deadcast Season 9, episode 8. Guests: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Ron Rakow, Ned Lagin, David Grisman, , Steve Brown, Richie Pechner, Jerry Pompili, Jim Sullivan, Gary Lambert, Geoff Gould, Joan Brown, Michael Parrish, Corry Arnold, Strider Brown, Jay Kerley, Rita Fiedler, Rene Tinner, Lee Ranaldo, Gregory Barette, Ron Long, Brian Anderson See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jul 31, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
Dan Healy 80
The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast is thrilled beyond all audible frequencies to begin its 12th season by welcoming Dan Healy, the Grateful Dead’s in-house sound wizard for most of their career, for tales from three decades in pursuit of high and higher fidelity. Guest: Dan Healy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 5, 2025 · 1 hr 33 min
Enjoying the Ride: On Tour
Enjoying the Ride: On Tour The Deadcast season finale hits shows at 3 legendary venues, exploring Dick Latvala’s transformative experience at Red Rocks ‘79, Hollie Rose’s tour journal, the wonders of the Alpine Valley parking lot, & when Shakedown Street got its name. Guests: David Lemieux, Jay Kerley, Hollie Rose, Rebecca Adams, Bill Lemke, Phil Garfinkel, Jim Jonze, Tom Ryan, Art Moss, Lisa Hitchcock, David Van Divier, Scott Bauer, Julie Dock, Mobile Steele See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 22, 2025 · 1 hr 41 min
Enjoying the Ride: East Coast, Part 2
The Deadcast cruises down the eastern seaboard, including stops in Hartford, Hampton, Philadelphia, and Landover, featuring touring tips, another police chase, & a visit to the White House. Guests: David Lemieux, Sam Cutler, Dennis Alpert, Tyler Roy-Hart, David Leopold, John Leopold, Rebecca Adams, Brian Schiff, Gary Lambert, Chris Goodspace, Winslow Colwell, Scott Jones, Chad Eyler See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Summer Magic 1985: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 6/27

Summer Magic 1985: Greek Theatre, 6/14-6/16

Independence Ball, 7/3/66

Steal Your Face 50, Part 3

Steal Your Face 50, Part 2

Steal Your Face 50, Part 1

Bobby Weir, Part 2

Bobby Weir, Part 1

Blues For Allah 50: Blues For Allah

Blues For Allah 50: Sage and Spirit

Blues For Allah 50: Crazy Fingers

Blues For Allah 50: The Music Never Stopped

Blues For Allah 50: King Solomon’s Marbles/Stronger Than Dirt or Milkin’ The Turkey

Blues For Allah 50: Franklin’s Tower

Blues For Allah 50: Slipknot!

Blues For Allah 50: Help On the Way

Bonus Rerun: From the Mars Hotel 50: Ship of Fools

Dan Healy 80

Enjoying the Ride: On Tour

Enjoying the Ride: East Coast, Part 2