Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead
In a book "as graceful and sublime as a box of rain" ( New York Times Book Review), the beloved bassist tells the stories behind the songs, tours, and jams in the Grateful Dead's long, strange trip from the 1960s to the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995 and beyond. From Ken Kesey's "acid tests" to the Summer of Love to bestselling albums and worldwide tours, the Dead's story has never been told as honestly or as memorably as in this remarkable memoir.
"A fun ride...Even for the most well-read Deadhead, there's enough between the covers to make Searching for the Sound worth a look." --Associated Press
Reviews (187)
Great "inside story" of the Dead
Full disclosure: I'm 66 and have always liked the Dead, but I'm not a Dead Head and I've never seen them live. Tracks from Workingman's Dead and American Beauty got heavy FM airplay back in the day, and I liked them enough to buy those 2 albums. But I lost touch with them after that, until, of course, the 1987 re-emergence with Touch of Grey on MTV. After Garcia died in 1995, I figured they were done, and pretty much forgot about them. But the hype that built for the 50-year anniversary concert got me interested again. Now that I'm retired, I have plenty of time to do research, so I watched a few Youtube concerts and decided to read a book about the band. It seemed logical to try one written by a band member, so it was Phil's book that I began with. I found it so interesting that I began to watch more Youtube, and was thrilled when I'd see something that Phil mentioned in his book. Just one example was the 4-17-1972 Copenhagen concert where they all donned Bozo masks. Seeing it after reading about it was really cool. I liked the book so much that I started another book, So Many Roads, written by a Rolling Stone reporter who had followed the band for years. It was great to get two different points of view, one from inside the band, the other from outside. After reading Phil's book, I have to commend him for the title. "Searching for the Sound" is exactly what he was always doing with the Dead, and happily is still doing with his own collaborations today.
Unique among Dead books
Phil's writing is crisp and this book maintains really good momentum. It is night and day with Bill Kreutzmann's (mostly ghost-written) bio which, by comparison, feels like it was penned by a 5th grader with little memory, insight or, indeed, joy in life. Phil almost goes out of his way to reveal himself as the intellectual of the band, peppering his bio with big words and references to high art (opera, classical music) and academia (music theory, philosophers). While it did take him nearly half the book to get out of the 60s, the book does not suffer from the problem many rock biogs encounter: getting bogged down in boring childhood details and life before the band (often losing momentum by the time they get to the interesting stuff). Which isn't to say Phil wasn't an interesting kid. He was, but he covers everything succinctly, almost dancing through the relevant highlights at an effervescent pace. There's a real personality to his writing--again, almost the polar opposite of Kreutzmann's dull tone. While it is a little lighter on the sex & drugs aspect than some other Dead books out there (Rock Scully's "Living With The Dead" is a good one for that), Phil does provide unique, first-hand insight into the Dead’s creative processes through the years, from writing and recording to playing live. Which is precisely the kind of insight you want into one of the more enigmatic bands of our time.
God Bless The Grateful Dead
Quick read, I was always an amateur Dead Head. I saw Jerry having problems onstage in the late 80’s, but the back story fills in what I was witnessing. Phil gives a clear and concise time line that focuses on the music itself without recriminations, only explanations. It’s lead me to listen differently to songs I have listened to for 35+ years, and seek out different eras of GD live music and listen for what Phil explains. If you are a DH and you want insight into the music without the drama this is an excellent book. It lets you see what they were trying to achieve in every era of their music. I grew up in era where we turned up the treble and lowered the bass. Now I am doing the opposite to here what I missed. Phil Lesh is truly a gentleman with a gentle soul. His gratitude towards his band mates and memories of specific interactions that he shares lends a warmness that we can all relate to. “ Make America Grateful Again!”
"I have always considered myself a very lucky man."
FIRST LINE REVIEW: "I have always considered myself a very lucky man." Indeed, you are Mr. Lesh. And I'm a lucky man to have seen you perform twice now, as well as your son's band, Midnight North. And I've had the good fortune to have read your book, sharing in your memories and insights. Love your music, love your stories. Peace.
Pure Phil Zone
Phil did a fine job on his biography. He wrote the book in a manner which left out a lot of the seedier parts and glorified the best parts of the Grateful Dead. One gets the feeling that he truly enjoyed his journey through life, as his intelligence allowed him to make the smart choices which lead to his fruitful career with the Dead as well as a happy home life. Even when things looked grim as an overweight alcoholic, playing shows and making enough money to "keep playing for free", being ripped off by the drummer's father and Rakow and being set up and busted in NOLA, he persevered. He never stopped - doing it for the music. He speaks in musician's language about some songs/songwriting. but not so much it would distract a non-musician. Also, have a dictionary handy - he uses words I had never stumbled across (his intelligence, again...). Strongly recommend this book to any Deadhead.
Insight Plus
Phil Lesh is a highly intelligent musician who explains the Grateful Dead journey in a personal way, musical way, cosmic way - speaks about LSD and other drug use without going into the sordid details which can feel like a rock and roll expose in some books. Phil keeps the spirit high, moving onwards through the joys and struggles amongst this friend band of wonderful musicians. Great book - easy to read.
Fantastic! A must read for all heads.
I’ve read a lot of books about the Dead, and this one was one of my favorites. Phil is clearly a thoughtful and introspective individual, whose intelligence, humor, and pathos really comes through. There are some great stories that I had yet to hear, and I like the disproportionate focus on the early years.
Inside Phil's Head
I've seen the Dead many times since I was a kid in the late 60's in Seattle. The heads, the pre-funk, the "trips" and of course the music. Many books I read cover the where and when, or who's management was fighting etc. I felt that Phil explained the ideas behind the songs, the musicality and the group mind though acid. A gentle, kind work by Phil. No-one is made out to be a conflict person. As a bass player, I'm more inspired to play Dead tunes now and I listen once again with the delight of fresh ears.
Like a Show: Wonderful, Fascinating, and Far From Perfect
Dead books vary in focus and quality, from Blair Jackson's detailed and loving examination to Rock Scully's frequently-fun but always lurid (and occasionally dubious) HST pastiche. As the only version of the tale told by a founding member, Phil's Searching for the Sound is unmissable...if incomplete at times. As with his music, Lesh gives his best; a familiar song, finding new life through an honest and unpredictable performance. Intellectual precision, spiritual exploration, and plain old fun are here in abundance, and he doesn't avoid the tricky bits, either....but in music, as in everything, you may see the shape more clearly through the parts that are left out. One thing that struck me was Phil's willingness to rise to the daunting challenge of relating the near-ineffable details of a trip; I've never read a more accurate and evocative description (not even from Huxley or Dr. Thompson). Well done! Likewise, his awareness of the fans is unmatched. While rock star autobiographies usually limit audience participation to sales statistics (or particularly memorable groupie-groping incidents), Phil more than acknowledges the role of the Heads as the vast, essential Other Band Member. Just as I'm thinking "looks like Phil's not going to get personal", he examines his relationships with his father, with his wife and children, with fellow band members and Family. He refuses to either shy away from or dwell upon his own demons (he's merciless and yet matter-of-fact about his own drinking problems), while giving others as much credit or space as possible. Understandably, he is firmly focused upon the music, and he's at his best when he indulges his true calling. Whether it's an unexpectedly-detailed aside about Modulus Graphite or an insight into the genesis of a song, the reader will get choice nuggets that make the ride completely and uniquely worthwhile. While I'm sometimes disappointed that he doesn't go into more depth, I understand that talking too much about the nuts and bolts of artistic creation can often spoil the delicate balance of its beauty. Sometimes it all comes together in a brief but memorable passage, like anecdotes about driving to the next show or stopping at a remote diner along the way. In both brief scenes we get an evocative taste of the connections between a beloved musician, his family, and the fans. No other band has this alchemy, and no other participant could tell the story like this. Though the quality of the writing is consistently admirable, the pace can be uneven and gaps in the narrative are obvious to those that know the story from other angles. Yeah, it ain't the best book you'll ever read, and it's probably not even the most satisfying Book of the Dead...but Searching for the Sound is still something special, more than just "a must-read for fans".
Insightful, Psychedelic and Revealing
An intimate autobiography of the author's life focusing on the birth and evolution of the Grateful Dead and his relationship with other band members, especially Jerry Garcia. In describing his development as a musician, composer and performer, Lesh writes intellectually in a technological style that was at times difficult for this musical layman to follow. However this book is a very rewarding read, especially for anyone wishing to learn about or to relive the phantasmagorical events that occurred in and around the 1960's San Francisco psychedelic rock scene and beyond. A must read for Deadheads and wannabes, Lesh's incredible attention to detail leaves the reader gratified and craving for more.
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