The following text is from The Grateful Dead and LSD: A Study into the Phenomenon a report written in late April, 1991 by Amy Costanzi, who was then a research analyst with the Maryland State Police Criminal Intelligence Division. It was annotated by John Warren.
For the past 27 years [sic, since 1964], the Grateful Dead have been an icon in the rock scene. No other band has had as successful a career. Not only are they still popular among their older fans, but they are acquiring younger following. Having this support and a love of music, there is no sign that the band plans to slow down.
There is a connection between the Grateful Dead and LSD. Although there is no proof that the band or any of its members are involved in the distribution of the drug. However, it is known that whenever the Grateful Dead are in town, LSD can be found.
Several members of the Grateful Dead are documented by the DEA in NADDIS (Narcotics And Dangerous Drugs Information System). Names and phone numbers of members of the band were found on a computer disk seized from the residence of Kevin Gillan, a known LSD trafficker.
[Gillan was arrested in February 1981 in the Seattle suburb of Bellview; according to news reports at the time “The indictment resulted from the biggest LSD lab case in DEA history. DEA agents seized an operating lab and 33,327,000 dosage units.” He was sentenced to 10 years, was released in 1987 and worked as an inmate advocate.]
GRATEFUL DEAD
There are five original members of the band. They are Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzann. Jerry Garcia is the leader of the group and the most widely known. They have lost two keyboard players to drug overdoses [sic, only one]. The most recent was Brent Mydland in 1989; the other was Ron “Pigpen” McKernan who passed away in 1973 [after struggling with alcoholism he died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage].
The Grateful Dead has released several albums [sic, 22 as of this writing], however none were ever big commercial hits until the 1989 release ”Built to Last” which gave them their first top 10 hit “Touch of Grey.” They also released a music video for the same song. This helped them gain more popularity among the younger people.
DEADHEADS
Those who obsessively follow the Grateful Dead are more commonly known as “Deadheads.” A true Deadhead will follow the band from city to city, concert to concert. They will camp out in parking lots or camp grounds while the band is in town. It does not matter whether or not they have a ticket to the concert, it is only important that they are close to the band.
According to Intelligence Analyst Larry Goldin, DEA, Washington, DC, there are three types of Deadheads. There are the “trust fund babies,” vendors and the drug sellers. “Trust fund babies” have some kind of independent source of income, such as money from their well-to-do parents [or a job]. Vendors support themselves by selling items such as tie dyed T-shirts, food, jewelry, or other items, which is illegal [in some cases], in the parking lots. The last category, and the one that is of the greatest interest to law enforcement, are the d1ug sellers.
After talking to some of the Deadheads at the concert [at the Capital Centre] in Landover, Maryland on March 17 – 22 of this year, it leads one to believe that it is not necessarily the music that attracts them to the concerts. It is the atmosphere and the people who attend. They like the “peaceful” way of life that these people share. Many Deadheads believe in the Ying [sic] and Yang philosophy, that the universe is made up of opposites that come together to form a perfect harmony of oneness. This seems to be very intriguing to the newer fans, especially the younger ones.
When asked about the use of LSD at the Grateful Dead concerts, one young lady stated that she did not see it, nor does anyone she know use drugs. She said they “were high on life.” However, according to a transcript from the television show “West 57TH” on June 27, 1987, one young man said that the Grateful Dead and LSD are “an incredible thing” and that’s where ”it started from, you know.” Another man said that the “people at the Grateful Dead show have been doing it so long, they’ve learned how to take their drugs.” When West 57TH reporter Bob Sirott asked the band about the drugs, they avoided the subject.
A few younger ”new” fans were also spoken to in order to find out why they became fans of a band to which their parents may have listened. None of them were able to give a definite answer, but did say they not only liked the music, but the nostalgia associated with it.
Therefore, it seems apparent that it may not be the band itself or the music that keep the following alive, rather the atmosphere that is created. Unfortunately LSD and other drugs follow along, whether the “Deadheads” want to believe it or not.
You can watch the entire Grateful Dead Show from March 17, 1991 here.
Photos, from above: Deadheads dancing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in June 1991 (photo by Henry Diltz); Grateful Dead ticket stub from the March 17, 1991 Capital Centre show in Landover, Maryland.
