From: hannan@gnpike.enet.dec.com (ken 28-Aug-1992 0918)
Newsgroups: rec.music.gdead
Subject: Portion of Lithuanian Tie Dye sales goes to Lithuania
Date: 28 Aug 92 13:18:26 GMT
Reply-To: hannan@gnpike.enet.dec.com
Organization: The Internet

^By LARRY McSHANE=
^Associated Press Writer=
           NEW YORK (AP) - Reebok dropped $25 million on Dan and Dave. Nike
paid muchas pesetas to promote Sir Charles and Air Jordan. So who
came away with the greatest return on their Barcelona investment?
           The Lithuanian basketball team, which didn't spend a penny.
           The tie-dyed Lithuanian basketball warm-up shirts - donated by
the Grateful Dead, detailed with a slam-dunking skeleton - are the
hottest selling item to emerge from this month's Summer Games.
           Thousands of Americans are scarfing up T-shirts like those worn
at the Olympic medal ceremonies by household names (in Vilnius,
anyway) Rimas Kurtinaitis and Valdemaras Khomicus.
           ``Everybody wanted one. They were the coolest shirt. ... A
small-time little thing, a small gesture from the heart, has become
a fad,'' Dead spokesman Dennis McNally said.
           The band's merchandising arm received 20,000 orders since the
shirts went on sale last week, he said.
           While the Dream Team was busy obscuring its warm-up logo with
origami and American flags, the Lithuanians proudly accepted their
bronze medals in multi-colored outfits more suited to Jerry
(Garcia) than Larry (Bird).
           ``All those American millionaires covering up their logos, and
then these guys ... We felt great,'' McNally said. ``Obviously, it
was a gas.''
           So were the outfits, funded by the Dead and created by Phoenix
entrepreneur Mike Fitzgerald and the Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based Not
Fade Away Tie-Dye Co.
           The shirts were perfect for the Haight and the hoop. Journalists
in Barcelona paid $50 to get extras, while Lithuanian team members
received offers of up to $150 for the shirts off their backs.
           A flood of callers to the NBA's Golden State Warriors, where
Lithuanian leader Sarunas Marciulionis plays, knocked out the
switchboard last week. Ticketmaster, which is also selling the
T-shirts, reported more than 5,000 orders in 48 hours.
           The outcry, coupled with the Lithuanian taam's need for money to
fund its nation's Olympic program, prompted the shirt sale. The
Dead are selling them nationally via a toll-free number and fax
orders.
           What attracted the Dead to a tiny ex-Soviet republic with a
teamful of players they've never met? (Marciulionis was introduced
to the Dead at a Detroit concert; none of the other players would
know Bob Weir from Bob Dole).
           ``The Grateful Dead are about celebration and freedom. It was
utterly appropriate - this small country, emerging from the shadows
after 54 years. What could be better than connecting with us?''
McNally said.
           The shirts are selling here for $30, of which $8 to $10 will go
to the Lithuanian Olympic Committee. It desperately needs the money
to make up for the loss of funds once generated by the powerful
Soviet sports machine.
           The shirts are 100 percent pre-shrunk cotton and come in large
and extra-large only, which is no surprise to anyone who's seen
Garcia lately.
           It's just another bit of good news for the Lithuanian hoopsters,
who returned to the Games as an independent country after the
breakup of the Soviet Union.
           They won a medal by defeating the Soviet remnants, the Unified
Team, in one of the Games' most emotional moments. Each team had
four members from the Soviet's 1988 gold medal team - a group which
favored hammers and sickles over slam-dunking skeletons.
           ``There's just something very loose and fun-loving with the
Lithuanian basketball team,'' McNally said. ``There's an affinity
there.''
^---=
           Readers interested in ordering a shirt can call 1-800-225-3323;
orders also can be faxed to 415-898-9695.
Newsgroups: rec.music.gdead