From: tindall@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mike Tindall)
Subject: Deadheads
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 23:11:29 GMT

  Somebody once said they thought we were a CIA experiment to
put a bunch of tremendously diverse people together and see how
we interacted.  I've always thought this was an excellent way to
interact with the deadhead community.  I noticed Jeff bought his
Jerry tie at Macy's and I've toured with the son of the President
of Macy's.  After tour I showed Jon how eagles catch thermals on
Medicine Bow Peak, then talked him into walking straight down the
escarpment to get home.
  The wonderful wizard of weird, Bobby Weir, calls us "Misfit
Power", and David Gans quoted John Barlow at length discussing
our traveling community.  Jerry says, "We seem to attract a more
adventurous type."  I've heard shows called "Deadhead Concerts"
with more frequency in the last few years.
  Hobo culture aside, (although the concept merits consideration)
I've always thought there was spiritual sigificance in practicing
the principle of humility by tourheads.  Charlie is on tour
indefinitely, and he says we are a head of our time- (ahead/a head).
I always thought getting into the head, (the collective consciousness
thing) was what it was all about- being a part of a collective head.
Charlie and I have made some collective efforts buying extras at 
shows and giving them away to "the ticketless hordes".
  Catfish rents cars and hits the tour, sits through the show taking
notes, then dazzles us with his insightful reviews.  Ort and Trumble,
a couple of friends of mine who can't remember how many shows they've
been to in the last 20-odd years usually fly.  Me- sometimes I 
hitchhike, sometimes I get to fly, sometimes I get to drive all night
and sleep through the opener behind the sound board.  I screwed up
getting paid to follow the dead in 1973.
  It don't matter where we came from, or how we got here.  We're here
now- and if we learned anything on the bus, it's to stay HERE NOW.
There's even another eagle on the net that I wouldn't have met with
out this medium of communication, and I couldn't interact with the
net if ol' Tindall's account at Northwestern wasn't still active.
The whole gig is to be yourself ain't it?  Now sometimes I feel like
the only person here who sticks up for tourheads, and they sure do
get slammed a lot around here.
  This is a part of our community, and I get to learn something every-
day from it, like watching the wonga cross post FYA fusilade, or       
what makes someone really tick when you get to know them.  We have
a band in common, yet we are as personally diverse as snowflakes.
The next time you've stayed celebate four days before you 'shroom,
zip on out to the center of the galaxy for a second and see how
important all this really is.  I'm with the Bears For Drugs-
                          BFD
(considering the reality of my existance,                         
                              or the chimera of materialism)
(or my chimerical existance
                in the material realities of sunshine balls:-)
                         eagle
                   rebel@outlaw.uwyo.edu