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The podcast episode features Jesse Rifkin, the owner of Walk on the Wildside Tours NYC, a music history walking tour company in New York City, and the author of the book 'This Must Be the Place: Music, Community, and Vanishing Spaces in New York City.' Rifkin shares his background, including his consultancy roles as a pop music historian and his 12 years as a touring musician. They discuss his first concert experience, watching Bob Dylan with Ani DiFranco as the opening act at the Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia, and the interesting intersections his life has had with notable music historians like Alan Lomax.Rifkin recounts his experience attending a unique U2 concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, highlighting how seeing a globally famous band in an intimate venue was a surreal and memorable experience. He emphasizes the different dimensions of enjoying massive arena shows versus small, underground music scenes. He talks about his favorite bands, particularly Akron Family and other experimental groups, often performing at DIY venues like Silent Barn and emphasizing how these experiences felt more personal and impactful.The conversation shifts to Jesse's walking tours, which often focus on the punk and post-punk scenes in NYC, featuring iconic sites like CBGB. He discusses the importance of understanding the human and local context behind legendary music and bands, offering a more tangible and relatable connection to this history. His tours aim to demystify the grandiosity of famous musicians by highlighting their humble beginnings in intimate settings.Finally, Jesse talks about his book and its evolution from his extensive tours and Instagram presence, which caught the attention of his editor in 2019. He details the content of the book, which spans 60 years of music history, categorizing different NYC music scenes, and offers practical insights into creating community-driven music venues. Jesse's mission is to show that music and performance spaces can be accessible and transformative, urging people to see the possibility within DIY approaches to music and community building.BANDS: Akron Family, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Castanets, The Cure, Elephant 6 Recording Company, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynard, Neutral Milk Hotel, New York Dolls, Olivia Tremor Control, Patti Smith, Ramones, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, U2, Velvet Underground, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Woods.VENUES: 171A, Apollo Theater, Bowery Ballroom, CBGB, Death by Audio, Jelly NYC, Silent Barn, Tonic, Uncle Paulie's, Wolf Trap. PATREON:https://www.patreon.com/SeeingThemLivePlease help us defer the cost of producing this podcast by making a donation on Patreon.WEBSITE:https://seeingthemlive.com/Visit the Seeing Them Live website for bonus materials including the show blog, resource links for concert buffs, photos, materials related to our episodes, and our Ticket Stub Museum.INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/seeingthemlive/FACEBOOK:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550090670708
Our guest this week is a Surfer, Entrepreneur, and Business Specialist of Intellectual Property Development and Licensing. He has held multiple prominent positions throughout his career as a National Sales Director, CEO, and co-founding not one but two business! ”FLATWORKS”-an easy assemble tradeshow booth solution that requires no tools for set up, and “CARV” –(California Action Retailer + Venture), which is a new West-Coast Based Expo for Surf and Action Sports Retailers! He is also a Board Member, Southern California Chapter for “EDPA” – The Experiential Designers and Producers Association. We are pumped to hear about his journey and everything he's got on his plate. We welcome to the show, Mr. Josh “RIFFKING“ Rifkin!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Thousands of years ago humans learned to control the power of water – and civilization was born. Now, in a new book, Jeremy Rifkin argues climate change has shifted that equation, and water is once again controlling us – with floods, droughts, hurricanes and typhoons. “The waters are rebelling,” he says. “They are literally taking down the infrastructure of our civilization in real time.”Rifkin is the author of more than 20 books about the influence of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, and the environment. He has advised governments around the globe on how to adapt economies and infrastructure to a changing world. He joins Diane to talk about his new book, “Planet Aqua,” a plea to radically rethink our relationship to water and its impact on our future.
Send us a textIn today's episode, we're thrilled to be joined by an incredible entrepreneur and industry innovator: Madison Rifkin, Founder and CEO of Mount.Madison's journey is nothing short of inspiring – from founding her first business at just 12 years old to scaling Mount into a global leader in the short-term rental space.Here's what's coming up:
In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, chief economist at RDNA, interviews Madison Rifkin, CEO and founder of Mount. The discussion begins with an overview of Mount, a three-sided marketplace connecting hosts and property managers with their guests and local businesses. Madi emphasizes the importance of offering unique local experiences, rather than just focusing on the property itself. Jamie and Madi delve into her accidental entry into the short-term rental space and her pivot from scooter rentals to Mount's current model. Madi explains how Mount curates top 'hidden gems' for guests, incorporating local businesses into the guest experience seamlessly. They discuss the challenges and benefits of curating these gems in multiple cities and the rigorous vetting process involved. Next, Jamie and Madi discuss the power of social media and how short-term rental hosts can work with influencers and content creators to increase their bookings and reach new audiences. The episode explores Mount's innovative marketing strategies, including a viral TikTok campaign and a Taylor Swift ticket giveaway, highlighting the power of social media in building brand engagement. Madi offers insights into the essential tools and strategies for hosts to get started with social media content creation, emphasizing the importance of a content archive. The episode concludes with a look at Mount's future plans, including international creator retreats and a stronger focus on traveler engagement. You don't want to miss this episode! ~~~~ Signup for AirDNA for FREE
Send us a textIn this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 5: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Madi Rifkin.Madi Rifkin is the founder and CEO of Mount, a platform that connects travelers with hidden gems and local experiences around the world. She started Mount at just 12 years old with a mission to change how people explore and engage with the places they visit. Today, her community of over 170,000 travelers is redefining sustainable and meaningful travel through authentic connections and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Madi is a two-time Rising Star Award winner and a recognized leader in the travel and short-term rental industry.Christine and Madi discuss:· What it was like for Madi to jump into the entrepreneurial journey at such a young age· Persisting through failure, being willing to pivot, and how each relates to success· Content creation and how partnerships can be a great option for smaller businesses· Mount's upcoming Influencer Marketing Summit and the new Mount AppJoin Christine for this soulful conversation with Madi Rifkin. Available Wednesday.
In this episode, we're joined by an all-star cast - Madison Rifkin, Amy Hinote and Matt Landau - to discuss the future of vacation rental industry events, DARM, looking for the right conference for you and a LOT more...Enjoy!⭐️ Links & Show NotesAdam NorkoScott FasanoConrad O'ConnellAmy HinoteDARMMadison RifkinMountMatt Landau Here Goes Nothin
I speak with novelist and literature professor Alan Rifkin about the rise of antisemitism in literature and academia. We dive into the roots of antisemitism in the literary world, its presence in American Jewish history, and explore why it persists even in progressive circles. We also cover issues within journalism, the role of the upcoming election, and the broader impact on Jewish communities in America. Don't miss this deep, thought-provoking discussion! Alan's latest book is titled: The Drift That Follows Will Be Gradual. Find it in bookstores today! #Antisemitism #AmericanJewishHistory #JewishIdentity #LiteraryWorld #AcademicFreedom #JewishCulture #ProgressivePolitics #JewishCommunity #AntisemitismAwareness #JournalismEthics #USPolitics #Election2024 #JewishHeritage #SocialJustice #JewishVoices
In 2012, something truly remarkable happened: at the ripe age of 12, Madison Rifkin was granted a patent for her groundbreaking invention, a bike lock that would go on to become the cornerstone of what is now known as Mount. At that time, Mount Locks was just a seed of an idea in Madison's mind, but her desire to become an entrepreneur who would go on to change the world burned brightly in her dreams—even though she did not yet know what that would look like in reality. This early-stage patent was the first spark that ignited her journey to reshaping the way we experience adventure. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dylanconroy/support
Today, DJ Bob talks to Larry Rifkin. Rifkin was responsible for bringing Barney and Friends to the United States via a production deal brokered during his tenure at Connecticut Public Television. Today, Larry is a podcaster and the author of the memoir No Dead Air. Join us for this insightful conversation about his life and career.
On this episode of Money Mastery Unleashed, host Adam Olson welcomes special guest TJ Rifkin, a financial advisor based in Phoenix who also plays in a church band. In this insightful conversation, Adam and TJ dive into the personal and professional side of financial advising, discussing the emotional aspects of client relationships, the challenges of business planning, and the power of creating a comprehensive financial strategy. TJ shares his background, from growing up in Durango, Colorado, to establishing a successful financial planning practice in Phoenix. He talks about how building a reputation for making wise financial decisions early on helped him hit the ground running in his career. The episode covers key financial concepts like Index Universal Life (IUL), behavioral finance, and the importance of setting clear expectations with clients during volatile market conditions. Throughout the conversation, TJ and Adam reflect on the balance between personal relationships with clients and maintaining professionalism. They also discuss the parallels between financial planning and running a business, offering valuable advice for business owners looking to expand their financial horizons. Whether you're interested in building generational wealth, navigating complex tax strategies, or finding the right tools for financial growth, this episode provides practical wisdom from two experienced advisors. Tune in to Money Mastery Unleashed for an engaging and educational discussion about mastering your financial future. “Generational wealth isn't built overnight. Start with wise financial decisions, and the legacy will follow.” Key Takeaways: Building Personal Client Relationships Balancing a Busy Life The Value of Being a Business Owner Future Goals Learn more about Adam Olson by visiting the following links: Facebook Personal Website Business Website -- Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Be sure to understand the benefits and limitations of your available options and consider all factors prior to making any financial decisions. Any strategies discussed may not be suitable for everyone. Securities and advisory services offered through Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Adam Olson, Representative. Mutual of Omaha Investor Services is not affiliated with any entity listed herein. This podcast is for educational purposes only and may include references to concepts that have legal and/or tax implications. Mutual of Omaha Investor Services and its representatives do not offer legal or tax advice. The information presented is subject to change without notice and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security or insurance product. Mutual of Omaha Investor Services and its various affiliates do not endorse or adopt comments posted by third parties. Comments posted by third parties are their own and may not be representative or indicative of other's opinions, views, and experiences.
The MLB playoff race is heating up & Bill's Yankees are right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Murph & Rifkin talk about that, the series loss against Detroit, and all of the big baseball races. Plus, the NFL season is right around the corner. The guys go through the list of players, coaches, and front office personnel that are on the "Hot Seat" & reaction to the Commanders naming Jayden Daniels QB1 to start the season. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sports-insanity-podcast/support
You asked us: Everyone says to love your body, but how? We invited Rachel Rifkin, LMHC, CEDS, and Associate Director of Support Groups for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders to the podcast to answer your questions and explain what BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) is and talk openly about eating disorders. Rachel is a licensed mental health counselor, specializing in eating disorders within the LGBTQ+ community with lived eating disorder experience. In this episode, Rachel talks about what BDD and eating disorders look like, explains how they manifest, and gives us advice on what to do if you or a loved one are struggling. Rachel tells us how to use attainable language surrounding our bodies, like body tolerance, and body disconnect when looking to get to a place of acceptance. She has advice on how to acknowledge and respect our bodies realistically and avoid traps. How do you support a loved one with BDD? Please know that you are not alone. There is help!: The Alliance Free HelpLine 866-662-1235 findEDhelp Database App: findEDhelp: App Store Google Play referrals@allianceforeatingdisorders.com info@allianceforeatingdisorders.com (00:00:00) Introducing Rachel Rifkin, LMHC, CEDS, Associate Director of Support Groups for The Alliance. (00:04:20) How Rachel Rifkin's eating disorder started her on this career path. (00:13:40) What does an eating disorder look like? (00:19:16) A basic definition of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) to start the conversation. (00:25:45) Signs that might indicate a struggle with BDD on ANY level and muscle dysmorphia. (00:31:10) BDD is not an eating disorder but it can be connected to one. (00:33:48) How life events that bring body changes or emotional responses can cause BDD to manifest. (00:40:40) TTSL Community question: Everyone says to love your body, but how? (00:46:40) Small steps to take towards neutrality when hating your body. (00:56:10) TTSL Community question: how can we support our loved ones who have body dysmorphia without invalidating their feelings? (01:08:04) Value not connected to appearance and how meaningful compliments can disrupt and change thought patterns. (01:16:32) Where to find and connect with Rachel Rifkin and/or look for resources. The CVG Nation app, for iPhone The CVG Nation app, for Android Our Fitness FB Group. Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings
Dr Jacqueline Rifkin is an assistant professor at Cornell University who studies how we manage our money and experiences. She says it's time to consider the cost of putting off the odd indulgence such as stress or missing out on an experience that will have lasting impact. Dr Rifkin says we can fall victim to what's called the "specialness spiral", making ordinary thing feel like treasures, if we delay gratification for too long. Her plea to just eat the chocolate from time to time is in an article for The Wall Street Journal called "The Downside of Delayed Gratification"
AGOSTO É ANIVERSÁRIO DO COMPOSIÇÃO DE UM CRIME, E VOCÊS TÊM PRESENTE!!! EPISÓDIOS EXTRAS O MÊS TODO... E DESCONTO NA LOJINHA DO COMPOSIÇÃO DE UM CRIME. CLIQUE AQUI PARA ACESSAR A LOJINHA DO COMPOSIÇÃO DE UM CRIME! São várias estampas maravilhosas sobre true crime! Vai lá conferir! Bom, você já sabe né? Peguem o fone de ouvido, se acomodem e se preparem!!
In March 1989, Rifkin made a life-altering decision to kill, targeting a young woman named Susie from Manhattan's East Village. This episode unravels the events that led to this horrifying crime. Rifkin, fueled by disappointment and rage, brutally attacked Susie with a heavy artillery shell before finally ending her life. Despite her fierce will to survive, Susie's struggle was ultimately in vain. Tune in to hear the harrowing details of this crime and gain insight into the mind of a notorious killer. This is one episode you won't want to miss.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theserialkillerpodcastWebsite: https://www.theserialkillerpodcast.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theskpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/serialkillerpodX: https://twitter.com/serialkillerpodSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-serial-killer-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Send us a Text Message.Delayed gratification. When it comes to health, wellness and high performance, it's the holy grail, right? Well, not so fast. Back in 1970, psychologist and Stanford professor Walter Mischel (‘mishel”) performed the marshmallow study. It purported to show that children who were able to delay gratification by choosing not to eat a marshmallow when left alone in a room in order to earn 2 marshmallows went on to garner greater success across a range of areas, including school and careers. It's been a cornerstone concept for speakers, coaches and consultants for decades. But can it go too far? Today's guest, Dr. Jacqueline Rifkin has spent her career answering that question, studying how we manage our resources, including time, money and even experiences. Her findings – which she recently shared in a fascinating Wall Street Journal article – may not exactly align with what you've been taught. Maybe there is a time and a place to eat that marshmallow afterall. We'll talk about the other side of delayed gratification, the specialness spiral and more, and I think you'll be surprised, and perhaps encouraged, by what she has to share. Dr. Rifkin has her PhD in Marketing from Duke University and has done extensive work in both marketing and consumer research market. She is an assistant professor of marketing at Cornell University, teaching consumer behavior at both the undergrad and graduate levels.Looking for weekly tips, tricks and turbo boosts to enhance your life? Sign up for the CATALYST COMPASS here, a brief weekly compilation of ideas, evidence-based concepts and encouragement to improve your personal and professional life! Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.
This spring, the Bureau of Prisons announced they were shuttering the women's prison at FCI Dublin – after it was rocked with revelations of sexual abuse and whistleblower retaliation that led to the former warden to be indicted and convicted. Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), a criminal justice advocacy group, has been coordinating legal representation for women who were formerly incarcerated at Dublin. Everyday Injustice spoke with Shanna Rifkin, the deputy general counsel at FAMM. She discussed the situation at Dublin, the unique nature of this case, but called the overall situation a canary in the coalmine, believing that the problems at Dublin are likely systemic. Rifkin also discussed the poorly handled transfer and her efforts to gain compassionate release for many of the victims at Dublin. Listen as Shanna Rifkin of FAMM discusses the latest situation regarding the former FCI Dublin prison.
I am so excited to share my conversation with Jesse Rifkin, the author of This Must Be The Place: Music, Community, and Vanished Spaces in New York City and owner of Walk on the Wild Side Tours NYC. Jesse and I discussed his book writing process, the current state of NYC music scenes, and how music spaces are vital to the city.
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who, like Rex Heuermann lived on Long Island. He was arrested after police stopped him for an invalid plate on his car and that led to them finding the body of his last victim inside of the vehicle. After his arrest it was found out that he was a serial killer who was preying upon sexx workers and then strangling them in his car before dismembering them and dumping them. In this episode, we discuss RIfkin and Heuermann and some of the similarities they share as we continue to try and fit all of the pieces of the overall story together. (commercial at 7:19)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's 'haunting connection to serial killer Joel Rifkin' points to 'shared motive' | The US Sun (the-sun.com)
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who, like Rex Heuermann lived on Long Island. He was arrested after police stopped him for an invalid plate on his car and that led to them finding the body of his last victim inside of the vehicle. After his arrest it was found out that he was a serial killer who was preying upon sexx workers and then strangling them in his car before dismembering them and dumping them. In this episode, we discuss RIfkin and Heuermann and some of the similarities they share as we continue to try and fit all of the pieces of the overall story together. (commercial at 7:19)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's 'haunting connection to serial killer Joel Rifkin' points to 'shared motive' | The US Sun (the-sun.com)
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who, like Rex Heuermann lived on Long Island. He was arrested after police stopped him for an invalid plate on his car and that led to them finding the body of his last victim inside of the vehicle. After his arrest it was found out that he was a serial killer who was preying upon sexx workers and then strangling them in his car before dismembering them and dumping them. In this episode, we discuss RIfkin and Heuermann and some of the similarities they share as we continue to try and fit all of the pieces of the overall story together. (commercial at 7:19)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's 'haunting connection to serial killer Joel Rifkin' points to 'shared motive' | The US Sun (the-sun.com)
What technological solutions can mitigate our ecological and economic crises? Why are horizontally integrated 'smart' data sharing networks so important? What are 'Glocalisation' and Bio-regional governance? Will we rise to the challenge in time to survive the next extinction event? Today we have the technological solutions to our economic and ecological crisis offered by the Third Industrial Revolution to consider. Some may jump to the conclusion that technology and industrialisation are what got us into this mess in the first place and depending on my mood on any one day I might agree with you, but there's no turning back the clock on the scientific and technological revolutions, so if you can't beat it then reform it; And many social elements of the digital and internet revolution seem to have started doing just that, quite independently. That said it has been the campaign and deep vision of my guest today for more than 40 years to go further than just talking about it, to push beyond political divides by prioritising life over blind growth and productivity, and get big entities like governments and trade federations to start thinking like this. He is of course the economist, social theorist, activist and author of 21 books, Jeremy Rifkin. His work focuses on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. Today we'll be focusing on this new book the “Age of Resilience”, his 2014 book “The Zero Marginal Cost Society”, and his 2011 book “The Third Industrial Revolution”; Rifkin has been an advisor to the leadership of the European Union since 2000 and several other European heads of state, particularly on ushering in the smart, green revolution; he has advised the Peoples Republic of China on the build out and scale up of the Internet in a sustainable low-carbon economy; And he is currently advising the European Commission on the deployment of the Smart Europe initiative. What we discuss: 00:00 Intro. 06:20 Dysfunctional economic system from 1st and 2nd and Industrial Revolution. 08:00 Exponential Climate change feedback loop from industrialisation. 08:30 New Communication, Energy, logistics and water paradigm changes alter society radically. 10:20 Infrastructure paradigms define our world view. 15:00 Dropping productivity and efficiency after 2008. 17:50 Near-marginal cost economy e.g Solar, wind, internet commerce. 20:00 Jeremy's 3rd Industrial Revolution vision, all at near zero marginal cost. 21:30 Component 1: Communication via the internet. 22:30 Component 2: Energy internet - sharing surplus globally. 23:55 Component 3: Logistics internet fed by the energy internet. 24:30 Component 4: The Water internet. 31:00 The 3IR infrastructure system is by its nature distributed using data over the internet. 38:00 "The Age of Resilience" Book. 38:20 Biophilia, Eco-consciousness, and an empathic society. 44:10 “Periods of Happiness.. are the black pages of history” Hegel. 47:00 Mirror neurones and empathic neurocircuitry. 55:00 Extinction events lead to unity. 55:50 Shadow 1: Big data. Can this common be democratised? 01:02:52 Bio-regional governance. 01:04:45 “Glocalisation”. 01:19:00 Shadow 2: The internet business model. 01:29:40 Shadow 3: No motivation for corporations to move from multinational investment to ‘glocal' investment. 01:39:00 Differences between Claus Schwab's “4th Industrial Revolution” and Jeremy's 3rd. 01:50:00 The Ginsburg “Moloch” allegory. Jeremy Rifkin, “The Age of Resilience: Reimagining Existence on a Rewilding Earth” https://search.app.goo.gl/g97t6pL Jeremy Rifkin, “The Third Industrial Revolution” https://search.app.goo.gl/gbMdqE9 Jeremy Rifkin, “The Zero Marginal Cost SocietyThe Zero Marginal Cost Society” https://search.app.goo.gl/eiZXAy5 The Human Microbiome Project NIH https://hmpdacc.org/
Chapter 1 What's The Zero Marginal Cost Society Book by Jeremy RifkinThe Zero Marginal Cost Society is a book written by economist and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin. In this book, Rifkin explores the potential impact of the digital revolution and the sharing economy on capitalism and society as a whole. He argues that advancements in technology, particularly in the areas of energy, communication, and transportation, are leading to a decrease in marginal costs and ultimately the creation of a new economic system based on collaboration, sustainability, and abundance. Rifkin's vision is of a society where goods and services are produced and shared at near-zero marginal cost, leading to a more equitable and sustainable world.Chapter 2 Is The Zero Marginal Cost Society Book A Good BookThe Zero Marginal Cost Society by Jeremy Rifkin is generally well-received and considered a thought-provoking and informative book. It explores the concept of a system where goods and services are produced and distributed at little to no marginal cost due to advancements in technology. Rifkin presents a vision of a more sustainable and collaborative economy based on the sharing of resources. Overall, many readers find the book to be insightful and engaging, making it worth a read for those interested in economics, technology, and sustainability.Chapter 3 The Zero Marginal Cost Society Book by Jeremy Rifkin SummaryThe Zero Marginal Cost Society is a book by Jeremy Rifkin that explores the concept of zero marginal cost - the idea that as technology advances, the cost of producing and distributing goods and services approaches zero. Rifkin argues that this trend is leading to a fundamental shift in the way our economy operates, with profound implications for society as a whole.Rifkin begins by tracing the history of economic systems, from the hunter-gatherer societies of the past to the industrial capitalism of the present. He argues that the advent of digital technology is leading us towards a new economic paradigm, where goods and services can be produced and distributed at near-zero cost.Rifkin goes on to explore the implications of this shift for different sectors of the economy, including energy, manufacturing, and healthcare. He argues that advances in technology such as 3D printing, renewable energy, and the Internet of Things are enabling a new model of production that is more decentralized, collaborative, and sustainable.Rifkin also delves into the social and political consequences of the zero marginal cost economy, including the potential for mass unemployment as human labor becomes increasingly obsolete. He calls for a new social contract that ensures everyone benefits from the abundance created by technology, through measures such as a universal basic income.Overall, The Zero Marginal Cost Society offers a provocative vision of a future where abundance, sustainability, and shared prosperity are possible through the transformative power of technology. It is a rallying cry for policymakers, businesses, and individuals to embrace the opportunities of the digital age and build a more equitable and sustainable society. Chapter 4 The Zero Marginal Cost Society Book AuthorJeremy Rifkin is an American economist, writer, and public speaker. He is the author of numerous books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, society, and the environment. Rifkin released "The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism" in 2014.Some of Rifkin's other...
Johnny Knoxville and Brian Cox star in a film where the heart may be in the right place but the realisation definitely isn't, so naturally there's discussion of how it appeared on Disney+ when the Fox deal happened, and only when we plan an episode does it leave. Also long talk on the Joker: Folie a Deux trailer and a visit from Wallace Shawn to remind everyone that Rifkin's Festival happened.
NFL Free Agency is off to a wild start. Plus, a big fight in a college basketball game, and is trouble in paradise for Gerrit Cole? Host Bill Murphy with special guest Mike "The Pun Master" Rifkin. *NOTE: Taped on 03/11/24; all free agency news is through this date.* --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sports-insanity-podcast/support
The Real Estate InvestHER Show with Elizabeth Faircloth and Andresa Guidelli
EPISODE 452: If you've ever struggled to raise capital, then this episode is 100% for you! Why? Simply because in it we sit down with a woman who has overcome over 300 rejections and raised $3.9 million for her business! Her name is Madison Rifkin and her story is nothing short of incredible. Madison started her company at the tender age of twelve (yes, twelve), and has raised millions of dollars for her company, Mount. Madison's mission is all about changing the way people travel, turning every single place you rent into an experience and not just another place to sleep in. In this episode, Madison delves into her story and shares how she turned her 400 rejections into investments. She also discusses how you can best optimize LinkedIn for your business and how you can put together a powerful five-minute investor pitch. Are you ready to learn from this amazing woman? Then make sure to tune in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Madison (00:48) Never take ‘no' for an answer (01:25) Pitching 100 investors (06:54) Maddie's secret to getting investors (17:55) Putting together a five-minute pitch (20:43) How to build up your confidence (28:45) Time for our fabulous three questions (34:30)- Additional Resources: Ignite the journey toward the life you envision at InvestHER CON! Our mission is to empower you to live the life you want for yourself and your family. Join us at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, from June 2-4, 2024 as we work together to turn our aspirations into reality. Reserve your spot today: https://investhercon.therealestateinvesther.com/ -- ✨ Connect with Madison Follow Madison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madirifkin/ Connect with Madison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-rifkin-23037712a/ Learn more about Madison's work: http://www.rentmount.com -- ⚡ Join the InvestHER Movement Get your ticket for InvestHER CON 2024: https://www.therealestateinvesther.com/investhercon Join the InvestHER Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therealestateinvesther/ Apply for your STRIVE Membership here: https://www.therealestateinvesther.com/membership Join our InvestHER Meetups: https://www.therealestateinvesther.com/investhercon Schedule a discovery call with us: https://www.therealestateinvesther.com/investherorg -- The Real Estate InvestHER Show is a podcast by women for women all over the world who want to learn how to invest in real estate, grow their portfolio, and develop the mindset that allows them to run successful businesses while taking care of their families and – most importantly – taking care of themselves. Follow us for more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome back to Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning! In our first episode of Season 8, we speak with Drs. Benjamin Rifkin, Rebecca Natow, Nicholas Salter, and Shayla Shorter about their article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Why Doctoral Programs Should Require Courses on Pedagogy” (March 16, 2023). Drs. Rifkin, Natow, Salter, and Shorter make the case for paying far more attention to developing teaching skills in doctoral programs. They share research they conducted to examine the “disconnect between what we are trained to do in graduate school and what we are expected to do in the college classroom,” and offer four next steps to better prepare Ph.D.s to teach. Benjamin Rifkin is Professor of Russian and Interim Provost at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rebecca Natow is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, and Director of the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at Hofstra University, Nicholas Salter is Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Hofstra University, and Shayla Shorter is a Clinical Collaborative Librarian and Assistant Curator for the Medical Library at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Resource“Why Doctoral Programs Should Require Courses on Pedagogy” (March 16, 2023, Chronicle of Higher Education) by Benjamin Rifkin, Rebecca Natow, Nicholas Salter, and Shayla Shorter
Welcome to an inspiring episode featuring Madison Rifkin, the CEO and Founder of Mount. Madison's mission is to help hosts ditch the cookie-cutter STRs and turn your property into a money-making playground. Get ready to dive into Madison's inspiring journey, from owning her first business at age 12 to leading a thriving startup today. You'll score actionable tips you can implement right now to maximize the profits from your short-term rental business. Get ready to leave boring behind…this ain't your average Airbnb advice, ladies. Prepare to be wowed and empowered by this dynamic STR entrepreneur boss-lady! So ditch the mop and bucket, Airbnb hosts! Tune in to this episode of The STR Sisterhood and unlock the door to cleaning bliss with Turno. Oh, and don't forget to take advantage of the AMAZING $150 special offer Turno is offering to you as a listener! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/sisterhoodturno HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY POINTS: [03:05] Madison Rifkin's bio [04:09] A backstory about how she started her company, Mount [09:06] What inspired Madison to become an entrepreneur at age 12, and what was her experience like? [11:43] How can parents nurture entrepreneurial spirit in their kids? [13:55] What Madison has learned in her entrepreneurial journey [16:28] Is her mindset of continuous improvement inherent, or did she acquire it? [18:08] The current state of Mount [20:03] How can a property owner find out if there are experiences in their local area that they can connect with through Mount [21:08] Amenities you should have in your property to attract Gen Z [22:51] The rebranding process of Mount [26:31] What does a typical day look like for Madison as a business leader? [28:15] How she raised funds for her startup company [32:55] The Lightning Round [39:13] Best way to get in touch with Madison Rifkin Golden Nuggets Entrepreneurship is a massive rollercoaster with both high highs and low lows. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Fail fast and fail forward. Share the love: Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share! Let's Connect! Follow Madison Rifkin on; Website: https://www.rentmount.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-rifkin-23037712a/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rentmount Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rentmount/ Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/rentmount Follow Stacey St. John on; Website: https://staceystjohn.com/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/groups/911671659592801?_rdc=1&_rdr Fire link: https://lnk.to/z4iJAlgs
At the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, Oncology Data Advisor had the privilege of speaking with many distinguished clinicians and patient advocates about their research presented at the meeting. This podcast series features exclusive conversations on breaking data for novel therapies, technological innovations in hematology/oncology, efforts to reduce disparities and improve health equity, and more!
True Crime Podcast 2024 - REAL Police Interrogations, 911 Calls, True Police Stories and True Crime
Joel Rifkin Murdered 17 women - Serial Killer Documentary Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who murdered at least 17 women from 1989-1993 in New York. This documentary features Rifkin being interviewed by former FBI
Dr. Daniel Rifkin on developing Ognomy, an app to help those with sleep apnea.Sleep apnea is a disorder that is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Dr. Daniel Rifkin is trying to change that. This week Dr. Rifkin joins Clinton to talk about his app Ognomy, a global digital app to help people get treatment for sleep apnea, a disorder that can lead to a number of downstream effects. They discuss how Ognomy can help patients who currently have trouble getting treatment and how the flexible health care app was developed. Links: Ognomy
Author Jesse Rifkin joins hosts/bassists David C. Gross and Tom Semioli to discuss his new book THIS MUST BE THE PLACE: MUSIC COMMUNITY AND VANISHED SPACES IN NEW YORK CITY: A Fascinating History that examines how real estate, gentrification, community and the highs and lows of New York City itself shaped the city's music scenes from folk to house music. A Conversation with Jesse Rifkin Playlist
This Episode is going to blow your mind!! Erik Rifkin PhD, an environmental scientist and author of "The Illusion of certainty," and most recently his book, "Interpreting Health Risks and Benefits,"breaks down the huge difference between "Relative Risk" VS "Absolute Risk"...and the difference is staggering!! We look at many commonplace medical tests and treatments and how effective they actually are when viewed through the lens of absolute risk rather than relative risk. Learn just how effective, or not, test such as mammograms, bone density tests, PSA testing, colonoscopy's, cholesterol medication and more actually are. Prefer to watch this interview on YouTube? Check out the full episode here! We are making big changes by the end of the year and our shows will not be available on the regular platforms. The only way you will be able to access the content is directly through our newsletter. Please make sure to sign up for our newsletter here. Connect with Dr. Erik Rifkin: Email: Erifkin102@aol.com Check Out Our Preferred Air Purifier that We Use in Our Home here. Sign Up for the Nature Care SoulUtions Course here. Check out my latest book Nature Care SoulUtions: Reclaim Your Power To Heal here.
Credit Halloween coming up for this. You probably know that this podcast has a direct tie to public radio station WNCW — it is produced in studio there where I am program director — but its origin can be traced all the way back to the 2006 Podcaster Con in Chapel Hill, NC, where I witnessed an event reflecting and directing the medium at its inception point, and gathered ideas for my own eventual foray into long form audio. The idea that first came to life was the music talk show What It Is, which aired weekday mornings on WNCW beginning in September 2007 and running until April 2012. Starting with music writers/editors Jeff Eason and Fred Mills, we added writer, musician and WNCW old-time music host Carol Rifkin to the music roundtable before bringing in many more voices over the series' nearly five year run. In 2009 I began my first blog site for What It Is and started podcasting in earnest — you can reference those archives here. On What It Is, we had wide latitude and an almost infinite supply of material to work with — after all, most everyone on the show (and especially the late Jeff Eason, Fred Mills and Carol Rifkin) was a music nerd of the highest order, and could talk about their love of it for hours if you let them. One of the themes we explored more than once was science fiction themes in music, first in May 2009 and then again that July. Carol Rifkin was along for the first conversation, which was longer than when Jeff, Fred and I revisited the topic that summer. Almost fifteen years later, I am digging around for ideas to round out my Halloween themed radio show, and thought back to my days producing What It Is, wondering if we made any episodes touching on the holiday. While we did not make an explicitly Halloween-centered episode, we got a good bit of the way there with these conversations which will give you plenty of ideas for a space-age playlist as we travel back in time for this special holiday podcast of Southern Songs and Stories. Songs heard in this episode:“Forbidden Planet” film score opening theme, by Bebe and Louis Barron“Creature With The Atom Brain” by Roky Erikson, excerpt“Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, excerpt “The X Files” by Mark SnowThank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW.Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, which is worth a look. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick
Offer experiences without lifting a finger and get paid to do it. Mount brings experiences direct to your guests, from stay enhancements to local gems. These offerings help your STR properties be memorable to travelers, making you stand out among the rest. CEO Madi Rifkin returns to the podcast to explain and share an update from Mount, launching October 22. (But you can get early access by clicking here: https://www.rentmount.com/early-access) Check it out now on today's episode of The Fearless Investor Podcast. Want more tools, tricks, and resources? We have you covered! You can check out everything on www.fearlesskyle.com. Make sure to watch the video on the homepage to learn how to get your STR business started ASAP. Check out our Youtube channel where I bring you free long-form content to teach you exactly how I built my business: Click Here. And don't forget to subscribe and hit that "bell" icon to get notified every time we drop a new video. Follow me on instagram: @fearlesskyle And join one of the largest Facebook support groups for AirBnB hosts in the world! AirBnB Masterminds. This is my group, and I drop tons of tips in here. Click here to join. Disclaimer: None of the contents of this channel "The Fearless Investor" are meant as direct advice. The purpose of this channel is to inform and educate. It is the viewer's responsibility to decide if the education is something they will put into action. Kyle Stanley and the Fearless Investor Youtube Channel do not take responsibility for the results experienced by the listener/viewer.
Josh Rifkin, the Technology and Nature Specialist at the Statenberg-Loup JCC in Denver, Colorado, shares beautiful stories of building on children's brilliance and creating meaning through his collaborations with children and educators.
This week's podcast features serial entrepreneur, Mount founder and CEO, Madison Rifkin. Madi's unique story, starting with her first invention at the age of 12, is quite remarkable. Today she shares with us exactly what led her to that early invention, how she transformed that idea into a full blown experience-booking platform and the lessons she learned thus far as a female CEO and founder. Madi shares her journey of: How being a forgetful pre-teen led her to having her own patent at just 15 years old! Attending Northwestern University and developing her bike lock idea into a full-blown company COVID's impact on her bike lock business and the pivot to an experience-based business The value of high touch experiences over networking en masse The importance of being fully authentic and confident in yourself Want to learn more about Madi's amazing journey? I promise you will be inspired to act upon your ideas after this one! Tune in on your favorite listening app, on the website, or watch it on YouTube! Want to get to know Madi in person? Are you a STR operator attending VRMA International? If so, don't forget Madi and her team are hosting The Mount Cup October 22nd - a day of golfing, networking and competition to support STR advocacy. About Madison Rifkin Madi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mount. She's been recognized as the Short Term Rental industry's Rising Star two years in a row and is on a mission to change the way we travel. Connect with Madison LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-rifkin-23037712a/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mountamenities/ TikTok: @RentMount Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rentmount/ Interested in Mount? https://calendly.com/d/2hv-ynw-pvr/mount-demo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who, like Rex Heuermann lived on Long Island. He was arrested after police stopped him for an invalid plate on his car and that led to them finding the body of his last victim inside of the vehicle. After his arrest it was found out that he was a serial killer who was preying upon sexx workers and then strangling them in his car before dismembering them and dumping them. In this episode, we discuss RIfkin and Heuermann and some of the similarities they share as we continue to try and fit all of the pieces of the overall story together. (commercial at 7:19)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's 'haunting connection to serial killer Joel Rifkin' points to 'shared motive' | The US Sun (the-sun.com)This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5080327/advertisement
Joel Rifkin was a serial killer who, like Rex Heuermann lived on Long Island. He was arrested after police stopped him for an invalid plate on his car and that led to them finding the body of his last victim inside of the vehicle. After his arrest it was found out that he was a serial killer who was preying upon sexx workers and then strangling them in his car before dismembering them and dumping them. In this episode, we discuss RIfkin and Heuermann and some of the similarities they share as we continue to try and fit all of the pieces of the overall story together. (commercial at 7:19)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's 'haunting connection to serial killer Joel Rifkin' points to 'shared motive' | The US Sun (the-sun.com)This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5003294/advertisement
Madison Rifkin is the CEO of Mount. They are a 3-sided marketplace that connects Hosts, Local activity, and experience providers and guests to create an authentic, "travel like a local" experience. www.rentmount.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-rifkin-23037712a/ Watch Mike's free hotel case study at www.strsecrets.com/hotels Connect with the Hosts Michael Sjogren: Short Term Rental Secrets Facebook Group | Clubhouse | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook Page | Linkedin https://linktr.ee/the_airbnbguy Emanuele Pani: Clubhouse | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin Watch Mike's free masterclass training on www.strsecrets.com/masterclass Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In his long career as a scholar and conductor, Joshua Rifkin has done a lot: arranged for Judy Collins, performed in the first-ever marathon of "Vexations," helped lead the ragtime revival and, perhaps most importantly, totally upended the conventional wisdom about Bach's choral music. This is a conversation about all of that, and more: rich, insightful, and scandalous stories about one of the most fascinating lives a music scholar can lead. (Including: getting tipsy with John Cage, playing in a jug band, and fighting an entire generation of Bach scholars.)Joshua Rifkin is an acclaimed conductor and scholar.Show notes and more over at soundexpertise.org!Questions? Thoughts? Email soundexpertise00@gmail.com or tag Will on Instagram/Twitter @seatedovation
Finally! The influential Joshua Rifkin guests on the WTF Bach Podcast. Rifkin made Bach fame with his groundbreaking (and controversial!) theory that Bach's vocal works (and other 17th & 18th century) composers' works were sung with only one singer per part. He recorded the b minor mass, several cantatas, and other Bach works in this format. We spoke for almost three hours about ragtime, the Beatles, PDQ Bach (my distant uncle), even crossword puzzles, coffee and meditation. For this episode, though, I culled it quite severely to only that which deals with Bach's music. It's fascinating to hear him talk about his scholastic endeavors dealing with first-hand examination of source material. Do you agree with Rifkin? Do you like the sound of one singer per part? - - Follow Evan's instagram, because... well... it's the only one you should follow. - - Support us: https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach https://www.paypal.me/wtfbach https://venmo.com/wtfbach https://cash.app/$wtfbach -- Suggestions? Want Evan to analyze a specific piece of Bach? Have other questions for Evan about music or... anything... anything at all? Write us: bach@wtfbach.com
Architect of the theory of the Third Industrial Revolution, in which he thoroughly analyzes the economic, environmental, social and cultural impact of new technologies on the global economy, Rifkin is one of the most renowned contemporary communicators. He holds a degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he currently teaches, and another in International Affairs from the Fletchen School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Jeremy Rifkin is also the Founder and President of the Foundation for the Study of Economic Trends. He has served as an advisor to many governments and regularly advises the European Parliament on environmental, technology and energy security issues. A prolific author, he has written seminal works such as ‘The Empathic Civilization' and ‘The Green New Deal'. In his latest work, ‘The Age of Resilience', he analyzes the social and economic transformations that we must embrace to ensure our survival on Earth.
Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Stat” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even longer than the previous episode, but don't worry, that won't be the norm. There's a reason these two were much longer than average. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on "Codine" by the Charlatans. Errata I mispronounce Brent Mydland's name as Myland a couple of times, and in the introduction I say "Touch of Grey" came out in 1988 -- I later, correctly, say 1987. (I seem to have had a real problem with dates in the intro -- I also originally talked about "Blue Suede Shoes" being in 1954 before fixing it in the edit to be 1956) Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by the Grateful Dead, and Grayfolded runs to two hours. I referred to a lot of books for this episode, partly because almost everything about the Grateful Dead is written from a fannish perspective that already assumes background knowledge, rather than to provide that background knowledge. Of the various books I used, Dennis McNally's biography of the band and This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead by Blair Jackson and David Gans are probably most useful for the casually interested. Other books on the Dead I used included McNally's Jerry on Jerry, a collection of interviews with Garcia; Deal, Bill Kreutzmann's autobiography; The Grateful Dead FAQ by Tony Sclafani; So Many Roads by David Browne; Deadology by Howard F. Weiner; Fare Thee Well by Joel Selvin and Pamela Turley; and Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads by David Shenk and Steve Silberman. Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is the classic account of the Pranksters, though not always reliable. I reference Slaughterhouse Five a lot. As well as the novel itself, which everyone should read, I also read this rather excellent graphic novel adaptation, and The Writer's Crusade, a book about the writing of the novel. I also reference Ted Sturgeon's More Than Human. For background on the scene around Astounding Science Fiction which included Sturgeon, John W. Campbell, L. Ron Hubbard, and many other science fiction writers, I recommend Alec Nevala-Lee's Astounding. 1,000 True Fans can be read online, as can the essay on the Californian ideology, and John Perry Barlow's "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace". The best collection of Grateful Dead material is the box set The Golden Road, which contains all the albums released in Pigpen's lifetime along with a lot of bonus material, but which appears currently out of print. Live/Dead contains both the live version of "Dark Star" which made it well known and, as a CD bonus track, the original single version. And archive.org has more live recordings of the group than you can possibly ever listen to. Grayfolded can be bought from John Oswald's Bandcamp Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript [Excerpt: Tuning from "Grayfolded", under the warnings Before we begin -- as we're tuning up, as it were, I should mention that this episode contains discussions of alcoholism, drug addiction, racism, nonconsensual drugging of other people, and deaths from drug abuse, suicide, and car accidents. As always, I try to deal with these subjects as carefully as possible, but if you find any of those things upsetting you may wish to read the transcript rather than listen to this episode, or skip it altogether. Also, I should note that the members of the Grateful Dead were much freer with their use of swearing in interviews than any other band we've covered so far, and that makes using quotes from them rather more difficult than with other bands, given the limitations of the rules imposed to stop the podcast being marked as adult. If I quote anything with a word I can't use here, I'll give a brief pause in the audio, and in the transcript I'll have the word in square brackets. [tuning ends] All this happened, more or less. In 1910, T. S. Eliot started work on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", which at the time was deemed barely poetry, with one reviewer imagining Eliot saying "I'll just put down the first thing that comes into my head, and call it 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.'" It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature. In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death", a book in which the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, comes unstuck in time, and starts living a nonlinear life, hopping around between times reliving his experiences in the Second World War, and future experiences up to 1976 after being kidnapped by beings from the planet Tralfamadore. Or perhaps he has flashbacks and hallucinations after having a breakdown from PTSD. It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature or of science fiction, depending on how you look at it. In 1953, Theodore Sturgeon wrote More Than Human. It is now considered one of the great classics of science fiction. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. It is now considered either a bad piece of science fiction or one of the great revelatory works of religious history, depending on how you look at it. In 1994, 1995, and 1996 the composer John Oswald released, first as two individual CDs and then as a double-CD, an album called Grayfolded, which the composer says in the liner notes he thinks of as existing in Tralfamadorian time. The Tralfamadorians in Vonnegut's novels don't see time as a linear thing with a beginning and end, but as a continuum that they can move between at will. When someone dies, they just think that at this particular point in time they're not doing so good, but at other points in time they're fine, so why focus on the bad time? In the book, when told of someone dying, the Tralfamadorians just say "so it goes". In between the first CD's release and the release of the double-CD version, Jerry Garcia died. From August 1942 through August 1995, Jerry Garcia was alive. So it goes. Shall we go, you and I? [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Dark Star (Omni 3/30/94)"] "One principle has become clear. Since motives are so frequently found in combination, it is essential that the complex types be analyzed and arranged, with an eye kept single nevertheless to the master-theme under discussion. Collectors, both primary and subsidiary, have done such valiant service that the treasures at our command are amply sufficient for such studies, so extensive, indeed, that the task of going through them thoroughly has become too great for the unassisted student. It cannot be too strongly urged that a single theme in its various types and compounds must be made predominant in any useful comparative study. This is true when the sources and analogues of any literary work are treated; it is even truer when the bare motive is discussed. The Grateful Dead furnishes an apt illustration of the necessity of such handling. It appears in a variety of different combinations, almost never alone. Indeed, it is so widespread a tale, and its combinations are so various, that there is the utmost difficulty in determining just what may properly be regarded the original kernel of it, the simple theme to which other motives were joined. Various opinions, as we shall see, have been held with reference to this matter, most of them justified perhaps by the materials in the hands of the scholars holding them, but none quite adequate in view of later evidence." That's a quote from The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story, by Gordon Hall Gerould, published in 1908. Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five opens with a chapter about the process of writing the novel itself, and how difficult it was. He says "I would hate to tell you what this lousy little book cost me in money and anxiety and time. When I got home from the Second World War twenty-three years ago, I thought it would be easy for me to write about the destruction of Dresden, since all I would have to do would be to report what I had seen. And I thought, too, that it would be a masterpiece or at least make me a lot of money, since the subject was so big." This is an episode several of my listeners have been looking forward to, but it's one I've been dreading writing, because this is an episode -- I think the only one in the series -- where the format of the podcast simply *will not* work. Were the Grateful Dead not such an important band, I would skip this episode altogether, but they're a band that simply can't be ignored, and that's a real problem here. Because my intent, always, with this podcast, is to present the recordings of the artists in question, put them in context, and explain why they were important, what their music meant to its listeners. To put, as far as is possible, the positive case for why the music mattered *in the context of its time*. Not why it matters now, or why it matters to me, but why it matters *in its historical context*. Whether I like the music or not isn't the point. Whether it stands up now isn't the point. I play the music, explain what it was they were doing, why they were doing it, what people saw in it. If I do my job well, you come away listening to "Blue Suede Shoes" the way people heard it in 1956, or "Good Vibrations" the way people heard it in 1966, and understanding why people were so impressed by those records. That is simply *not possible* for the Grateful Dead. I can present a case for them as musicians, and hope to do so. I can explain the appeal as best I understand it, and talk about things I like in their music, and things I've noticed. But what I can't do is present their recordings the way they were received in the sixties and explain why they were popular. Because every other act I have covered or will cover in this podcast has been a *recording* act, and their success was based on records. They may also have been exceptional live performers, but James Brown or Ike and Tina Turner are remembered for great *records*, like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" or "River Deep, Mountain High". Their great moments were captured on vinyl, to be listened back to, and susceptible of analysis. That is not the case for the Grateful Dead, and what is worse *they explicitly said, publicly, on multiple occasions* that it is not possible for me to understand their art, and thus that it is not possible for me to explain it. The Grateful Dead did make studio records, some of them very good. But they always said, consistently, over a thirty year period, that their records didn't capture what they did, and that the only way -- the *only* way, they were very clear about this -- that one could actually understand and appreciate their music, was to see them live, and furthermore to see them live while on psychedelic drugs. [Excerpt: Grateful Dead crowd noise] I never saw the Grateful Dead live -- their last UK performance was a couple of years before I went to my first ever gig -- and I have never taken a psychedelic substance. So by the Grateful Dead's own criteria, it is literally impossible for me to understand or explain their music the way that it should be understood or explained. In a way I'm in a similar position to the one I was in with La Monte Young in the last episode, whose music it's mostly impossible to experience without being in his presence. This is one reason of several why I placed these two episodes back to back. Of course, there is a difference between Young and the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead allowed -- even encouraged -- the recording of their live performances. There are literally thousands of concert recordings in circulation, many of them of professional quality. I have listened to many of those, and I can hear what they were doing. I can tell you what *I* think is interesting about their music, and about their musicianship. And I think I can build up a good case for why they were important, and why they're interesting, and why those recordings are worth listening to. And I can certainly explain the cultural phenomenon that was the Grateful Dead. But just know that while I may have found *a* point, *an* explanation for why the Grateful Dead were important, by the band's own lights and those of their fans, no matter how good a job I do in this episode, I *cannot* get it right. And that is, in itself, enough of a reason for this episode to exist, and for me to try, even harder than I normally do, to get it right *anyway*. Because no matter how well I do my job this episode will stand as an example of why this series is called "*A* History", not *the* history. Because parts of the past are ephemeral. There are things about which it's true to say "You had to be there". I cannot know what it was like to have been an American the day Kennedy was shot, I cannot know what it was like to be alive when a man walked on the Moon. Those are things nobody my age or younger can ever experience. And since August the ninth, 1995, the experience of hearing the Grateful Dead's music the way they wanted it heard has been in that category. And that is by design. Jerry Garcia once said "if you work really hard as an artist, you may be able to build something they can't tear down, you know, after you're gone... What I want to do is I want it here. I want it now, in this lifetime. I want what I enjoy to last as long as I do and not last any longer. You know, I don't want something that ends up being as much a nuisance as it is a work of art, you know?" And there's another difficulty. There are only two points in time where it makes sense to do a podcast episode on the Grateful Dead -- late 1967 and early 1968, when the San Francisco scene they were part of was at its most culturally relevant, and 1988 when they had their only top ten hit and gained their largest audience. I can't realistically leave them out of the story until 1988, so it has to be 1968. But the songs they are most remembered for are those they wrote between 1970 and 1972, and those songs are influenced by artists and events we haven't yet covered in the podcast, who will be getting their own episodes in the future. I can't explain those things in this episode, because they need whole episodes of their own. I can't not explain them without leaving out important context for the Grateful Dead. So the best I can do is treat the story I'm telling as if it were in Tralfamadorian time. All of it's happening all at once, and some of it is happening in different episodes that haven't been recorded yet. The podcast as a whole travels linearly from 1938 through to 1999, but this episode is happening in 1968 and 1972 and 1988 and 1995 and other times, all at once. Sometimes I'll talk about things as if you're already familiar with them, but they haven't happened yet in the story. Feel free to come unstuck in time and revisit this time after episode 167, and 172, and 176, and 192, and experience it again. So this has to be an experimental episode. It may well be an experiment that you think fails. If so, the next episode is likely to be far more to your taste, and much shorter than this or the last episode, two episodes that between them have to create a scaffolding on which will hang much of the rest of this podcast's narrative. I've finished my Grateful Dead script now. The next one I write is going to be fun: [Excerpt: Grateful Dead, "Dark Star"] Infrastructure means everything. How we get from place to place, how we transport goods, information, and ourselves, makes a big difference in how society is structured, and in the music we hear. For many centuries, the prime means of long-distance transport was by water -- sailing ships on the ocean, canal boats and steamboats for inland navigation -- and so folk songs talked about the ship as both means of escape, means of making a living, and in some senses as a trap. You'd go out to sea for adventure, or to escape your problems, but you'd find that the sea itself brought its own problems. Because of this we have a long, long tradition of sea shanties which are known throughout the world: [Excerpt: A. L. Lloyd, "Off to Sea Once More"] But in the nineteenth century, the railway was invented and, at least as far as travel within a landmass goes, it replaced the steamboat in the popular imaginary. Now the railway was how you got from place to place, and how you moved freight from one place to another. The railway brought freedom, and was an opportunity for outlaws, whether train robbers or a romanticised version of the hobo hopping onto a freight train and making his way to new lands and new opportunity. It was the train that brought soldiers home from wars, and the train that allowed the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the industrial North. There would still be songs about the riverboats, about how ol' man river keeps rolling along and about the big river Johnny Cash sang about, but increasingly they would be songs of the past, not the present. The train quickly replaced the steamboat in the iconography of what we now think of as roots music -- blues, country, folk, and early jazz music. Sometimes this was very literal. Furry Lewis' "Kassie Jones" -- about a legendary train driver who would break the rules to make sure his train made the station on time, but who ended up sacrificing his own life to save his passengers in a train crash -- is based on "Alabamy Bound", which as we heard in the episode on "Stagger Lee", was about steamboats: [Excerpt: Furry Lewis, "Kassie Jones"] In the early episodes of this podcast we heard many, many, songs about the railway. Louis Jordan saying "take me right back to the track, Jack", Rosetta Tharpe singing about how "this train don't carry no gamblers", the trickster freight train driver driving on the "Rock Island Line", the mystery train sixteen coaches long, the train that kept-a-rollin' all night long, the Midnight Special which the prisoners wished would shine its ever-loving light on them, and the train coming past Folsom Prison whose whistle makes Johnny Cash hang his head and cry. But by the 1960s, that kind of song had started to dry up. It would happen on occasion -- "People Get Ready" by the Impressions is the most obvious example of the train metaphor in an important sixties record -- but by the late sixties the train was no longer a symbol of freedom but of the past. In 1969 Harry Nilsson sang about how "Nobody Cares About the Railroads Any More", and in 1968 the Kinks sang about "The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains". When in 1968 Merle Haggard sang about a freight train, it was as a memory, of a child with hopes that ended up thwarted by reality and his own nature: [Excerpt: Merle Haggard, "Mama Tried"] And the reason for this was that there had been another shift, a shift that had started in the forties and accelerated in the late fifties but had taken a little time to ripple through the culture. Now the train had been replaced in the popular imaginary by motorised transport. Instead of hopping on a train without paying, if you had no money in your pocket you'd have to hitch-hike all the way. Freedom now meant individuality. The ultimate in freedom was the biker -- the Hell's Angels who could go anywhere, unburdened by anything -- and instead of goods being moved by freight train, increasingly they were being moved by truck drivers. By the mid-seventies, truck drivers took a central place in American life, and the most romantic way to live life was to live it on the road. On The Road was also the title of a 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac, which was one of the first major signs of this cultural shift in America. Kerouac was writing about events in the late forties and early fifties, but his book was also a precursor of the sixties counterculture. He wrote the book on one continuous sheet of paper, as a stream of consciousness. Kerouac died in 1969 of an internal haemmorage brought on by too much alcohol consumption. So it goes. But the big key to this cultural shift was caused by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, a massive infrastructure spending bill that led to the construction of the modern American Interstate Highway system. This accelerated a program that had already started, of building much bigger, safer, faster roads. It also, as anyone who has read Robert Caro's The Power Broker knows, reinforced segregation and white flight. It did this both by making commuting into major cities from the suburbs easier -- thus allowing white people with more money to move further away from the cities and still work there -- and by bulldozing community spaces where Black people lived. More than a million people lost their homes and were forcibly moved, and orders of magnitude more lost their communities' parks and green spaces. And both as a result of deliberate actions and unconscious bigotry, the bulk of those affected were Black people -- who often found themselves, if they weren't forced to move, on one side of a ten-lane highway where the park used to be, with white people on the other side of the highway. The Federal-Aid Highway Act gave even more power to the unaccountable central planners like Robert Moses, the urban planner in New York who managed to become arguably the most powerful man in the city without ever getting elected, partly by slowly compromising away his early progressive ideals in the service of gaining more power. Of course, not every new highway was built through areas where poor Black people lived. Some were planned to go through richer areas for white people, just because you can't completely do away with geographical realities. For example one was planned to be built through part of San Francisco, a rich, white part. But the people who owned properties in that area had enough political power and clout to fight the development, and after nearly a decade of fighting it, the development was called off in late 1966. But over that time, many of the owners of the impressive buildings in the area had moved out, and they had no incentive to improve or maintain their properties while they were under threat of demolition, so many of them were rented out very cheaply. And when the beat community that Kerouac wrote about, many of whom had settled in San Francisco, grew too large and notorious for the area of the city they were in, North Beach, many of them moved to these cheap homes in a previously-exclusive area. The area known as Haight-Ashbury. [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Grayfolded"] Stories all have their starts, even stories told in Tralfamadorian time, although sometimes those starts are shrouded in legend. For example, the story of Scientology's start has been told many times, with different people claiming to have heard L. Ron Hubbard talk about how writing was a mug's game, and if you wanted to make real money, you needed to get followers, start a religion. Either he said this over and over and over again, to many different science fiction writers, or most science fiction writers of his generation were liars. Of course, the definition of a writer is someone who tells lies for money, so who knows? One of the more plausible accounts of him saying that is given by Theodore Sturgeon. Sturgeon's account is more believable than most, because Sturgeon went on to be a supporter of Dianetics, the "new science" that Hubbard turned into his religion, for decades, even while telling the story. The story of the Grateful Dead probably starts as it ends, with Jerry Garcia. There are three things that everyone writing about the Dead says about Garcia's childhood, so we might as well say them here too. The first is that he was named by a music-loving father after Jerome Kern, the songwriter responsible for songs like "Ol' Man River" (though as Oscar Hammerstein's widow liked to point out, "Jerome Kern wrote dum-dum-dum-dum, *my husband* wrote 'Ol' Man River'" -- an important distinction we need to bear in mind when talking about songwriters who write music but not lyrics). The second is that when he was five years old that music-loving father drowned -- and Garcia would always say he had seen his father dying, though some sources claim this was a false memory. So it goes. And the third fact, which for some reason is always told after the second even though it comes before it chronologically, is that when he was four he lost two joints from his right middle finger. Garcia grew up a troubled teen, and in turn caused trouble for other people, but he also developed a few interests that would follow him through his life. He loved the fantastical, especially the fantastical macabre, and became an avid fan of horror and science fiction -- and through his love of old monster films he became enamoured with cinema more generally. Indeed, in 1983 he bought the film rights to Kurt Vonnegut's science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan, the first story in which the Tralfamadorians appear, and wrote a script based on it. He wanted to produce the film himself, with Francis Ford Coppola directing and Bill Murray starring, but most importantly for him he wanted to prevent anyone who didn't care about it from doing it badly. And in that he succeeded. As of 2023 there is no film of The Sirens of Titan. He loved to paint, and would continue that for the rest of his life, with one of his favourite subjects being Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster. And when he was eleven or twelve, he heard for the first time a record that was hugely influential to a whole generation of Californian musicians, even though it was a New York record -- "Gee" by the Crows: [Excerpt: The Crows, "Gee"] Garcia would say later "That was an important song. That was the first kind of, like where the voices had that kind of not-trained-singer voices, but tough-guy-on-the-street voice." That record introduced him to R&B, and soon he was listening to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, to Ray Charles, and to a record we've not talked about in the podcast but which was one of the great early doo-wop records, "WPLJ" by the Four Deuces: [Excerpt: The Four Deuces, "WPLJ"] Garcia said of that record "That was one of my anthem songs when I was in junior high school and high school and around there. That was one of those songs everybody knew. And that everybody sang. Everybody sang that street-corner favorite." Garcia moved around a lot as a child, and didn't have much time for school by his own account, but one of the few teachers he did respect was an art teacher when he was in North Beach, Walter Hedrick. Hedrick was also one of the earliest of the conceptual artists, and one of the most important figures in the San Francisco arts scene that would become known as the Beat Generation (or the Beatniks, which was originally a disparaging term). Hedrick was a painter and sculptor, but also organised happenings, and he had also been one of the prime movers in starting a series of poetry readings in San Francisco, the first one of which had involved Allen Ginsberg giving the first ever reading of "Howl" -- one of a small number of poems, along with Eliot's "Prufrock" and "The Waste Land" and possibly Pound's Cantos, which can be said to have changed twentieth-century literature. Garcia was fifteen when he got to know Hedrick, in 1957, and by then the Beat scene had already become almost a parody of itself, having become known to the public because of the publication of works like On the Road, and the major artists in the scene were already rejecting the label. By this point tourists were flocking to North Beach to see these beatniks they'd heard about on TV, and Hedrick was actually employed by one cafe to sit in the window wearing a beret, turtleneck, sandals, and beard, and draw and paint, to attract the tourists who flocked by the busload because they could see that there was a "genuine beatnik" in the cafe. Hedrick was, as well as a visual artist, a guitarist and banjo player who played in traditional jazz bands, and he would bring records in to class for his students to listen to, and Garcia particularly remembered him bringing in records by Big Bill Broonzy: [Excerpt: Big Bill Broonzy, "When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too)"] Garcia was already an avid fan of rock and roll music, but it was being inspired by Hedrick that led him to get his first guitar. Like his contemporary Paul McCartney around the same time, he was initially given the wrong instrument as a birthday present -- in Garcia's case his mother gave him an accordion -- but he soon persuaded her to swap it for an electric guitar he saw in a pawn shop. And like his other contemporary, John Lennon, Garcia initially tuned his instrument incorrectly. He said later "When I started playing the guitar, believe me, I didn't know anybody that played. I mean, I didn't know anybody that played the guitar. Nobody. They weren't around. There were no guitar teachers. You couldn't take lessons. There was nothing like that, you know? When I was a kid and I had my first electric guitar, I had it tuned wrong and learned how to play on it with it tuned wrong for about a year. And I was getting somewhere on it, you know… Finally, I met a guy that knew how to tune it right and showed me three chords, and it was like a revelation. You know what I mean? It was like somebody gave me the key to heaven." He joined a band, the Chords, which mostly played big band music, and his friend Gary Foster taught him some of the rudiments of playing the guitar -- things like how to use a capo to change keys. But he was always a rebellious kid, and soon found himself faced with a choice between joining the military or going to prison. He chose the former, and it was during his time in the Army that a friend, Ron Stevenson, introduced him to the music of Merle Travis, and to Travis-style guitar picking: [Excerpt: Merle Travis, "Nine-Pound Hammer"] Garcia had never encountered playing like that before, but he instantly recognised that Travis, and Chet Atkins who Stevenson also played for him, had been an influence on Scotty Moore. He started to realise that the music he'd listened to as a teenager was influenced by music that went further back. But Stevenson, as well as teaching Garcia some of the rudiments of Travis-picking, also indirectly led to Garcia getting discharged from the Army. Stevenson was not a well man, and became suicidal. Garcia decided it was more important to keep his friend company and make sure he didn't kill himself than it was to turn up for roll call, and as a result he got discharged himself on psychiatric grounds -- according to Garcia he told the Army psychiatrist "I was involved in stuff that was more important to me in the moment than the army was and that was the reason I was late" and the psychiatrist thought it was neurotic of Garcia to have his own set of values separate from that of the Army. After discharge, Garcia did various jobs, including working as a transcriptionist for Lenny Bruce, the comedian who was a huge influence on the counterculture. In one of the various attacks over the years by authoritarians on language, Bruce was repeatedly arrested for obscenity, and in 1961 he was arrested at a jazz club in North Beach. Sixty years ago, the parts of speech that were being criminalised weren't pronouns, but prepositions and verbs: [Excerpt: Lenny Bruce, "To is a Preposition, Come is a Verb"] That piece, indeed, was so controversial that when Frank Zappa quoted part of it in a song in 1968, the record label insisted on the relevant passage being played backwards so people couldn't hear such disgusting filth: [Excerpt: The Mothers of Invention, "Harry You're a Beast"] (Anyone familiar with that song will understand that the censored portion is possibly the least offensive part of the whole thing). Bruce was facing trial, and he needed transcripts of what he had said in his recordings to present in court. Incidentally, there seems to be some confusion over exactly which of Bruce's many obscenity trials Garcia became a transcriptionist for. Dennis McNally says in his biography of the band, published in 2002, that it was the most famous of them, in autumn 1964, but in a later book, Jerry on Jerry, a book of interviews of Garcia edited by McNally, McNally talks about it being when Garcia was nineteen, which would mean it was Bruce's first trial, in 1961. We can put this down to the fact that many of the people involved, not least Garcia, lived in Tralfamadorian time, and were rather hazy on dates, but I'm placing the story here rather than in 1964 because it seems to make more sense that Garcia would be involved in a trial based on an incident in San Francisco than one in New York. Garcia got the job, even though he couldn't type, because by this point he'd spent so long listening to recordings of old folk and country music that he was used to transcribing indecipherable accents, and often, as Garcia would tell it, Bruce would mumble very fast and condense multiple syllables into one. Garcia was particularly impressed by Bruce's ability to improvise but talk in entire paragraphs, and he compared his use of language to bebop. Another thing that was starting to impress Garcia, and which he also compared to bebop, was bluegrass: [Excerpt: Bill Monroe, "Fire on the Mountain"] Bluegrass is a music that is often considered very traditional, because it's based on traditional songs and uses acoustic instruments, but in fact it was a terribly *modern* music, and largely a postwar creation of a single band -- Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. And Garcia was right when he said it was "white bebop" -- though he did say "The only thing it doesn't have is the harmonic richness of bebop. You know what I mean? That's what it's missing, but it has everything else." Both bebop and bluegrass evolved after the second world war, though they were informed by music from before it, and both prized the ability to improvise, and technical excellence. Both are musics that involved playing *fast*, in an ensemble, and being able to respond quickly to the other musicians. Both musics were also intensely rhythmic, a response to a faster paced, more stressful world. They were both part of the general change in the arts towards immediacy that we looked at in the last episode with the creation first of expressionism and then of pop art. Bluegrass didn't go into the harmonic explorations that modern jazz did, but it was absolutely as modern as anything Charlie Parker was doing, and came from the same impulses. It was tradition and innovation, the past and the future simultaneously. Bill Monroe, Jackson Pollock, Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Lenny Bruce were all in their own ways responding to the same cultural moment, and it was that which Garcia was responding to. But he didn't become able to play bluegrass until after a tragedy which shaped his life even more than his father's death had. Garcia had been to a party and was in a car with his friends Lee Adams, Paul Speegle, and Alan Trist. Adams was driving at ninety miles an hour when they hit a tight curve and crashed. Garcia, Adams, and Trist were all severely injured but survived. Speegle died. So it goes. This tragedy changed Garcia's attitudes totally. Of all his friends, Speegle was the one who was most serious about his art, and who treated it as something to work on. Garcia had always been someone who fundamentally didn't want to work or take any responsibility for anything. And he remained that way -- except for his music. Speegle's death changed Garcia's attitude to that, totally. If his friend wasn't going to be able to practice his own art any more, Garcia would practice his, in tribute to him. He resolved to become a virtuoso on guitar and banjo. His girlfriend of the time later said “I don't know if you've spent time with someone rehearsing ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown' on a banjo for eight hours, but Jerry practiced endlessly. He really wanted to excel and be the best. He had tremendous personal ambition in the musical arena, and he wanted to master whatever he set out to explore. Then he would set another sight for himself. And practice another eight hours a day of new licks.” But of course, you can't make ensemble music on your own: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia and Bob Hunter, "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" (including end)] "Evelyn said, “What is it called when a person needs a … person … when you want to be touched and the … two are like one thing and there isn't anything else at all anywhere?” Alicia, who had read books, thought about it. “Love,” she said at length." That's from More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, a book I'll be quoting a few more times as the story goes on. Robert Hunter, like Garcia, was just out of the military -- in his case, the National Guard -- and he came into Garcia's life just after Paul Speegle had left it. Garcia and Alan Trist met Hunter ten days after the accident, and the three men started hanging out together, Trist and Hunter writing while Garcia played music. Garcia and Hunter both bonded over their shared love for the beats, and for traditional music, and the two formed a duo, Bob and Jerry, which performed together a handful of times. They started playing together, in fact, after Hunter picked up a guitar and started playing a song and halfway through Garcia took it off him and finished the song himself. The two of them learned songs from the Harry Smith Anthology -- Garcia was completely apolitical, and only once voted in his life, for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to keep Goldwater out, and regretted even doing that, and so he didn't learn any of the more political material people like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan were doing at the time -- but their duo only lasted a short time because Hunter wasn't an especially good guitarist. Hunter would, though, continue to jam with Garcia and other friends, sometimes playing mandolin, while Garcia played solo gigs and with other musicians as well, playing and moving round the Bay Area and performing with whoever he could: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia, "Railroad Bill"] "Bleshing, that was Janie's word. She said Baby told it to her. She said it meant everyone all together being something, even if they all did different things. Two arms, two legs, one body, one head, all working together, although a head can't walk and arms can't think. Lone said maybe it was a mixture of “blending” and “meshing,” but I don't think he believed that himself. It was a lot more than that." That's from More Than Human In 1961, Garcia and Hunter met another young musician, but one who was interested in a very different type of music. Phil Lesh was a serious student of modern classical music, a classically-trained violinist and trumpeter whose interest was solidly in the experimental and whose attitude can be summed up by a story that's always told about him meeting his close friend Tom Constanten for the first time. Lesh had been talking with someone about serialism, and Constanten had interrupted, saying "Music stopped being created in 1750 but it started again in 1950". Lesh just stuck out his hand, recognising a kindred spirit. Lesh and Constanten were both students of Luciano Berio, the experimental composer who created compositions for magnetic tape: [Excerpt: Luciano Berio, "Momenti"] Berio had been one of the founders of the Studio di fonologia musicale di Radio Milano, a studio for producing contemporary electronic music where John Cage had worked for a time, and he had also worked with the electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Lesh would later remember being very impressed when Berio brought a tape into the classroom -- the actual multitrack tape for Stockhausen's revolutionary piece Gesang Der Juenglinge: [Excerpt: Karlheinz Stockhausen, "Gesang Der Juenglinge"] Lesh at first had been distrustful of Garcia -- Garcia was charismatic and had followers, and Lesh never liked people like that. But he was impressed by Garcia's playing, and soon realised that the two men, despite their very different musical interests, had a lot in common. Lesh was interested in the technology of music as well as in performing and composing it, and so when he wasn't studying he helped out by engineering at the university's radio station. Lesh was impressed by Garcia's playing, and suggested to the presenter of the station's folk show, the Midnight Special, that Garcia be a guest. Garcia was so good that he ended up getting an entire solo show to himself, where normally the show would feature multiple acts. Lesh and Constanten soon moved away from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, but both would be back -- in Constanten's case he would form an experimental group in San Francisco with their fellow student Steve Reich, and that group (though not with Constanten performing) would later premiere Terry Riley's In C, a piece influenced by La Monte Young and often considered one of the great masterpieces of minimalist music. By early 1962 Garcia and Hunter had formed a bluegrass band, with Garcia on guitar and banjo and Hunter on mandolin, and a rotating cast of other musicians including Ken Frankel, who played banjo and fiddle. They performed under different names, including the Tub Thumpers, the Hart Valley Drifters, and the Sleepy Valley Hog Stompers, and played a mixture of bluegrass and old-time music -- and were very careful about the distinction: [Excerpt: The Hart Valley Drifters, "Cripple Creek"] In 1993, the Republican political activist John Perry Barlow was invited to talk to the CIA about the possibilities open to them with what was then called the Information Superhighway. He later wrote, in part "They told me they'd brought Steve Jobs in a few weeks before to indoctrinate them in modern information management. And they were delighted when I returned later, bringing with me a platoon of Internet gurus, including Esther Dyson, Mitch Kapor, Tony Rutkowski, and Vint Cerf. They sealed us into an electronically impenetrable room to discuss the radical possibility that a good first step in lifting their blackout would be for the CIA to put up a Web site... We told them that information exchange was a barter system, and that to receive, one must also be willing to share. This was an alien notion to them. They weren't even willing to share information among themselves, much less the world." 1962 brought a new experience for Robert Hunter. Hunter had been recruited into taking part in psychological tests at Stanford University, which in the sixties and seventies was one of the preeminent universities for psychological experiments. As part of this, Hunter was given $140 to attend the VA hospital (where a janitor named Ken Kesey, who had himself taken part in a similar set of experiments a couple of years earlier, worked a day job while he was working on his first novel) for four weeks on the run, and take different psychedelic drugs each time, starting with LSD, so his reactions could be observed. (It was later revealed that these experiments were part of a CIA project called MKUltra, designed to investigate the possibility of using psychedelic drugs for mind control, blackmail, and torture. Hunter was quite lucky in that he was told what was going to happen to him and paid for his time. Other subjects included the unlucky customers of brothels the CIA set up as fronts -- they dosed the customers' drinks and observed them through two-way mirrors. Some of their experimental subjects died by suicide as a result of their experiences. So it goes. ) Hunter was interested in taking LSD after reading Aldous Huxley's writings about psychedelic substances, and he brought his typewriter along to the experiment. During the first test, he wrote a six-page text, a short excerpt from which is now widely quoted, reading in part "Sit back picture yourself swooping up a shell of purple with foam crests of crystal drops soft nigh they fall unto the sea of morning creep-very-softly mist ... and then sort of cascade tinkley-bell-like (must I take you by the hand, ever so slowly type) and then conglomerate suddenly into a peal of silver vibrant uncomprehendingly, blood singingly, joyously resounding bells" Hunter's experience led to everyone in their social circle wanting to try LSD, and soon they'd all come to the same conclusion -- this was something special. But Garcia needed money -- he'd got his girlfriend pregnant, and they'd married (this would be the first of several marriages in Garcia's life, and I won't be covering them all -- at Garcia's funeral, his second wife, Carolyn, said Garcia always called her the love of his life, and his first wife and his early-sixties girlfriend who he proposed to again in the nineties both simultaneously said "He said that to me!"). So he started teaching guitar at a music shop in Palo Alto. Hunter had no time for Garcia's incipient domesticity and thought that his wife was trying to make him live a conventional life, and the two drifted apart somewhat, though they'd still play together occasionally. Through working at the music store, Garcia got to know the manager, Troy Weidenheimer, who had a rock and roll band called the Zodiacs. Garcia joined the band on bass, despite that not being his instrument. He later said "Troy was a lot of fun, but I wasn't good enough a musician then to have been able to deal with it. I was out of my idiom, really, 'cause when I played with Troy I was playing electric bass, you know. I never was a good bass player. Sometimes I was playing in the wrong key and didn't even [fuckin'] know it. I couldn't hear that low, after playing banjo, you know, and going to electric...But Troy taught me the principle of, hey, you know, just stomp your foot and get on it. He was great. A great one for the instant arrangement, you know. And he was also fearless for that thing of get your friends to do it." Garcia's tenure in the Zodiacs didn't last long, nor did this experiment with rock and roll, but two other members of the Zodiacs will be notable later in the story -- the harmonica player, an old friend of Garcia's named Ron McKernan, who would soon gain the nickname Pig Pen after the Peanuts character, and the drummer, Bill Kreutzmann: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Drums/Space (Skull & Bones version)"] Kreutzmann said of the Zodiacs "Jerry was the hired bass player and I was the hired drummer. I only remember playing that one gig with them, but I was in way over my head. I always did that. I always played things that were really hard and it didn't matter. I just went for it." Garcia and Kreutzmann didn't really get to know each other then, but Garcia did get to know someone else who would soon be very important in his life. Bob Weir was from a very different background than Garcia, though both had the shared experience of long bouts of chronic illness as children. He had grown up in a very wealthy family, and had always been well-liked, but he was what we would now call neurodivergent -- reading books about the band he talks about being dyslexic but clearly has other undiagnosed neurodivergences, which often go along with dyslexia -- and as a result he was deemed to have behavioural problems which led to him getting expelled from pre-school and kicked out of the cub scouts. He was never academically gifted, thanks to his dyslexia, but he was always enthusiastic about music -- to a fault. He learned to play boogie piano but played so loudly and so often his parents sold the piano. He had a trumpet, but the neighbours complained about him playing it outside. Finally he switched to the guitar, an instrument with which it is of course impossible to make too loud a noise. The first song he learned was the Kingston Trio's version of an old sea shanty, "The Wreck of the John B": [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "The Wreck of the John B"] He was sent off to a private school in Colorado for teenagers with behavioural issues, and there he met the boy who would become his lifelong friend, John Perry Barlow. Unfortunately the two troublemakers got on with each other *so* well that after their first year they were told that it was too disruptive having both of them at the school, and only one could stay there the next year. Barlow stayed and Weir moved back to the Bay Area. By this point, Weir was getting more interested in folk music that went beyond the commercial folk of the Kingston Trio. As he said later "There was something in there that was ringing my bells. What I had grown up thinking of as hillbilly music, it started to have some depth for me, and I could start to hear the music in it. Suddenly, it wasn't just a bunch of ignorant hillbillies playing what they could. There was some depth and expertise and stuff like that to aspire to.” He moved from school to school but one thing that stayed with him was his love of playing guitar, and he started taking lessons from Troy Weidenheimer, but he got most of his education going to folk clubs and hootenannies. He regularly went to the Tangent, a club where Garcia played, but Garcia's bluegrass banjo playing was far too rigorous for a free spirit like Weir to emulate, and instead he started trying to copy one of the guitarists who was a regular there, Jorma Kaukonnen. On New Year's Eve 1963 Weir was out walking with his friends Bob Matthews and Rich Macauley, and they passed the music shop where Garcia was a teacher, and heard him playing his banjo. They knocked and asked if they could come in -- they all knew Garcia a little, and Bob Matthews was one of his students, having become interested in playing banjo after hearing the theme tune to the Beverly Hillbillies, played by the bluegrass greats Flatt and Scruggs: [Excerpt: Flatt and Scruggs, "The Beverly Hillbillies"] Garcia at first told these kids, several years younger than him, that they couldn't come in -- he was waiting for his students to show up. But Weir said “Jerry, listen, it's seven-thirty on New Year's Eve, and I don't think you're going to be seeing your students tonight.” Garcia realised the wisdom of this, and invited the teenagers in to jam with him. At the time, there was a bit of a renaissance in jug bands, as we talked about back in the episode on the Lovin' Spoonful. This was a form of music that had grown up in the 1920s, and was similar and related to skiffle and coffee-pot bands -- jug bands would tend to have a mixture of portable string instruments like guitars and banjos, harmonicas, and people using improvised instruments, particularly blowing into a jug. The most popular of these bands had been Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, led by banjo player Gus Cannon and with harmonica player Noah Lewis: [Excerpt: Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, "Viola Lee Blues"] With the folk revival, Cannon's work had become well-known again. The Rooftop Singers, a Kingston Trio style folk group, had had a hit with his song "Walk Right In" in 1963, and as a result of that success Cannon had even signed a record contract with Stax -- Stax's first album ever, a month before Booker T and the MGs' first album, was in fact the eighty-year-old Cannon playing his banjo and singing his old songs. The rediscovery of Cannon had started a craze for jug bands, and the most popular of the new jug bands was Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, which did a mixture of old songs like "You're a Viper" and more recent material redone in the old style. Weir, Matthews, and Macauley had been to see the Kweskin band the night before, and had been very impressed, especially by their singer Maria D'Amato -- who would later marry her bandmate Geoff Muldaur and take his name -- and her performance of Leiber and Stoller's "I'm a Woman": [Excerpt: Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, "I'm a Woman"] Matthews suggested that they form their own jug band, and Garcia eagerly agreed -- though Matthews found himself rapidly moving from banjo to washboard to kazoo to second kazoo before realising he was surplus to requirements. Robert Hunter was similarly an early member but claimed he "didn't have the embouchure" to play the jug, and was soon also out. He moved to LA and started studying Scientology -- later claiming that he wanted science-fictional magic powers, which L. Ron Hubbard's new religion certainly offered. The group took the name Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions -- apparently they varied the spelling every time they played -- and had a rotating membership that at one time or another included about twenty different people, but tended always to have Garcia on banjo, Weir on jug and later guitar, and Garcia's friend Pig Pen on harmonica: [Excerpt: Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions, "On the Road Again"] The group played quite regularly in early 1964, but Garcia's first love was still bluegrass, and he was trying to build an audience with his bluegrass band, The Black Mountain Boys. But bluegrass was very unpopular in the Bay Area, where it was simultaneously thought of as unsophisticated -- as "hillbilly music" -- and as elitist, because it required actual instrumental ability, which wasn't in any great supply in the amateur folk scene. But instrumental ability was something Garcia definitely had, as at this point he was still practising eight hours a day, every day, and it shows on the recordings of the Black Mountain Boys: [Excerpt: The Black Mountain Boys, "Rosa Lee McFall"] By the summer, Bob Weir was also working at the music shop, and so Garcia let Weir take over his students while he and the Black Mountain Boys' guitarist Sandy Rothman went on a road trip to see as many bluegrass musicians as they could and to audition for Bill Monroe himself. As it happened, Garcia found himself too shy to audition for Monroe, but Rothman later ended up playing with Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. On his return to the Bay Area, Garcia resumed playing with the Uptown Jug Champions, but Pig Pen started pestering him to do something different. While both men had overlapping tastes in music and a love for the blues, Garcia's tastes had always been towards the country end of the spectrum while Pig Pen's were towards R&B. And while the Uptown Jug Champions were all a bit disdainful of the Beatles at first -- apart from Bob Weir, the youngest of the group, who thought they were interesting -- Pig Pen had become enamoured of another British band who were just starting to make it big: [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "Not Fade Away"] 29) Garcia liked the first Rolling Stones album too, and he eventually took Pig Pen's point -- the stuff that the Rolling Stones were doing, covers of Slim Harpo and Buddy Holly, was not a million miles away from the material they were doing as Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions. Pig Pen could play a little electric organ, Bob had been fooling around with the electric guitars in the music shop. Why not give it a go? The stuff bands like the Rolling Stones were doing wasn't that different from the electric blues that Pig Pen liked, and they'd all seen A Hard Day's Night -- they could carry on playing with banjos, jugs, and kazoos and have the respect of a handful of folkies, or they could get electric instruments and potentially have screaming girls and millions of dollars, while playing the same songs. This was a convincing argument, especially when Dana Morgan Jr, the son of the owner of the music shop, told them they could have free electric instruments if they let him join on bass. Morgan wasn't that great on bass, but what the hell, free instruments. Pig Pen had the best voice and stage presence, so he became the frontman of the new group, singing most of the leads, though Jerry and Bob would both sing a few songs, and playing harmonica and organ. Weir was on rhythm guitar, and Garcia was the lead guitarist and obvious leader of the group. They just needed a drummer, and handily Bill Kreutzmann, who had played with Garcia and Pig Pen in the Zodiacs, was also now teaching music at the music shop. Not only that, but about three weeks before they decided to go electric, Kreutzmann had seen the Uptown Jug Champions performing and been astonished by Garcia's musicianship and charisma, and said to himself "Man, I'm gonna follow that guy forever!" The new group named themselves the Warlocks, and started rehearsing in earnest. Around this time, Garcia also finally managed to get some of the LSD that his friend Robert Hunter had been so enthusiastic about three years earlier, and it was a life-changing experience for him. In particular, he credited LSD with making him comfortable being a less disciplined player -- as a bluegrass player he'd had to be frighteningly precise, but now he was playing rock and needed to loosen up. A few days after taking LSD for the first time, Garcia also heard some of Bob Dylan's new material, and realised that the folk singer he'd had little time for with his preachy politics was now making electric music that owed a lot more to the Beat culture Garcia considered himself part of: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"] Another person who was hugely affected by hearing that was Phil Lesh, who later said "I couldn't believe that was Bob Dylan on AM radio, with an electric band. It changed my whole consciousness: if something like that could happen, the sky was the limit." Up to that point, Lesh had been focused entirely on his avant-garde music, working with friends like Steve Reich to push music forward, inspired by people like John Cage and La Monte Young, but now he realised there was music of value in the rock world. He'd quickly started going to rock gigs, seeing the Rolling Stones and the Byrds, and then he took acid and went to see his friend Garcia's new electric band play their third ever gig. He was blown away, and very quickly it was decided that Lesh would be the group's new bass player -- though everyone involved tells a different story as to who made the decision and how it came about, and accounts also vary as to whether Dana Morgan took his sacking gracefully and let his erstwhile bandmates keep their instruments, or whether they had to scrounge up some new ones. Lesh had never played bass before, but he was a talented multi-instrumentalist with a deep understanding of music and an ability to compose and improvise, and the repertoire the Warlocks were playing in the early days was mostly three-chord material that doesn't take much rehearsal -- though it was apparently beyond the abilities of poor Dana Morgan, who apparently had to be told note-by-note what to play by Garcia, and learn it by rote. Garcia told Lesh what notes the strings of a bass were tuned to, told him to borrow a guitar and practice, and within two weeks he was on stage with the Warlocks: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, “Grayfolded"] In September 1995, just weeks after Jerry Garcia's death, an article was published in Mute magazine identifying a cultural trend that had shaped the nineties, and would as it turned out shape at least the next thirty years. It's titled "The Californian Ideology", though it may be better titled "The Bay Area Ideology", and it identifies a worldview that had grown up in Silicon Valley, based around the ideas of the hippie movement, of right-wing libertarianism, of science fiction authors, and of Marshall McLuhan. It starts "There is an emerging global orthodoxy concerning the relation between society, technology and politics. We have called this orthodoxy `the Californian Ideology' in honour of the state where it originated. By naturalising and giving a technological proof to a libertarian political philosophy, and therefore foreclosing on alternative futures, the Californian Ideologues are able to assert that social and political debates about the future have now become meaningless. The California Ideology is a mix of cybernetics, free market economics, and counter-culture libertarianism and is promulgated by magazines such as WIRED and MONDO 2000 and preached in the books of Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and others. The new faith has been embraced by computer nerds, slacker students, 30-something capitalists, hip academics, futurist bureaucrats and even the President of the USA himself. As usual, Europeans have not been slow to copy the latest fashion from America. While a recent EU report recommended adopting the Californian free enterprise model to build the 'infobahn', cutting-edge artists and academics have been championing the 'post-human' philosophy developed by the West Coast's Extropian cult. With no obvious opponents, the global dominance of the Californian ideology appears to be complete." [Excerpt: Grayfolded] The Warlocks' first gig with Phil Lesh on bass was on June the 18th 1965, at a club called Frenchy's with a teenage clientele. Lesh thought his playing had been wooden and it wasn't a good gig, and apparently the management of Frenchy's agreed -- they were meant to play a second night there, but turned up to be told they'd been replaced by a band with an accordion and clarinet. But by September the group had managed to get themselves a residency at a small bar named the In Room, and playing there every night made them cohere. They were at this point playing the kind of sets that bar bands everywhere play to this day, though at the time the songs they were playing, like "Gloria" by Them and "In the Midnight Hour", were the most contemporary of hits. Another song that they introduced into their repertoire was "Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful, another band which had grown up out of former jug band musicians. As well as playing their own sets, they were also the house band at The In Room and as such had to back various touring artists who were the headline acts. The first act they had to back up was Cornell Gunter's version of the Coasters. Gunter had brought his own guitarist along as musical director, and for the first show Weir sat in the audience watching the show and learning the parts, staring intently at this musical director's playing. After seeing that, Weir's playing was changed, because he also picked up how the guitarist was guiding the band while playing, the small cues that a musical director will use to steer the musicians in the right direction. Weir started doing these things himself when he was singing lead -- Pig Pen was the frontman but everyone except Bill sang sometimes -- and the group soon found that rather than Garcia being the sole leader, now whoever was the lead singer for the song was the de facto conductor as well. By this point, the Bay Area was getting almost overrun with people forming electric guitar bands, as every major urban area in America was. Some of the bands were even having hits already -- We Five had had a number three hit with "You Were On My Mind", a song which had originally been performed by the folk duo Ian and Sylvia: [Excerpt: We Five, "You Were On My Mind"] Although the band that was most highly regarded on the scene, the Charlatans, was having problems with the various record companies they tried to get signed to, and didn't end up making a record until 1969. If tracks like "Number One" had been released in 1965 when they were recorded, the history of the San Francisco music scene may have taken a very different turn: [Excerpt: The Charlatans, "Number One"] Bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Great Society, and Big Brother and the Holding Company were also forming, and Autumn Records was having a run of success with records by the Beau Brummels, whose records were produced by Autumn's in-house A&R man, Sly Stone: [Excerpt: The Beau Brummels, "Laugh Laugh"] The Warlocks were somewhat cut off from this, playing in a dive bar whose clientele was mostly depressed alcoholics. But the fact that they were playing every night for an audience that didn't care much gave them freedom, and they used that freedom to improvise. Both Lesh and Garcia were big fans of John Coltrane, and they started to take lessons from his style of playing. When the group played "Gloria" or "Midnight Hour" or whatever, they started to extend the songs and give themselves long instrumental passages for soloing. Garcia's playing wasn't influenced *harmonically* by Coltrane -- in fact Garcia was always a rather harmonically simple player. He'd tend to play lead lines either in Mixolydian mode, which is one of the most standard modes in rock, pop, blues, and jazz, or he'd play the notes of the chord that was being played, so if the band were playing a G chord his lead would emphasise the notes G, B, and D. But what he was influenced by was Coltrane's tendency to improvise in long, complex, phrases that made up a single thought -- Coltrane was thinking musically in paragraphs, rather than sentences, and Garcia started to try the same kind of th
As we conclude the tale of one of the sleaziest serial killers of Long Island's history, the boys discuss Rifkin's sinister daily routine, how his own impotence fueled a desire to kill, and the sloppy series of events that would result in him being caught red handed with a body in the bed of his truck.
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