GOOD OL’ GRATEFUL DEADCAST
American Beauty 50, Episode 10: Truckin’
Date: December 10, 2020
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Featured Voices: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Robert Hunter, David Lemieux, Gary Lambert, Stephen Barncard, and others
Overview
This episode of the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast wraps up the podcast’s track-by-track exploration of the Grateful Dead’s legendary album American Beauty with “Truckin’,” exploring the song’s creation, stories from the road, studio sessions, lyrical deep dives, and its evolution into one of the Dead’s most iconic and culturally resonant tunes. The episode is rich with archival interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, musical analysis, cultural context, and candid Dead humor.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. “Truckin’” as a Grateful Dead Anthem
- [03:34] David Lemieux: The song became central to the Dead experience, a rare co-write among Garcia, Weir, Lesh, and Hunter, and was among the most recognized in their catalog.
- [04:06] Gary Lambert: “It had that tremendous locomotion to it… it could open a show, it could morph into the Other One, it could fulfill a lot of purposes… it remains just exhilarating to hear.”
2. Etymology & Cultural History of “Truckin’”
- [06:58–09:52] The word and concept of “truckin’” predates the Dead, tracing back to Harlem dance crazes, 1930s blues (“Keep on Truckin’”), and even comics (R. Crumb’s Zap Comix).
- Blind Boy Fuller’s 1936 “Truckin’ My Blues Away” and 1920s Duke Ellington orchestra are cited as forerunners.
3. Origins and Songwriting Process
- [10:46] Bob Weir: Hunter traveled with the band to absorb experiences for the lyrics, making “Truckin’” a mostly autobiographical road song.
- [11:33] Robert Hunter (WLIR 1978 Interview): “I wrote that verse to verse pretty much on the road. A few lines about Texas, I wrote down in Dallas and I wrote down the verses about Buffalo up in Buffalo.”
- [31:02] Bob Weir: The music was shaped poolside in Florida, collaboratively by Garcia, Weir, Lesh, with Hunter bringing finished lyrics.
4. Lyric & Musical Deep Dives
- Tongue Twisters & Delivery:
- [14:21] Bob Weir: “Jerry wanted me to sing it… do a sort of a Chuck Berry delivery, because the words came fast. Try saying ‘arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street’ over and over real fast. It's all tongue twisters… Hunter’s way of having sport with us.”
- Lyrical References:
- “Dallas got a soft machine” – likely a nod to William S. Burroughs, not the band.
- “Busted down on Bourbon Street” – a direct recounting of the New Orleans drug bust (detailed at [26:06–29:54]).
- “What a long, strange trip it’s been” – now part of the cultural lexicon.
- [23:13] Gary Lambert: “Even from those of us whose job is to promote and protect the legacy, that line is out there… it's quite remarkable to know how ubiquitous that song is in popular culture.”
5. Recording the Studio Version
- [37:19] David Lemieux: The song came alive in the studio, with a powerful bassline (Phil Lesh) and driving rhythm. Alternate mixes reveal intriguing outtakes, overdubs (Howard Wales’s Hammond organ), and playful moments (possible use of cap guns in the studio).
- [43:47] David Lemieux & [43:50] Stephen Barncard: The original jam would dissolve into improv or another tune (“Frozen Logger”), which never made it to the final fade-out version.
6. Art & Visuals
- [56:04] The American Beauty cover art, crafted by Alton Kelly, incorporates intentional doubly readable lettering (“Beauty”/“Reality”), echoing the layered nature of the band’s music and mythos.
- Planned back cover photo of the band with guns was nixed by Hunter for its connotations.
7. Release, Chart Performance, and Aftermath
- [62:16] Gary Lambert: Reminisces about the anticipation and excitement for American Beauty in NYC as it dropped.
- [66:44] The process of tracking live shows at the Capitol Theatre for what would become the Skull & Roses live album began before American Beauty was even out.
- [73:13] David Lemieux: The single edit reached #64 on Billboard (“Truckin’ by the Grateful Dead is rising from the Dead’s American Beauty album on Warners…” – Billboard ad).
8. Evolution as a Live Jam
- [74:44] Jerry Garcia: Hunter intended “Truckin’” as a “continuing chronology,” adding verses as the band’s story unfolded — some new verses emerged but remained mostly in Hunter’s solo sets post-1978.
- The song’s jams, particularly in the Europe ‘72 and 1973/74 tours, launched into new territory and became a key moment for audience unity.
- [82:13] Gary Lambert: Describes the collective experience and euphoria of 17,000 fists in the air at MSG: “Truckin’ was the one guaranteed way to make that happen. And it wasn’t gimmicky at all.”
9. Cultural Impact and Cover Versions
- [83:04] “What a long, strange trip it’s been” becomes embedded in popular media far beyond the Dead, reportedly used even by Howard Cosell on ABC Sports.
- The song is covered in many genres — punk, country (Dwight Yoakam), lullaby, and by the Dead’s own later configurations (e.g., Fare Thee Well 2015).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Jerry Garcia [03:43]: “Come on, man. Play Truckin. Play Truckin. We’ll play whatever we like.”
- Bob Weir [10:46]: “It was more or less an autobiographical account of nameless, faceless Grateful Dead band member in their travels and travails of life.”
- Robert Hunter [19:05]: “Sometimes the light’s all shining on me / Other times I can barely see.”
- Gary Lambert [23:13]: “At this point, that line (‘what a long, strange trip it’s been’) is in the public domain.”
- Jerry Garcia [29:36]: “[New Orleans bust] It was a trauma, but it was also when it happened, it was funny ... but never, never life threatening, you know what I mean?”
- Stephen Barncard [43:50]: “My outtake of Truckin’. It goes on and they go into some other tune and... it just ends up in a heap.”
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
- [03:14] – Lyrical introduction: “You’re sick of hanging around and you like to travel…”
- [04:41] – Explaining “Truckin’s” flexibility in live sets
- [10:46] – Bob Weir & Hunter on writing “Truckin’”
- [14:21] – Weir on “Chuck Berry delivery” & lyrical tongue-twisters
- [19:05] – “Sometimes the light’s all shining on me…”
- [23:32] – The enigma of “Sweet Jane”; influence of 1940s ad jingles
- [26:06–29:54] – The New Orleans bust: foundational to the “Truckin’” lore
- [31:02] – Poolside songwriting session: collaborative creation
- [34:25] – Early acoustic version with Pigpen
- [37:19] – Studio experimentation and Howard Wales’s organ
- [43:47] – Frozen Logger coda and goofing in the studio
- [56:04] – Creating the album artwork and scrapping the gun photo
- [66:44] – Birth of Skull & Roses live taping
- [73:13] – Single edit and chart performance
- [74:44] – Hunter’s notion of a “continuing chronology”
- [82:13] – Ultimate live audience experience (MSG, 1980s)
- [83:04] – “What a long, strange trip it’s been” entering pop culture
The Enduring Legacy
- “Truckin’” grew from a specific, autobiographical road song into a communal anthem, a vehicle for improvisation and catharsis, and a phrase (“What a long, strange trip it’s been”) that has become uncoupled from the band to live in the world.
- Covers, adaptations, and references are legion, and the spirit of the track still brings Deadheads — and non-Deadheads — together for a shared moment.
- Gary Lambert [83:59]: “To this day you hear ‘what a long, strange trip it’s been’… It's applicable to good things and bad... It works... this year, 2020, is a year for reflection, if nothing else, but I think that this song, this album, will be able to have that relevance for 50 more years.”
Conclusion
This episode not only chronicles the creation and cultural ascendance of “Truckin’” but also explores how a single song can encapsulate the ethos of a band, the shifting tides of American culture, and the enduring power of music as living, changing communal art. The spirit of the Grateful Dead, as captured in “Truckin’,” continues to inspire and bring people together across time and space.