GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

From the Mars Hotel 50: Scarlet Begonias

Release Date: May 23, 2024
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Featured Guests: David Lemieux, Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend), Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Ron Rakow, Lee Jaffe, Alan Trist, Brian Kehew, Sean O’Donnell, Steve Hurlburt, and others

Episode Overview

This episode commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s From the Mars Hotel, with a special deep-dive into "Scarlet Begonias," one of the band's most beloved songs. Prompted by the upcoming anniversary reissue, hosts Rich Mahan and Jesse Jarnow—joined by key guests—trace the origins, musical construction, and cultural imprint of "Scarlet Begonias," highlighting its connections to reggae, the evolution of its performance, the nearly mythical pairing with "Fire on the Mountain," and its resonance as both a classic tune and springboard for ecstatic Dead experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context & Debut

• "Scarlet Begonias" debuted live on March 23, 1974, at the Cow Palace and was recorded a week later for From the Mars Hotel (04:00–05:00).

• The track quickly became a cornerstone of the Grateful Dead’s repertoire, despite never being released as a single (07:10).

• Guest Insight: Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) calls it “the Platonic ideal of a Grateful Dead song—an amazing Garcia/Hunter composition, idiosyncratic instrumentals, and cosmic lyrics.” [05:23]

2. Scarlet’s Roots: Reggae & International Influence

• The Dead’s exposure to Bob Marley and Jamaican music in late 1973 heavily influenced the rhythmic feel of "Scarlet Begonias" (08:48–11:00, 36:09).
• There was a near-miss business partnership between the Grateful Dead and Bob Marley: Marley almost signed to Grateful Dead Records, but the deal fell through, partly due to philosophical differences ("I'm gratefully alive, not dead"). [23:37]

Notable Quote:

“I can’t be on a label called Grateful Dead because I’m gratefully alive.” —Bob Marley, relayed by Lee Jaffe [24:25]

3. British Connection & Songwriting Process

• Lyricist Robert Hunter wrote "Scarlet Begonias" while living in London, inspired by an encounter in Grosvenor Square—its original chorus included "Bristol Girls" [32:08–32:52].

• The lyrics condense a long story, aiming for “visual motifs... up to anybody to interpret” [06:39].

• Robert Hunter:

“It was originally pages and pages long… finally got honed down to just the basic moves.” [32:14]

4. Musical Construction & Studio Recording

• "Scarlet Begonias" is lauded for its rhythmic complexity, blending Jamaican grooves with American rock.

• The song features five unique keyboard parts (piano, harpsichord, B3, acoustic guitar and notably, the Roland synthesizer), underlining the Dead’s sonic innovation (46:01, 51:34, 53:09).

• Brian Kehew (studio tech):

“There’s a little, not very large, not very fancy, but good sounding Roland synthesizer… they’re actually just doing very tasteful parts.” [51:36, 54:00]

• Drummer Chris Tomson:
  Highlights Bill Kreutzmann’s improvisational, “off-kilter” drumming, which contributes to the "waviness of the whole song" [45:40–46:30].

5. Interpretation & Impact of Hunter’s Lyrics

• Iconic lyric: “Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”
• The lyric “the sky was yellow and the sun was blue” prompts a visual art project and upcoming book by Steve Hurlburt; artists and Deadheads share their interpretations, ranging from mystical to humorous (62:44–68:16).

Notable Quotes:

“Negative inversion, refraction… the whole entire song is all contradictions, things that can’t be.” —Steve Hurlburt [66:58]
“When they play it, I love the reaction of the crowd on that part… it just means everything’s going great.” —Fan interviews [68:16]

6. Evolution in Live Performance: The Scarlet–Fire Connection

• In 1977, “Scarlet Begonias” was paired with “Fire on the Mountain,” creating “Scarlet–Fire”—an iconic live jam sequence [07:38]
• The pairing is seen as a musical “lightning-in-a-bottle.”
• Later performances expanded the song’s jam, providing a flexible space for improvisation and audience participation (89:34–93:21).

Notable Commentary:

“I’ve always looked at Scarlet–Fire as three songs—Scarlet, Fire, and the jam in between—because it’s unique every time in the moment.” —David Lemieux [95:38]

• Delves into the most famous version—Cornell 5/8/77—often cited as a defining Scarlet–Fire [94:45–95:52].
• Song structure, lyricism, and improvisation analyzed by musicologists and authors, including Sean O’Donnell and Michael Koehler (Get Shown the Light), who link the transcendent aspect of the song to religious experience:

  “You can set up favorable conditions for getting shown the light. It’s not totally a spontaneous, random thing all the time...” —Michael Koehler [99:31]

7. Technical Innovations & Live Sound—The Wall of Sound

• Scarlet Begonias evolved alongside the Dead’s “Wall of Sound” PA system, and the podcast explores experiments with sound technology (81:10–86:23).
• The episode discusses challenges such as Bear’s phase-cancelling microphones and the infamous metal-clad piano cluster, reflecting the Dead’s DIY, boundary-pushing ethos.

8. Transmission & Afterlife: Covers, Legacy, and the Next Generation

• "Scarlet Begonias" has been covered by Sublime (1992), Phish, and others, remaining a gateway Dead song for many (112:23–115:36).
• Chris Tomson narrates how the Sublime cover was his actual intro to the Dead, while DJ Rubes and Nick Paumgarten share personal stories of formative encounters (107:44–109:22).
• Exploration of the song’s presence in modern jam bands (Phish, Vampire Weekend, Taper’s Choice) and ongoing cultural reach.

Notable Quote:

“It was happening music, and that was the beginning of my love affair with the Grateful Dead.” —Nick Rubin, on first hearing Scarlet Begonias [109:22]

Structured Episode Timeline

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:59 | Introduction: From the Mars Hotel deep dive | | 03:28 | Opener: The lyric & magic of "Scarlet Begonias" | | 05:12 | David Lemieux & Chris Tomson on what makes Scarlet special | | 08:48 | The Bob Marley connection; reggae influence | | 23:37 | Why Marley didn’t sign with the Dead | | 32:08 | Robert Hunter: Writing "Bristol Girls"/early drafts | | 36:42 | Garcia on musical inspiration: Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, reggae | | 45:40 | Drums, rhythm & workshopping the groove | | 51:34 | Deep dive: Synths, keyboards, studio experimentation | | 62:44 | "The sky was yellow..."—Art & meanings | | 89:34 | Live jamming, early Scarlet–Fire, performance expansion | | 94:45 | The legendary "Cornell 77" Scarlet–Fire | | 98:43 | Musicology: Transcendence, improvisation, "getting shown the light" | | 112:23 | Covers: Sublime, Phish, legacy in modern bands | | 119:41 | Vampire Weekend & Dead's influence on the next generation |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the instant impact of the debut:

  “When they played it at Santa Barbara, it was like a total bomb had dropped. People in the stands were like, what the hell just happened?” —Jeff Gould [04:46]

• On bookending reality & fantasy:

  “I knew right away she was not like other girls. The end, the lesson he’s learned the hard way, the light he’s been shown, is to not make his own desire for a woman into something he knows about her.” —Andrew Shields [34:23]

• On the cosmic lyric:

  “Once in a while, you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.” —Garcia/Hunter [50:37]

• On the Dead’s role as a musical school:

  “The Dead will forever be the best case study of what a band could be or should be… if you like music history and the nuts and bolts, the Dead are just far and away.” —Chris Tomson [122:51]

Final Thoughts

The episode encapsulates "Scarlet Begonias" as a song at the intersection of craft and cosmic chance—uniquely honed by Hunter and Garcia, yet mutable in the hands of the band and listeners over generations. The tune’s playful and mystical character radiates through its recording, its jams, and its place in Dead folklore, proving why it continues to inspire, surprise, and evoke communal joy fifty years on.

Recommended Listening:

• From the Mars Hotel (remastered 50th anniversary edition)
• Scarlet–Fire jams: Cow Palace '74, Santa Barbara '74, Cornell '77, Miami '74, Hartford '74, Fox Theatre '81

Further Info:

• Art & interpretations: Sky Yellow, Sun Blue: The Art of Scarlet Begonias (Steve Hurlburt)
• Dead.net/deadcast for transcripts, links, and bonus resources