GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Workingman’s Dead 50, Episode 6: Black Peter

Date: August 13, 2020
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Special Guests: Graham Nash, Gary Lambert, Roni Stanley, Sean O’Donnell, Buzz Poole

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the origins, meaning, and evolution of “Black Peter,” one of the most emotionally resonant tracks from the Grateful Dead’s seminal album, Workingman’s Dead. Through interviews, archival audio, and musical analysis, hosts and guests explore the song’s harrowing psychedelic backstory, its somber role in the Dead’s repertoire, its connections to folk and classical influences, and how its impact has grown over time.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Darkness and Depth of "Black Peter"

• [03:08] Graham Nash: Praises “Black Peter” as “one of my favorites… a tearjerker… just the emotion that Jerry [Garcia] was able to convey….”
• [03:32] Gary Lambert: Describes it as “maybe the single darkest thing in the [Dead’s] repertoire… incredibly mournful,” with Robert Hunter’s “obliqueness” letting listeners fill in the narrative’s gaps.
  • Quote: “They never hesitated to kill your buzz––in a positive way.” (04:02)
  • The Dead would juxtapose upbeat, danceable tunes with intense meditations like “Black Peter,” forcing audiences to "confront your own mortality."

2. The LSD-Fueled Origins

• [07:59] Jerry Garcia describes chaos at Fillmore West (June 8, 1969)—a night marked by double-dosed LSD punch backstage, which derailed multiple performers, including Janis Joplin’s band.
  • “Poor Phil [Lesh] had to be led on stage by Mickey. I don’t even know if we played that night. ...We were out of it. That was bad.” (08:31)
• [10:25] Roni Stanley (Owsley’s partner): Details how a notorious dealer ("Goldfinger") dosed acid punch, inadvertently double-dosing the punch already prepared by Owsley Stanley.
  • Janis Joplin’s new band, some never having tried LSD, were inadvertently caught up. Some were hospitalized.
  • Roni found Robert Hunter “crouched between the gutter and the sidewalk… mumbling, not coherent” (11:39). She and Terry the Tramp (a Hells Angel) brought him to safety.
• Hunter’s Psychedelic Ordeal:
  • Consumed (estimated) 1,000+ micrograms LSD—“he was gone. He was really high. And it’s not a high that makes you happy… It’s painful. ...He went through that dying of the ego, all the aspects he was attached to.” (15:28)
  • By Dennis McNally’s account, Hunter “experienced every assassination he knew of, dying with JFK and Lincoln, among many other trips.”
  • Hunter later wrote, “That incident effectively marked paid to my acid career. Someone who has crawled naked across the Sahara doesn’t spend much time in tanning parlors.” (18:40)

3. Writing and Shaping "Black Peter"

• Roni Stanley (19:34): After the trip, Hunter focused on confronting his fears: “If you have a fear, meet that fear and then it will dissipate. If you’re afraid of dying, meet your death.”
• [22:42] Cultural and Literary Roots:
  • Black Peter figures appear in European and Russian folklore, fantasy novels (T.H. White’s “Once and Future King”), and even Czech New Wave film (“Czerne Peter”).
  • Buchner’s opera “Wojcick” cited as a rhythm influence; tragic subject matter resonates in the lyrics.
• [25:07] Robert Hunter: Originally conceived “Black Peter” as a “jumpy little tune,” referencing Rusty & Doug Kershaw's “Louisiana Man” as an early model.
  • Quote: “Garcia took it seriously, dressing it in subtle changes, in a mournful tempo.”
• [27:00] Musicologist Sean O’Donnell:
  • “You think you just have a kind of blues dirge going on at the beginning... but then there’s this harmonic interlude… a dream sequence. ...Not everyone would go so far afield.” (27:00)

4. Journey from Studio to Stage

• Debuted live in December 1969 at Fillmore West, notably right after Altamont.
• [30:00] Studio Sessions:
  • Outtakes reveal “fine-tuning and the introduction of new ideas… creative process didn’t completely stop when they got to the studio,” says Gary Lambert.
  • “Pigpen’s organ… not present in much Dead music by that point… comes in at just the right point. ...A bit of harmonica as well. Small details that reward repeated listenings.” (31:31)
• Vocal Harmonies and Production:
  • Garcia double-tracked vocals, later joined live by Donna Jean Godchaux and others.
  • Song became a “gang singalong” during Brent Mydland’s late-80s tenure.

5. Influence and Cross-Pollination with Crosby, Stills & Nash

• [33:59] Jerry Garcia: On coming down from the trip, he’s “imprinted” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s debut, listening to it 19 times at Nikki Scully’s house.
• [34:58] Graham Nash: Recounts inviting Jerry Garcia to play pedal steel on “Teach Your Children.”
  • “He set up his steel guitar... played the track… I go, ‘That was amazing! …That was fantastic. The spirit of what you played.’”
  • Declares Garcia made the song a radio hit with his playing. (38:17)
• [38:38] Nash dispels the myth: CSN didn’t teach the Dead how to harmonize, but “we were just showing them how we did it… and they went, ‘Wow, okay, simple. We can do that.’”

6. The Song’s Evolution and Place in Grateful Dead Lore

• [46:42] Buzz Poole: On “Black Peter” as an “ode to death” whose power grew as the band aged; the song “evolved alongside the audience.”
  • “You’re up there basically watching a specter of death sing a song about death… That’s not the case in ‘69/’70. ... Black Peter is one song that certainly would have a evolving kind of way, the impact it would have on the audience.” (46:42)
• Return in 1977: Garcia’s voice aged, the song found “its own kind of soulful quiet”; became a vocal showcase for the entire band by late '80s (e.g., 7/12/89 RFK Stadium [49:19]).
• Run & See Finale: The climactic “run and see” solo became the big payoff in later performances.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Gary Lambert [04:02]: “They never hesitated to kill your buzz in a very positive way… Make you confront your own mortality. It might be a song like Black Peter… that could really make that happen.”
• Jerry Garcia [08:31]: “I just, I wet my lips on that... I got really stoned. ...20 minutes later, there was people just coming apart all around is the truth.”
• Roni Stanley [11:39]: “We found Hunter sort of crouched between the gutter and the sidewalk, mumbling... Not coherent. ...Bear went and got him. …He was really high. ...A high that makes you not feel one with the divine.”
• Robert Hunter via correspondence [18:40]: “That incident effectively marked paid to my acid career. Someone who’s crawled naked across the Sahara doesn’t spend much time in tanning parlors.”
• Sean O'Donnell [27:00]: “You think you just have a kind of blues dirge... then there's this harmonic interlude… a dream passage.”
• Graham Nash [34:58]: “He set up his steel guitar... played the track for him... ‘That was amazing! …The spirit of what you played… that’s the spirit of Teach Your Children.’”
• Buzz Poole [46:42]: “It is an ode to death… Over time, it became much more powerful… At times, you’re up there basically watching a specter of death sing a song about death.”

Musical Highlights (with Timestamps)

• [25:07]: Rusty & Doug Kershaw’s “Louisiana Man” (inspiration)
• [27:36]: Early live draft, Fillmore West, December 1969
• [30:53]: Angel’s Share outtakes: alternate takes highlighting vocals and arrangement
• [48:03]: Red Rocks, July 7, 1978: Garcia’s nuanced vocal
• [49:19]: RFK Stadium, July 12, 1989: full-band singalong and solo

The Legacy of “Black Peter”

By tracing Black Peter from its accidental acid inception through decades of Dead concerts, the episode illustrates how the song matured along with the band, deepening in resonance for fans and performers alike. Its meditation on mortality, set against musical and personal transformation, makes it a recurring touchstone in Grateful Dead history.

Final Reflections

• Both hosts and guests stress how “Black Peter” and other Dead songs mean different things at different stages of life.
  • Rich Mahan [50:32]: “Certainly Black Peter has evolved to mean more to me as I age, and the song is just haunting, familiar, comforting and disturbing all at the same time. If that’s even possible.”
• The episode closes with the message that the music’s meaning grows richer as listeners and the band evolve together.

This episode offers one of the most in-depth explorations of “Black Peter”’s creation, themes, performance history, and ability to move hearts across generations. Essential listening for Deadheads and the curious alike.