Book Talk: Live Dead: The Grateful Dead, Live Recordings, and the Ideology of Liveness

Join us for the second of two author talks this semester celebrating the launch of a new book series from Duke University Press, "Studies in the Grateful Dead," exploring the iconic rock band's lasting impact on American culture and the "long strange trip" their music is still taking today.

The Grateful Dead were one of the most successful live acts of the rock era. Performing more than 2,300 shows between 1965 and 1995, the Grateful Dead's reputation as a "live band" was and continues to be sustained by thousands of live concert recordings from every era of the group's long and colorful career.

In "Live Dead," musicologist John Brackett examines how live recordings-from the group's official releases to fan-produced tapes, bootlegs to "Betty Boards," and Dick's Picks to From the Vault-have shaped the general history and popular mythology of the Grateful Dead for more than fifty years.

This is the second of two author talks celebrating the launch of the new Duke University Press series, "Studies in the Grateful Dead." The first talk will take place on February 2, featuring Michael Kaler, author of "Get Shown the Light: Improvisation and Transcendence in the Music of the Grateful Dead."

Light refreshments will be served. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Registration is optional but encouraged to help estimate attendance.