Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead
Gives you a glimpse into the artists who risked their lives in search of a transcendental moment via the right combo of chords and camaraderie.
Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead
The 30-year odyssey of the Grateful Dead was the most unlikely success story in rock ’n’ roll history. Famously averse to publicity and seemingly incapable of recording radio-friendly hits, they flouted music-industry convention by giving their live music away to a global network of tape traders and becoming the highest-grossing concert act in America through word of mouth alone.
Directed by Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Long Strange Trip is the first full-length documentary to explore the fiercely independent vision, perpetual innovation, and uncompromising commitment to their audience that made the Bay Area band one of the most influential musical groups of their generation. The film provides poignant insight into the psyche of late lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, whose disdain for authority clashed with his de facto leadership of the sprawling collective that kept the show on the road.
With a soundtrack that captures some of the band’s most dynamic live performances as well as unguarded offstage moments and never-before-seen interviews, footage and photos, Long Strange Trip explores the Dead’s singular experiment in radically eclectic music making. The film is at once an inspiring tale of unfettered artistic expression, a heartfelt American tragedy, and an incisive history of the rise and fall of 20th-century counterculture.
The running time includes a 20-minute intermission.
Directed by Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Long Strange Trip is the first full-length documentary to explore the fiercely independent vision, perpetual innovation, and uncompromising commitment to their audience that made the Bay Area band one of the most influential musical groups of their generation. The film provides poignant insight into the psyche of late lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, whose disdain for authority clashed with his de facto leadership of the sprawling collective that kept the show on the road.
With a soundtrack that captures some of the band’s most dynamic live performances as well as unguarded offstage moments and never-before-seen interviews, footage and photos, Long Strange Trip explores the Dead’s singular experiment in radically eclectic music making. The film is at once an inspiring tale of unfettered artistic expression, a heartfelt American tragedy, and an incisive history of the rise and fall of 20th-century counterculture.
The running time includes a 20-minute intermission.
Genre
Documentary,
Rock Doc,
Music,
Pop Culture
Runtime
261
Language
English
Director
Amir Bar-Lev
Cast
Dennis McNally,
Alan Trist,
Bob Weir,
Bill Kreutzmann,
Mickey Hart,
Sam Cutler,
Joe Smith,
Steve Parish,
Al Franken,
Steve Silberman,
Nick Paumgarten,
Robert Hunter
You know what? Relatively speaking, the trip of the proto jam-band the Grateful Dead wasn’t all that long, and it wasn’t really all that strange. These guys were rock stars, for good and bad. Amir Bar-Lev’s excellent, definitive film on the Haight-Ashbury acid-testers is long – four fly-by hours – ...
Played at
Monica Film Center 5.25.17 - 6.01.17
Playhouse 7 5.25.17 - 5.25.17
Fine Arts Theatre 10.13.17 - 10.19.17
There are currently no showtimes for this film. Please check back soon.