Musicians

Interesting, and tragic.

I've felt for a long time that fan/idol relationships are risky for both the fans and the artists. They're good when they stop at appreciating the art, potentially very harmful when they go beyond that, slide into the fanatic origin of the word fan. The Grateful Dead fans called Spinners were obviously way over that line, and a bit reminiscent of some Moody Blues fans who viewed that group as divine, or at least messengers from a distant world or time. I can understand fans of the music wanting to hear as many concerts as possible, and fans of '60s counterculture wanting to perpetuate that for as long as they could, even when it was play-acting away from their daily lives - as long as neither became an unhealthy addiction. But I've never understood worship of rock stars, or even people feeling a need to identify themselves as fans. That always chips away at the identities of both the artists and the fans.

And it's sad when musicians feel trapped in a money-making machine, as the documentary emphasizes Jerry felt. Trapped between the machine on one side, and crazy fans who viewed him as a messiah (or maybe a necessity in their lives) on the other. It's always healthier when artists and fans can both step back and take breaks and reassess and change direction.

Btw, I am not in any way meaning to detract from the Grateful Dead's best music - and I think artists should be judged by their best music. Or their original intent of taking their fans along as a community. I don't think any of them could have foreseen what might happen.