Search The Archive
Grateful Dawg traces the decades long friendship between the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and bluegrass picker and musicologist, David Grisman, who met by chance at a Bill Monroe concert in 1964.
Over a thirty year period the two kept in contact to write tunes, record, perform and talk for days about their shared passion. This documentary follows their fond collaborations and explorations over the years, constantly returning to footage from a pair of sublime concerts filmed prior to Garcia's quiet death in 1995.
A lot of the folk, gypsy, Caribbean and jazz influenced tunes that surface are a far cry from the Grateful Dead's six hour super jams but reflect a little known side of Garcia's career. It shows a different side of a man who survived the worst excess of rock and roll and practically spawned a personal cult.
"A treat for the ear... an affectionate compilation of home video, photographs, interviews and unreleased concert film that blessedly emphasises the music. For those that have never previously encountered Garcia or Grisman, here is the opportunity to make their rewarding acquaintance." - New York Times
Grateful Dawg is Gillian Grisman's debut documentary, the first for her company, 11th Hour Productions. She is the daughter of one of the subjects, David Grisman, and is currently working on a collaborative documentary with a group of filmmakers including Steve Buscemi and Doug Liman (Swingers, Go).