Sam Cutler
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I was watching a Shakedown Stream on Youtube from the other day where Sam was a guest. I loved listening to him in the Dead documentary and he was good on the Shakedown stream too, although he tended to ramble and ramble on. One interesting question I really wanted to hear the answer to was how the relationship with Pigpen and Keith was on the 72 Europe tour. He started talking about how sick Pigpen was and how Keith came into the scene at the right time, etc. and he didn't really answer the question.
Anyway, wasn't his association with the Dead pretty brief and wasn't he fired in the mid-70s? He's said working with the band was the best time of his life, the Dead is his all-time favorite group and that he still loves the members and all the heads but it doesn't seem like he was in the picture very long.
Anyone know other details about his career with the Dead and was he still in the scene or whatever, even though he (I think) was fired over 40 years ago?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
I also liked his appearance
I also liked his appearance and commentary the other night, even though I watched it later on after it was 'live'. I would highly recommend reading his book that mostly covered Altamont but he provided a lot of related details. He was engaging and entertaining on the Shakedown Stream and seems like a genuinely fine human being but, as I recall his book, he seemed to much favor The Stones and seemed to somewhat dismiss the GD & organization as flippant hippies whom were oft clouded by LSD and having too many hangers on. Good read anyway!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
His book "You Can’t Always
His book "You Can’t Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and other wonderful Reprobates" is pretty good and lays out all the details, obviously from his perspective, on his time with the Rolling Stones (interesting details on some subtle mob connections) Altamont and his time with the GD.
And yes, he only worked for the dead for a few years, but they were great years, from right after Altamont through '73 or so. He gives himself a lot of the credit for getting them on track financially after Lenny Hart did his number on them.
He was a semi-regular at TxR for a short time a few years ago. I had a few occasions to talk with him and he was always extremely genial and kind.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
He hates Phish which brought
He hates Phish which brought a lot of backlash. Personally I don't like Phish either.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
Ha! I can get behind that as
Ha! I can get behind that as well (NOT liking Phish)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dj_easy_wind
I thought Sam Cutler was the
I thought Sam Cutler was with the Dead for some 15 years, but his Stones stint was a lot shorter. Am I wrong?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
In the Long Strange Trip
In the Long Strange Trip documentary it looked like he was living out of his van. Seemed like a pretty good hombre.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Read his book.
>>>Am I wrong?<<<
Read his book.
And...
>>> he seemed to much favor The Stones<<<
That's not the take I got. He seemed to love both bands (shocking) but I was left with a sense that he absolutely LOVED the Grateful Dead as a band and as people, but...
>>> seemed to somewhat dismiss the GD & organization as flippant hippies<<<
No doubt he talked about that, mostly in how Altamont went down and then how things were "running" after he signed on, but I never got the sense that he dismissed the band as a musical entity or those in the band.
He most definitely bagged on Bill Graham though. Not the "Bill was great" party line, that's for sure.
And as for "clouded in LSD", from his take it sounds like he was right there with everyone else with that. There's a very good story in his book about him dosing a cop at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester.
The guy lived The Life with the big boys during really interesting times, that's for sure.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dj_easy_wind
>>>
>>>
>>>Am I wrong?<<<
Read his book.>>>
Sadly, I did read it ~ was a very good read. I just don't remember his GD timeline...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dave
At its peak, Dicken Scully,
At its peak... the band’s management staff numbered 30.
But from 1965 to 1984, Mr. Scully was always among the top five managers.
Mr. Scully worked particularly closely with the group’s other early manager, Danny Rifkin, sometimes using the old good cop-bad cop routine.
“I’d be the hippie and sweet and nice to everybody,” Mr. Scully was quoted as saying on the Dead’s website after his death. “But I don’t know what my partner, Danny, will say.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/arts/music/rock-scully-grateful-dead-...