News

The Grateful Dead say no to NPR unless…

2:25 p.m. · May 14, 2008 · by Anne Johnson

All Carrie Brownstein wanted to do was use one of their songs for one of her NPR blog’s weekly ‘mixtapes,’ but The Grateful Dead just wasn’t going to make it that easy. These purveyors of peace and love (and excessive LSD use) refused to grant permission unless NPR did a piece on the band on All Things Considered and (yes, and) a feature was done on the website. Brownstein, who, for some reason, loves their music, had this to say: "Someone needs to take a bong hit and chill out. Just a simple ‘no thanks’ would have sufficed."

This ‘mixtape,’ was entitled, "The Underdogs" because it featured artists that "never gained recognition while they were around (or alive) or still don't get the widespread attention they deserve," like Townes Van Zandt, Pylon, and the Undertones. It's safe to say that The Grateful Dead didn’t belong in this mix anyway.

[npr.org]