I know James Olness very well - I have served on a nonprofit board with him for many years, for one thing - and I seriously doubt he would have told you this story ABOUT ME because I am pretty sure he knows I have never been into the BG archives. He worked there for many years, although I don't think he was there n the time fframe of your accusation.
There are two other authors who I know did spend time in that archive in the early '80s, but it's not my place to name names here. But I assure you I have never been in the BGP archive - that's NEVER; shall I say it again? - so I couldn't possibly have done the damage you refer to.
You write: I note that closing those archives to the public makes such further work less likely. But the GD archive has never been "open to the public." It was a major thing indeed that John was allowed to do what he did in there, and you can be sure there was grumbling among the usual suspects even as he did his copying in there. And there was more than grumbling when I was going in there to get music for the radio show, for which I had a written contract with the Grateful Dead (not that the crew and studio staff gave a shit).
As for the rest, I've been typing and typing and typing on this subject for a week now, and I'm sick of thinking about it. I'm also sick in bed at the moment, which makes me even less interested in spending any more energy on it at the moment.
And as for the rest of your surmises and speculation about my character, I've written extensively about that on my blog and I'm not going to repeat it all here. I know it's the American Disease to operate with no regard for anything but one's own self-interest, so it's safe assumption - and in Deadland, there are tons of peple who pursue their own interests and pretend they're doing the bigging of the collective - but my perspective, neither "insider" not "outsider," but a little of both - is unique and not as purely self-serving as you appear to believe.
I've paid dearly for my access, and I've also put a ridiculous amount of music from that vault into public hands - and not just on the radio, either. I tend not to make a big deal about it, because I spent enough time dodging the Yard Dogs of Front Street that I had and have no interest in enraging them further.
I continue to marvel at the ability of various people to impute foul motives to people they've never met. And I still can't figure out how I get to be a bad guy for having written well-regarded books about this music and turned unknown numbers of people on to the Grateful Dead. At this late date, I've seen and smelled and eaten more shit in this weird little universe than you could heap on me with a hundred shovels, so it really doesn't matter to me wither you believe me or not.
The archivist of Bill Graham Presents . . . was shocked to find that Gans, after being left alone with the BGP archive of GD material (photos, posters, letters, etc), had cut them up and stolen a lot of irreplaceable material, to make his 1980s book.
- is false. I never went to the Bill Graham archives in search of material for my book. You've got me confused with somebody else.
Nothing like a little anonymous character assassination to liven up yer weekend.
(P.S. if you like Grey Folded, you might be amused to learn that I helped John Oswald to make the deal for that project and consulted with him extensively as he created it. I agree that it's a fine piece of work. You might even want to ask Oswald to vouch for my character.)
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Sorry about the formatting. I'm new to this place; I'll make it more readable the next time I post, if there is a next time.
I know James Olness very well - I have served on a nonprofit board with him for many years, for one thing - and I seriously doubt he would have told you this story ABOUT ME because I am pretty sure he knows I have never been into the BG archives. He worked there for many years, although I don't think he was there n the time fframe of your accusation. There are two other authors who I know did spend time in that archive in the early '80s, but it's not my place to name names here. But I assure you I have never been in the BGP archive - that's NEVER; shall I say it again? - so I couldn't possibly have done the damage you refer to. You write: I note that closing those archives to the public makes such further work less likely. But the GD archive has never been "open to the public." It was a major thing indeed that John was allowed to do what he did in there, and you can be sure there was grumbling among the usual suspects even as he did his copying in there. And there was more than grumbling when I was going in there to get music for the radio show, for which I had a written contract with the Grateful Dead (not that the crew and studio staff gave a shit). As for the rest, I've been typing and typing and typing on this subject for a week now, and I'm sick of thinking about it. I'm also sick in bed at the moment, which makes me even less interested in spending any more energy on it at the moment. And as for the rest of your surmises and speculation about my character, I've written extensively about that on my blog and I'm not going to repeat it all here. I know it's the American Disease to operate with no regard for anything but one's own self-interest, so it's safe assumption - and in Deadland, there are tons of peple who pursue their own interests and pretend they're doing the bigging of the collective - but my perspective, neither "insider" not "outsider," but a little of both - is unique and not as purely self-serving as you appear to believe. I've paid dearly for my access, and I've also put a ridiculous amount of music from that vault into public hands - and not just on the radio, either. I tend not to make a big deal about it, because I spent enough time dodging the Yard Dogs of Front Street that I had and have no interest in enraging them further. I continue to marvel at the ability of various people to impute foul motives to people they've never met. And I still can't figure out how I get to be a bad guy for having written well-regarded books about this music and turned unknown numbers of people on to the Grateful Dead. At this late date, I've seen and smelled and eaten more shit in this weird little universe than you could heap on me with a hundred shovels, so it really doesn't matter to me wither you believe me or not.
As for the rest of your screed, I've got a lot more to say on the subject at http://playback.trufun.com/
Nothing like a little anonymous character assassination to liven up yer weekend.
(P.S. if you like Grey Folded, you might be amused to learn that I helped John Oswald to make the deal for that project and consulted with him extensively as he created it. I agree that it's a fine piece of work. You might even want to ask Oswald to vouch for my character.)