Jerry Garcia’s Dead (Undead, Undead, Undead)
Why are there so many Grateful Dead cover bands in Humboldt County? (And yes, that was a rhetorical question.) I like the Grateful Dead too, but damn, you would think there would be some local musicians here in Northern California who would be interested in doing something original musically instead of playing “Casey Jones” or “Touch of Grey” for the thousandth time.
Most tribute bands do a disservice to the band they’re attempting to honor because most bands that only play cover songs usually stink. And this is certainly true in regard to Grateful Dead tribute bands.
But don’t be discouraged, because most bands’ versions of cover songs are awful, including the Grateful Dead themselves, who were well known for butchering songs on stage written by other even older and/or long dead artists who were sent spinning in their graves.
Do not dishonor the Grateful Dead with your lousy cover versions of their many great original songs. We get it already, deadheads, you love Jerry Garcia almost as much as you love LSD, but to put it bluntly you are boring audiences with seemingly uninspired musicians and bands that are just rehashing old, worn material which is a paid ticket to musical disappointment for most listeners.
Music should be interesting, for the listeners at least, if not for the bored and/or boring musicians themselves. Do yourselves (and us) a favor. Stop wasting your time and ours playing Grateful Dead songs already and write something new and if not necessarily original, at least write and perform some music that is derivative of bands other than the Grateful Dead.
Jake Pickering
Arcata
Support Medigap Plans
I have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. My journey began after a serious accident at age 12 caused my kidneys to fail. My mother selflessly donated one of her kidneys, which lasted about eight years.
At 20, my body began rejecting the transplant, and I had to start dialysis—a taxing but life-saving treatment done three times a week to filter the blood. The transition was overwhelming. I often rode a bus to San Francisco at 6 a.m. and returned home at midnight. Like many others, I had to adjust to a difficult new normal.
After 16 years on dialysis, I was blessed with another transplant. Even after a transplant, patients still face ongoing costs for medications and checkups.
I’m fortunate to have private insurance that covers what Medicare doesn’t. But many California dialysis patients under 65 lack private insurance or Medi-Cal.
While many states offer affordable “Medigap” plans to fill the gap left by Medicare, California doesn’t offer this coverage for younger patients. As a result, many Californians are falling through the cracks.
That’s why I’m urging my representatives, State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D–Bakersfield) and Assembly Member Alexandra Macedo (R–Tulare), to support SB 242. This bill would finally give patients under 65 access to Medigap plans in California—bringing peace of mind and real financial relief to thousands who need it.
Danny Iniguez
Kingsburg
Re “Gorging at the Public Trough”
Thank you! We need all eyes on government. We no longer have the Fresno Bee shining its light into the dark corners of our local government.
Sylvia Fike
Online
Re “One Fresno…”
I’ve noticed that no one mentioned a ranked choice voting system that would allow voters an alternative to the winner-take-all system. The problem is the media’s messaging that there are only two choices and no other despite the close and symbiotic relationship between Democrats and Republicans, kept in place by the money interests.
Richard Gomez
Online
