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Passion Choice blog

September 3, 2014 by Garren Christopher Stamp   

dead albums
For me writing has never come easy. Even writing something as simple as one of these 300 word blog posts is extremely tedious and time consuming for me. There is one exception to this rule; writing about something that truly fascinates and interests me. So when i heard that we had to write 10 of these blogs throughout the semester on something that we were passionate about i was excited, but nervous in choosing a topic that i might lose interest in and make this assignment as painful as most of my previous writing assignments throughout High School. After much careful deliberation, i have only been able to come up with really one main topic that i believe will hold my interest and give me plenty to write about: The Grateful Dead.

My parents are by no means hippies or the stereotypical “deadheads” but even at a young age i was exposed to 60’s and 70’s bands such as CCR, Janis Joplin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, the Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Sly and the Family Stone, Pink Floyd, the Who, the Band, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and yes the Grateful Dead. Now i was too young to understand the history, meaning, or importance of any of these bands but i enjoyed to listen to them with my parents. It wasn’t until the end of middle school and the beginning of high school that i began to research and appreciate this vast array of music. I fell in love with what it stood for at the time, the deep almost philosophical meaning of the lyrics, and the level of experimentation with what constituted music at that time. At the beginning of this period of new musical understanding Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, and CCR were my favorites, but around the beginning of sophomore year in high school one band had stood out from the rest: The Grateful Dead. To this day i have never heard a band with more diversity or beauty when it comes to lyrics, their sound, or even the genre of music they were playing. To this day i never tire of talking about, listening to, or researching more about them. So hands down my first choice for the Passion Blog is writing about the Grateful Dead.

Since  this assignment requires me to give two possible topics i could write about i will include another even though this topic will undoubtedly not receive the same level of interest or dedication as my first choice. If needed i could write about my participation in sports during high school (mainly Lacrosse and Football, with only wrestling freshman year).


2 Comments »

  1. axb5626 says:

    When we originally discussed ideas for our passion blogs honestly speaking I was a little apprehensive to agree that solely a music blog would be a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love grateful dead, but I felt that a blog for a class about rhetoric is too focused to only be about music. However, I was impressed that you incorporated the American culture during the 1960s-1970s. What I did not see is an exploration of the actual music produced. I’ve played instruments for about 12 years so personally I would like to see more of an homage to the music itself.

  2. eyh5165 says:

    I currently only know a handful of Grateful Dead songs, and I do enjoy them. I don’t, however, understand exactly what the lyrics mean. I noticed that you mentioned that you appreciate the meaning of the lyrics, and I am curious if you will break down the lyrics of songs in your blog, or focus on other aspects of the Dead.

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