San Francisco Chronicle

Decades of Garcia — through a single lens

Photograph­er Blakesberg’s access to rocker fills book with memorable images

- By Aidin Vaziri

Jerry Garcia hated having his picture taken. Rock photograph­er Jay Blakesberg learned that as he frequently found his camera lens pointed at the Grateful Dead guitarist between 1978 and 1995, when Garcia died.

“My job was to go in and get the best photograph I could,” Blakesberg said at his San Francisco studio. “His goal was to get out of there as quickly as possible and have lunch.”

Yet Blakesberg, who started following the Dead as a teenager in his native New Jersey, was determined, and in his latest art book, “Secret Space of Dreams,” the photograph­er shares some of his most beloved and unexpected­ly candid images of Garcia across 208 pages.

“Everybody thought of Jerry as a rock star — many thought of him as a deity,” Blakesberg said, “but he thought of himself as just a guy who loved to play guitar. He was funny, smart and selfdeprec­ating. He just wanted to be a regular guy.”

Blakesberg’s latest Deadcenter­ed book features a foreword by John Mayer of Dead & Company, an afterword by Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and an introducti­on by Grateful Dead historian David Gans.

There is also an essay by Garcia’s youngest daughter, Trixie Garcia, as well as quotes and anecdotes by former bandmates, associates and fans, including Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, David Crosby, Elvis Costello and many others.

The Chronicle asked Blakesberg to comment on some of his favorite images from “Secret Space of Dreams,” which is out now on Rock Out Books, ahead of a pair of Northern California release parties this month.

?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Grateful Dead Holleder Stadium, Rochester, N.Y. Sept. 1, 1979 “I was 17 years old and about to start my freshman year in college, but decided at the last minute to do one last road trip to upstate New York — Glen Falls and Rochester — to see the endofsumme­r shows. A guy I met on tour that summer asked if I wanted to submit photos to the Aquarian Weekly, a free newspaper in New Jersey, for a show review he was going to do of either Rochester or Madison Square Garden the following week. I sent in this photo, and one of Weir, Lesh and Kreutzmann. They were both published. I was paid $15 for both images, and that was the first time anyone paid me money for my photograph­y. I was on my way!”
Jay Blakesberg Grateful Dead Holleder Stadium, Rochester, N.Y. Sept. 1, 1979 “I was 17 years old and about to start my freshman year in college, but decided at the last minute to do one last road trip to upstate New York — Glen Falls and Rochester — to see the endofsumme­r shows. A guy I met on tour that summer asked if I wanted to submit photos to the Aquarian Weekly, a free newspaper in New Jersey, for a show review he was going to do of either Rochester or Madison Square Garden the following week. I sent in this photo, and one of Weir, Lesh and Kreutzmann. They were both published. I was paid $15 for both images, and that was the first time anyone paid me money for my photograph­y. I was on my way!”
?? Courtesy Jay Blakesberg ?? Rock photograph­er Jay Blakesberg holds Wolf, the guitar of his frequent subject Jerry Garcia.
Courtesy Jay Blakesberg Rock photograph­er Jay Blakesberg holds Wolf, the guitar of his frequent subject Jerry Garcia.
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Jerry Garcia Band with Ashley Judd Tosca Cafe, San Francisco April 17, 1995 “This was just about four months before Garcia would pass away, and the last time I was facetoface with him. The movie ‘Smoke’ with Harvey Keitel and Ashley Judd had a Jerry Garcia cover tune, ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,’ over the credits of the movie and on the soundtrack. San Francisco film director Wayne Wang directed the movie and was directing the music video at Tosca, the renowned North Beach cafe. Hollywood Records hired me to get some production stills to use for PR. Garcia looked tired but still did everything he was asked to do, and with a smile on his face. He also seemed to be smitten by the presence of Ashley Judd.”
Jay Blakesberg Jerry Garcia Band with Ashley Judd Tosca Cafe, San Francisco April 17, 1995 “This was just about four months before Garcia would pass away, and the last time I was facetoface with him. The movie ‘Smoke’ with Harvey Keitel and Ashley Judd had a Jerry Garcia cover tune, ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,’ over the credits of the movie and on the soundtrack. San Francisco film director Wayne Wang directed the movie and was directing the music video at Tosca, the renowned North Beach cafe. Hollywood Records hired me to get some production stills to use for PR. Garcia looked tired but still did everything he was asked to do, and with a smile on his face. He also seemed to be smitten by the presence of Ashley Judd.”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Grateful Dead music video “Throwing Stones” video shoot, Oakland Nov. 5, 1987 “We had been hearing a rumor that the band was going to make an MTV video for the song “Throwing Stones.” It was supposed to be at an abandoned high school in Oakland. I lived right across the street from an abandoned high school in Oakland, and when our source confirmed the day, I just walked across the street onto the set and acted as if I belonged. When someone asked me who I was working for, I said Relix magazine, which was a Grateful Deadfocuse­d magazine in the ’80s, and they just shrugged and said, ‘OK.’ I was there in no official capacity but spent about 12 hours on set just taking photos. The band were all wearing these apocalypti­c Australian oil coats — ‘steam punk’ before there was such a thing — and I just walked up to Garcia and took a few quick frames and walked away. It was all very casual. It was one week later on Nov. 11, 1987, that I did my first official assignment for Rolling Stone magazine, which was shooting a free U2 concert in downtown San Francisco. It was a great week!”
Jay Blakesberg Grateful Dead music video “Throwing Stones” video shoot, Oakland Nov. 5, 1987 “We had been hearing a rumor that the band was going to make an MTV video for the song “Throwing Stones.” It was supposed to be at an abandoned high school in Oakland. I lived right across the street from an abandoned high school in Oakland, and when our source confirmed the day, I just walked across the street onto the set and acted as if I belonged. When someone asked me who I was working for, I said Relix magazine, which was a Grateful Deadfocuse­d magazine in the ’80s, and they just shrugged and said, ‘OK.’ I was there in no official capacity but spent about 12 hours on set just taking photos. The band were all wearing these apocalypti­c Australian oil coats — ‘steam punk’ before there was such a thing — and I just walked up to Garcia and took a few quick frames and walked away. It was all very casual. It was one week later on Nov. 11, 1987, that I did my first official assignment for Rolling Stone magazine, which was shooting a free U2 concert in downtown San Francisco. It was a great week!”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter Grateful Dead headquarte­rs, San Rafael Jan. 31, 1991 “At the end of 1990, I got a call from Grateful Dead historian and author Blair Jackson asking me if I wanted to do a portrait of Garcia and (Robert) Hunter for an interview he would be doing with them for the Grateful Dead fanzine the Golden Road. This was going to be my first formal portrait with Garcia. Shooting the two of them together was just beyond belief because they had rarely been photograph­ed together, and I believe never done a joint interview before this. When I got there, I was put in this tiny little office with barely enough room to set up my small light stand. I had to sit on top of the desk to be in the right position to shoot them. My expectatio­ns were very high for my first encounter with Garcia. I had multiple cameras, 35mm, 2¼ (medium format), color film, blackandwh­ite film. I was expecting to spend 20 minutes with these guys and create brilliant photograph­s — isn’t that the goal after all? The two of them were brought into the room, sat down and I shot about 10 frames when I was told to wrap it up. I freaked! I blasted through one roll of color with the motor drive, and 1½ rolls of blackandwh­ites as fast as I could, trying to keep their attention as they were more interested in chatting, as old friends are apt to do, than posing for the millionth photo shoot for Garcia, something he was clearly not very interested in. Still, I did capture some animated and fun shots of these two icons and now with the very recent death of Robert Hunter, the shots of the two of them have taken on so much more meaning.”
Jay Blakesberg Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter Grateful Dead headquarte­rs, San Rafael Jan. 31, 1991 “At the end of 1990, I got a call from Grateful Dead historian and author Blair Jackson asking me if I wanted to do a portrait of Garcia and (Robert) Hunter for an interview he would be doing with them for the Grateful Dead fanzine the Golden Road. This was going to be my first formal portrait with Garcia. Shooting the two of them together was just beyond belief because they had rarely been photograph­ed together, and I believe never done a joint interview before this. When I got there, I was put in this tiny little office with barely enough room to set up my small light stand. I had to sit on top of the desk to be in the right position to shoot them. My expectatio­ns were very high for my first encounter with Garcia. I had multiple cameras, 35mm, 2¼ (medium format), color film, blackandwh­ite film. I was expecting to spend 20 minutes with these guys and create brilliant photograph­s — isn’t that the goal after all? The two of them were brought into the room, sat down and I shot about 10 frames when I was told to wrap it up. I freaked! I blasted through one roll of color with the motor drive, and 1½ rolls of blackandwh­ites as fast as I could, trying to keep their attention as they were more interested in chatting, as old friends are apt to do, than posing for the millionth photo shoot for Garcia, something he was clearly not very interested in. Still, I did capture some animated and fun shots of these two icons and now with the very recent death of Robert Hunter, the shots of the two of them have taken on so much more meaning.”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? “A few weeks after my 18th birthday, I jumped on a Greyhound bus headed for the San Francisco Bay Area to see my first West Coast Dead shows — five nights in Oakland ending on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, the balloons fell from the ceiling and Bill Graham descended from the rafters floating above the crowd in butterfly wings with Steal Your Face emblems embedded in them. It was a mindblowin­g experience for a kid from New Jersey, that only the legendary Bill Graham could pull off.” Grateful Dead Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland Dec. 31, 1979
Jay Blakesberg “A few weeks after my 18th birthday, I jumped on a Greyhound bus headed for the San Francisco Bay Area to see my first West Coast Dead shows — five nights in Oakland ending on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, the balloons fell from the ceiling and Bill Graham descended from the rafters floating above the crowd in butterfly wings with Steal Your Face emblems embedded in them. It was a mindblowin­g experience for a kid from New Jersey, that only the legendary Bill Graham could pull off.” Grateful Dead Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland Dec. 31, 1979
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Grateful Dead Frost Amphitheat­er, Stanford University, Palo Alto Oct. 9, 1982 “There were many legendary shows at the Frost, one of the favorite venues for Deadheads. This shot is an animated Garcia during the daytime concert in 1982, which was the first time the band played there. They played the songs ‘Throwing Stones’ and ‘Touch of Grey’ for the first time on the West Coast at these shows.”
Jay Blakesberg Grateful Dead Frost Amphitheat­er, Stanford University, Palo Alto Oct. 9, 1982 “There were many legendary shows at the Frost, one of the favorite venues for Deadheads. This shot is an animated Garcia during the daytime concert in 1982, which was the first time the band played there. They played the songs ‘Throwing Stones’ and ‘Touch of Grey’ for the first time on the West Coast at these shows.”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Jerry Garcia and David Grisman Grisman’s Mill Valley home Sept. 2, 1993 “This was shot for the cover of Acoustic Guitar magazine in David’s living room. The best way to get Garcia to sit still for you while doing a shoot was to let him play. While I was shooting, Garcia kept singing the songs they were playing. Since this was for the cover of a magazine, and I didn’t want his mouth all wonky, I had to ask him to stop singing and just hum the words in his head. Yes, I asked Jerry Garcia to stop singing in a private concert in David Grisman’s living room!”
Jay Blakesberg Jerry Garcia and David Grisman Grisman’s Mill Valley home Sept. 2, 1993 “This was shot for the cover of Acoustic Guitar magazine in David’s living room. The best way to get Garcia to sit still for you while doing a shoot was to let him play. While I was shooting, Garcia kept singing the songs they were playing. Since this was for the cover of a magazine, and I didn’t want his mouth all wonky, I had to ask him to stop singing and just hum the words in his head. Yes, I asked Jerry Garcia to stop singing in a private concert in David Grisman’s living room!”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Bob Weir, Bill Graham and Jerry Garcia Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland Jan. 23, 1988 “This was a benefit concert produced by Bill Graham Presents for the people of El Salvador. It was called ‘Blues for Salvador’ and featured Garcia, Weir, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, NRBQ , Bonnie Raitt and Tower of Power. I was on assignment for Rolling Stone magazine and saw Bill Graham walk into a dressing room sidestage and just followed him. Garcia and Weir were in there, in their Hawaiian shirts just back from scuba diving off the Big Island (Hawaii). I said, ‘Hey, can I get a shot for Rolling Stone magazine?’ ”
Jay Blakesberg Bob Weir, Bill Graham and Jerry Garcia Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland Jan. 23, 1988 “This was a benefit concert produced by Bill Graham Presents for the people of El Salvador. It was called ‘Blues for Salvador’ and featured Garcia, Weir, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, NRBQ , Bonnie Raitt and Tower of Power. I was on assignment for Rolling Stone magazine and saw Bill Graham walk into a dressing room sidestage and just followed him. Garcia and Weir were in there, in their Hawaiian shirts just back from scuba diving off the Big Island (Hawaii). I said, ‘Hey, can I get a shot for Rolling Stone magazine?’ ”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Jerry Garcia and John Cipollina The Bandshell, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco July 16, 1988 “This was a free concert to celebrate the end of a crosscount­ry, SovietAmer­ican peace walk. The Bay Area improv jam band Zero was the headliner and Garcia came to the park to play a handful of songs. After leaving, Garcia zipped over to the East Bay to perform that same day with the Grateful Dead at the Berkeley Greek Theatre.”
Jay Blakesberg Jerry Garcia and John Cipollina The Bandshell, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco July 16, 1988 “This was a free concert to celebrate the end of a crosscount­ry, SovietAmer­ican peace walk. The Bay Area improv jam band Zero was the headliner and Garcia came to the park to play a handful of songs. After leaving, Garcia zipped over to the East Bay to perform that same day with the Grateful Dead at the Berkeley Greek Theatre.”
?? Jay Blakesberg ?? Jerry Garcia Roberta Weir Gallery, Berkeley Dec. 10, 1992 “This small art gallery in Berkeley represente­d the original artwork of Jerry Garcia. I was assigned to cover this art opening by Rolling Stone. We sat around in the back room while Garcia spoke to a few reporters and I did candid shots of him chatting and laughing.”
Jay Blakesberg Jerry Garcia Roberta Weir Gallery, Berkeley Dec. 10, 1992 “This small art gallery in Berkeley represente­d the original artwork of Jerry Garcia. I was assigned to cover this art opening by Rolling Stone. We sat around in the back room while Garcia spoke to a few reporters and I did candid shots of him chatting and laughing.”

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