the wonderful world of politics

From a conversation between Philip Baruth and Pat Leahy:

VDB: And as you get your coat on, I have to ask just one more.

You apparently once introduced Jerry Garcia to Strom Thurmond

in the Senate Dining Room.

And I gotta know: what was said between the two of them at that meeting?

At that major summit?

Leahy: [Putting the coat immediately back down]

My mother, God rest her soul, used to say,

"Patrick, people think you're not serious when you do these things,

like Batman and the Grateful Dead."

I once made the comment that if I could do anything I wanted to do in life,

if I had to work for a living, I'd be a photographer.

But Marcelle and I used to sit up by the sound guy, on stage,

for some of the Dead concerts, and we'd leave just before the last song.

So the last time they played Washington I said,

"Hey, why don't you guys stay tonight.

I'll give you a tour of the Capital,

and take you to lunch in the Senators' Dining Room."

And Jerry, who was usually very shy, says, "Great idea!" I said, "You gotta wear a tie - you can wear one of yours [the Garcia Collection]," but he says, "I don't wanna wear one of those." [Laughing]

Now the cops at the Capital all wanna get Jerry Garcia's autograph, turns out. So we're sitting at a big round table, and Woody Harrelson was with us at the time, and Strom Thurmond comes in and suddenly someone points out to him who Jerry Garcia is, and Thurmond comes over and says [imitating Thurmond's inch-thick Southern accent], "I say, boy!" and yanks Garcia to his feet.

He whacks Garcia on the shoulder, and Strom says, "I see you're here with my good friend Senator uh . . . from uh . . . well anyway, I'm Strom Thurmond, and I'm the oldest member of the United States Senate, you hear me, boy?" I'd worked with him for twenty-five years, and he couldn't remember me. But then he whacks Garcia again. Poor Jerry's rocking back and forth.

VDB: [Cracking up]

Leahy: Strom says, "Now when you go back to Texas - " and Jerry interrupts and says, "California, Sir" - but Thurmond yells, "Wherever!" and he whams Jerry on the back again. "When you git home, you tell 'em you met the oldest member of the United States Senate, you hear me, boy!" Wham again. "Because they'll want to know that, see? Oldest member of the US Senate, see? You git me, boy?" Wham again!

So finally he drops Jerry's arm, and Garcia sort of sinks down in his seat.

And Mickey Hart leans over and says, "Jerry! Do you know who that was?"

And Jerry says, "Oh yeah, I do."

And then Jerry thinks about it, and he says,

"You know, I never had an experience anywhere like that,

even when I used to drop acid."