Leslie’s Movie Review
The
Other
One
The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir
By Leslie Johnson
M
aybe you do not know a lot about the Grateful Dead. Maybe you really do not listen to
their music. Maybe for some reason you just
never really got into them unlike their millions and
millions of fans. But, you have to respect them. How
could you not? Well, if any of this is true for you, this
film may in fact change your perspective. You just
might start listening to the Grateful Dead after you
hear how much love went into their music and was
shared between them. This is a film about brotherly
love.
Directed by Mike Fleiss, producer of such
films as Hostel and Texas Chainsaw Massacre,
this film brings us on the journey, or what he
calls an adventure, that Bob Weir created, following his heart and soul, and the music, wherever it would take him.
Weir’s musical adventure picked up at the
back door of the Dana Morgan's Music Store. It
is fascinating to learn where all of this legendary music began, and how these guys bonded
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with banjos and guitars. First, they played locally, becoming somewhat known in their community. Then, the Grateful Dead’s popularity
and fanbase exploded and the group turned out
to be the longest-lasting American rock band in
history.
Born in 1947 in San Francisco, Bob Weir was
adopted at birth. Weir found it easy to leave
home at the young age of 17, and began touring with the band he started with Jerry Garcia. Weir admits that he hated school and had a
strong desire to follow his inner light. Because
of his journey he could really relate with the
fans, many of whom were gypsies leaving their
everyday life to follow the music of the Grateful
Dead.
Bringing us deeper insight into Weir, there
are several musicians and family members who
participate in telling his story. Wendy, his sister, tells about who Weir was as a kid and how
he was always very different from his puWWritWinter • 2015