Dancing with the Dead--A Photographic Memoir

“The acid is just coming on as I slip through the narrow space between Jerry’s amps and find my spot behind him on the stage, far enough to stage right to not block his view of his gear, nor hit him with the sweep of my arms as I dance myself free of my body...” With these words, photographer and Grateful Dead insider Rosie McGee pulls us into her 10-year memoir of living, traveling and working with the Dead and other notables of the legendary Sixties. Over 200 photos, many never seen. Not just for Dead Heads or baby boomers—this book is for anyone seeking a woman’s intimate account of the San Francisco rock music community in the Sixties, rare in a field of such books most often written by men.

“The acid is just coming on as I slip through the narrow space between Jerry’s amps and find my spot behind him on the stage, far enough to stage right to not block his view of his gear, nor hit him with the sweep of my arms as I dance myself free of my body." With these words, photographer and Grateful Dead insider Rosie McGee pulls us into her 10-year memoir of living, traveling and working with the Dead and other notables of the legendary Sixties. Over 200 photos, many never seen. Not just for Dead Heads or baby boomers—this book is for anyone seeking a woman’s intimate account of the San Francisco rock music community in the Sixties, rare in a field of such books most often written by men. Included are firsthand stories of Autumn Records; The Matrix nightclub; the Acid Tests; Olompali; life in the Haight-Ashbury; the Human Be-In; the Grateful Dead bust at 710 Ashbury; New York, Toronto and Montreal with the Dead and Jefferson Airplane; Monterey Pop; Altamont; the Dead’s Europe ’72 tour; and encounters with individuals as diverse as Tom Donahue, Phil Spector, Lenny Bruce, Janis Joplin, Owsley Stanley, Timothy Leary, Jesse Colin Young, Julie Christie and others. The list goes on.

I was so lucky that my parents chose San Francisco when we arrived in the U.S. as French immigrants. How could they know that their sheltered younger daughter would grow up to rebel beyond their wildest fears, running off to join the circus of the Bay Area’s most notorious band? – Rosie McGee Rosie McGee moved in with Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh at the band’s L.A. home in February of 1966. When they split four years later, she remained in the Dead’s inner circle as their French interpreter, onstage dancing girl, travel agent and office manager for Alembic, the band’s sound and recording team. Her candid photographs of the Dead have appeared in books, documentaries and publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone magazine. Her wanderings later led her to Portland, Oregon, where she was a multimedia producer; to Grand Canyon National Park, where she coordinated visual displays and signage for the gift shops; then back to the Bay Area to manage a new museum dedicated to the music and musicians of the area. When it didn't open as planned, Rosie went back to writing her memoir. Rosie McGee loves being back in the San Francisco Bay Area after a 20-year absence. She has a long-haired counterculture son who lives in Eugene, Oregon. There was no need for him to rebel.