Ron “Pigpen” McKernan” Episode 10: Good, Old, Grateful, and Dead

31 minutes

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s lifelong devotion to drinking wasn’t the cause of his medical issues – chalk those up to a genetic disease. But no matter how he tried, Pig couldn’t kick the illness, he couldn’t repair the damage that had been done. He played music, followed his diet, and hoped against all hope that something would turn around. But nothing ever really did. He could never quite get up that hill. And just as Pig had slowly departed from the Dead, he was now slowly departing from the world.

Sources:

A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally

Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton

Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh

The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani

This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans

Death Don't Have No Mercy: Pigpen, Ten Years Gone (Relix)

Pigpen Forever: The Life and Times of Ron McKernan, by Blair Jackson

Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Phil Lesh reflect on bandmate Pigpen (Marin Independent Journal)

Grateful Dead Guide: Pigpen Solo (Dead Essays)

Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Stella Blue" (Dead.net)

Unsolicited Endorsement: Wake of the Flood by the Grateful Dead (Triad City Beat)

Jerry Garcia’s final show (YouTube)

So Many Roads: Remembering Jerry Garcia's Last Grateful Dead Show (Classic Rockers)

Listen to Grateful Dead perform 'Box of Rain' as their final encore before Jerry Garcia's death (Far Out)

"It was the tour from hell": Inside the Grateful Dead's last shows, and Jerry Garcia's final days (Salon)

Bruce Hornsby Looks Back on Jerry Garcia's Last Days: 'I Miss Him So Much' (Rolling Stone)

A Grateful Dead Analysis: The relationship between concert and listening behavior (First Monday)

Grateful Dead Guide: Pigpen Solo (Dead Essays)

For behind the scenes info and news on this episode, follow:

Instagram: @DoubleElvis @Disgracelandpod 

Twitter: @DoubleElvisFm @Disgracelandpod

Tik Tok: @Disgracelandpod

Pinterest: @doubleelvisfm 

Facebook: Double Elvis Productions

Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More episodes from 27 Club

Presenting Badlands Season 7 - James Dean: A Death Foretold, a Gruesome Publicity Stunt, and a Haunted Car

James Dean died in a high-speed car crash at the age of 24, but his legend lives on. Fan clubs held monthly memorial services and wrote movie studios begging for relics of their patron …

Presenting Disgraceland Season 12 (Trailer)

Mafia assassinations, drag racing, extortion, eternal life, and doing time at Rikers Island and San Quentin. Find out which music legends are featured in Season 12 of Disgraceland. New …

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan” Episode 9: Conquering Europe, Wasting Away, and Making a Last Stand

Against doctor’s orders, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan hit the road one more time with the Grateful Dead. The band’s 1972 tour of Europe is legendary. But at …

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan Episode 8: Turning off the Love Light, Long-Awaited Redemption, and a Deadly Diagnosis

A dark cloud of death hung over the Grateful Dead as they went into the studio to make what is arguably their masterpiece, American Beauty. Janis …

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan” Episode 7: Busted Down on Bourbon Street, Workingman’s Dead, and Riding that Train

Busted down on Bourbon Street. Fleeced by a member of the family. Plastered on a runaway train barreling through the Canadian countryside. As the …

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (Episode 6): Coming Down from One Long Strange Trip, Awakening to a New Nightmare, and Shooting up a Led Zep Photo Shoot

Though Ron “Pigpen” McKernan continued to feel like he was being pushed out of the Grateful Dead’s creative circle, he could still make an …

How you can listen to this podcast

You can listen to episodes right here on the website, or if you prefer, in a podcast app. Listening in an app makes it easier to keep track of what you’ve already heard, listen without using your data plan and many other conveniences.

Recommended apps
Start listening to Presenting Badlands Season 7 - James Dean: A Death Foretold, a Gruesome Publicity Stunt, and a Haunted Car
32:01
Start listening to Presenting Badlands Season 7 - James Dean: A Death Foretold, a Gruesome Publicity Stunt, and a Haunted Car
32:01