Founding Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh, 81, has beat cancer twice. He was treated for prostate cancer in 2006, and for bladder cancer in 2015 and is still performing music. In most cases, prostate cancer is a very treatable disease."
Never give up and continue to fight!
Best,
AJ
Written by
westof
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Pig Pen himself. I never noticed his bass is a 6 string. No wonder some of those bass lines always stood out. Melodies played with the bass notes.
I recall when I told my best friend and he said : " well that's the one they say you die with and not from" and I had to say "well normally but it's too late for that with me".
"Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American singer and musician. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972."
In 1971 they played at The Brooklyn 46th theater in the afternoon and all of 300 fans showed up.
I had taken a year off from school and had decided to work in NYC .
The concert doors were wide open and I went to a bar across the the street for a few drinks (no drugs, I was pursuing a career in finance and didn't want a rap sheet to follow me).
Pigpen strolled in and proceeded to order 3 "double Jacks!" He died of cirrhosis a few years later.
We struck up a conversation and since I was a "working man" , I picked up the tab🥂🤔
He invited me back stage, partied and ended sitting on an amp facing the audience.
Duh. That's right. I remember seeing your "met Pig Pen at the bar" story before. Pretty wild.
Good memories I'm sure. Better than an autograph I say.
I say them in 73, and twice in the 80's. Jerry Garcia helped my 2 friends and I stay standing on the floor at the bottom of the bleachers once. Band was warming up and when the usher tried to speak telling us we needed to take a seat Jerry would start making his guitar louder. Then as my friend pointed out there was no room at our place on the bleachers Jerry kept the guitar quiet. Then Usher would speak and he would get loud on guitar again. Went back and forth a few times then Usher gave up. Despite the shrooms I'm sure this happened lol.
At 70 still a working man part time 21 to 24 hours a week, keeps me mentally sharp and the exercise keeps me limber, as long ad I am able why not, oncologist approves this with a good for you. I could easily retire but then what, if you sit you rust as my mom used to say. Very active, belong to a club of 49 years, 5 rescue cats and helping neighbors and gardening.
Lots if patience, we were lucky, I have a way with animals, it will trust, they pick us out. The one was a biter but took her by the back of the neck, reprimanded like a mom cat would do and cured that, now best girl you could have a calico. The one tabby took me years to trust but found out he has irritable bowel disease and is on steroids, now I can give him medicine and is the mist loving cat, he always preferred my roommate over me.
Not that I’m one upping Phil, but I’m a 5 time cancer survivor…colon, melanoma, kidney, CLL and this devil called MCRPC…58 yo, still kickin, searching for the cure.
Phil also had a liver transplant. I saw my first Dead show on March 21, 1971, and have been a lifelong fan. Grateful Dead music continues to be very therapeutic for me. Here's a poster for my first show I still have.
Dont have any met the dead stories...but i did visit pig pens grave site in san francisco when there for a furthur ny eve run in 2012...saw dead first in houston 11/72 when they were suppose to ipen for allman bros but barry oakly waljed the triumph gang plank so it was dead for hrs...it is ob tape somewhere....box of rain was written by phil and hunter i belueve for phils dad who was dying of cancer...and was on american beautty....phil had good voice then.. ...ayways the bus came by and i got on in 71.....bw
Im a card carrying republican....name of my truck is darkstar...have badging right next to my " my rights dont end where your feelings begin" sticker...its about music not politics...like we used to say and guess still do about the dead....ifi have to explain u wouldnt understand....lil late in life to have a attitude....i salute alll those that serve...peace...
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.