Guitarist John Mayer made his first ever appearance on the PBS talk show Charlie Rose this past Tuesday, where he discussed a number of topics including his membership in Dead & Company. Mayer spoke with Rose for over 30 minutes ahead of his concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City last night.

The portion of the conversation about Dead & Company starts at around the 15-minute mark in the video below. John talked about the “fraternal loving thing” among Deadheads that feeds a bit from those who aren’t fans not understanding the Grateful Dead phenomenon. Mayer brought up a topic he has mentioned in other recent interviews in that he really enjoys being a part of a band instead of a solo artist. “When I’m with Dead & Company, the band is a part of my life and I’m a part of their life. The fans are a part of my life and I’m a part of their lives. I’m a part of the band, I play the guitar. Bob Weir sings, Billy plays the drums, Mickey plays the drums – I’m there not as a star…I’m there to help that crowd go to that place,” the Connecticut native said.

He goes on to call Jerry Garcia “the most alive Dead person that’s ever lived and died.” The guitarist feels Deadheads keep Jerry’s spirit alive. “He’s a settler and he set up camp and then he left. But you can still go there, and I think that speaks to how incredible the music is. You can still visit…and it is now a little bit of an oral history, it’s a musical hand-me-down.” Mayer reiterated his intention to remain part of the Dead experience for the long haul, “This is never going to be over for me as long as I live. I will always be part of it and I will always continue doing it.”

Other topics John Mayer discussed with Charlie Rose were the guitarist’s new album, his move to Montana, how he comes up with song titles and album titles and more. Watch John Mayer’s visit to the PBS talk show: