Attending a Grateful Dead concert during the 1970s was a powerful and positive experience for many fans, but what was it like for those who worked with the band backstage?

Richard Loren was Jerry Garcia's friend and personal manager, and, in the 70s, he became an agent and manager of the Grateful Dead. Early on, Loren discovered that working for the Grateful Dead meant also working within its entire collective community -- the sometimes upwards of 50 people who were more connected to the band than they were to their own families.

Last year, Loren co-authored the book, High Notes: A Rock Memoir, Working with Rock Legends Jefferson Airplane Through The Doors to the Grateful Dead. He recently came by our studios, and I asked him about the time he first met Jerry Garcia.

RICHARD LOREN: And we go backstage. There's Jerry, wide-eyed, still ready to talk, and he pulls out a couple of joints. We're smoking dope, David [Grisman]'s there, he said, 'Hey! Jerry, I want you to meet my friend, Richard Loren. He's booked Liberace.' I got a few laughs out of that, and then we got on.

Click the player above to listen to the full interview.