Relix recently pointed us in the direction of The Big Interview Sneak Peek: Bob Weir on AXS TV. This short snippet shows a very engaged Dan Rather and Bob Weir digging deep into how the Grateful Dead falls in the context of Americana history. If the interview “sneak peek” is any indication, this is going to be a very cerebral all encompassing interview that digs well below the surface.

I’m hoping Dan Rather continues to hit thematic elements about how the phenomena of the Grateful Dead fits in the context of not just music history, but this nation as a whole. Music is a timely thing. Whether you were born in the Stax and Motown era, 80s hair metal, or early 90s hip-hop — one constant is clear — The historical context of music follows, generally, and somewhat reflects, the nature of society at any given point. The fact that the Dead has remained a constant over half a century speaks volumes about the band.

I was pleased to see Dan Rather’s delivery and demeanor in asking these questions he sounds rather sincere (in this clip) to have the opportunity to sit down with the playboy Bobby Weir.

On August 11, catch The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir on The Big Interview with Dan Rather on AXS TV. Here is one of the initial quotes that stuck out at me from the interview.

Dan Rather“Whether you like the Grateful Dead or not, whether you know very much about them or not, they’ve really been intertwined with history for about half a century. Part of the fabric of the country, part of Americana, if you will. At night just before you go to sleep or maybe you’re taking a walk around in the day time, do you ever think about it and say “wow when we started we … had no idea how this would turn out?”

Weir: Every now and again I get a bit dizzied by what’s transpired. I was asking for it, I sure as hell got it. I knocked on the door and it opened wide and some sort of wind caught me from behind and sort of swept me through that door and the ground fell away and I was transported elsewhere and have lived my life there.”