Backstage Jams Vol. 2: Jerry Garcia’s Crazy Fingers

Posted May 22, 2008 at 5:56 pm CT by Todd Levy

Jerry Garcia

Song
Crazy Fingers

Venue
Dressing Room

Location
Backstage

Welcome back for Vol. 2 of “Backstage Jams.”

In case you missed it, Vol. 1 featured Pete Townshend backstage doing a two song mini-set. Today we've got another guitar legend, Jerry Garcia.

It's an intimate video that offers a rare look at Jerry's unique fingerstyle on Crazy Fingers as he warms up in the dressing room before a show.

A beacon of life to those who would just stop by and dance to his music
— axilla9000

My only complaint about this one is that like Jerry's life, it's just a little too short and leaves you wanting a whole lot more.

Of course, if you do want more you can always find plenty of Jerry Garcia concert DVDs with the Jamtopia Concert DVD Finder.

Many thanks to lsailor for posting this on YouTube.

Bonus Video: Jerry Garcia Tells a Joke

Here's some more footage of Jerry Garcia backstage, and it's classic.

In the first video, a clearly polluted Jerry claims not to know any jokes. Then, in the next video he's changed his mind and butchers the beekeeper joke (which isn't even funny in the first place).

Sorry. You need to Flash to watch this movie.

I'm glad he kept his day job :)

3 Comments Backstage Jams | Grateful Dead | Jerry Garcia | Videos

3 Comments so far

earl || Oct. 13, 2009 at 02:30 PM | #

Man, where can I find that beekeeper joke again? I loved that video!

John || Oct. 5, 2009 at 06:48 PM | #

I saw the beekeeper joke on Youtube before it was pulled there for “violation of terms.” Quite entertaining to see Jerry as a very animated story-teller, only to butcher the punch line, leaving you wondering if he found humor in the obscurity, or was the obscurity in the drugs he took. Reading the actual joke itself made me realize his butchered punch line wasn’t really that far off from the not-so-funny original. Therefore, it was “Jerry being Jerry.”

ferdman || Jul. 7, 2008 at 05:40 PM | #

i love this video. i think the first time i saw this was years ago on a vhs tape the inlaw josie rubin had.