"I learned so much from him. He talked to me about all the loss around the Grateful Dead, so many friends who had died. He said that John Belushi was backstage at a Dead show the night before he died, looking very grey and unhealthy, and Bobby told him he might want to think about slowing down. I believe that all of that loss gave him a unique and beautiful perspective on life."
"I don't think he ever got caught up in the bigness. I don't think it meant anything to him. There were times when I was talking to him when I thought he was the last actual hippie. I remember when Mexico got canceled due to Covid, and he texted me, saying, 'Man, you should fly down here, and we'll just play on the beach, no stage!' That cracked me up. I almost did. Now I wish I had."
Anastasio and Weir knew each other for years and grew very close around the Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary 'Fare Thee Well' concerts. Anastasio spent three nights at Weir's beach house playing guitar, cooking scrambled eggs, listening to records, working out, talking, and walking on the beach. Weir shared incredible stories from early acid test days through life on the road and showed an endearing allergy to compliments. Anastasio learned about the many losses around the Grateful Dead and how they shaped Weir's perspective. Weir's greatest joy was playing music and preferring simple, unadorned moments like playing on a beach without a stage.
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