Learn: Home » Creating The Closing of Winterland
CA: At what point in the proceedings did the two of you join forces with your collective accomplishments?
JN: It was quite natural, actually. I would check in with David and see what he was up to and he'd listen to the mixes I was doing. We'd bounce ideas off of each other and talk about the logistics. For instance we knew that there was no way we could put the all three sets of music onto a single DVD. So, we decided to present the show as the main entity and then the bonus materials in a separate place. This opposed presenting everything in a strict chronological fashion, which would have dictated that the "Conversation with Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Ken Kesey" go between the first and second set.
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CA: You are obviously pleased — and rightfully so — with the final results. What, if anything would you have changed?
JN: Well, hmmm . . . one thing is that many of the decisions had to be made almost instantly. There was no time to live with it, ya know? We were right up against the deadline, I mean it had to be in stores today, actually. But, in general, there will always be places in mixes that I will labor over. I am never going to be 100% satisfied, but at some point you have to let go and accept that you did the absolute best you could in the time you had to do so. I know it is pretty close, because I am able to take the CDs and listen for the pleasure of the music in my car.
CA: That is always a good test.
JN: Well, yeah. Plus, I did not know this show as well as you or the other hard-core tape collectors. I knew it was considered a peak performance, but I didn't know it. I have to say, apart from the emotional and historical aspects, this concert really holds up to repeated listens. It's fun to listen to all the way through. Plus, thanks to David's hard work, it is equally fun to watch. Speaking of watching, that is where David comes in with his expertise.
Once again, on behalf of CrutchfieldAdvisor and myself, I'd like to extend heartfelt thanks to the immensely talented, eternally generous, and painfully humble Jeffrey Norman.
But wait, we have only told half of the story! Point your browsers back here next week for Part II in our two-part series "The Making of the Grateful Dead DVD The Closing of Winterland." We will have the privilege of actually going into the infamous Grateful Dead tape archives with current vault keeper, David Lemieux. His insight and keen ear for quality and — as we will find out next time — equally perceptive eye for copious quantity, is at the heart of this mammoth audio-visual achievement.
