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Posts: 120
Location: New England
Joined: April 5, 2002
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A version that stands out in my mind was the Valentine's Day show in 68 (about a week after Cassady had died) when they played at the Carousel Ballroom and dedicated the show to Neil. Recently, I believe it came out on Road Trips Vol.2 No.2.
A little history on it comes from a David Gans interview:
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 13:09:51 -0800
From: Steve Biederman
To: ddodd@well.com
Subject: Annotated Lyrics Submission: "Smilin' on a Cloudy Day"
I see you haven't added this stuff that tnf (David Gans, for anyone who is unclear on Truth N Fun...) did with Bob and Phil, where he reveals getting busted for "smiling on a cloudy day".
Sorry, I only saved the text itself and not the conf, topic, or date. (Me, I saved it off on July 23 1996; don't know whether tnf posted it then or earlier and I only ran across it then):
Weir: Interesting story with "The Other One." Uh, it was one of the first tunes I ever wrote. Actually, we came up with the "map," basically, for the song in a rehearsal somewhere, just kickin' stuff around. And then I took it and started shaping it up, and things like that. We for the song in a rehearsal somewhere, just kickin' stuff around. And then I took it and started shaping it up, and things like that. We went on a tour, in the Pacific Northwest, and I was, you know, I was not done with it, I was wondering what the song was about, and then one night it sort of came to me. Basically, it's a little, a little fantastic, uh, episode about my meeting Neal Cassady. I wrote the two verses - that's all there is to it, really, is two verses - and, uh, then, uh, we played the gig that night and came home the next day and when we came home we learned the news that Neal had died that night...
DG: Wow.
Weir:...the night that I wrote that. As legend has it, he died counting the railroad ties on the tracks -
Lesh: From Dallas to Denver.
Weir: Something like that. San Miguel de Allende [Mexico], I think, is where he was.
Lesh: Okay.
Weir: Um, so I guess that was a little visitation, that's - not unlike Neal.
Lesh: But if I remember correctly, as soon as you had, as soon as you had the words, then we did the song.
Weir: Yeah.
Lesh: I mean, we did it that night
DG: Wow.
Lesh: It didn't require any rehearsal.
Weir: Right.
Lesh:
[Over "The Other One:"] DG: Now, I remember a version from a little bit earlier, maybe the late in '67, you had a different set of lyrics; the first verse is about, you know, "the heat come 'round and busted me"...
Weir: Right.
DG: ... and then there was a second verse that was about "the heat in the jail weren't very smart," or somethin' like that...
Weir: Oh, I don't...
DG: ...and then you had - so...
Weir: Yeah, that was, that was after, uh, that was after my little...
Lesh: Water balloon episode?
MM: Uh-oh!
DG: Oh, I wanna hear this!
Weir: I got him good. Uh, there was this, there was, I was, uh, I was on the third floor of, uh, our place in the Haight-Ashbury. Um, and there was this cop who was illegally searching a car belonging to a friend of ours, um, down on the street - the cops used to harass us, uh, every chance they got. They didn't care for the hippies back then. And uh, and so I had a water balloon, and what was I gonna do with this water balloon, come on. And, uh...
Lesh: Just happened to have a water balloon, in his hand...
MM: See, I wasn't gonna bring that up...
Lesh: ...ladies and gentlemen.
Weir: And so I got him right square on the head, and uh...
Lesh: A prettier shot you never saw.
Weir: ...and, uh, and he didn't, he couldn't tell where it was comin' from, but then I had to go and go downstairs and walk across the street and just grin at him...
Lesh, MM, DG:
Weir:...and sorta rub it in a little bit.
DG: Smilin' on a cloudy day. I understand now.
Lesh, DG:
MM: It all becomes clear.
Weir: And, uh, at that point, he decided to hell with due process of law, this kid's goin' to jail. He didn't have a thing on me, they, they . It never got to court, but on the other hand, I did get thrown in jail and beat up a little bit.
MM: I still want to go back; you just happened to have that water balloon handy, it was kind of just like standard procedure.
DG: Gee, I wonder if...
Weir: He was the guy that was breakin' the law, too, the cop was.
MM: That's, that's - I agree.
Weir: I guess - what, what does a water balloon amount to, is that assault with a, uh...
DG: Friendly weapon.
MM: With a moist weapon.
Lesh, DG:
MM: That goes under the water laws.
DG:
MM: And if it was tap water, that also...
Lesh: Disrespect for an officer.
Weir: Right.
DG: That was enough in those days - as I recall.
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I should get 36 any day now and the . . . - John PA 22:34:19 11/04/09
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