Baltimore Comic Con 2023: Part VIII - My Buddy, And Driver, Dave Braun

As the date for the convention drew near, I got a call from an old co-worker / buddy of mine, Dave Braun, who asked if I had some time coming up that we could hang out. I suggested to him that my girl was having knee surgery, and would be recovering the weekend of the convention, which we already had tickets for. I told him that if he wanted to volunteer to drive, I would give him the ticket at no charge.

Dave opted to wear a mask. He may
have been the smart one. I'm praying
to, and trusting in Jesus that I don't get
Covid, or any other illnesses for not.

While I ran around in circles from table to table, Dave busied himself actually enjoying the convention. Well, when I didn't have him standing in lines for me. He got some great photos of some cos-players in the process. Granted these few were just the tip of the iceberg.

Being a fan of Grateful Dead, Dave's first stop off was to the table of Chris Miskiewicz, who created a graphic novel called, Grateful Dead Origins: The Graphic Novel. Though he didn't send me a picture, a compilation of Dead music was also pressed on a vinyl as a counterpart when reading the book.

While at Jim Starlin's table, Dave saw a print that he really wanted, so I spotted him the cash to grab it in exchange for a promise that he would buy lunch...which we never got.

As a thanks to Dave for driving, and standing in lines for me, I had Jon Bogdanove write up the blurb on this print, which he and his wife signed.

Dave ended up having to take a break after this, and I was left to my own devices for the next hour or so that I walked around. We left the convention hall around 5:30 PM, walking as quickly as possible on tired and sore feet, which wasn't as fast as when we walked there in the morning, got in the car, and got stuck in that good ol' fashioned DC / Maryland / Virginia traffic, made all the more worse by the rain storm that hit. In hindsight, though I missed out on certain autographs, we got out of there at a good time. Otherwise, it would have taken us two plus hours to get back.

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Retro Spins: The Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead

 

Photo goes to the right.

My exposure to The Grateful Dead has been an unwilling forcing upon by a co-worker who lives and breaths by the band. He's what they call a Deadhead. He follows the band around to this day, going from show to show, buying every bit of music he can get from them. He's a hippy to his core, and I don't think I've ever seen him get angry. Even when pushed to what many would consider the limit. That just wouldn't be groovy.

I myself have pushed and pushed him about his love for the band, reminding him that he's a burnout and making fun of his love for Jerry Garcia - As guys often do to their friends. It was because of this, I immediately texted him to let him know that I was firing up their first album to finally give them a fair chance.

Look, I could sit here and try to hammer out a history of the band to lead into my listening of the album, but at this point in their history, I would probably do them a great disservice in trying to do so. Instead, I would suggest anyone looking for any information on them to find a better source.

As for the album, or rather, my opinion of it, in terms of sixties music, I suppose it wasn't bad. It wasn't mind blowing by any means, but then again, as a child of the 80's I don't necessarily have the perspective of their impact of their time. Kind of like how The Beatles are considered to be such a revolutionary band, but in today's terms, it's just classic rock.

Did I hear anything that made me want to hear anything further from The Grateful Dead? No. Did I hear anything that got added to my shuffle list? Also, no. While I'm listening to a lot of classic rock as of late, the truth of the matter is that this style of music isn't my favorite. I'm an 80's child, and that's my sweet spot when it comes to the sounds and songs. Still, I want to give some of the sixties and seventies icons a try to see if any of them can change my perspective.

At the very least, I'm trying new things.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.