Grateful Dead Wisdom

I know, I know...another Deadhead claiming their lyrics are something other than rock lyrics. Hear me out.

Scarlet Begonias was released in 1974; I was three...needless to say, I wasn't aware of them at that point in my life. I first started listening to them in earnest when I was in my late 40s. My musical tastes have changed since my younger days, or better stated, they have evolved to include more varied musical interests.

There's a line in Scarlet Begonias that hits me in an entirely different way in my mid-50s than it ever has before. The line is this: "Once in a while You get shown the light In the strangest of places If you look at it right." I don't think I ever considered the wisdom in that brief phrase until recently.

I am now considering what my strangest places are...I know where my comfort places exist. My wife, my kids, my career, etc.

What are the strange places that life can show us the "light"? For me, I have started listening to younger musicians. I have connected with a ton of Gen Z and Millennial artists on Tik Tok. I am actually slowing down to input new sounds. In my 30s and 40s, I didn't do much of that.

I missed nearly two decades of popular music because I decided, without much effort, that none of it was any good. I am now eating crow. There was some fantastic music (and a lot of crap) released from 2001 - 2015ish. Incredible talent is touring right now, but in small venues. TikTok has opened me up to more and more unsigned and smaller artists.

So I guess I said all that to say, try to seek out new music. Go explore new music. Support independent artists when and where you can. Go find the light in strange places...you never know what you might discover.

Comments 3

Louie 10-19-2026, 03:56 PM

Nice read, Dale. Couldn’t agree more with you! I have a playlist of all 70’s and 80’s music. Never resonated with the stuff in the 2000’s really. Since TikTok, I’ve been exposed to some great artists that may not of been seen. All sorts of different sounds and styles.

Amanda F 10-19-2026, 04:28 PM

Very nice! Music is LIFE.

SAMX 10-19-2026, 07:02 PM

Dale, this is great. I think you sparked an even bigger lesson here beyond music. Most times we get so comfortable with what we like that we stop looking for anything new. I'm guilty of it too.

Heck, we spent half our lives exploring everything, then spent twenty years listening to the same 200 songs like music stopped in 1994. But most mainstream music does suck now. Just sayin'

I'm starting to think getting older isn't about knowing it all. It's more about still having so much to learn. And that goes for a whole heck of a lot more than music.

Good stuff, brother. Got me thinking. Love it.

Louie 10-19-2026, 03:56 PM
Nice read, Dale. Couldn’t agree more with you! I have a playlist of all 70’s and 80’s music. Never resonated with the stuff in the 2000’s really. Since TikTok, I’ve been exposed to some great artists that may not of been seen. All sorts of different sounds and styles.
Amanda F 10-19-2026, 04:28 PM
Very nice! Music is LIFE.
SAMX 10-19-2026, 07:02 PM
Dale, this is great. I think you sparked an even bigger lesson here beyond music. Most times we get so comfortable with what we like that we stop looking for anything new. I'm guilty of it too.

Heck, we spent half our lives exploring everything, then spent twenty years listening to the same 200 songs like music stopped in 1994. But most mainstream music does suck now. Just sayin'

I'm starting to think getting older isn't about knowing it all. It's more about still having so much to learn. And that goes for a whole heck of a lot more than music.

Good stuff, brother. Got me thinking. Love it.

Join free to comment or log in

This conversation on the forum

The biggest Gen X online house party ever.

Grateful Dead Wisdom

Comments 3

Written by a member of The GXA: GenX Forum.