One group after another, they’ve been congregating over Zoom in support of Kamala Harris’ presidential run: Women, men, Swifties, “White Dudes,” Bob Dylan fans. So why not “Deadheads for Kamala”?
Although it sounds like a conservative talk-radio wisecrack, such a confab will take place on Aug. 13, in the hopes of bringing together new and vintage Dead fans as another potential voting bloc for Harris. The meeting was the brainchild of broadcaster Steven Leventhal, who owns the streaming radio station Acid Flashback Radio and has been a Deadhead since 1985. After hearing about the previous Zoom rallies for Harris, he says, “I jokingly said to my wife, ‘Gosh, we should do Deadheads for Kamala.’ She sort of smiled and I said, ‘You know, that’s not a bad idea.’”
After Leventhal reached out to contacts in the Democratic National Committee, an invite link was posted, and fans avidly began registering for what was billed as an unofficial fan event not affiliated with the Dead itself. Among those who noted it on social media was consultant George Conway.
Then came some head-scratching. When it was announced on July 31, a graphic for the event listed the date as the following day, Aug. 1, while the invite link itself put the date at Aug. 13. “I jumped the gun a little bit,” Leventhal admits. “All of a sudden there were too many conflicts with other people.” The firmed-up date now won’t conflict with any celebrations of Jerry Garcia’s birthday (Aug. 1) or Dead & Company’s final six shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
For the Zoom gathering, Leventhal is promising “some huge people in the Grateful Dead community and even people performing.” Among those who have signed on are David Gans, a Dead historian, musician, and “Grateful Dead Hour” radio host; promoter and Deadhead Peter Shapiro; Laina Cohn from Golden Road Festival Presents; and Nancy Rotering, mayor of Highland Park, Illinois (and the get-together’s liaison to the DNC).
Also on the call will be someone not ordinarily associated with the Deadhead world — actor and singer Mandy Patinkin, who admits to RS that he’s never attended a Dead show and is only familiar with one song of theirs that he had to learn for “a film or something.” But after seeing Leventhal’s initial X post, Patinkin not only retweeted it but signed up.
“It’s basically an excuse to find a large group of people to bring together,” he says. “I’m on a quest to hear different voices and hear wheat they have to say. So my expectations for Deadheads for Kamala is one hell of a fun phone call or Zoom.
“I bet there will be people of different ages,” he continues, adding with a laugh, “and older ones still trying to look young, and you’ll say, ‘Put a hat on!’ But most important it’s about gathering together and trying to change the fabric of negativity into positivity. This is an existential moment for all of us and for democracy.”
Patinkin also dismisses the criticism from the other side of the spectrum that such gatherings are intentionally discriminating. “It’s what they call the spin room, in politics and entertainment,” he says. “I’m for all of humanity. It’s laughable to say [the organizers] are advocating for a segregated society. It’s just bullshit.”
As for the last-minute switch in the date, Patinkin admits it was “a bit confusing,” and Leventhal doesn’t disagree. “Well, that would be in keeping with the gestalt of the Grateful Dead,” he says, but feels the change in the schedule will ultimately be a positive. “I hope everyone understands that we’d rather go for the 10,000 or 20,000,” he says, “and give the ‘White Dudes for Kamala’ a run for their money.”
