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"Well, I'm working with HeadCount. Um, I'm doing a benefit for the Rainforest Action Network in about a week and I have another project that's going to be fairly large, but I ... it's a tale that's a little while on the telling and it's not ready to tell yet, but it's taking a fair bit of my time."

Is that another environmental project?

"Yeah, pretty much."

There's the stereotype that the environmental side has gone along with, not only The Dead, but the culture. I was wondering how your interest in it got started. Was it always there?

"Yeah. Christ, back in my high school days I was involved with the American Friends Service Organization ... or ... let's see ... well, I was doing volunteer work back in high school and when we started -- when we moved to the Haight-Ashbury we were always doing benefit concerts for the Haight-Ashbury Medical Clinic or a legal fund or whatever. Being part of the community, you have to be part of the community. And if you have the ability to raise money or awareness for stuff that we all felt was worthy of people's attention, we just did it. It seemed natural. It still does."

It seems like you get more involved with them. You have roles outside of just performing benefits and doing that end of it.

"Well, having the experience of working with people over the years and seeing this project succeed and this project fail -- why did this succeed and why did this fail? After a while, you get to know the ropes of that area of an endeavor and have more to offer than just your services as a fundraiser and you can help organize and direct."

There could be the view of -- you're getting hands on ... I guess I'm wondering where your motivation comes from as far as, here you are in a position where you could sit back and do benefits or maybe something from the stage or go at it in that matter, but instead you've gotten more involved with them and are on boards of directors ...

"Well, at this point, I have more to offer than just what I do on stage. I've got opinions and, like I said, a great deal of experience now in what makes things work in outreach and those areas of the effort."

Taking a more active role ...

"Yeah. I give what I have to give."

On a side note to talking from the stage, I noticed from times I saw The Dead, and even with RatDog, very little if anything is said to the crowd -- just let people know you'll be back or maybe a thank you. Is it a matter of letting the music do the talking or ...

"Yeah. I have nothing to add. Basically, what I'm trying to do when I'm on stage is let the characters in the songs tell their stories. I'm sort of blissfully unaware of the fact that I'm on stage performing. I'm not even there. I may look like me, but I'm not."

Was it always that way?

"Um ... somewhere in the ... I turned that corner somewhere in the '80s, I think it was. Late '70s into the '80s it just started to happen."

We touched on some of the things you're working on. Going back to the environmental side, what are some of the things people need to do? Does it come down to education and learning more or getting involved?

"It will come down to individual effort on all our parts. If we want this planet to survive, we're gonna have to work from our hearts and our minds to make it work."

What kinds of changes have you noticed over all these years -- after getting started in high school? Have you seen a progression -- better or worse?

"It ebbs and flows, but about the same number of people are involved in trying to make the world a better place now as there were then, back in the '60s, '70s. There was the civil rights movement back then. The stakes are higher now. A lot of the issues are the same. Are you working just for yourself, yourself and maybe your family, or are you working for the greater good of all? Some people don't see the point in that and other people do."

It also seems to appear more around elections. Does it seem to ebb and flow with that? "Eh ... I haven't really taken much note of that. I'm gonna be involved in this election cycle."

What is your involvement?

"I'm trying to get kids registered to vote, because it's their future. Younger folks will generally be a little more expansive in their world view than older folks -- that's been my experience. I tend to trust younger folks a little more in those regards than older folks so my outreach is going to be toward the younger side of our population."