The day after seeing The Grateful Dead perform at the Omni in Atlanta on March 30th, 1994, I received a call from the assignment desk at WXIA-TV, where I worked as a producer. Would I like to interview Jerry Garcia? As a deadhead since my first show in 1981, I was ready in about two minutes!

When we arrived at the art gallery showing Jerry's work, Dennis McNally escorted us in and laid down the ground rules: five minutes, and only questions about his artwork.

I was starstruck and young and inexperienced as a journalist. I stuck to the rules. I was disappointed when a veteran newspaper reporter followed me, and dug right into the music, the history, and all the stuff that made The Grateful Dead great. Jerry seemed to appreciate it!

So, it might have been a missed opportunity professionally, but it was a huge thrill as a fan!

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