
Mother American Night
My Life in Crazy Times
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Narrated by:
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Ray Porter
About this listen
John Perry Barlow’s wild ride with the Grateful Dead was just part of a Zelig-like life that took him from a childhood as ranching royalty in Wyoming to membership in the Internet Hall of Fame as a digital free speech advocate.
Mother American Night is the wild, funny, heartbreaking, and often unbelievable (yet completely true) story of an American icon. Born into a powerful Wyoming political family, John Perry Barlow wrote the lyrics for thirty Grateful Dead songs while also running his family’s cattle ranch. He hung out in Andy Warhol’s Factory, went on a date with the Dalai Lama’s sister, and accidentally shot Bob Weir in the face on the eve of his own wedding. As a favor to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Barlow mentored a young JFK Jr., and the two then became lifelong friends. Despite being a freely self-confessed acidhead, he served as Dick Cheney’s campaign manager during Cheney’s first run for Congress. And after befriending a legendary early group of computer hackers known as the Legion of Doom, Barlow became a renowned Internet guru who then co-founded the groundbreaking Electronic Frontier Foundation.
His résumé only hints of the richness of a life lived on the edge. Blessed with an incredible sense of humor and a unique voice, Barlow was a born storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain and Will Rogers. Through intimate portraits of friends and acquaintances from Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia to Timothy Leary and Steve Jobs, Mother American Night traces the generational passage by which the counterculture became the culture, and it shows why learning to accept love may be the hardest thing we ever ask of ourselves.
©2018 John Perry Barlow and Robert Greenfield (P)2018 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Wondrous tales of the hippie highway by Grateful Dead lyricist and internet pioneer Barlow. The author died recently after a long series of illnesses that form a moody counterpoint to the general anarchist fun of his memoir. That may be a good thing considering that the statute of limitations may not yet have run out for various of the hijinks he recounts here...[Barlow] writes with rough grace and considerable poetic power...[Mother American Night] is a yarn to read, with pleasure, alongside Ringolevio and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Breezy, connected by ceaselessly mind-blowing anecdotes, and bubbling over with psychedelic wisdom, Mother American Night will become the crucial document for understanding the life and work of the internet pioneer and Dead collaborator. The fun is infectious..." (Wired)
"The first thing I noticed in reading Mother American Night was Barlow's voice...his incredible gift of language, combined with his habit of manicuring his anecdotes to carefully calculated rough-hewn perfection, shining through with unmistakable glory. Barlow is one of the world's greatest storytellers... This is an essential, beautifully written book that is full of humor and tragedy and revelation." (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing)
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Story
Tom Wolfe - one of the 20th century’s foremost voices in cultural criticism - went from local news reporter to international icon in 1968, with the publication of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Now voiced with vivacity and vigor by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Luke Daniels, the non-fiction swan-dive delves into the world of hippies, hedonism, and everything in between.
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Maybe it resonated with a different time and place
- By S. Phillips on 04-11-19
By: Tom Wolfe
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A Long Strange Trip
- The Inside History of the Grateful Dead
- By: Dennis McNally
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 29 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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From 1965 to 1995, the Grateful Dead flourished as one of the most beloved, unusual, and accomplished musical entities to ever grace American culture. The creative synchronicity among Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan exploded out of the early 60s roots and folk scene, providing the soundtrack for the Dionysian revels of the counterculture. Dennis McNally, the band's historian and publicist for more than 20 years, takes listeners back through the Dead's history.
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Amazing story!
- By Michael Knoll on 11-04-18
By: Dennis McNally
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Jerry on Jerry
- The Unpublished Jerry Garcia Interviews
- By: Dennis McNally - editor, Trixie Garcia - foreword
- Narrated by: Jerry Garcia
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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These never-before-published interviews with Jerry Garcia reveal his thoughts on religion, politics, his personal life, and his creative process. Jerry on Jerry provides new insight into the beloved frontman of the Grateful Dead in time for the 50th Anniversary of the band. Released by the Jerry Garcia family and made available to the public for the first time, these are some of the most candid, intimate interviews with Jerry Garcia ever published.
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JG dominates the rap, jack, with much new to give
- By gallegos on 01-27-16
By: Dennis McNally - editor, and others
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Home Before Daylight
- My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead
- By: Steve Parish, Joe Layden - contributor, Bob Weir - foreword
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Steve Parish was never one to walk the straight-and-narrow, even during his childhood growing up in Flushing Meadow, Queens. Busted as a teenager for selling acid in the summer of 1968, Parish landed in Riker's Island. The experience changed him, and after getting out, he did his best to stay out of trouble, securing a job moving music equipment at the New York State Pavilion. The first show he worked was a Grateful Dead concert in July of 1969, and Parish was captivated by the music. A life seemingly headed nowhere had suddenly found its calling.
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Narrator-Blaa
- By MORGAN NOTEL on 10-06-19
By: Steve Parish, and others
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Searching for the Sound
- My Life with the Grateful Dead
- By: Phil Lesh
- Narrated by: Phil Lesh
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
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Phil Lesh first met Jerry Garcia in 1959 in the clubs of Palo Alto, California. At Garcia's suggestion, Lesh learned to play the electric bass and joined him in a new group that blended R&B, country, and rock 'n' roll with an experimental fervor never before heard.
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Searching for the Sound
- By Brad Zerkel on 04-29-05
By: Phil Lesh
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Heads
- A Biography of Psychedelic America
- By: Jesse Jarnow
- Narrated by: Jesse Jarnow
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America uncovers a hidden history of the biggest psychedelic distribution and belief system the world has ever known. Through a collection of fast-paced interlocking narratives, it animates the tale of an alternate America and its wide-eyed citizens.
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Disappointed
- By Rick Greene on 05-09-22
By: Jesse Jarnow
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Fare Thee Well
- The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip
- By: Joel Selvin, Pamela Turley
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The Grateful Dead rose to greatness under the inspired leadership of guitarist Jerry Garcia, but the band very nearly died along with him. When Garcia passed away suddenly in 1995, the remaining band members experienced full crises of confidence and identity. So long defined by Garcia's vision for the group, the surviving "Core Four", as they came to be called, were reduced to strained relationships, and catastrophic business decisions. It would take 20 years before relationships were mended enough for the Grateful Dead as fans remembered them to once again take the stage.
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A worthy, if imperfect, addition to the story
- By Rick on 06-21-18
By: Joel Selvin, and others
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Cornell '77
- The Music, the Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead's Concert at Barton Hall
- By: Peter Conners
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 8, 1977, at Barton Hall, on the Cornell University campus, in front of 8,500 eager fans, the Grateful Dead played a show so significant that the Library of Congress inducted it into the National Recording Registry. The band had just released Terrapin Station and was still finding its feet after an extended hiatus. In 1977, the Grateful Dead reached a musical peak, and their East Coast spring tour featured an exceptional string of performances. Many Deadheads claim that the quality of the live recording of the show made by Betty Cantor-Jackson elevated its importance.
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Great Show to Start Of With
- By Charles A. Prince, Jr on 06-17-21
By: Peter Conners
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Bear
- The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III
- By: Robert Greenfield
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The creator of the dancing bear logo and designer of the Wall of Sound for the Grateful Dead, Augustus Owsley Stanley III, better known by his nickname, Bear, was one of the most iconic figures in the cultural revolution that changed both America and the world during the 1960s. Owsley's high octane rocket fuel enabled Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters to put on the Acid Tests. It also powered much of what happened on stage at Monterey Pop.
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wow
- By Brian Harnois on 10-12-20
What listeners say about Mother American Night
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- Adam Morehouse
- 09-18-18
amazing book on a amazing person.
This was a great listen. I listened to it 'cause I'm a Dead Head. But learned so much more of what a crazy and amazing man this guy was. Listening to it makes me wish I could've met the man. What a life he led. From Dead lyrics, to ranching, to cyber space, to politics.... To Love. John Perry Barlow was a amazing human being.
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- Steven
- 07-29-18
21st Century Renaissance Man
John Perry Barlow has had the opportunity to do what we wished we could have done as baby boomers. He was involved in so many aspects of things going on in our lifetime that it is mind boggling. If he had just worked with the Dead we would have been impressed but he was involved in so much more. Kudos to Bob Greenfield for writing the stories that he spoke to Barlow about. His other works have distinguished him as a talent for bringing out what is amazing about his subjects.
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- jerome m.
- 01-09-23
Just A Great Story Of A Life Lived
I grew up in the 70's listening to The Dead and seeing them play live. Did many of the things Dead Heads did during those times. I've lived in Wyoming for all of my post retirement life. It is truly amazing how some people can pack so much living into a single lifetime. John Perry Barlow certainly did that to the max.
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- joe
- 09-19-24
A great tale told well.
I've always loved the songs he wrote but wow; what a life! The tale is fascinating and the narration is perfect.
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- someone
- 01-04-19
Beautiful
love this book as much as I love the music he wrote. I know John was much more than the music he wrote. This book helped discover what that more is.
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- John W Fitzwater
- 06-19-18
Great book
I had the pleasure of knowing JPB, we weren’t best friends or anything, but we knew each other, and hung out on more than a few occasions. These are some of the stories he told me when were hanging out. JPB was one of the most interesting human beings to walk the earth, take the time to listen to his story, it’s a good one. ✌🏻❤️
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- Pete G
- 06-26-18
Excellent book
Great story about an amazing life. He seemed to be right on the pulse of things no matter where he was. RIP John.
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- Aztex
- 08-27-18
Self Righteous Tool!
As I said, Barlow is a Self Righteous Tool!
So much of it comes off like bragging and over inflates his importance. For instance, have a look at Steve Jobs book and note Barlow doesn't get mentioned...
Most telling is the lack of interaction with Garcia and the Grateful Dead crew who did not suffer fools lightly! Heck they treated Weir like a kid brother so Barlow was little brothers buddy!
Sure he's an interesting character to be sure! Wrote a few good lyrics but few classics.
His little "adventure" with McIntyre (You Dead Heads should have a bit of back story to fill the blanks!) kinda set the tone for me.
Barlow, as I said up front is self righteous and is the epitome of relativistic America where one needs only to justify one's actions to get some sleep. He's not the train wreck so many of his generation were but not far from it!
Before you start dismissing me as a right winger conservative make a mental list of the casualties from the 60's and put the waste of Garcia on top! Finest musician of the century traded it for dragons breathe!
All that said it's a fun listen and remains in my library! I don't have to agree with the protagonist and can appreciate the wild ride of a story and the perspective it provides.
Ray Porter knocks it out of the park as usual!
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- Anonymous User
- 03-30-21
What a life he had... great book
The story of John Perry's life, at times seems stranger than fiction. What an interesting man and what an interesting story.
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- D. Whitney
- 02-25-22
Amazing!
What a life! Definitely recommend! I actually took notes at some points so I could expand my knowledge of some of the other major players. He was so entwined with such a variety of people, brilliant, and incredibly diverse.
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