Talk:Ron "Pigpen" McKernan

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this article is poorly written. Can anyone clean it up?

Contents

[edit] Ron

Pigpen is one of the most underappreciated and creative vocalists/musicians of all time.


The link to the Warlocks is to a different group and should be removed.

[edit] A Light Brush Up

I don't have the time or the knowledge to give this article the attention it deserves, but I did manage to go through and fix some gramatical errors. Avisron 22:53, 21 June 2007 (UTC)


i dont think this is very cool to say, or accurate; "McKernan was not nearly as accomplished technically as Constanten, who often replaced him on keyboards." im gona change it —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.139.75.120 (talk) 13:20, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

It's probably accurate, but I agree that it should not remain without any citation. Tom Constanten was/is a highly technically accomplished keyboardist well schooled in classical music. Pigpen lacked formal training, but a listen to the Dead's first album, "Death Don't Have No Mercy" from Live Dead, and many shows from the 1972 European tour (5/11 comes immediately to mind) reveals immediately that he was no slouch at playing the standard blues, rock and gospel idioms. He was never comfortable jamming on keys, though, whereas Constanten was, and that's why Constanten was brought on board. The tradeoff was that Constanten was not nearly as soulful. JSC ltd (talk) 15:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Gravesite

I visited his grave and discovered that the lot number is actually 311, and updated the page as such

Danwri (talk) 21:42, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Nickname

Does anyone know where the nickname came from? Obviously the conecion to Pig Pen character from Charlie Brown. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.141.57.165 (talk) 12:55, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

I'll go through my material and find a good reference. Off the top of my head, Lesh notes in his autobiography that McKernan already had the nickname by the time Phil met him, and it was given due to McKernan's "funky approach to life." I recall from another source (but I don't recall the source now) that he was given the nickname because he tended to be dirty and stinky, like the Peanuts character. I used to work with a guy who hung out with him from time to time at Kepler's Bookstore in Palo Alto back in the day, and he confirmed the plausibility of the latter statement, FWIW! JSC ltd (talk) 15:27, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
"Among the main settled personnel [of the jug band Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, in 1963 - 1964] were Garcia on guitar and vocals, Weir on washtub bass and jug, for which he had an unusual facility, his friend Tom Stone on banjo, and another pal, Dave Parker, on washboard. With Garcia and Weir, the third regular was Jerry's friend Ron McKernan on harmonica and vocals. Ron's semibestial persona had only ripened since the Boar's Head days just three years before. Now eighteen, he was beefy, grubby, and fearsome-looking, although Weir swiftly realized that he was the sweetest guy around. To top things off, he'd acquired a new nickname. One night at the JCC Boar's Head, milling about in the post-show consideration of where to go next, Truck Driving Cherie Huddleston lifted a line from the Peanuts cartoon and cracked, 'All right for you, Pigpen,' and Blue Ron was 'Pigpen' forevermore." -- McNally, Dennis. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, 2002, Broadway Books, ISBN 0-7679-1185-7 p. 66. — Mudwater (Talk) 01:02, 30 May 2008 (UTC)
Thank you.JSC ltd (talk) 19:46, 5 June 2008 (UTC)