America's Dead

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Five decades after sparking the counterculture movement, the Grateful Dead are more alive than ever, and filmmaker Emmett Malloy wants to find out how. In this limited-run series from Sonos, join Emmett as he unpacks how a band of misfits changed American music, culture and consciousness forever, as told through the eyes of Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend), Animal Collective, mycologist Paul Stamets, Lila Downs, Margo Price and many more. What can the Grateful Dead tell us... about us?

Ezra Koenig, in Defense of the Dead

Ezra Koenig is an unlikely evangelist for the Grateful Dead, and that’s exactly why we brought him on the show. In this first episode of America’s Dead, hear the Vampire Weekend frontman defend the wisdom of “hippie psychedelic nonsense” and reveal what has inspired him most as a songwriter. Plus in this episode, Koenig imagines that if Kurt Cobain were alive today, he too would be a Deadhead. Credits:America’s Dead is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Alex Kapelman, and Ben Montoya. Additional production from Josh Agajanian. The show is mixed by Sam Bair and Josh Hahn. Our theme music is by Jake Longstreth, John Nixon, Aaron Olson, and Ryan Adlaf of Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures. The show art is created by Andy J. Pizza. Special thanks to Joe Dawson at Sonos. 

The Dead are Channeling God, with Dr. Varun Soni and Sage

“The Grateful Dead saved me,” says Dr. Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. And he’s not alone. In this episode, Dr. Soni argues that the Dead are actually a religion, and we meet Sage, a student of Dr. Soni, whose encounter with the Dead’s music at age 21 has helped guide both her gender transition and spiritual growth. Credits:America’s Dead is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Alex Kapelman, and Ben Montoya. Additional production from Josh Agajanian. The show is mixed by Sam Bair and Josh Hahn. Our theme music is by Jake Longstreth, John Nixon, Aaron Olson, and Ryan Adlaf of Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures. The show art is created by Andy J. Pizza. Special thanks to Joe Dawson at Sonos. 

The Strange Hippie Default Mechanism, with Sam Cutler

“The Grateful Dead viewed the very idea of planning as being some kind of fascist concept” says Sam Culter, the Dead’s tour manager from 1969 to 1974. Cutler is the guy who finally turned the Dead into a business, but it was an uphill battle the whole way. “The business model was made essentially by a kind of strange hippie default mechanism that worked in mysterious ways.” In this episode, stories from inside the strange hippie default mechanism. Emmett sits down with Sam Cutler and the stories get… pretty unbelievable. Credits:America’s Dead is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Alex Kapelman, and Ben Montoya. Additional production from Josh Agajanian. The show is mixed by Sam Bair and Josh Hahn. Our theme music is by Jake Longstreth, John Nixon, Aaron Olson, and Ryan Adlaf of Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures. The show art is created by Andy J. Pizza. Special thanks to Joe Dawson at Sonos. 

Margo Price and Bob Weir in Conversation

Margo Price is a true force in country music. Political, opinionated, an incredible creative talent. Her latest project is a new podcast from Sonos called Runaway Horses. Margo just released an amazing interview with the Dead’s Bob Weir, and in this special feed drop, we’re passing the reins to Margo to hear her interview in full. Credits:America’s Dead is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Alex Kapelman, and Ben Montoya. Additional production from Josh Agajanian. The show is mixed by Sam Bair and Josh Hahn. Our theme music is by Jake Longstreth, John Nixon, Aaron Olson, and Ryan Adlaf of Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures. The show art is created by Andy J. Pizza. Special thanks to Joe Dawson at Sonos.