Grateful Dead - A Photofilm by Paul and Linda McCartney

This 9-minute film was directed and produced by Paul McCartney in 1995, created from photos of the Grateful Dead taken by Linda McCartney in Central Park, NYC (5/5/68) and at 710 Ashbury in SF (12/1/67). It was shown at film festivals in 1996.

Film by Paul McCartney
Documentary Film - 9 min
Miramax Films 1995
Central Park, Manhattan, NYC
San Francisco
1968
Personnel:
Paul McCartney - director, producer
Linda McCartney - producer, cinematographer
Robert Montgomery - producer

"One of the many things I did, I did a thing called The Grateful Dead Photo Film, using Linda's snapshots and making them move, dissolving between them and making them into a film, a short art film, which I showed at festivals and things. And I'm actually in the process - although everything else and its uncle is holding it up - but I've got a Beatles photo film on the go and I would love to use it as part of the soundtrack of that." -Paul McCartney

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/26/mo...

https://www.the-paulmccartney-project...

Interview with Paul:
Had Jerry seen the film?
Paul: "I was trying to get the film to him when he died. No other band members have seen it yet."

How long did it take to make?

Paul: "I was working with four rolls of film, negatives, taken by Linda. I'm working on a similar one of the Beatles at the moment. Overall the whole thing took a couple of years - I work very slowly. [laughter] Once we were full at it it took about a couple of months."

Who funded it?

Paul: "Not Jake Eberts!" [laughter]

What inspired you in the first place?

Paul: "I was just looking through Linda's contact sheets from the sixties. and that's what gave me the idea. Especially one sequence of Bob Weir moving very fast, almost 24 frames a second... She'd shot some of the film like a cinematographer and it was the days before motor drive.[sic?] The four rolls were really all there was of the Dead, though there was a bit of colour which I decided not to use."

Ever been to a Dead show?

Paul: "I never got to a concert. Before I started this I wasn't that great a fan, and once I started work with the music I wished I had done. For the film's purposes, the Grateful Dead material was easy to work with, because they have long extended instrumentals, whereas our stuff was always very formalised. But for the Beatles one I found something we did for the Roundhouse in the sixties which is a fifteen minute instrumental of us banging on things... very avant garde! I'm not sure it would ever actually be released just as music..."

Did you know the Dead had covered That Would Be Something?

Paul: "I was aware that they did some of our stuff, several of our songs, and took it as a great compliment."

Would you ever play one of theirs?

Paul: "Oh, er, [flippant] tomorrow!"

Who is the better bass player, you or Phil Lesh?

Paul: "Hmmm, [laughter] good question." [mock-modest] "I dunno...me!!"