In the world of music, some collaborations are simply legendary, especially when it’s a band as culturally significant as the Grateful Dead. Producer Mike Fleiss says he had the privilege of collaborating with none other than Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead and a rock ’n’ roll legend in his own right. Working with Bob Weir was not only the highlight of this accomplished TV mogul’s career, but also a transformative experience that left an indelible mark on the world of music.
The talented director got to work with Weir when he filmed The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Fleiss said the Grateful Dead is one of his all-time favorite bands. “Bob Weir is just one of the great smart, cool people the world’s ever produced,” Mike Fleiss shares. “He’s the real deal. I remember the first time I sat down for dinner with him and his family. Before we started eating we all held hands. He calls it the hippie handshake where you sit on the table. It’s a little bit of a prayer thing, but it’s got more of a hippie vibe to it. I thought, ‘Is this affectation? What is this?’ the first time it happened. Then I thought to myself, ‘Well, this guy is the guy who invented all this stuff, so I’m going to go [with it].’ Then I’ve seen him do it every meal I’ve ever had with him. He’s the genuine oracle. That’s what I would say about Bobby. He’s what you’d expect and hoped him to be.”
Weir’s name is synonymous with the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, he played a pivotal role in shaping the sound and ethos of the Grateful Dead, one of the most influential rock bands in history. Weir’s distinctive guitar playing and unique songwriting style contributed to the band’s timeless appeal. But it wasn’t just his musical talents that set him apart; it was his ability to connect with audiences on a profound level. And that connection clearly transcended to Fleiss and the Grateful Dead’s lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia.
“We had a very strong bond and a shared sense of purpose,” Weir said in the beginning of the documentary regarding his partnership with the late, great Garcia. “Jerry was my older brother, basically. I’ve led a kind of unusual life. I was young for the experience of leaving home and going out and seeing the world. But I was ready for it. It was such an amazing adventure. The music was an adventure. I’ve seen stuff that no one has seen. Mine has been a long, strange trip.”
Speaking of stuff no one has seen, Mike Fleiss has an entire room of Grateful Dead memorabilia in his home.
“I have a bunch of stuff that Bobby’s given me that I treasure,” Mike Fleiss reveals. “And I’ve got quite a collection of Grateful Dead stuff.”
Fleiss is continuing his own long, strange trip following the Grateful Dead by heading out on the road with his latest musical project, Grateful Young. “We’re just going to play Grateful Dead and Neil Young covers,” Fleiss adds. “We’re going to go on a little tour in the spring from Santa Barbara [California] up to Portland [Oregon].”
