Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining rock biography, irritating attitude
Review: I listened to an audiobook version, which at only 2 tapes in length I assume to be a drastic abridgement; my comments are therefore qualified. In general, this was a fun and revealing narrative, a very human depiction of artists who have been merchandized and iconified beyond all recognition. Of course (as another reviewer commented) the focus was 90% on Jerry, so the insight into band dynamics is by no means complete. But I especially enjoyed learning about the early years in the Haight, and about their earliest recording experiences, before the Grateful Dead arena-rock machine really got rolling. I came away very sad for Jerry, who began as such an outgoing, intellectually curious soul, and ended up with an utterly reduced life: hibernating in hotel rooms, doing drugs and watching TV. I also have to comment on Scully's smug superiority when describing any encounters with 'straight' society. I always thought the hippie ideal was about peaceful coexistence among diverse people, respectful tolerance and courtesy for others, and healthy disregard for the arbitrary prohibitions against victimless behavior. So far so good, I'm there. So why is it funny when Jerry ties up the only airplane lavatory for an hour, doing his Persian, while fellow passengers suffer? Why so much contempt for the 'ratf..k' hotel clerk who had the audacity to charge material damages when Jerry flooded and torched his room? Is this kind of self-centeredness OK simply because you're hippies? I think I may have briefly entertained this perspective when I was 13, but thankfully outgrew it. Scully's Us and Them attitude was way over the top, and certainly no credit to the better ideals of a counterculture.
Rating:
Summary: Good book - sad story
Review: I love the music of the Dead. However, I can't help but walk away from this book with a sad feeling. While the anecdotes are amusing, at the heart of the wild times is an emptiness that the Dead were never able to fill. I never realized the drug problem was this bad. Garcia was given a tremendous gift to make music. Who knows what he might have accomplished if he had been surrounded by people who weren't messed up? If his friends had loved him enough to help him, the story might not have ended so soon. I can't help but feel sorry for the members of the Dead. I will continue to love their music, but I will never view the individuals in the same light. A good read for a reality-check.
Rating: 
Summary: CASH COW
Review: I wouldn't have thought of that but Cash cow is the band I knew in the late 80's and early 90's. I worked for this band and would be overwhelmed when I went into the crowds of beautiful lost drugged out KIDS from all over USA who were "trippin" to the "scene" front stage. This stuff depressed me to no end back then. There was alot of stuff going on backstage that wasn't flattering Gerrys "GOD" image to those young folks. Those boys appeared extremely pathetic to me and I was 25 at the time. Thier Rock promoter died in a helicopter crash with his GF and loyal vet helicopter flyer and another band guy died from drugs and then Gerry.. finally.
I found Micky heart a jerk as a young woman and Bob weir esp an complete Idiot who chased super models.
Although this wasn't my type of music, everytime Gerry did his solo everyone backstage stopped what they were doing and we were lost in it. You dont' have to like that stuff to know passion when you hear it.
Cash cow, I wouldnt' have thought of those words back then but thats what I saw them as. They made me cry.
As the writer says Gerry wasn't a bad person. I would have liked to know him better. But they all let people use them and they used other people. These were not smart men. They were gluttons milking their status while it slowly ate away thier lives and a million kids lives watching and supporting it.
Rating: 
Summary: More Dead, not as much Garcia
Review: I've read a ton of books on the Dead and this is my favorite so far in that it's more about the band than Garcia. Granted, there's a lot more about Garcia, but it's not as bad as some of the other books. I was thinking that I'd love to see a book written by Donna -- or any of the other members of the Dead. Hell, a quick essay by Tom Constantine would be great too! Scully tends to write more about the party atmosphere of the Grateful Dead. Great anecdotes and personal stories that you don't really find anywhere else. Things like "The Bobby Problem" had me giggling as I read... it's funny and chock full of good info. I definitely recommend it. The only thing this book is missing is more discussion of the music. Blair Jackson's "Garcia" handles this better, but there's still room for improvement. Overall, I've loved reading this book. A real pleasure for any fan of the Dead
Rating:
Summary: LIGHTWEIGHT BUT STILL INTERESTING READING
Review: It's in the title. Implied in the title - MY living with the Dead. Written from and centered around Rock Scully's point of view. Still a decent read if you are into the Dead, or want to get into the Dead. But also check out McNally's newer book - Long Strange Trip, also sold at this site, which is more of the
history of the band, in detail. Personally, I like historical stuff, I enjoy the details, and McNally's tome is really good.
So take your choice, Scully's view and/or the fly on the wall view.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Great Document
Review: It's well-written. Scully presents his "trip" through 20 years with the Dead as a narrative, with momentum. His thoughts on band members' contributions and personalities do emerge over time, during the flow of events. It's all here, the good the bad and the ugly. You get a real sense as to why the Dead were important to people. You get a real sense of Owsley's role (the LSD manufacturer who served as their "patron" for years). You get a sense of Garcia's personality and why people were/are attracted to him. You get a sense of the whole thing losing direction, the train coming off the tracks. You get a sense of abuse of power, and of the 70's dissolving. For me, the most disturbing and disheartening description is Scully's remembrance of Altamount, when the Dead were too scared to play and took off in their helecopter, leaving the Rolling Stones by themselves to cope with the violent crowd and volatile situation. The book draws a detailed picture of a complicated band, and it's an easy read.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a FRESH AND FUNNY look back at the days of the Dead
Review: Jez..Ive heard a lot of whining about Scully and his recollections recounted in "Living with the Dead". Critics and Dead puritins have labeled the memoir as "disjointed", "tell-all", "confused", ect.How could it not be? Im quite sure Scully wasn't taking NOTES throughout his tenure with the band. Personally, I can accept his account as being nothing more than a mere approximation of events. Anyway, Scully's writing style and story telling weaves a halarious narrative that actually left me crumpled on the floor laughing more than a dozen times. His recanting of episodes with Garcia and Co. is an invaluable reflection of the troupes colorful chaotic adventure. VERY VERY FUNNY.
Rating:
Summary: Let the Bubble Be Burst
Review: Personally, I loved this book. I would probably have ranked it 5 stars, except that I reserve that for books of a different nature. The title of my review refers to the brutal honesty about our man Jerry Garcia. Some might not like this part of the book, but I felt like I was there to see him take his final slide down. As a side note, I also felt that Jerry's death in Serenity Knolls was a fitting end. Instead of having to fight both the physical pain of heroin withdrawal and the difficulty of becoming drug fee after a life full of addiction, he was just simply released. His end couldn't have been written better. For those that like to see Jerry as God-like, this book isn't for you. If you tend to like tragic stories of anti-heroes, then you should enjoy this. You should also enjoy it if you don't worship the Dead. If you love their music and desire to see them (mostly Jerry) as they really were, then open the book and enjoy. I can agree with the other reviewers a little in that most of this is about Jerry, but the stories about the Bobby problem are great. Lastly, my main man Pigpen has some great anecdotes included. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Funny, insightful, and , ultimately, heartbreaking
Review: Rock Scully proides a very interesting, although sometimes frustratingly incomplete, look at the incredible phenomenon that was the Dead. Garcia was a pure junkie by the end, and his death at 53 provides a chilling end to an otherwise funny romp (the message that booze and drugs are lethal in more ways than one, is startingly apparent). As noted by other reviews, I couldn't get the book off my mind for weeks, and I'll never listen to "Eyes of the World", or any other Dead tune, the same again.
Rating:
Summary: 4 Stars, a MUST for any Deadhead. The REAL story!
Review: Rock Scully tells about the Owsley Acid Tests, andAll about everything from Playboy After Dark, toEurope '72, to How every album was named and produced, to Montery Pop, Woodstock, Altemonte, Every drug that the band did, and how most of the band stopped, Except for Garcia, and about his choice of drugs, and lifestyle, which finally ended up taking his life. A MUST read for all Deadheads, or for anyone who's ever gone to a Grateful Dead concert.
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