April 02, 2024
Professors present paper at Grateful Dead Studies conference
Davis Schneiderman (center) speaks at recent Grateful Dead Studies Conference.
Associate Professor of Theater Richard Pettengill and Executive Director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities and Professor of English Davis Schneiderman presented their paper, “In and Out of the Grotto They Go: Hugh Hefner, The Grateful Dead, and Playboy After Dark,” at the March 2024 Grateful Dead Studies Fourth Annual Conference, as part of the Popular Culture Association Conference in Chicago.
Pettengill and Schneiderman’s paper explores the convergence of two distinct countercultures in the late 1960s: the unlikely intersection of the iconic rock band, the Grateful Dead, and Hugh Hefner's late-night television show, Playboy After Dark. They offer an analysis of the Grateful Dead's appearance on the show, focusing on Jerry Garcia's appearance with Hefner and his uncharacteristically lively performance style. They suggest that his heightened stage presence was a strategic move to make the most of this high-profile media appearance and also that a persistent myth—that the Grateful Dead “dosed” the show’s cast and crew with LSD—is likely false.
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In addition, Pettengill and Schneiderman will also teach their course “The Grateful Dead and American Culture” an English and Theater course cross-listed in American Studies and Music, during Spring 2025. Schneiderman also recently appeared on while Pettengill appeared on .