04.Grateful Dead Vocabulary

Hello and welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “The Grateful Dead.” In this conversation  Joe is talking about a friend of his named Tim who is thinking about writing a book. The book would be about his experiences following the Grateful Dead from city to city during some of their different tours. The conversation then goes on to include Joe talking about some of his experiences following the Grateful Dead.

Alright, so let’s begin.

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Joe starts off the conversation by saying, “Hey, did Tim call while I was out?”

While I was out.  This means.... Or what Joe is saying here is, when I was not there. While I was out. For example: When I got home, Joe told me that he cooked dinner while I was out. While I was out.

And then I go on to say, “No, he didn’t, why?” And Joe says, “Well, he told me he had an idea he wanted to run by me.”

Wanted to run by me. What this means is, wanted to tell me about. He had an idea he wanted to tell me about. For example: AJ had an idea about teaching that he wanted to run by me. Wanted to run by me.

So Joe goes on to say, “So, uh, I figured he might’ve called.”

Figured means thought.

And then I say, “What, what’s the idea?” And Joe says, “Uh, well, he’s actually thinking about writing  a book about, uh, the time he spent on the road with the Grateful Dead.”

On the road means traveling. For example: I am going traveling in Africa soon.  I am excited to go on the  road. On the road. The Grateful Dead.  This is an American rock and roll band.  An example using the  Grateful Dead would be: Joe’s favorite band is the Grateful Dead. He loves their music. The Grateful Dead.

And then I say, “Oh, that would be a great topic for a book.”

Great topic means good idea for a book.

And I go on to say, “You know, whenever you speak to me about the Grateful Dead, I’m all ears.”

I’m all ears. What this means is, I am listening or I listen. I’m all ears. For example: When the teacher spoke, the students were all ears. I’m all ears, or all ears.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, I mean, I, when I look back on the years I spent following them around...”

Look back on. What this means is to think about something that has happened.  Look back on.  For example:  It is fun to look back on the days I lived in Thailand. Look back on.

And Joe goes on to say, “jeez, I, I followed ‘em all over the place.”

Or what he’s saying is, I followed them everywhere.

“But, I mean, that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life I think.” And then I say, “I can imagine.”

What I’m saying is, I can believe that. I can believe.

And Joe says, “I mean, y’know, first off...”

Or first of all...

“y’know, they’re my favorite band.” And I say, “Right.” And Joe says, “And, uh, second, the other thing that really drew me to the scene was the fact that there was just this traveling, uh, group of people that followed them everywhere.”

Drew me to the scene. What this means... What Joe is saying here is, it made me interested in something. Really drew me to the scene. Made me interested.

And Joe goes on to say, “It was like, almost like a bazaar sort of…”

Bazaar is… in this case, is a traveling marketplace where goods and services were exchanged or sold.

And then I say, “Mm-huh...” And Joe says, “y’know...” And I say again, “mm-huh...” Then Joe says, “and...” And then I say, “Well, it’s definitely a subculture of America.”

Subculture is a small part of a large group.

And Joe says, “Oh yeah, yeah, I mean some people even called it a cult.” And then he laughs and says, “y’know…”

A cult. This is a group of people who have strong beliefs about something.

And then I laugh. And Joe says, “And, uh, it was so unique at the time...”

Unique meaning different.

He goes on to say, “uh, y’know... Because there really wasn’t anything else like it. I mean you had all these hippies driving around...”

Now a hippie, or hippies, is a person, or people, with long hair. Well, actually, it’s not all people with long hair. Usually hippies don’t believe in war. They want peace. John Lennon of the Beatles was a hippie. Hippie.

And Joe goes on to say, “I mean you had all these hippies driving around, following the band from city to city. And, uh, y’know, when you’re on the road driving from one place to the next, you’d see the same people. You’d see the same cars, all these VW buses drivin’.”

VW. This is short for Volkswagen. So a Volkswagen bus is a small German made bus.And Joe goes on to say, “and, uh, y’know, uh, people supported themselves...” Supported means made money.

And he says, “uh, by, uh, selling things in the parking lots at the concerts.” And I say, “Mm-huh.” And then Joe says, “Like, a lot of people would like make jewelry and sell it. A lot of people would sell, uh, clothes that they made, um... Another, uh, favorite amongst people was to...”

Amongst means with.

And he goes on to say, “uh, just, uh, sell beer or to make food. And that’s what I actually did a lot of the times. I’d make sandwiches...”

A sandwich is two pieces of bread with food in between. This is something that is commonly eaten in western countries.

And then Joe goes on to say, “or I’d sell beer in order to help, y’know, defray the cost of the tickets.”

Defray means to pay for. Defray. An example of defray is: I got a job at the café to help defray the cost of  my car. Defray.

And then I say, “Uh-huh.” And Joe says, “Because it could get a little expensive, y’know.” And then I say, “Right.” And Joe says, “But, y’know, the other strange thing is that you’d have this, like large circus...”

A circus is a group of performers or artists.

So he says, "you’d have this large circus traveling essentially..."

Essentially or basically.

“following the band. And it was all these, like, hippies. People with like really long hair and beards and...”

A beard is hair that grows down the sides of a man’s face and also across the chin of a man’s face.

So Joe goes on to say, “and like, y’know... Really sometimes like people who hadn’t like showered for days.”

Showered. Or cleaned their body for days. Clean their bodies.

And Joe sayd, “Because they were just traveling with the, y’know….” And then I say, “Yeah.” And Joe says, “around, following the band.” And I say, “Yeah.” And Joe says, “Because, you know, especially during the summer...”

Or, even more during the summer.

“you’d just stay at campgrounds, y’know?”

A campground is a place to sleep in a tent in the woods.

And Joe goes on to say, “So you’d camp and they might not have a shower, y’know….” And then I say, “Right.” And I laugh. And Joe says, “I remember like, so many times washing my hair, like, under a, y’know, a faucet in a sink of a bathroom.”

A faucet is the metal part of a sink where the water comes out.

And Joe goes on to say, “Or, y’know, under a hose somewhere.” And he laughs.

A hose is made from rubber and it’s usually used outside to water plants.

And then I just laugh. And Joe says, “And having someone help me because, y’know, I had the long hair.” And I laugh again. And Joe says, “Oh man, and, uh, y’know the other thing is, you’d travel around.”

Travel around means to go from one place to another place. Travel around. For example, when I go to a country for the first time, I do not like to stay in one place. I prefer to travel around.

And Joe goes on to say, “And sometimes be driving through these really small conservative towns.”

Conservative means people who do not like change. So these towns have people in them who do not like change.

And Joe goes on to say, “and you can just imagine...”

Or you can just think.

“what it must have been like from their standpoint.”

So what he’s saying is you can imagine, or you can think what it must have been like from their eyes. Or from their view. From what they were seeing. Their standpoint.

And then Joe says, “I mean they see these people who don’t look anything like them. I mean….” And then I say, “Right.” And Joe says, “they’re all clean-cut looking...”

Clean-cut means having short hair and being dressed nicely. Clean-cut. For example: Derrick used to be clean-cut but now he has long hair. Clean-cut.

And Joe goes on to say, “these people who live in this town. And then you have this pack of like, looks like bohemian gypsies…”

Pack is just a group. A group of people. Bohemian gypsies. These are traveling artists. Bohemian gypsies.

And then I say, “Uh-huh.” And Joe says, "traveling through town.” And then I say, “Yeah, that’s a good description.”

Or that’s a good way to say it.

And Joe says, “Y’know, so, y’know a lot of the times the cops in the town would hassle you.”

Cops. Cops are police. An example of cops would be: The cops caught the bank robber. Cops. And hassle means to bother.

And Joe says, “Y’know….” And I say, “Oh, I’m sure.” And then Joe says, “for no good reason, y’know.” And then I say, “Yeah.” And Joe says, “I think that they would just suddenly jump to conclusions...”

So suddenly means quickly. Quickly jump to conclusions about. Jump to conclusions. This means to decide something without knowing about it. Jump to conclusions. For example: Sara always jumps to conclusions. She makes decisions before learning all the information about something. Jump to conclusions.

And Joe goes on to say, “about, y’know, what you were doing. Because you look different than them, y’know. They were totally...”

Or they were completely.

“like judging the book by its cover.”

Judging the book by its cover. This means deciding what something is like by how it looks. Judging the book by its cover. For example: When I was 14 years old I had a friend with purple hair. When my mom saw him  she did not like him. I told her that she was just judging the book by its cover because she did not even know him. Judging the book by its cover.

And then I say, “Right.” And Joe says, “So, um, yeah but, oh my gosh, y’know... When I look back on those times, I just met so many people. I mean sometimes I would meet somebody. And like, say the middle of the country like Kansas, right?”

Country meaning America. He’d meet someone in the middle of America. Kansas is a state in the middle of America.

And then I said, “Uh-huh.” And Joe says, “And then, like, a year or two later, I’d be, say, in Seattle.”

Seattle is a city in the northwestern state called Washington.

And Joe goes on to say, “And I’d run into the same people…the same person.”

Run into. This means to unexpectedly see someone. Run into. For example: When I visit my parents I usually run into my uncle because he lives in the same town. Run into.

And then I say, “Oh my god, it’s such a small world, huh?”

It’s such a small world. Or it’s a very small world.  It’s a small world.  This means when you are surprised to  see another person you know at a place that you did not expect to see them. It’s a small world. For example: One time Joe was in New York and he saw his cousin on the train. Then he said to her, “Wow, it’s a small world.”

And Joe says, “Yeah, I know. But that was another great thing. Like I met so many people and became such good friends with so many of those people. They’re, some of these people are like my closest friends to this day, like Tim. Y’know?.” And then I say, “Yeah.” And Joe says, “So it was  really something that...”

Or really amazing.

“that, uh, it was like a community, y’know.”

Community here means a group of people living and traveling together.

And then I say, “I was going to say, too, it’s a very, it sounds like it was a very bonding experience.”

Too, meaning also. So, I was going to say also. Bonding experience. This is something that makes people become closer. Bonding experience. For example: When my mom used to read stories to me when I was a child, it was a bonding experience. Bonding experience.

Then Joe says, “Oh, yeah, totally. Like it’s funny, if you’re a deadhead and you meet another deadhead...”

Deadhead. This is a fan of the music band the Grateful Dead. Or it’s someone who likes the music band the Grateful Dead. An example of deadhead is: Joe’s favorite band is the Grateful Dead. He is a deadhead.

Deadhead.

And Joe goes on to say, “it’s like... There’s just like, uh, almost, a hidden language that you speak.”

What Joe is talking about with hidden languages... an unspoken language or language that is not spoken because there is an understanding between deadheads.

And then I just laugh. And then Joe says, “Y’know, it’s crazy.”

Or he’s saying, it’s unbelievable.

And Joe goes on to say, “And, y’know, the, the, the fans were such rabid fans.”

So what he’s saying is they were very rabid fans. Rabid fans. These are people who really like something. So they are rabid fans of whatever they like. For example: My friend Tom is a rabid football fan. He really likes football. Rabid fans. Or, in this example, rabid fan.

And Joe says, “I mean, y’know, a lot of deadheads... The only music they would listen to was the  music of the Grateful Dead.” And then I say, “Wow. I could see why people would think that was a bit cultish.”

And what I’m saying is that that was like a cult.

Joe says, “Yeah, totally.” And then I say, “Well, do you think that, um, Tim will actually follow through with writing this book?”

Follow through. Or follow through with something. This means to do something. Follow through with something. For example: I do not think that Greg will follow through on building a house. He is too busy. Follow through.

And Joe says, “I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine.”

Your guess is as good as mine. This means I do not know. For example: I asked my mother what time my father would be home and she said, “Your guess is as good as mine. He comes home at a different time every night.” Your guess is as good as mine.

And then Joe goes on to say, “Y’know, he can be a flake sometimes.”

A flake. This is someone who says they will do something but then they decide not to do it. A flake. For example: Lindsay is a flake. She told me she would go to France with me but then she cancelled the trip. A flake.

And then I end the conversation by saying, “Yeah, I know.”

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Alright, I would just like to point out that in this conversation and in the other conversations you’re going to  hear many words that have been shortened.  Some examples from this conversation are "might’ve".  "Might’ve" is short for might have. An example of might have or "might’ve": “I thought he might’ve called.” Another word that was shortened in this conversation is "‘em," which is short for them. For example: “I  followed‘em everywhere.” Another word that’s been shortened is "y’know". "Y’know" is short for you know.  For example: "Y’know, they’re my favorite band.” And then "drivin’"… "drivin’" is short for driving.  For  example: “You would see the same cars drivin’".  You’re also going to hear "uh" and "um" a lot.  These are  just pauses or breaks in a conversation. People sometimes say these when they’re trying to think of more to say. They are filler or they don’t really have any meaning.  You will also hear some slang like "yeah."  "Yeah"  is casual or informal for yes.  There are also many other words that you will hear, a lot of which are just filler   or really have no meaning. So they are not needed in the conversation. Some examples in this conversation are “hey,” “well,” “and,” “oh,” “like,” “but,” “I mean,” “so,” “actually,” “y’know,” “say,” “such.” There are also  words that are said when I’m agreeing with Joe or he’s agreeing with me. Some of these are “right,” “mm-  hm,” “uh-huh,” “yeah.” There are also words that are said to show the emotion “I don’t believe it.”  For  example, or some examples of these from this conversation are, “jeez,” “oh man,” “oh my gosh,” “oh my god,” “wow.”

Alright this concludes the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “The Grateful Dead.” So make sure you  have a basic understanding of the vocabulary and if you need to, go back. Listen to it a few times. Don’t get too worried about it. Make sure you’re doing it in a relaxed way, as I always say. And then when you feel ready, go on to the mini-story.

Alright, see you next time. Goodbye.