VOYAGER: How has being "Chief Deadhead," as you have been described, become an albatross around your neck?

GANS: Its not so much that its a bad thing to be identified that way, its just that it obscures my ability to be who I am as a musician. People tend to assume, when they hear the Grateful Dead connection, certain things about what my music might sound like which are not accurate.

  
 
     
  VOYAGER: When you do your solo acoustic shows do you think a lot of the people turn out because they know you from "The Grateful Dead Hour," or are they just fans of acoustic music?

GANS: I get various combinations in various places. Sometimes I'm in a town or a venue that's heavily concentrated with Deadheads, and people will show up because they know me from that context. I'm very happy to oblige them with Dead-oriented music if that's what they seem to want, but I also have plenty of places to play where my own stuff is what I'm known for: a more general, "acoustic Americana" style.

VOYAGER: So you would like to move out of being billed as David Gans "...of The Grateful Dead Hour?"

GANS: Exactly. Its sort of like that's my day job. If my day job was selling insurance they wouldn't bill me as "David Gans of Connecticut Mutual." I understand why people put my "Grateful Dead Hour" identity up there when they advertise my shows, but I'm longing for the day when I'm known enough for my own work that they don't have to put that up there. There's nothing wrong with being identified with the Dead, its just a limiting factor.

  
     
 
  VOYAGER: Its interesting that you list influences like John Prine and Elvis Costello.

GANS: Oh, sure. I was listening to Prine before I had ever heard the Grateful Dead. Anybody who has payed attention to good songwriting knows who Elvis Costello is. He's one of the best there ever was.

VOYAGER: That's what I think is nice, is that a Deadhead might say, "Which one of Jerry's solo records was Elvis Costello on?" You have a chance to turn them onto those names whereas maybe they weren't into them before.

GANS: Sure.
 
     
 

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