Ron “Pigpen” McKernan Episode 3: Soundtracking the Scene, Caught in the Lovelight, and Unknowingly Dosed

27 Club

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan wonders if he's the only person not tripping inside a warehouse in the burned-out Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where the Grateful Dead are soundtracking yet another acid test. He further wonders if he's the only one who recognizes the gravity of the situation when the LAPD burst in. Later, he falls hard for a likeminded blues lover who turns on her lovelight. But not before he falls into a pit of despair when he is unknowingly dosed and embarks on a trip from which he may never return.

Sources:

A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally

Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton

Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh

This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans

Grateful Dead 1966 “Viola Lee Blues” rehearsals

Owsley Stanley: The King of LSD (Rolling Stone)

Watts Rebellion (History.com)

Grateful Dead Guide: Viola Lee Blues (Dead Essays)

Fleeing marijuana possession charges, Ken Kesey successfully hid from the FBI … in Marijuana City, Mexico (Muckrock)

Wavy Gravy interview 1

Wavy Gravy interview 2

Watts Acid Test - 2/12/66 (Truckin’ with the Dead)

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” & “The Fugitive” Summary and Analysis (GradeSaver)

Grateful Dead Guide: Pigpen Solo (Dead Essays)

Grateful Dead live at Youth Opportunities Center 1966

Unearthed Grateful Dead pool party photos debut at North Bay museum exhibition (SF Chronicle)

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Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com.

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