Guess the Year

This week, author and historian John Brackett curates the setlist as 2x defending champ Nick is joined by Kellen, Colby, and Nick. You may remember John from his wonderful book Live Dead: The Grateful Dead, Live Recordings, and the Ideology of Liveness . Lucky for us, John is set to release its follow-up, Touch of Grey, or How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars on August 4th , via Duke University...

This week, comedian Cam Herdt curates the setlist as returning champ Nick is joined by James, Billy, and Josiah. Check out Cam's hilarious Instagram , Best Show Ever podcast & YouTube channel , and snag tickets to his show at Garcia's Chicago, available now.

This week, Doyle from the music blog Nightswimming curates the setlist as three time defending champ Charles is joined by Mark, Nick, and Luke. Nightswimming has a brilliant tagline, “a blog about new music, for kids who grew up with VH1 and iPod Shuffles.” It features interviews, reviews, playlists, and of course, a Grateful Dead show of the week. Check out Doyle's recent interview with Kevin M...

This week, Peter Conners, author of Cornell '77: The Music, the Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead's Concert at Barton Hall , curates the setlist as returning champ Charles is joined by Sean, Jon, and Liam. Peter is the author of nine books spanning nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, including Growing Up Dead , JAMerica , White Hand Society , and the novel Merch Table Blues . Hi...

This week, Tom from Grateful Stats curates the setlist, while returning champ Charles is joined by Archit and Charlie. Grateful Stats is a database of Grateful Dead shows, with deep search tools and advanced stats, including song sequences and durations. To mine the database’s full depths, there’s a Patreon that helps cover hosting fees, and any revenue beyond that is donated to charities like the...

This week, 4x Guess the Year champ Gavin curates the setlist as returning champ Dave is joined by Steve, Charles, and Dylan. To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: ⁠⁠⁠info@guesstheyear.net⁠⁠⁠ GTY's ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ Thanks to ⁠⁠⁠Peter Osta ⁠⁠⁠ for the new cover art. Charles's website and Facebook (amazing guitarist)

This week, Christopher K. Coffman curates the setlist as returning champ Drane is joined by Dave, Paul, and Bart. Chris is a Master Lecturer of Humanities at Boston University, and the author of Clowns in the Burying Ground: The Grateful Dead, Literature, and the Limits of Philosophy , out now via Duke University Press under its Grateful Dead Studies imprint. The book examines how the Dead’s lyric...

This week, setlist curator Chef Michael Cimarusti is joined by Matt, Tom, and Drane. Michael is a James Beard Award-winner and co-owner of Providence in Los Angeles, which in 2025 earned three Michelin stars. It also carries a Green Star for sustainability. Michael is also chef and partner at Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood. He trained at Spago, Le Cirque, and Water Grill, after graduating fr...

This week, Dr. B. Steve Csaki curates the setlist as returning champ Adam is joined by Grayson and Barry. Steve is an Assistant Professor in English, Humanities, and Languages at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He’s co-editor of The Philosophy of the Western, and a member of the Grateful Dead Studies Association. For Volume 6 of their annual compilation of scholarly papers, Steve contribut...

Recorded live at Copperfield’s Books in Sebastopol, I sit down with cookbook author Gabi Moskowitz to talk about Dead in the Kitchen: The Official Grateful Dead Cookbook. We get into what makes a recipe spiritually Dead, why the book is vegetarian, how Dave Lemieux helped shape its structure, and how cooking—like improvisation—depends on preparation, a good pantry, and letting go of perfection.

In mid-August, I chatted with journalist Jim Newton at Booksmith in SF about his newly released Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening , which is out now. We touched on: Why Jerry would’ve been the ultimate interview guest The Dead’s wild growth in the ’80s — was Reagan the backdrop? Garcia’s allergy to politics and endorsements Jerry Brown asking f...

This week, Dr. Darryl De Marzio curates the setlist as returning champ Adam is joined by John, Jack, and Bryan. Darryl is the Executive Director of the Portsmouth Institute, Portsmouth Abbey’s Benedictine Center for Catholic Thought, Liturgy, and Culture. Darryl holds a masters and doctoral degree from Columbia University. His scholarship spans philosophy of education, ethical theory, and Catholic...

This week, professor Rick Monture curates the setlist as returning champ Scott is joined by Adam, Cory, and Matt. Rick is the director of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University, where he also teaches in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. Rick is a member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Rick is also the author of We Share...

This week, Grammy winning sound engineer David Glasser curates the setlist as returning champ Brendan is joined by Scott, Alec, and Max. David Glasser is founder and chief engineer at Airshow Mastering . With over 35 years in audio engineering, David has mastered thousands of records, including more than 80 GRAMMY nominees. He’s a three-time nominee himself, earning two Grammys for his work on the...

This week, author Ray Robertson curates the setlist as returning champ John is joined by Dylan and Brendan. Ray is the author of multiple novels and nonfiction works, including All the Years Combine: The Grateful Dead in Fifty Shows , a journey through the Dead’s history via fifty iconic performances. Ray’s writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail , The Walrus , and Canadian Notes & Queries....

This week, journalist, author, and music critic Joel Selvin curates the setlist as returning champ Phil is joined by Brian, John, and Paul. Joel was the longtime pop music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and has written about rock and roll for over 40 years. He’s the author of many books, including Fare Thee Well: The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead’s Long, Strange Trip and Altamont: The...

This week, Brian Anderson, author of the upcoming Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection , curates the setlist as returning champ Denis is joined by Matty, Michael, and Phil. Brian Anderson has been a Webby Award-winning senior features editor, writer, and producer at  VICE . More recently, he did a stint running the Science desk at  The Atlantic , whe...

This week, senior writer at Rolling Stone Angie Martoccio curates the setlist as returning champ Zak is joined by Jackson, Denis, and Josh. Angie has written cover stories on Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Boygenius, and interviewed icons like Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, and recently, Bob Weir. Her award-winning work often highlights overlooked women in music history. To be a contestant, sponsor...

This week, Bob Bralove curates the setlist as returning champ Corey is joined by Zak, Dave, and Isaac. Bob Bralove is a musician and producer who worked with Stevie Wonder and the Grateful Dead, helping pioneer the use of synthesizers in live performance. He has continued to release his own music, including his new album with violinist Patti Weiss, Acoustic Conversations .  To be a contestant, spo...

This week, Parsons School of Design lecturer Annabelle Walsh curates the setlist as returning champ Pete is joined by Adam, Tomas, and Corey. Annabelle investigates the intersections of subculture, fashion theory, and material culture. Her thesis project at Parsons was entitled Fashion is Dead: The Long Strange History of Deadhead Style . She has presented at the Dead Studies Association Conferenc...

This week, author, historian, and Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally curates the setlist as former champs Steve, Pete, and Gavin face off in the Season 2 Tournament of Champions final. Dennis wrote the introduction for The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead―The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter, which is available now. Thanks to Ellisa for providing a beautiful painting of...

Bestselling author Chuck Klosterman joins the show to give his (non-Deadhead) take on the Grateful Dead. Chuck dishes on why the Dead are tied for 4th on his list of greatest American bands, the Dead's politics, John Mayer's guitar playing, separating the art from the artist, and lots more. Chuck's newest release, The Nineties: A Book , is available in paperback now. This episode is brought to you...

This week, Sam Coturri from Winery Sixteen 600 and The Wine Makers podcast curates the setlist as former champs Aron, Pete, and CJ face off. Thanks to Winery Sixteen 600 for providing this week's prize pack. As always, thank you to 30k ft. for creating the show poster. To be a contestant, sponsor the show, provide a prize pack, or ask questions/make comments, please email: info@guesstheyear.net Mo...

This week, German Deadheads Uwe, Wolfgang, Frank, and Hubertus join for a special Europe '24 episode. This week's prize pack was generously provided by the official Grateful Dead Tarot Cards. To be a contestant, sponsor the show, provide a prize pack, or ask questions/make comments, please email: info@guesstheyear.net More Links Grateful Dead Tarot Cards 30k ft's Instagram Guess the Year's Instagr...

This week, John Henrikson, host of The Deadpod, curates the setlist as former champs Gunnar, Gavin, Edward, and Brett face off. As always, thank you to 30k ft. for creating the show poster. To be a contestant, sponsor the show, provide a prize pack, or ask questions/make comments, please email: info@guesstheyear.net More Links The Deadpod 30k ft's Instagram Guess the Year's Instagram