Customer Reviews
Get it and enjoy!! 
2008-11-24
There is only one thing I will say about this DVD.
There are NOT ENOUGH stars to rate this one!
Peace to all....
Grateful Dawg On-Target 2008-11-11
Fantastic piece of history and music that will forever preserve these musical brothers amazing power as a duo. Worth every penny!
Excellent Doc About Two Masterful Musicians 2008-05-07
The early part of the film focuses on Grisman's and Garcia's early days as players in various bluegrass bands during the early 1960's. There is some great archival footage, including pics of both guys with short hair. They met at a Bill Monroe concert in 1964 and from there blossomed a friendship based on a shared love of music.
The doc moves forward with a mix of live performances, rehearsals and interviews with various friends, family members and fellow musicians. The first 45 minutes really flows smoothly and is great for both the music and its insights into the characters and personalities of its two extradordinarily talented men. But by the end it does begin to drag a bit with too much "home movie" type footage.
Some tighter editing could have made this doc even better. But still for fans of Garcia and Grisman, or just about anyone who can appreciate great music, this is a viewing and listening pleasure to be enjoyed.
"Documentary" little more than compiled performance footage 
2007-02-01
The music here is excellent. If that's the focus of your interest, then by all means get yourself the soundtrack recording, which certainly shows a range of Grisman/Garcia collaboration (from the jazz-exotica of Arabia to the children's music of Jenny Jenkins and Freight Train to the bluegrass of Sunny Sunny South, etc.).
But why make a movie of it? Grisman/Garcia, while virtuosic musicians with great blend, are stultifyingly dull to watch. They stand largely stock still while playing or leaning into the mic to sing, and the acoustic performances shown here (even the lame B&W video of the blues classic "The Thrill is Gone") are utterly devoid of pyrotechnic eye-candy, facial close-ups of performer/audience to offer a narrative/emotional frisson, or even the barest focus on finger-technique. This is music to listen to, not to watch, and even the dull concert footage is routinely interrupted by interview material that fails to illuminate the proceedings.
In fact, the interviews represent a staggering loss of opportunity, considering the insiders (members of the band and producers), intimates (family), and experts (influenced and influential musicians like Bela Fleck) presented. We get little information aside from bland, repetitive hype. "These guys were really great musicians and Jerry Garcia was much more famous than Dave Grisman yet still hung out with him in the early 1970s and again throughout the '90s," about covers it. Moviegoers curious about how the music was constructed, the virtuosic technique employed, the lives of these individuals, and visual examples of the meaning and impact they might have had on one another, art, fans, anything will find this documentary to be a frustrating, hollow shell... and boring to boot.
unsatisfying 
2006-04-29
I don't know much about David Grisman - he seems to be a talented and innovative musician. Plus, he was a friend of Jerry Garcia, which is always good. In fact, their musical talents combined are very exceptional. However, the great music was destroyed by the annoying interviews that permeated the whole footage. I would have enjoyed listening to a song all the way through without interruptions, but sadly, it was not to be. If you love music, skip this DVD, but if you love documentaries, this is the film for you.
Awful release. Grisman's daughter is an idiot. 2005-08-21
An inside look at two musical powerhouses grateful dawg guitarist jerry garcia and mandolinist david grisman that showcases the dynamic duos musical magic through rare concert footage unreleased audio tracks and living room jam sessions. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 12/21/2004 Starring: Jerry Garcia Joe Craven Run time: 81 minutes Rating: Pg13
Grisman and Garcia - Beards of a Feather 
2003-07-15
Unlike most of the reviewers here I am more of a dawghead than a deadhead. David Grisman is my musical idol. The man is a creative genius. I bought the DVD because there's very little video available of David Grisman and I knew that this would be a video bonanza for Grisman fans. I'm not disappointed. The only drawback to this movie in my opinion is that it wasn't shot as a documentary but as Gillian Grisman says, it was a hodgepodge of home movies that were simply used to create a documentary a few years after Garcia's death. Still, there is a certain charm to the fact that it wasn't shot as a documentary. The subjects are free to be themselves, not realizing that anyone outside of their inner circle will ever view the footage. It's obvious that Gillian decided to study the art of movie making once she determined that she was going to create a documentary. She went to great lengths to tell the story of her dad and Garcia with an appropriate thread of performance, studio, and interview video. Sure, there are a lot of interview clips, but it is a documentary after all. Personally I didn't find them all that distracting. And for an added bonus, the DVD viewer has the option of viewing the movie with commentaries from David and Gillian. Several outtakes are also added, including Vassar Clements' embarrassing story of how he was playing with Garcia without really knowing who the Grateful Dead are. I'm sure most deadheads will love this flick. I know dawgheads like me will.
Nicely done 2003-02-10
Check out this movie. If you're into bluegrass, you ought to pick this up. We all know the distinctive style of Jerry's guitar sounds with the Dead, but have you heard him on the banjo? The music that he played with Dave Grisman, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, and John Kahn is some of the best bluegrass you can get. There is a certain laid-back way about their sound. Some folks find bluegrass to be too shrill and hyperactive. You don't get that sense, even when they're frailing at top speeds. Which they can do with the best of em.
Also included are a variety of other sessions with David Grisman, including some footage of the Pizza Tapes sessions with Tony Rice. You're doing yourself a favor buying this disk.
Gratetful Dawg 2002-12-28
Awesome! It must be getting early
Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky
Looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care
'Cause it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
I see you got your list out
Say your piece and get out (note 1)
Yes I got the gist of it
But it's alright
Sorry that you feel that way
The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey
It's a lesson to me
The Ables and the Bakers and the C's
The A B C's
We all must face
And try to keep a little grace
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright
Cows are giving kerosene
The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene
But it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
It's a lesson to me
The Deltas and the East and the Freeze
The A B C's
We all think of
And try to keep a little love
The shoe is on the hand it fits
There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and split
'Cause it's alright
Oh well a touch of grey
Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say
And it's alright
I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive
We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
We will survive
Grateful Documentary 2002-12-21
A totally awesome documentary that will make you tap your feet, smile, shed a tear and dry your eyes on the wind. Not only is this DVD absorbing and enlightening, it is also cozy as an old hammock. For lovers of Jerry's music and the man himself, you'll get to see him in a further intimate setting than usual. You will learn of Jerry's other musical loves and how and where this sound was originated from. You will also be graced with the expertise of a one Mr. David Grisman, whom like Jerry is able to carry himself to another time and place and bring back to you, the listener, this assured style of music known as DAWG. Speaking in Psychedelic babble, I truly believe these folks perform a certain type of melodious séance, if you will, to bring to us this sweet sound of long beyond. Many thanks to David Grisman for making this film possible and allowing admirers of Jerry to see him in a different sphere. On a sad note, it will make you miss Jerry all the more.
This is a must for any Dead Head, especially those who loved the traditional ballads.
Peace, friendship and love your family with this disk.
*Remember, this is not a concert piece. This is a pure Documentary and if you are looking for just a concert, it may not be for you.
