First off, I don't know why you're even arguing this point. You want to make a point about my using "snowflakes" as a perjorative, fine. The reaction to my criticism of the Dead is very similar to Carl's or Spartacus's or OTP's reaction if I were to criticize the Big Orange Fartbag. Circle the wagons and attack back. Defend at all costs. Start talking about how I don't understand the big picture. Heck, use cultish references while you're at it.
It's freaking creepy to me. You don't see this kind of reaction when someone criticizes the Beatles or Who.
Now, as to the rest of your assumptions, why would you think I'd even challenge an actual band member about their influences? Any band created in the 60s had Mississippi blues, jazz and probably even big band and Texas/Nashville country influences because that was all they'd be able to hear. There were no jam bands, because there weren't any at the time. I imagine Lesh and bandmates listen to all sorts of stuff that his followers wouldn't conceive of putting on a turntable.
And that's not all that different from any other good musician. Frampton was influenced by Django Rhinehart. Artists as disparate as John Fogarty and Dave Davies both cite Duane Eddy as a huge influence. Duane Allman was influenced by Miles Davis and Coltrane.
None of that has anything to do with the respective fanbases. I seriously doubt many concertgoers who've seen Frampton, Fogarty or the Allmans have given a listen to Django, Eddy, Davis or Coltrane.
Btw, I think I've mentioned I own American Beauty and a "greatest hits" compilation. And there was a time in either 87 or 88 where my girlfriend and I actually stayed home one NYE and watched a Dead NYE show on HBO. And I bought tix to a show in NH once, although Jerry was too, um... ill... to perform so they cancelled. I've tried, man. I've given them plenty of opportunity.
I'd think you - as someone who listens to The Loft and Meg Griffin - and perhaps at some point listened to other freeform jocks like Vin Scelsa and the late Pete Fornatale - would get this better than the average schmuck who mostly listens to stuff in his/her own silo because while those algorithms on Spotify and Pandora can dissect musical DNA, they can't make the emotional connections that a great freeform DJ could make.
You've been exposed to a lot of different kinds of music as was I. You like the Dead, I kinda don't all that much. And I'll add that in my own personal experience, if I'm looking at the record collection of a Deadhead, I've got a pretty good idea what I'm going to find (Steely Dan, CSNY, some prog-rock) and what I'm not (Bowie, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello). That's basically all I'm getting at.
