The 500 - #261 - American Beauty - Grateful Dead

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #261
Album Title: American Beauty
Artist: Grateful Dead
Genre: Folk Rock, Country Rock, Americana
Recorded: Wally Heider Studios, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.
Released: November, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #215, moving up 46 spots since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Ripple

Since 2003, I have used the 1999 American teen drama/comedy (dramedy) television series Freaks and Geeks to help me deliver the health curriculum to Grades 7 and 8 students. Set in 1980 in the fictional Detroit suburb of Chippewa, Michigan, the show focuses on 16-year-old Lindsay Weir and her 14-year-old brother Sam as they navigate the challenges of high school life.

Promotional poster for Freaks and Geeks.

The story begins in September of Lindsay's Grade 11 year. An honour student ("mathlete") and model citizen, Lindsay is experiencing an existential crisis following the recent death of her grandmother. She begins to explore her more rebellious side, eschewing her academic friends to spend time with the "freaks", a group of slackers who prioritize parties over scholastic pursuits.

Protagonist Lindsay (brunette-center), flanked by (l-r)
her "Freak" school-mates.- Daniel, Kim, Ken & Nick.

Juxtaposing Lindsay's high school experience is her brother, Sam. He and his two best friends, Neil and Bill, are "geeks" -- non-athletic, conventionally "uncool" high school freshmen who are fans of Star Wars, stand-up comedy, Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games and the movies of Bill Murray.

Protagonist Sam (center) flanked by his best friends
Bill (left) and Sam.

The wonderful thing about period fiction, such as Freaks and Geeks (set in 1980, but filmed in 1998), is that it never seems dated. Consequently, the show works as well teaching the Ontario Health Curriculum in a  2023 Grade 7 classroom as it did with 7/8 students two decades earlier. Additionally, young viewers are better able to see themselves in the choices the characters make, good or bad, without being concerned about aesthetic similarities (fashion, music taste, pop culture).

Sam, Bill and Neil discuss life's big questions often.

Typically, I screen an episode weekly between October and February. Every episode lends itself to specific curriculum expectations we've already discussed. This isn't simply "TV watching". We pause episodes at key junctures and critically examine character choices and motivations. Over the past 20 years, I have painstakingly built lessons and activities that connect to the issues addressed in the show. These include bullying, underage drinking, marijuana use, body image, nutrition, pornography, peer pressure, gender roles, and relationships.

The perils and pitfalls of high school dating is an important
source of conflict, and comedy, in the series.

Freaks and Geeks lasted only one season on television because the network, NBC, badly handled its release and broadcast. Shortly after the decision was made to pull the plug, the show began to find an audience and was lauded by critics -- even receiving Emmy Award nominations for writing. Decades later, it still tops magazine and online lists of TV Show That Were Cancelled Too Soon, and has steadily built a loyal, cult following.

For educational purposes, that  single season is perfect for use in the middle-school classroom. Students connect with the realistically written and complex, sometimes contradictory, characters and the final episode is ideal for discussions about, "What would have happened next?"

Without giving away any spoilers, the album, American Beauty by Grateful Dead, plays heavily into the final episode and sets in motion events that would have been explored in the aborted second season. The record, the fifth by 'The Dead' and third of four on The 500, is introduced to the protagonist, Lindsay, by her guidance counsellor, a former hippie, Jeff Rosso (portrayed by Dave "Gruber" Allan).

While discussing opportunities for her academic future, the caring and supportive Rosso, surprises Lindsay with a lyric from the album's title track, Box Of Rain, saying:

"Maybe you're tired and broken
Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken
And thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do?
To see you through?"

As you might imagine, Lindsay is nonplussed by this unusual segue from her guidance teacher. However, Mr. Rosso presents her with a record and says: “When I was in college...I’d put their album American Beauty on whenever I was stressing out. It always helped.” He lends her the record, hoping it will help her find some comfort and guide her choices.

Lindsay looking at American Beauty record sleeve (see scene here).

A short time later, we see Lindsay in the comfortable confines of her bedroom, playing the album and connecting with its content. Eventually, all her inhibitions melt away and she begins to dance around her bed as the music plays. The short montage brilliantly captures an experience familiar to many teens; that beautiful moment when one discovers music that "speaks to them" and connects to their spirit.

Lindsay feeling the groove of Box Of Rain in her bedroom

Although I would have been about Lindsay's age in high school, I didn't discover Grateful Dead until after I had graduated. I knew a few "Deadheads", as they are called, particularly during my time working in restaurants as a twenty-something. It was played at parties and I was invited to attend Dead concerts during the late 80s and early 90s. Another opportunity missed.

Grateful Dead performing live in 1990

It wasn't until I watched that scene from Freaks and Geeks that I decided to take a serious look into American Beauty. It was the year 2000 and, although it did not inspire me to dance around my apartment, I still felt a connection to the music and the lyrics. It is a wonderful record and well worth a listen. Much like the series Freaks and Geeks, the record captures the exuberance and freedom of youth while still firmly planted on a road toward maturity and wisdom. If you haven't had a chance, I recommend taking in both the series and the record. I'm a little envious of the journey that will entertain and inform you.