Al Franken Talks Grateful Dead Fans In New Clip From ‘Long Strange Trip’

Tomorrow, Grateful Dead fans across the U.S. will be able to see filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary on the band, Long Strange Trip, at one-night screening events at select theaters. Then, starting Friday, a number of theaters in New York City and Los Angeles will present screenings of Long Strange Trip. Finally, the long-in-the-making documentary will premiere on Amazon Prime June 2. Amazon Prime Video subscribers will be able to watch the lengthy film starting on June 2 for no additional cost. A new clip from the back end of the lengthy movie featuring U.S. Senator Al Franken was shared today by Huffington Post.

Franken has never hidden his love of the Grateful Dead and along with Bill Walton are arguably the most famous Deadheads. In the clip below, Al and journalist Nick Paumgarten talk about the more wild elements of the culture that surrounded the band. There was a sense of menace in the parking lots at Grateful Dead shows and Franken reveals he didn’t get that part of the experience. “That aspect just frightened me,” the Minnesota Senator said of the dark side of Grateful Dead fandom. :

Long Strange Trip includes many never-before-seen interviews, footage and photos combined with a career-spanning soundtrack focusing of the Grateful Dead’s live performances. Watch the official trailer for Long Strange Trip: