Behind The Scenes Of The Making Of Grateful Dead ‘Touch Of Grey’ Video 1987

The year 1987 was a pivotal one for the Grateful Dead. In one of the first weeks of the year the band recorded their 12th studio, In The Dark and thanks to the surprising popularity of the album the Grateful Dead’s fanbase grew exponentially with the addition of “Touchheads.” The phrase “Touchheads” comes from the title of “Touch Of Grey,” a single off In The Dark which shot to #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and went up to #9 on the Hot 100 Singles chart. Not only was “Touch Of Grey” a radio smash, but a video for the track went into heavy rotation on MTV. The making of the video was documented in the featurette Dead Ringers: The Making Of Touch Of Grey.

The video for “Touch Of Grey” mixed live footage recorded at Laguna Seca Raceway with clips of band members as life-sized skeletons. For the video, the Grateful Dead collaborated with director Gary Gutierrez who had created the animation sequences for 1977’s Grateful Dead Movie. Drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s son Justin Kreutzmann directed the behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the video. Members of the band contributed interviews, we see how the skeletons were made and watch the official video itself over the course of the 30 minute feature. It’s particularly interesting to hear Jerry Garcia talk about his passion for singing the song and the multiple interpretations of the meaning behind “Touch Of Grey’s” lyrics.