2000 The following is the complete text of the AOL chat with Hunter - who appears here as K9Luna - on 13 February 1996. DCOMLeib : Our very special guest tonight is ROBERT HUNTER who many of you may know as the lyricist for DCOMLeib : the GRATEFUL DEAD! K9Luna : my kids just call me dad DCOMLeib : But more recently...he's written DOG MOON a graphic novel illustrated by artist Timothy Truman!!!! DCOMLeib : For DC COMICS' VERTIGO line of titles!!! DCOMLeib : Welcome Robert! K9Luna : him draw pitchurs, me write DCOMLeib : LOL K9Luna : hi DCOMLeib : Get those questions in early everyone!!!! DCOMLeib : For those of you who stay til the end of the event..you may win signed....that's SIGNED copies DCOMLeib : of DOG MOON!!!!! K9Luna : showing my typing skills to an audience will be a new experience! DCOMLeib : Let's get to those questions!!! DCOMLeib : Here's one from Aporia632 (I think she means Dog Moon.) Question : What is a Moom Dog? K9Luna : a moom dog is a mispelling of moon dog DCOMLeib : From HowieS89..... Question : What inspired Crazy Fingers? K9Luna : crazy fingers was a series of hiaku poems I wrote over a period of time whih JG strung together into a K9Luna : song DCOMLeib : From DIGA4.. DCOMLeib : Question: What comics did you love when you were a kid? K9Luna : Hi diga4 I have a great collection of old Lulu's including #1, but I loved EC horror and classics K9Luna : illustrated best of all. Oh yes, and plasticman DCOMLeib : From Lather420... Question : is your writting to be influenced by your years with the dead? K9Luna : Are the Dead to be influenced by my years of writing? DCOMLeib : From LngDstRnr.... Question : how would you describe your forthcoming project with mickey hart? K9Luna : setting lyrics to drum tracks was an unusual, and I might add, freeing experience. No kidding, this K9Luna : record is one of the most enjoyable and exciting projects (along with DogMoon) I've ever been K9Luna : involved with DCOMLeib : You're here with DOG MOON writer and Greatful Dead Lyricist Robert Hunter! DCOMLeib : From Philz Zon.... Question : who came up w/ the phrase hot as a pistol??? K9Luna : 1920's slang DCOMLeib : From Howie S89... Question : Do you ever visit the Grateful Dead Forum? K9Luna : I did a couple of times in order to see how to do this chat on line stuff, being somewhat of a novice DCOMLeib : From Raztabare.... Question : Robert what is your favorite song that you wrote? K9Luna : Raztbare, it's got to be either "What's Become of the Baby" "Barbwire Whipping Party" or "Ripple" DCOMLeib : Phisher44.... Question : Did you ever write a series of songs that all went together to tell a common story? K9Luna : Amagamalin Street was designed that way DCOMLeib : From Sofmachin..... Question : hi bob , i wanted to thank you for the times i got to sit at your feet down in the cellar Question : barts around harvard square during yoiur solo acoustic days and ask you what if anything you Question : thought of skully's new book with dave dalton on his years with the band K9Luna : A thousand Monk's, a thousand religions. This was how Rock saw it, and, incidentally, how some of K9Luna : us saw Rock. DCOMLeib : From Forty2to9 Question : What does Dark Star symbolize?? K9Luna : let me think a minute DCOMLeib : From AltheaCsd... Question : How was writing with Bobby compared to writing with Jerry, or did you just present them Question : lyrics? K9Luna : Black Phoenix? K9Luna : Jerry was a natural for me because we learned the same kind of music at the same time and the comm K9Luna : munication was semi-telepathic. Weir is more of a workhorse writer, but we did some good tunes DCOMLeib : From Terrapin1... Question : what is your favorite work you did for the dead? K9Luna : Probably the collection of songs about that guy in friend of the devil, deal, loser, wharfrat and Jack K9Luna : Straw, to name a few . . . brown eyed women . . DCOMLeib : From Diga4..... Question : Did Robert study any contemporary comics to inspire the writing of Dog Moon? K9Luna : Read a lot of Vertigo, which JG turned me onto, but no, Dog Moon was an idea Truman suggested could ma K9Luna : make a great comic book, specifically Vertigo. DCOMLeib : From Tashaar.... DCOMLeib : How long were you friends with Jerry and when did yo start writing with him? K9Luna : Hi Tashaar we met when he was 18 & me 19. We were on the road pals and always sang & played guitar K9Luna : I miss him terrible. DCOMLeib : From LngDstRnr.... Question : aside from Box of Rain which you said practically wrote itself, are there any other Question : particular lyrics you found flowed very smoothly from your pen K9Luna : Brown eyed Women, Must've been the Roses, Ripple, To Lay me down, Brokedown Palace, Touch of Grey DCOMLeib : From RASRIC.... Question : DO YOU PLAN ON DOING ANY INTERACTIVE STUFF? K9Luna : absolutely. Am learning HTML and working on designing a page DCOMLeib : From EFried625.... Question : Any word on the last Grateful Dead CD? With Liberty, So Many Roads, etc.? K9Luna : I think that with a great producer, someone outside the loop, a person of high technology and vision K9Luna : the trick could be pulled off to make the best sounding record yet. Frankly. DCOMLeib : From Poetick..... Question : I saw you open for Manzarek and McClure in Santa Rosa a couple of years back. WIll you be Question : touring at all in the near future? K9Luna : I was not opening, I was on first! No tour plans. I want to work the web for awhile. It excites me. DCOMLeib : From DEDHED159.... Question : How are you coping w/ Garcia's death? K9Luna : He's dead? I don't think so! DCOMLeib : From BigTortug.... Question : Can you explain about the muse in Jerry's Elegy K9Luna : The Muse, Menomny (sp?) is the goddess who inspires song. Greek & Roman mythology. The singer in your K9Luna : heart. DCOMLeib : From Howie S89..... Question : What music do you find yourslef listening to these days? K9Luna : I oved Blind Melon, met the guys, felt there was hope in that kind of direction. But Shannon was K9Luna : so crazy, you knew it couldn't last. That's the big thing to last . . . DCOMLeib : From TVATSEA.... Question : Bob, Spencer Splice here. What current or future projects can you tell us about? K9Luna : Hey Spencer, how's Fluncy Slink (reply) and how's the ocean going broadcasting? DCOMLeib : You're here with Greatful Dead Lyricist ROBERT HUNTER... DCOMLeib : His first comic book work...DOG MOON is out this week from DC COMICS!! DCOMLeib : From Lather420... Question : what will you be writting about in DOG MOON K9Luna : That's what we call MatTHEWS & Betty Cantor when they helped us record Aoxomoxoa (Spencer & Founcy) DCOMLeib : From Dial402.... Question : Did you write anything for Old and in the Way or New Riders of the Purple Sage? How Question : about the Jerry Garcia Band? K9Luna : Dog Moon isn't a series, it's a one off and it's ef4 a;bout love, madness, death and onward K9Luna : I wrote Crooked Judge & Kick in the Head for the Riders, also friend of the devil DCOMLeib : From Desl8tnro... Question : Any plan to work with Dylan again in the future K9Luna : yes DCOMLeib : From Phisher44.. Question : Who would you consider your biggest influence, Bob? K9Luna : W.S. Gilbert and Hank Williams DCOMLeib : From Sofmachin... Question : could you tell us a little bit about the band COMFORT that you played with in late 80'[s Question : ive heard a few shows but dont know anything about the band :) K9Luna : Old friend Rodney Albin hooked me in on that one. We got very crazy and burned out but be were hot and K9Luna : real DCOMLeib : From LndDstRnr.... Question : was dog moon written specifically for a comic or was it more like GD comix? K9Luna : It wasn't a comic at all until three quarter's through when tim suggested it could be and K9Luna : I continued writing it with that it mind. Looked for action and colorful situations as well as K9Luna : colorful thought. Hope it worked. Some say it does DCOMLeib : From DEDHED159.... Question : How do you decide to write a poem or lyrics to a song? K9Luna : No decision, I just find myself doing one or the other and don't know which it is till it's done DCOMLeib : You're here with Robert Hunter.....writer of DOG MOON and the lyricist for the Grateful Dead..... DCOMLeib : From Dial402.. Question : What is the significance of the screen name K9Luna? K9Luna : K9=dog Luna=Moon a handle for this session, though I'' accept email at it for a while @aol DCOMLeib : From SugrMags2..... Question : How did you get into comic work?it seems nothing like writng poetry or songs....by the Question : way i LOVE your box of rain K9Luna : Have you read it yet? What makes you think it's any different, except pictures instead of music? DCOMLeib : From Stephyny... Question : Just had to tell you how much your lyrics moved me and changed my life over the years. Question : Jerry was the voice, but you were the mastermind : ). Thank you! K9Luna : Thank you, Stephyny DCOMLeib : From Shroom177.... Question : Is there going to be a reunion or a tribute concert? K9Luna : there's no clear answer to that question. we're friends, we'll always work together in different confi K9Luna : gurations. it's what we do. we ARE the Grateful Dead. It's both a name and a circumstance DCOMLeib : And our last question of the evening....from DYREWOOLF.... Question : Hi. what came first the lyrics or the music? K9Luna : generally the lyrics, seldom the music, rarely, but best, both together DCOMLeib : Well that's all the time we have for tonight.... DCOMLeib : Remember that a 8 page downloadable preview of DOG MOON...written by our guest ROBERT HUNTER is DCOMLeib : accessible on DC COMICS ONLINE ...KEYWORD: DC COMICS! DCOMLeib : I'd like to thank Mr.Hunter for being here this evening...and remind everyone that dogmoon is on DCOMLeib : sale this week!!! DCOMLeib : at comic stores nationwide... K9Luna : Do we have to stop? This is one of the best times of my life! Conversing with type is a whole new K9Luna : world! K9Luna : Bye DCOMLeib : Goodnight Everyone! DCOMLeib : (c) 1996 DC COMICS ONLINE . 0