Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Episode 0: 27 Club Season 5 Official Trailer

Get ready for Season 5 of the 27 Club to take the strange and not-so-long trip of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, a founding member of the Grateful Dead. Pigpen wasn't just a member of the Dead. He was the Dead. But just like Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones or Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd, Pigpen felt his role in the Grateful Dead shrink as the rest of the band members expanded their minds and their sound. The story of Pigpen is about a major musical and cultural shift that took place as the 1960s gave way to the 1970s. It’s a story of acid tests and bottles of Thunderbird, of angels from hell and a nine-fingered wizard, of busts down on Bourbon Street and shakedowns in the Haight…and of the man who tried to pull his band back down to earth as they continued to get pulled higher into the cosmos. It's a story that ends tragically...at the age of 27.

The 27 Club is hosted by Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning Disgraceland podcast, and produced by iHeartRadio and Double Elvis. Season 5, all about Ron "Pigpen" McKernan and the Grateful Dead, launches Thursday, June 9, 2022.

For more info on the 27 Club and other great shows, visit the Double Elvis website and follow Double Elvis on Twitter and Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Take a quick glance at San Francisco Circuit nineteen sixty seven,
and what do you see. Throngs of hippies blissed out
on the tenant of free love, dosed on tablets of LSD.
But take a closer look. That's not tidy, it's leather.
And those aren't flowers in that guy's hair. That's a stetson,

(00:22):
and that hand isn't flashing a peace sign, it's holding
a twenty two caliber pistol. Welcome to the Hate. It's
not what you thought it was. And the story of
wrong pig Pen McCarney, We'll tell you why. Pig Pen
wasn't just a founding member of the Grateful Dead. He
was the Grateful Dead since way back back when they

(00:44):
were still calling themselves a Mother mcrese Uptown Drug Champions
or the Warlocks. Pig Pen was the Dead's leader. He
put a face to the knee. The Dead played blues
and R and B music that was near and dear
to pig Pen's heart and soul. And pig Pen wasn't
old soul, but his band left the old behind to
follow a new trip. And just like Brian Jones and

(01:05):
the Rolling Stones or a Sid Barrett and Pink Floyd.
Pig Pen felt his role in The Grateful Dead shrink
as the rest of the band members expanded their minds
and their sound. The story of Wrong pig Pen mccernan
isn't just a story about a man out of time.
It's about a major musical and cultural shift that took
places in nineteen sixties gave way to the nineteen seventies.

(01:29):
It's a story of acid tests and bottles, of Thunderbird,
of angels from Hell and a nine fingered wizard of
busts down on Bourbon Street, and shakedowns in the Hay,
and of the man who tried to pull his band
back down to Earth as they continued to get pulled
higher into the cosmos. It's a story that ends tragically

(01:49):
at the age of seven. The Seven Club is back.
The Seven Club, a serialized podcast about iconic rock stars
who died at the age of returns for an all
new season about the man at the core of The
Grateful Dead's origin story, Ron pig Penn mccurney on Thursday,

(02:10):
June Night. The Club is hosted by me Jake Brennan,
the creator of Disgrace Land. The award winning Rock and
Roll true crime podcast and is produced by Double Elvis
in partnership with I Heart Radio. Episodes are released every Thursday.
Like Disgrace Land, this is an adult storytelling podcast. Listener
discretion is advised. Listen to the twenty seven clubs starting

(02:34):
June nine on the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Come join the Club.