Margo Price and Bob Weir in Conversation

Emmett Malloy (0:10)

From Sonos, this is America's Dead. I'm Emmett Malloy. I've been a fan of the Dead's music for decades. I'm also an artist, a filmmaker, a father, and a cultural observer. And recently, I've become obsessed with understanding why the Dead means so much to so many people today. I mean, the Dead have been performing literally since before I was born. And it seems like, strangely, they are more alive now than ever. I guess what I really want to know is what can the Dead tell us about us? For this episode, we're going to try something a little different.

Margo Price is a true force in country music. She's political, opinionated, and incredible creative talent. Her latest project is a new podcast, also from Sonos. It's called Runaway Horses, where she interviews artists who are pushing the limits and challenging the conventions of music. Legends like Emmylou Harris and Swamp Dogg. Margo just put out an amazing interview with the Dead's Bob Weir. And in this episode, we're going to pass the reins to Margo and play their interview in full. It's such a great conversation. We couldn't resist. But first, I got to chat with Margo to hear about her show, Runaway Horses, and what it was like to talk with the one and only Bob Weir. All right, Margo, coming out of the gates with an easy one. How did you get into the Dead?

Margo Price (2:09)

Yeah, I was turned on to the Dead via an ex-boyfriend who was also my weed dealer when I was in college. After we broke up, I got into them on my own. I think a lot of people are surprised that I am a deadhead. I don't know why they would be.

Think about if Jerry was still around. We are missing out on ambient, like, pedal steel records that he no doubt would have made.

Emmett Malloy (2:40)

Oh, man. I love Jerry Garcia on pedal steel. It works for me every time.

Margo Price (2:46)

Yeah. Work of Man's Dead, American Beauty, those albums really got me. Those were the ones that I actually went out and owned and played on vinyl. Now, I don't know. I just like I'm texting with Bob Weir and it's the most surreal thing.

It is really wild.

Emmett Malloy (3:06)

So you and Bob connected and actually he gave you some electric guitar tips. That must have been cool and I wonder what those tips were.

Margo Price (3:17)

We were just talking about different guitars to use. And so I had a couple of different guitars with me. I was playing this like teal, like turquoise, incredibly heavy custom telly that had my name going up the headstock. And I actually played it on Jimmy Fallon. And he's like, no, you don't want to probably be playing that telecaster, like, you know, he's like, he's this hollow-bodied one. And I was like, you know, I feel like you're exactly right. Now, I bought this 63 Sunburst Melody Maker, and that's my baby that I take out on the road and I play live.

Emmett Malloy (4:09)

All right, last question before we jump into your interview with Bob. Any, you know, kind of behind-the-scenes stuff you can share about that conversation with him?

Margo Price (4:20)

Yeah, funny story from that day. I've been following like this microdose regimen to try to like stave off the depression and stuff, you know. So I got these microdoses and I didn't have any breakfast that morning, and I had a bunch of coffee. And so I was like getting ready to sit down and interview Bob, and I felt like I was almost going to throw up. I was really nervous too.

But I was like, you know what? There's no one better to talk to when I'm slightly tripping than Bob Weir, and ask him about psychedelics.

Emmett Malloy (4:55)

All right, Margo Price and her lovely new podcast, Runaway Horses.

Margo Price (5:11)

So, picture this, I'm hanging out at my ex-boyfriend's house, Joe Gutierrez, he was my weed dealer, turned boyfriend. The lights are low, we're all playing music, and people are smoking a hookah, so the room is kind of filled with this haze. And the record we're playing ends, and Joe gets up to put on another, and he drops the needle on Europe 72, and my whole world has just turned upside down.

I'm Margo Price, and this is Runaway Horses from Sonos. I'm a musician and a writer, a free thinker, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and now your host. With every episode of this show, I am inviting y'all into my home studio, into my world, to sit right alongside me and some of my musical heroes as we talk about the search for freedom through our art. Let's get into it. Today, I'm coming to y'all from the jam room in my home studio outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Sunlight is pouring in and can hear my dogs barking off in the distance, and my mom is also here helping out. Hi, mom. This room has been a sanctuary for me, especially over these past couple years. Can come in here and be surrounded by all my favorite instruments and our recording equipment. Curl up on the couch with a book and listen to my favorite records. Music has been such a sanctuary for me too. I remember feeling sad or lonely. Music has always been a way that I could escape. There's really something special about being able to put on a song that you love, and everything else just falls away and disappears when you drop the needle down. For this episode, I dug into my musical roots and reached out to one of my longtime heroes and friends, the one and only, Bob Weir. Bob is, of course, a founding member of a little band that you might have heard of called The Grateful Dead. What I loved about The Dead from the moment that I heard them, and what I still love about them now, is that they were never limited by genre, their music industry, or really anything, and they never let anyone tell them how to make their music or how to live their lives. I have been such a big fan of Bob for so many years. I am so excited to share this conversation, and I may or may not be wearing a still-your-face sweater right now. Okay, here is my conversation with the legendary Bob Weir. Hey, how are you doing today?