Remembering Bobby…
Dear Friends…
So many words will be spilled in the next few weeks and months that it feels crowded to add any more. But tribute must be paid, I think, to the thirty-five fulfilling years spent working with Bobby on the Furthur Foundation. Sure, he was thrilling, charismatic and dazzlingly talented on stage–but he was also modest, generous and purposeful on land. His quiet presence in philanthropy is one that should not go unheralded.
In 1990, right out of the gate, he said he wanted Furthur to be easy. What that meant, I quickly discovered, was not easy like it didn’t matter. But easy in the way he moved in the world. People who know rhythm guitar know that Weir’s particular genius was acting as the almost perfect complement to the moment–elegant and discriminating in his chording, spare and fully integrated when the music called for it, and powerful and forthright at just the right moments. He had that unique genius of attending just as carefully to the notes he didn’t play.
So that philosophy became ours. Not a Board of Directors (although we adhered to all the rules), just a rotating cast of friends over the years that included Barbara Whitestone, Mountain Girl, Ray Palmarini, Greg Miller, Chris Desser, Mark Frisk, Ram Dass (who attended meetings in his wheel chair beaming and laughing like every day was his birthday), and of course, Natascha, their two daughters and my two oldest sons. No salaries or extra expenses; just a steady exchange of phone calls and documents, followed by a meeting or two with a meal and lots of conversation once or twice a year. It felt like Thanksgiving.
As a result, many good things have come out of the last three and a half decades, including millions of dollars for the environment, the arts, democracy, leadership, get-out-the-vote, saving hundreds of acres of Costa Rican rainforest and more.
Last time we spoke, Bobby raised, for the first time in my presence, his legacy. I did not imagine a world that did not have him in it–unthinkable–so we explored how to bring our kids closer, what the world looked like in that moment, and how he wanted the next few years to go. And, of course, the particular characteristics of the guitar leaning against the wall, the genius of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and the upcoming show.
Now I wish I had pressed a little harder. I am not sure what I should have said. But wherever he is, he can rest assured that his legacy is intact. Furthur will continue–that’s how foundations often work. You can keep up with us at our website and on Facebook. If you want to contribute, here’s a link to do so. We have the privilege of carrying Bobby’s good energy forward. That is what he wants.
With love to all…
Andre, on behalf of Natasha, Chloe, Trevor, Gabriel, Chris, Mark, Monet, and of course Bobby
