Of course, Bruce is known for his music and activism, but he also played more than a few jokes on Jerry over the years. And before you get started with the trivia, we thought we would share Bruce talking about one of those times:
I used to phone-prank him a lot. I used to mess with him on the phone all the time. My favorite was this one time when I had him thinking he was live on the air on New Orleans radio with Ernie K. Doe [best known as the singer of the song “Mother-in-Law”]. He used to have this incredible radio show: ‘Ernie K. Doe, K-DOE, live over the baddest motor scooter from New Orleans! Whatcha say Crescent City?’ Anyway, Garcia and I would listen to tapes of these shows; we played the hell out of them, so I knew this schtick pretty well. Maybe two or three years ago I called up Garcia around Christmas time and I used that voice: “‘Jerry Gah-cia? Ernie K. Doe! Live! WWOZ, 90.7 on yo’ radio dial, live from New Orleans! Whatchu got to say to New Orleans, Gah-cia?’ And Garcia says, ‘Um, well, I’d like to wish everybody happy holidays …’ and I’m thinkin’, ‘Oh man, I’ve got him!’ I said, ‘Gah-cia, Grateful Dead don’t play New Orleans. When Grateful Dead gonna come to New Orleans, Gah-cia?’ And he says, ‘Well, man, I really feel bad about that. We want to come sometime …’ So I kept winding him up: I said, ‘Ernie K. Doe and the Grateful Dead gonna jam, Gah-cia! When Grateful Dead gonna play ‘Mother-In-Law’? I never heard Grateful Dead play no ‘Mother-in-Law,’ Gah-cia!’ Finally I couldn’t take it anymore: ‘Hey Garcia, it’s me — Bruce!’ He goes, ‘You weasel!’ and he cracked up.
