When I heard Grateful Dead music, I knew that it was the most powerful force on the planet.
Mickey HartWhat is the best music is impossible to define. Just because it's played by a virtuoso player, doesn't mean it's great music. It might not reflect the soul of a people, which is really my criteria for great music.
Mickey HartA good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That's what good drumming is all about.
Mickey HartThe Grateful Dead were very kind. It was Santa Claus. It did good things. It allowed other people to benefit. The benefits that we played were enormous, and we played free. So you've got a band that loves to play free, and that was a wonderful thing.
Mickey HartThe point is that the arts are important enough to have influenced the greatest minds and talents we know. Albert Einstein said that if he were not a physicist, he would probably be a musician.
Mickey HartMusic gives the soul this inner self-expression, a voice. It gives the soul a sound, the sound of the Muse.
Mickey HartThe musical mystery is: How do you marry tuned percussion and voice? On a metaphorical level, everything that's really important - like the clouds, the sky and the earth - is a giant mystery.
Mickey HartAdventures don't begin until you get into the forest. That first step is an act of faith.
Mickey HartI hated science in high school. Technology? Engineering? Math? Why would I ever need this? Little did I realize that music was also about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, all rolled into one.
Mickey HartWhen the Grateful Dead needed a quality sound system to deliver our sonic payload, I learned electronics and speaker design.
Mickey HartIn the beginning, there was noise. Noise begat rhythm, and rhythm begat everything else.
Mickey HartEgyptian drumming happens to be a favorite of mine. It's a really simple instrument, but it's really difficult to play. You can take it anywhere with you - you can play it in your room, in an airport. It's very quiet, so you explore the quiet side.
Mickey Hart