Owsley On Maui

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Owsley, also known as Bear, was friend to The Grateful Dead & The Merry Pranksters.  He developed the first gigantic sound system for a rock band (the Dead). He’s also known for his high quality Orange Sunshine and Purple Haze.  At one point, he became convinced the world was about to end, and decided the only safe place on planet Earth would be the slopes of Haleakala on Maui.  So he moved there.  It's too bad he didn't pick Big Island, but credit where credit is due, he did choose a dormant volcano. Even if his expectations proved wrong there are worse decisions than waiting out the end of the world (except Maui), on Maui.

Owsley was famously private, he didn't even like his photograph to be taken.  Although there is a fair amount known about him, this is the first time I heard he lived in Hawaii.  If you search Google for 'Owsley Hawaii' there are no results that include both terms (except one about Bufo toads, go figure).

Here’s an interview with Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan who Owsley recorded in 1970, with a brief comment on Owsley moving to Hawaii.  The link below is for the most recent podcasts from NPR's The World, I couldn’t find a direct link.  The Owsley segment is at the end of the program, somewhere around the last 10 minutes. 

FEBRUARY 2, 2021
Military coup in Myanmar raises alarms at home and abroad
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444246/pri-s-the-world

[oink]

I was living on Maui during that time. Even then I didn't know he lived there. I do know there was a butt load of sunshine in red and green barrels for a year or two back then, if I remember that period clearly, which I most assuredly do not.