A few months ago, when I reviewed the Knight Morpher Commander, a few of the alt tag jokes referenced the song "Casey Jones" by the Grateful Dead. One confused reader thought we were trying to refer to Casey Jr., which was kind of sad, really - not the confusion (because that would have made a good joke too), the fact that someone out there didn't know the Grateful Dead song!
You can learn all about the song and the man who inspired it here. Yes, Casey Jones was a real person, and yes, the song is about him. It took some liberties (he almost certainly wasn't on cocaine, for instance), but he actually did die a hero in a train crash. That link will provide you with lyrics and history, so go check it out.
Now, the reason we mention all that today is a little bit roundabout. If you've read my new PoA, you know that my favorite childhood toy was a Knickerbocker Casey Jones (he's dressed like an engineer - of course he's named after the guy). Well, one of the things I discovered when I was doing my research was that the last time the Grateful Dead ever played "Casey Jones" was on March 27, 1993, at Albany's Knickerbocker Arena. Casey Jones? Knickerbocker? Parallel structure!
The Grateful Dead are one of my favorite bands. "Casey Jones" is one of my favorite songs. So now I learn that there's a connection - no matter how tangential - between that and my favorite toy. That's just a nice little coda to this whole endeavor.
Because the Internet Wayback Machine archives all the Grateful Dead concerts, you can listen to the entire Knickerbocker show right here. Or if you just want to hear their final performance of "Casey Jones," we've got that for you, too.
