THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601050011
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Regarding Hope Mihalap's comment that Jerry Garcia's death merited less media coverage because of his unwholesome influence (Report to Readers, Perspectives, Dec. 31), a few questions:
1. Artists should be judged primarily on their work. Does she know Garcia's work?
2. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wolfe, Mailer and others were known to the public for their (publicly) drunken lifestyles, as was Garcia for his chronic drug abuse. Did the former group ``cause trouble'' or ``destroy young people'' in Ms. Mihalap's judgment so as to merit her contempt?
3. Is she aware of the many wonderful charitable organizations and civic projects which Garcia and other members of the Grateful Dead have supported with their time and money over the years?
4. Does she know that neither Garcia nor his work advocates drug usage? He consistently looked his heroin addiction in the face, depicting it in interviews as the bane of his existence. He had no romantic illusions about the drug-filled lifestyle. When asked for the message behind the death from cirrhosis of Dead co-founder Ron ``Pigpen'' McKernan, Garcia said, ``Pigpen was a juicer.''
5. What is Ms. Mihalap's evidence that Garcia ``caused a lot of trouble and destroyed a lot of young people''?
WORTH D. BANNER
Virginia Beach, Dec. 31, 1995 by CNB