Jerry Garcia Rides Again In Earth Day Internet Auction

Michael Jordan collector card sets, beanie babies, meanie babies, and perhaps the odd antique curio. Such is the image of the burgeoning online auction market. But with that in mind, last Thursday’s announcement that a body of Jerry Garcia’s original artwork will be auctioned off to benefit the environment might seem a bit anomalous.

“Sign the Mona Lisa with a spray can, call it art”

Take your average online auction, add a liberal dash of social consciousness, a pinch of the somewhat familiar hip, collector decadence, along with a minor dose of nostalgia, and you have the Artrock Auction series, reintroduced to commemorate Earth Day 1999 and to honor the late, great Jerry Garcia.

On the auction block, between April 22nd and May 21st, will be a series of original artworks by the former band leader of The Grateful Dead, with the proceeds going to help the Save The Earth foundation.

Jerry Garcia was more than a singer/songwriter, evidently, and there are 75 pieces of his artwork up for auction, including “Erudite Gentlemen,” “Dracula’s Heart,” and “Blue Iceberg,” which has a starting bid of $1,600.

You Say You Want A Revolution? How about some autographed memorabilia instead

Whether you’re looking for a Jerry Garcia signed lithograph or an autographed rock memorabilia item for fun or profit, this auction might be the place for you.

In an essay discussing a 1991 Oakland appearance of the Grateful Dead in his book “Polaroids From The Dead,” Douglas Coupland said “Let’s face it… the past is one wretched, boring place.” The celebrated author of “Generation X” might arguably have a point, but to many, the past is a virtual gold mine.

Users visiting the Save The Earth Foundation Web site will find such collectibles as “Adventures of the Smart patrol,” a copy of a Devo CD-ROM game signed by the band, a 1969 Woodstock poster autographed by Wavy Gravy, or a “Frankfurt, June 16, 1989” record release poster bearing the authentic signature of Lou Reed.

B.B. King and Gloria Estefan have also contributed autographed posters, and the bargain item thus far seems to be copies of the “Bored Generation Enhanced CD,” featuring Beastie Boys, Helmet, Offspring, Primus, and Rancid, not to mention a starting bid of $1.

Save Your Mother, Inc.

The Save The Earth Foundation distributes research funding to institutions, particularly colleges and universities, for environmental studies. The foundation claims to rely on such funds as those generated by the Artrock Auction in order for it to supply grant monies for tomorrow’s environmental scientists.