A passionate fan of the Grateful Dead who started taking photos of the band as a hobby but became part of their inner circle on Friday, remembered bassist Phil Lesh and the impact the musician had on his life.
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The bassist of one of the most influential bands to ever emerge from the San Francisco Bay Area died earlier Friday at the age of 84.
Bob Minkin first saw Lesh and the Dead when he was just a teenager growing up in New York City.
“I started photographing concerts, basically to have a souvenir for my scrapbook. But as time went on, my photos got better and I started getting published,” Minkin said.
Minkin’s photographs lead him to a career that Deadhead dreams of: working directly with the band, capturing Phil and his bandmates both onstage and behind the scenes.
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“Here’s a picture of him at his house in Ross. His dog Stella, Stella Blue,” Minkin said as he looked back at old photos.
He was so dedicated to following and photographing the band that he moved to Marin County to be closer to them.
“It’s not a unique story. A lot of people moved here because of this. And a lot of people are from New York, too. It’s funny,” Minkin said.
What is unique to Bob, however, is the time and access he was given with the band. He photographed Phil and the other band members for more than 40 years.
“You know, this wasn’t just a job or anything like that, this was, you know I was a fan. Think about your favorite band that you’ve loved since you were a kid and now you’re standing in their living room and they ask if you want some coffee or something. So you know it was a fantasy come true,” Minkin said.
That’s why when Minkin heard of the bassist’s death, it took a while for it to really sink in.
“I got a text. I was having lunch with my daughter in San Rafael and I looked at my phone and I was like… I just put my phone down. We were just at the restaurant and I didn’t want to say anything until after we finished eating,” Minkin said.
Minkin was grateful for the many people who contacted him and offered their condolences. He said this in itself shows how much Lesh meant to so many and the legacy he leaves behind.
It’s a legacy that Minkin says will thankfully live on forever.
“I like to think of it as a composer. Like Beethoven, for example. You know, he’s been gone for hundreds of years, yet you can hear his music in symphonies all over the world. I imagine that’s the case for the Grateful Dead as well “Their music has become bigger than the original band members themselves. It has hopefully had a life of its own,” says Minkin.
