Oteil Burbridge on touring with Dead & Company, and drumming with Bill Walton

Boston Globe

a day ago

'Oteil From Egypt' to fans (despite the fact he grew up in D.C.) has long struck me as being cut from the same cosmic-cloth as the late great
Walton often
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It's a vibe Burbridge, 60, gives off in spades. Grateful for the music, seer of the magic, a childlike passion in his bones, a believer of fairy tales.
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When I asked Burbridge about Walton, the Dead's biggest (at 6 feet 11 inches) Deadhead, he pauses.
'You know the movie '
I do.
'That's what my life with the Dead feels like,' Burbridge tells me. '
is
true. It
is
magical. It
is
a fairy tale, and it
is
your real life. That's how Bill made me feel.'
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Almost a year to the day since the death of the Boston Celtics'
I called the two-time Grammy winner at his South Florida home. We talked giants, magic, fairy tales, goblins, devils — and that giant magic fairy tale of a cultural phenomenon: the Grateful Dead.
Q.
So you're
A.
Melvin Seals is so great, man.
God,
you see why Jerry had him for 18 years. Last September, [when] I was touring with Melvin, my mom was really sick. It was
agonizing.
Being with Melvin — it was magic. He's a magician. An actual magician. Anybody that can turn that kind of darkness around is doing magic, period. He's Albus Dumbledore.
Q.
You've played Boston with a few bands.
A.
I first played Boston back with [the first band I joined] Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. It's a music town. There's a Boston audience for whatever you do. But Boston is the worst friggin' city to drive a tour bus through. But I'm sure you've heard that a thousand times, so I won't go on.
Q.
We have some narrow streets.
A.
You need to come in on a horse and buggy.
Q.
I saw on Instagram you played a replica of
called '
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A.
Oh, man, that was a trip. My nickname is 'Oteil from Egypt' — Col. Bruce Hampton gave me that because my name is Egyptian. I've always been into Egyptian iconography, history, religion. So that was cosmic:
Oteil From Egypt Plays Osiris.
In the pro-wrestling world, we call that a crowd
Q.
Crowds shout 'Oteil from Egypt,' I see it all the time online. Do you have any Egyptian connection?
A.
No. My parents are both American. They gave us all African names, because their names were super Wonder Bread. My [late musician] brother was
Q.
I love that. Can you remember first being drawn to music as a kid?
A.
I can't, because my parents were music fanatics. My dad's religion was music. My mom put headphones on her stomach when she was pregnant, so I heard Miles and Coltrane in the womb. When I wasn't even fully formed, that stuff was vibrating my
cells
. I have
zero
memories without Elvin Jones and Max Roach.
Q.
They were jazz drumming greats — you started on drums at age 5.
A.
Honestly, I think that's why I get hired so much on bass: I know how to play with a drummer.
Q.
You even got officially
A.
I was told about this 'Horning Ceremony.' I said, 'That sounds suspicious, bro.' When
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Q.
So as a kid, you acted, but you told me 'TV was icky business.' You also danced.
A.
I actually wanted to be a dancer, but
Q.
I had that as a kid. That's wicked painful. Is that why you switched to music?
A.
Exactly. I couldn't play drums because of Osgood-Schlatter, so I picked up my brother's bass. I was gunning to get in Kofi's band so I tried to musically assassinate his bass player [laughs]. I always say 'Music isn't a competition!' It's like, yeah, that's [expletive]. I should stop saying that.
Q.
Joining Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann's trio, BK3 was your first direct Dead connection.
A.
Mike said he thought I should play with Billy and get my feet wet in the Grateful Dead waters. It was so sincere. I was like, 'You know what? I'm down, man.'
Q.
I love that you connected with [Dead bassist]
A.
I wish I'd had more of a relationship with him, but I got some quality time. We had some extended private conversations, where I could ask things that would not leave the room. I'm
super
grateful for that.
Q.
It must have been special to see those guys get the
A.
Those are some of my
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Q.
Did you feel intimidated joining?
A.
Yes and no. I mean, the Burbridge family motto is 'We do it afraid.'
Q.
That's a good T-shirt.
A.
Walking out your door is intimidating. You just have to do your homework. When you have a band that's been together for 50 years, there's a lot of homework. You cut the pie up and eat one piece at a time.
Q.
Did Walton ever get to see Dead & Co at the Sphere?
A.
No, man. I was in the gym at the Sphere and [the news of his death] came on ESPN. Thank god I got to spend so much time with Bill. He'd say things like: 'Oteil, I was a far better person after I stopped competing. When I was competing, all I wanted to do was win.' Just really beautiful stuff.
Q.
I interviewed him and he had this innocent, childlike way of saying profound things.
A.
Yes! He loved to play drums. He'd say: 'Can I set up drums and play with you? You don't have to mic 'em.' I have pictures of him playing drums with Oteil & Friends, grinning from ear to ear. To have that joy and gratitude — it's inspiring.
JERRY GARCIA SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION
Featuring Melvin Seals, Jacklyn La Branch, Oteil Burbridge, Tom Hamilton, John Morgan Kimock, and Lady Chi. 7:30 p.m., June 3 and 4, Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston,
Interview was edited and condensed. Lauren Daley can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow her on Twitter
and Instagram at
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