Bob Minkin

Today, we welcome Bob Minkin to the show! Bob Minkin is a San Francisco Bay Area based photographer who discovered rock ‘n’ roll music (Hendrix, Cream, and of course the Grateful Dead) at age 13 in 1972 and began photographing concerts two years later.  He’s since photographed thousands of concerts in clubs and arenas across the USA and Europe. His photographs have been featured in many books and publications such as Rolling Stone & Time Magazine.

Bob ruminates on how his professional intuition to capture “just the right moments” may be connected to his earlier LSD trips. Like he can “sense” when the magic moment for snapping the perfect photo is shaped. 

Bob’s first LSD trip was in 1972 when he was 13 years old and was listening to bands like the Dead, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, and Cream. 

Bob shares his recent experiences with micro-dosing & how it’s a great way to re-enter the psychedelic space after years of non-use. 

Quotes:

Bob: I remember the positivity of doing acid regularly in the context of being at a friend’s house, with a bunch of people also on acid just listening to music for hours. This became greatly communal & it was like an other-worldly experience, a special adventure that I didn’t know what I was looking for yet there it was.

Bob: I saw the Dead at Radio City Music Hall in ‘74 & took acid & was blown away by the light show & of course the music too. I remember it as being like this symphony from Heaven. It just sounded SO GOOD & cemented my love for the band.

Bob: We all miss Jerry of course but we’re so lucky to have so much Dead related music out there, so much continuing greatness to behold.

Bob: Microdosing while hiking along the trails under the majesty of Mt. Tam brings me back to center & makes me feel like the “real me.” Micro-dosing is a great way to re-enter the psychedelic world for someone like me who did a ton of psychedelics decades ago & wants to re-visit the relationship. 

Bob: My focus when aiming to capture peak moments at shows is so that it brings back the best memories of the show. And if you weren’t at the show, I want to make you feel like you were there, by capturing images that really portray the essence of the show.