We don’t blame you if you’re burned out on politics. The lead up to the 2018 midterm elections has been relentless. This episode is a great way to decompress while staying plugged in. Special guest Robert Costa—national political reporter for the Washington Post and moderator of Washington Week on PBS—talks about music, culture and political movements along with his love of all things Dead. Casey and Ed examine the Dead’s influence on politicians and pundits across the political spectrum and challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the band’s apolitical outlook. All that plus a Feed Your Head profile on news icon and Deadhead Walter Cronkite. Don’t forget to vote!

People tend to think of the Grateful Dead as a hippie band spreading sunshine and light. While the good vibes are for real, there’s also an otherworldly darkness in throughout their story. For the Halloween edition of Dead to Me, Casey and Ed take a look at everything from the occult ambience in the early scene to the band’s hair-raising improvisations. Special guest Jason George, a longtime taper and horror buff, talks about Jerry Garcia’s love of the macabre and how the Dead embraced the uncanny. Feed Your Head profiles the academics who conducted mass-ESP experiments at six Dead concerts in 1971. Happy Halloween!