Uncle Ken's

🇦🇺💀🌹 Gerry with a 'G' rocking his Tee

Spotted at the revered Deadnecks residency in Melbourne, at the Lulie Tavern

Grab your shirt now at unclekens.com

Meet Gerry O’Connor, a Melbourne Deadhead through and through. He first heard the Grateful Dead back in school in the late 60s when mates introduced him to the music, and it stuck with him for life.

Gerry never caught the band live because he spent years living in an ashram and raising a family, but the music stayed with him the whole way. He still goes back to albums like Live Dead, Europe 72, American Beauty, Wake of the Flood and Blues for Allah, listening to the band explore, interact and search for the sound. As Phil said, they aren’t the best at what they do. They’re the only ones who do what they do. ⚡️🎶

The photo came from my friend Abby, whose partner fronts a group keeping the Melbourne dead scene alive with their residency at Lulie Tavern. Gerry was there the other night and the timing lined up perfectly. 🎸🌙

The tee he’s wearing started as a blank from me. Gerry dyed it himself with turmeric and it came out great. He’s keen to try tea, coffee, black beans and a bit of pH shifting with vinegar and baking soda next. I can’t promise the prints will survive every dye experiment, so try it at your own risk for now, but his one turned out beautifully. 🌿🟡

Gerry’s active in the Aussie Dead community as well, always sharing old clips, stories and anything interesting about Kesey, Cassady, Babbs and the Prankster days. He’s one of those listeners who tunes in properly, hears what’s happening and lets the music take him somewhere. 🚍🌈

If you grab a tee, I’ll do my best to give you a spotlight too. I’m also running a small offer where customers get a sticker sent at no cost if they send a photo wearing their shirt that I can post. Limited run, so send your pics while it lasts. 🌹📸

🌹💀⚡ First photo of a happy customer in their tee!

Get yours now at unclekens.com

Meet Eric B — from Queensland, originally from Chicago 🇦🇺🇺🇸

Eric’s been celebrating the Dead spirit all the way from Australia. He saw the Grateful Dead 13 times between 1986 and 1995, including Jerry Garcia’s final shows at Soldier Field, and returned for all three Fare Thee Well reunion shows in 2015.

Now 27 years into life in Australia, Eric still keeps the flame alive — he recently saw Billy Strings, is an avid photographer, and let me know that “the bus is always open to people with the right kind of mind.” ✌️

🌀 This shirt connects him with his music roots and Australian home, fusing two cultures that both live through colour, community, and freedom. 🌈⚡🌹