On January 28, the news broke that Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner passed away of a multiple organ failure after suffering a heart attack at the age of 74. We witnessed an outpouring of love and condolences for the late guitar player. A few days following, Bob Weir sat down to pen a beautifully written statement about the man he’d known since the beginning:
“Paul lived at the heart of the music, where the chords, the melody and the rhythm join together with the lyrics to form the story. His guitar was the glue that held all that together. His voice was the foundation of the choral vocals. Paul lived at the heart of the song. He was there for the Muse – when she needed a human voice or instrument, she channeled it through him.”
Billboard sat down with Weir to discuss his relationship with Kantner. Describing their relationship, he explained: “Paul was a friend of mine. Musically, we kind of grew up together. He and I occupied sort of the same chair in our orchestras; we were both rhythm guitarists. But early on, he played a lot of 12-string, and I didn’t do that, so we didn’t compete. We were on different paths with looking at how we could provide that punch in a band. But I would listen to what he was up to.”
When asked about his dealing with the death of a close friend, he responded: “I’ve never been one to kick furniture when people check out. There’s nothing you can do about it. So any problems I have with his passing, I consider to be my own and not his. And so I just let him go and wish him the best. When somebody you’re part of, and of that kind of import, dies, it’s a good time to take stock of what he offered, and see what they can make of it, and what they can take from it.”
You can read more about Bob Weir’s thoughts of Paul Kantner, and the relationship between the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane in this short interview.
Though Weir is not present in this video, watch members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana rock out in1970: