Yesterday, the world lost a truly special creative mind when John Barlow passed away at the age of 70. Barlow was a poet, essayist, political activist, outspoken cyberlibertarian and, at one point, a cattle rancher in Wyoming, but he will be remembered by many as an accomplished lyricist for The Grateful Dead. He worked closely with Bob Weir throughout the Dead’s career, helping contribute countless classic songs to the band’s enduring repertoire.
In the wake of John Barlow’s passing, Weir shared a few words about the intrepid character of his lifelong friend and creative partner via a post on his Facebook page:
Various other members of the extended Grateful Dead family have offered words of praise in the wake of Barlow’s passing, including original GD drummer Bill Kreutzmann and Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge:
While the Grateful Dead community rightfully mourns one of its most important figures, the fact that Barlow is remembered for entirely different reasons by those outside the Dead’s orbit is a testament to the vast and varied list of contributions he made during his time on Earth. Of the countless news outlets that have covered Barlow’s death, just as many referred to “John Barlow, Internet Pioneer” as they did to “John Barlow, Grateful Dead Lyricist.”
Barlow was a founding member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation and had, most recently, been particularly vocal in advocating for the preservation of net neutrality. As Electronic Frontier Foundation executive director Cindy Cohn explains in a heartfelt tribute to Barlow on the foundation’s website, “It is no exaggeration to say that major parts of the Internet we all know and love today exist and thrive because of Barlow’s vision and leadership. He always saw the Internet as a fundamental place of freedom, where voices long silenced can find an audience and people can connect with others regardless of physical distance.”
Cohn goes on to quote from “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” an essay John Perry Barlow penned in 1996 in Davos, Switzerland:
Barlow’s lasting legacy is that he devoted his life to making the Internet into ‘a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth . . . a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.’
Whether through his contributions to the Grateful Dead canon, his fight for the preservation of freedom in cyberspace, or any of his other assorted accomplishments, John Perry Barlow impacted countless people during his life and ensured that his lofty legacy will live on.
Rest in peace, John.
[Cover photo: Jay Blakesberg via Bob Weir’s Facebook page]