RIP Jim Irsay, a derelict who happened to own Jerry's Tiger guitar, among others.
Dude was a mess who seemingly never did a worthwhile thing in his life except inherit a kingdom from his sleeze father.
In fairness, he must have done some good in his life, but I never heard about it.
It sounds like his daughter will get the football team, I wonder if she gets the guitars? If we're lucky she'll sell the collection to someone who will share them; instruments are made to be played, not sit in cases.
Tiger was never my favorite Jerry guitar, but because he played it through most of my favorite years that I personally attended I've always had a certain reverence for it. It would be nice to see it plugged in and used again.
On it goes.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird Philnweird
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 08:54 pm
He did stuff like this all the time, even when the cameras weren't on him:
Colts owner Jim Irsay, with a bag of cash in hand, surprises workers at Jacksonville hotel
A hotel housekeeper named Karen, a hard-working, sometimes struggling mother of two sons, was in the middle of her shift at a Jacksonville, Fla., hotel Saturday night -- the hotel where Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay happened to be staying for the team's Sunday game against the Jaguars.
As Karen stepped out into the hallway after cleaning a 17th floor hotel room, wearing black scrubs with her cart of supplies at her side, Irsay approached her with a drawstring bag filled with wads of cash.
He handed Karen a few stacks of $100 bills, thousands of dollars in all. Irsay was in Jacksonville handing out $10,000 "tips" Saturday night.
"God bless you for your hard work," Irsay said to the housekeeper, as she broke into tears in a video he shared with IndyStar. "Just sending love to you."
The two embraced. Karen told Irsay thank you, though she could barely get those two words out of her mouth. Irsay told her how much he appreciated her dedication. He told her he knew life wasn't always easy. He talked about his grandmother, who was a hardworking, blue-collar woman.
"You go and take care of your family," Irsay said. "God bless you, sweetheart. Enjoy."
Irsay left Karen, nearly in tears himself, picked up his bag of cash, and he moved to the lobby of his hotel, where he found a musician playing the guitar.
Irsay, who was being recorded on video, turned to the camera and said: "We are going to take care of the musicians of the world, the real musicians playing the real music."
He walked toward the guitar player and said, "Hello, my good fellow. We are here to bring you tremendous ...." Irsay laid down $10,000 on the table next to the musician, who could barely keep playing.
"Oh, my goodness," he said. "Wow."
Irsay thanked that guitar player for his gift of music, and he told him about the 300 guitars he owns, including relics of Elvis Presley, Prince, Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia's famous Tiger guitar, which he played from 1979 to 1989.
"I love to hear your playing. I want to drop this blessing toward you," Irsay told the guitarist, who continued to play in awe. "This is a man who is making the real sounds happen out there. Listen to that guitar playing. That's good picking right here."
Irsay arrived in Jacksonville this weekend on a mission. He talked to IndyStar on Saturday night, after those two encounters with the housekeeper and the guitar player, and other workers he surprised with large gifts of cash.
"How many times do we walk into hotels and just walk past people that are working; bellhops, people that are behind the desk, as if they're artificial intelligence robots, for god's sake," Irsay said. "When you're blessed, when you're given blessings, when God blesses you with a lot, God asks a lot in return."
Irsay said for the past 25 years he's had a passion to identify people in need, to look them in the eye, ask them about their families, ask them what their names are, ask them what their stories are, and bless them.
"It's always difficult times trying to raise a family, trying to have enough money to pay your bills, your groceries, to have a roof over your head," Irsay said. "All those things are tough, so that's my ministry."
Irsay said he wants to bring joy, happiness and peace of mind to people, especially strangers who are fighting to survive. He wants them to know they are not alone.
"Like Karen on the 17th floor, every day I wake up and think, 'How can I make the world better? How can I change it?'" he said. "One person at a time. One person at a time."
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry heathentom
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 09:17 pm
Yeah, I just finished reading
Yeah, I just finished reading a different article that talked about his generosity and foundations and such.
That particular Jacksonville piece sounds like he was doing all that for the cameras, but after further review maybe he was a better guy than I thought.
Lately I've been feeling that time has been passing me by, so I've been trying out the more modern approach of going online and stating mean-spirited opinions as absolute fact based on very little to no actual knowledge. I'm still working out the kinks.
Anyway, hopefully his family continues his generosity, and maybe lets the Tiger out to play.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird Philnweird
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 09:25 pm
He's probably done some
He's probably done some nefarious shit too. He's a billionaire. But I've read stories where he'd have an assistant drive him around Indianapolis and he'd literally hand money to random people. I think he did stuff like that alot. He was also the first NFL owner to call for Dan Snyder to be removed as owner when news came out they were running a whorehouse at Washington headquarters. I remember that being a big deal at the time. Those dudes don't typically step on each other.
The pill addictions and mental health struggles normalized him as well. The kind of shit that regular people can relate to.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird Philnweird
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 09:25 pm
He's probably done some
.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird Philnweird
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 09:25 pm
He's probably done some
wtf is wrong with my computer?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry heathentom
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 10:04 pm
>>>wtf is wrong with my
>>>wtf is wrong with my computer<<<
Maybe you're not making enough mean-spirited remarks.
I mean, I left you some low-hanging fruit in my first post and you didn't insult me.
Common' man, it's the 21st century, get with the program.
I am interested in what Alan or any other Baltimoreans may have to say. Irsay is not a name to be spoken aloud in that region of the country.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philnweird Philnweird
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 11:44 pm
>> I mean, I left you some
>> I mean, I left you some low-hanging fruit in my first post and you didn't insult me.
Ain't no time to hate brother. This is the new Philzone - filled with ass-patting.
Yeah I imagine there's no tears being shed from the old-school Baltimore Colts fans tonight. I'm not too familiar with the elder Irsay but he sounds like a scoundrel.
Just Googled it. I knew Irsay owned Tiger, a George Harrison SG and an acoustic that Elvis owned, but he also bought David Gilmour's famous Black Strat.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jim-irsay-david-gilmou...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace WALSTIB
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – 11:55 pm
He had that free concert and
He had that free concert and traveling museum event at The BGCC a few years back. The guitars were the center piece and garnered the most attention but I was more impressed with the eclectic treasures he had procured.
My favorite was a letter written by Alan Ginsberg to a fellow beatnik friend in NY with a rough draft of Howl and him asking if it was any good and could he he shop it around to some local publishers.
Ha, it only defined a generation
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk fabes
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 08:28 am
I had a manager a while back
I had a manager a while back who used to like to pay for old people's orders at McDonalds, I am sure he used all that bonus money he made from fucking the employees out of pay.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R StoneSculptor
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 09:08 am
^ I'll never use a MayFlower
^ I'll never use a MayFlower moving truck in my lifetime.
The trucks pulled up to the Colts facility in the middle of the night and moved everything out under cover of darkness. No advance notice.
The town woke up NFL teamless.
Thankfully, I moved to SF shortly after and could root for the 49ers.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk fabes
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 09:20 am
And then you stole my Browns
And then you stole my Browns
fuck art model
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf Bss
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 11:39 am
Isn't Zach his guitar tech?
Isn't Zach his guitar tech, or guitar "guy"?
he might have some insight
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lord Kalvert Lloyd_Klondike
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 01:00 pm
Jerry said Tiger was the best
Jerry said Tiger was the best guitar he ever played. A friend of mine got his grubby hands on it at Red Rocks once. I would have loved to have sunk my fingers into it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 01:01 pm
https://www
https://www.jimirsaycollection.com/
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz Paul_woz
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 04:01 pm
In 1986 I was at Amazing
In 1986 I was at Amazing Grace music in San Anselmo where Tiger was being re-fretted. I held it and still have one of the old frets......
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf Bss
on Thursday, May 22, 2025 – 07:58 pm
That's way cool. Who
That's way cool. Who specifically did the job, do you remember?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune Turtle
on Friday, May 23, 2025 – 06:39 pm
FREE TIGER!
FREE TIGER!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane fishcane
on Friday, May 23, 2025 – 07:03 pm
Woah that's super cool
Woah that's super cool
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz Paul_woz
on Friday, May 23, 2025 – 08:35 pm
That's way cool. Who
That's way cool. Who specifically did the job, do you remember?
John Pederson. He still owns it. The guy I played music with the last 40 years knw him from their motorcycle riding group.......the road oilers
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dr. Benway daylight
on Friday, May 23, 2025 – 11:41 pm
i wonder if someone could
i wonder if someone could convince roger mcnamee to buy it if it goes up for auction. thats probably the best realistic option for where it could end up that would lead to it getting brought out at shows like some of jerrys other guitars have been over the years. if mcnamee buys it we could get a show with sless on tiger at some point. i dont think thats outside the realm of possibility at all. i cant think of many other people who have that kind of money to throw around and might actually let it get played at shows, unless maybe weir or someone buys it.
imagine if john mayer bought it lmao
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry heathentom
on Friday, May 23, 2025 – 11:53 pm
If Mayer bought it at least
If Mayer bought it at least it would get played.
If McNamee bought it then it would only be used at Moonalice shows, which would only be about a half-step better than being locked in a case.
If it goes up for sale my vote would be for the Silicon Valley guy who owns Alligator to buy it. That guy shares with everyone.
Ultimately, given the current huge mainstream popularity of the Grateful Dead, the value of that guitar will probably never be higher so they should definitely sell it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune Turtle
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 12:08 am
$2 million Tiger!
$2 million Tiger!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf Bss
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 01:26 am
Next time Tiger changes hands
Next time Tiger changes hands at auction, if it ever changes hands at auction; you can bet on 8 figures.
Stage played Garcia instruments are very few, all in private hands, (meaning there aren't ever going to be "more of them" surfacing), and this is probably the most famous one of all.
Cash value of stuff like this only ever increases. Highly, highly collectible, and the people who swim in this pool have the money to play.
As guitars go it's quite literally one of the most collectible instruments in the world. Black gilmour strat would be another.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk fabes
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 07:40 am
From one of the guys that
From one of the guys that probably has laid his hand on some of Irsay's guitars
https://youtu.be/QXW1EnTTPJ8
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 11:30 am
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: BlackPeter ose25
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 01:22 pm
I would think the Grateful
I would think the Grateful guitars foundation will try and raise the funds.. then folks will get to play tiger.. you never know what Irsay put in his will ???
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz Paul_woz
on Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 01:36 pm
you never know what Irsay put
you never know what Irsay put in his will ???
I imagine untangllng that will is going to be a herculean task.