John Mayer takes the Bill Murray approach to touring with Dead & Co.

Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer was a surprise guest on this past weekend’s instalment of Tales From The Golden Road on the Grateful Dead Channel (Ch. 23). During his conversation with hosts David Gans and Gary Lambert, he talked about the influence that playing in Dead & Company has had on him, among other topics.

“I never loved touring,” Mayer said. “I didn’t really figure it out until Dead & Company exposed a way that you can play music that doesn’t have to be thought of as this sort of combat. It could just be pure fun. Something changed where I’ll get on a plane to fly anywhere. I’m not afraid to fly. I’m not afraid to stay at a hotel if it means I get to go have an experience that I’ll never forget. The Dead & Company thing just turned everything nonlinear. It’s a completely nonlinear life for me now. It’s almost like Bill Murray is the patron saint of what we’re all sort of going for now. It’s like just pop up somewhere. Pop up somewhere and have a good time.”

Tales From The Golden Road airs Sundays at 4 pm ET with replays Mondays at 9 pm ET and Wednesdays at 1 am ET on the Grateful Dead Channel (Ch. 23).