Chapter 33: "About Dean Reed"
Dean Reed is probably the most famous American that Americans living inside the U.S. have never heard of. Outside of the U.S., he was probably the most famous American in the world in the 1970s. Inside the Soviet bloc, he was a superstar. He was nicknamed "The Red Elvis" because he mixed his singing and movies with political activism. In 1973 he moved to Communist East Germany (German Democratic Republic). No, he was not insane. For all its faults, the German Democratic Republic was also one of the most socially advanced countries on Earth. There was no homelessness, no hunger, and no genuine poverty. Living conditions, however, were often mediocre. Contrast that to the horrors you will see in any large American city outside the business district.
The first place to check for information about him would be Wikipedia. There is a German-language fansite at www dot deanreed dot de. There are two biographies on YouTube about him. The first one is titled "American Rebel: The Dean Reed Story." The second one is "Dean Reed: The Red Elvis" which is a German-language documentary with English subtitles. It sometimes gives the impression that it is going to be a hatchet job on Reed. You can also find some of his music on YouTube.
