Why Andy Cohen is a Deadhead for life

Deadheads permeate so many different aspects of American society.Reality TV mogul Andy Cohen is among them.

Charles Sykes hide caption During this year's Days Between — from August 1 and August 9 — NPR Music is publishing a series of stories about what keeps drawing people to the Grateful Dead, and how they plan to carry the band's legacy forward.There's a common catchphrase used by fans of the Grateful Dead: Weir Everywhere.It's a play on guitarist Bob Weir's last name, but also a nod to the way Deadheads permeate so many different aspects of American society.In every city, across all age groups, there are devoted fans of a band that officially ceased to exist more than 30 years ago.

But one way or another, the music has kept going — through archived live performances, new groups led by the Dead's surviving members and countless tribute bands.Deadheads, in turn, keep showing up to listen.Reality TV mogul Andy Cohen is among them.

Known as the host of late-night Bravo show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and beloved for his work as an executive producer for the Real Housewives franchise — not to mention his best-selling memoirs and his CNN New Year's Eve special with Anderson Cooper — Cohen is a fixture of 21st century television and entertainment.He's also a huge Deadhead.Over the last decade, Cohen has often been spotted dancing at concerts for Dead & Company, the band fronted by Weir and John Mayer alongside Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti.

Though many people in the scene know Cohen as one of Mayer's close friends, his ties to the Grateful Dead span back much furthur (pun intended) than that.In an interview with NPR Music's resident Deadheads, Andy Cohen opened up about his relationship with one of America's most revered bands.This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.I...