Photo: Jay Blakesberg

Steve Silberman, the award-winning writer and editor known for journalistic coverage in the Bay Area, including a two decades stint with Wired magazine, has passed away. Harnessed to a commitment to autism rights and the neurodivergent movement, as captured in his 2015 release and decorated book, NeuroTribes, it was Silberman’s connections to the counterculture movement that birthed out of his ‘70s connection to Allen Ginsberg and later brought him to the Crosby Stills and Nash, and the Grateful Dead as communal safe-havens. He was 66. 

Silberman’s formative academic years focused on psychology while attending Oberlin College in Ohio. After completing his undergraduate studies, he headed West, working toward a Master’s in English literature at the venerable UC Berkeley–under the advisory of prolific English poet Thom Gunn. In 1977, Silberman befriended Ginsberg at Boulder, Colo.’s Naropa University. Their relationship eventually yielded a 1987 Whole Earth Review interview and a position to join the “Howl” writer at the Centennial State college, assuming the role of a teaching assistant. 

Before Silberman’s formal educational partnership with Ginsberg in Colorado, he shifted to San Francisco, which allowed him to embrace “a gay life without fear,” as mentioned in a 2015 interview with The Guardian. The move also enabled Silberman more opportunities to become a part of the city’s musical community, where he fell in line with bands like CSN and the Grateful Dead, experiences that would inform his later work, including the 1994 David Shenk co-write, Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads. 

“The world has lost an invaluable mind and heart. I’m beyond blessed to have worked with him,” Shenk exclusively told Relix. “Steve and I whirled into each other’s lives in San Francisco in the early 1990s and immediately started brainstorming on what we could write together. He was spilling over with wisdom; I was a cauldron of unseasoned energy and snark. Our skill-sets meshed and clashed and eventually fused. I’m still so proud of the work we did together, and I know was too. He truly opened up my world as a writer and thinker; all of my work that followed was a tribute to his mentorship.”

In addition to the aforementioned book, Silberman focused his efforts on the Beat Movement, catalyzed by his connection to Ginsberg and other alternative culture enthusiasts. In later years, Silberman shifted to concentrate on the legacy of autism and its effect on the future of neurodiversity, as discussed in 2015’s awarded NeuroTribes. Apart from written work, which also appeared in Relix, Silberman projected his voice in the 2017 Dead-focused documentary Long Strange Trip. 

News of Silberman’s passing came from his sister. His husband later confirmed it, writing on social media, “Sorry to start your day with bad news. It’s my very sad duty to inform you all that @stevesilberman.bsky.social, my wonderful husband and best friend, passed away last night. I’ll have more info later. For now, please take a moment to remember his kindness, humor, wisdom, and love.” 

Just last year, following the passing of longtime friend David Crosby, Silberman contributed the Relix article “The Next Quiet Place: My Unlikely Friendship with David Crosby,” where he described his relationship with the famed figure, “Thankfully, I was never David’s manager, but for almost 30 years, the co-founder of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was my closest older friend. In an unlikely twist of fate, I went from being an obsessive teenage fan—rushing out to buy every new record, collecting every unreleased rarity I could find, staying up all night in a phone booth in a blizzard after a concert because I missed the last bus home—to being the guy David would send a just-written song to after leaving a voicemail, ‘Silberman, wake up! It’s Croz. Pick up your email. I’m gonna blow your mind.’”

Referencing his history with Silberman, Relix publisher Peter Shapiro referred to him as “One of the core characters of the scene,” while recalling Silberman’s role in introducing him to the Grateful Dead associate, David Gans, who assisted in opening doors that led to the creation of short films American Road and And Miles to Go Before I Sleep. Shapiro added, “Steve was an early friend who played a really important role in helping me early on my journey. He had a huge smile and a friendly touch. And I will always remember his bear hugs and love of the Grateful Dead across cultures. He was a great spirit.” 

Relix Editor-in-Chief Dean Budnick shared, “Not only was Steve a legendary Deadhead but he was a kind soul, reaching out to other journalists and offering encouragement. Back in 1997, after my book on Phish was published, he contacted me to discuss the affinities between the Phish and Dead communities. We later wrote a joint essay on this very topic at his suggestion (“Energy is Eternal Delight: The Budnick-Silberman Rap On Phish and The Dead”). We remained in touch over the decades that followed and when he could find the time, he’d contribute a Relix piece, most recently that wonderful memorial essay on his great friend David Crosby. Whatever Steve did, his heart was always in it, a lesson that has remained with me.”

Hi everyone.

Sorry to start your day with bad news. It’s my very sad duty to inform you all that @stevesilberman.bsky.social , my wonderful husband and best friend, passed away last night.

I’ll have more info later. For now, please take a moment to remember his kindness, humor, wisdom, and love.

— Ward Q. Normal (@wardqnormal.bsky.social) Aug 29, 2024 at 8:46 AM