Whether on the big screen or the stage, David Krumholtz has left an indelible mark — from CBS’s Numb3rs to his work on HBO’s The Deuce. He’s also unforgettable as Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause franchise and portrayed real-life physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi in 2023’s Oppenheimer. In 2022, Krumholtz hit Broadway, playing Hermann Merz in Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt. Krumholtz’s most recent role is in the comedy Lousy Carter, where he plays a professor who finds out he only has six months to live.
More: David Krumholtz channels his inner curmudgeon for Lousy Carter (The Treatment, 2024)
For his Treat, David Krumholtz admits he’s a bit of a Deadhead and that he’s drawn to lyrics that tell deep, meaningful stories. And Krumholtz says no one did it better than the Grateful Dead’s singer-songwriter Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter. He points to the song "Ripple" as one of the greatest poems ever written, especially when paired with music. Krumholtz also points to the Dead’s "Althea”, which touches on themes of depression and the search for inspiration.
This segment has been edited and condensed for clarity.
My Treat [is] the lyrics of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Oh, he's just a big hippie deadhead,” but I'm a big sucker for profound lyrics, for profound poetry.
The manner in which Robert Hunter's thoughts were expressed through Jerry Garcia's angelic voice and through melody, through Garcia's melodies — just a mindblowing, timeless synapse. Two great forces coming together to make something absolutely kinetic and timeless.
I think “Ripple” is one of the greatest poems ever written. Put to music, it's beautiful.
I will also say if there's one song, it's the song “Althea,” which is a song about depression. It's a song about a man who's lost his way and is going down a very, very dangerous rabbit hole within himself. He finds a muse, whether the muse is God, whether it's an actual, physical person named Althea… but it's something that keeps him going, that takes care of him, and it gives him a reason to keep going. That song is absolutely beautiful.
I love the Grateful Dead and I love those lyricists. That's it.