Type Your Phish Thoughts

Phish General
#1

Most times when I listen to Phish, I get these lame thoughts about how I view the band, the music, the community, etc, but I just don’t know where to put them.

Like this morning, for instance. One of my favorite times to listen to music is in the early morning on my ride to work. It’s my favorite time of the day, and I’m not sure if it’s because I listen to Phish most of all. It’s just that the beauty of the mornings, the colors of the sunrises, the crispness to the air, just creates a specific feeling for me, and energy rush I get from the music just seems to fit more than other part of the day.

I was just pulling up to a car that was stopped at a light that was about to turn green, as the final stages of a classic Bowie that ended the first set of SPAC 6/19/04 were crashing down all around me. I slowed down enough not to have to stop, but noticed a sticker on the driver’s side of the rear bumper that read: “Every 4 out of 3 people don’t like or understand fractions”. And the point of the joke came to mind just as the very end of Bowie played as if it were a musical comment to accentuate the joke, as it the typical snare drum tags a bad joke with a Ba Rump Bump.

But that’s not what I wanted to say today about Phish.

It was, that is, to explain how, since I don’t listen to Phish on an iPod or digital player of any kind, the CD is still key in the distribution of songs and setlists for me. And because of that fact, when you filter my odd tastes when it comes to versions of Phish performances and which songs I like and which are sometimes worse than fingernails on chalkboards, certain individually random CDs from any number of shows, somehow become listening favorites for me.

For instance, right now, and for quite awhile, my favorite CD to grab for when I’m choosing them to carry in my car for the week’s commute is the second disk in the Live Phish download of 2/28/03 beginning of the second set with Tweezer->Soul Shakedown->Bowie. The second disk from 12/2/97 with a five song Mike’s Groove was a favorite for awhile, and is still in the top ten for me. But you get the idea.

Well, this morning, I just discovered the second disk from 6/19/04, with the Walls->Bowie, ASIHTOS. And I know I listened to this whole show when I received these disks, but for some reason, I never really “heard” this music until today. This is such a rush when this happens, and is one of the reasons I’m so addicted to this band. Music that I summarily dismiss at times, suddenly becomes the coolest shit in the world, at some point when I become ready to hear and understand it. Fun stuff, any way you look at it.

Well, that’s all I got for now. And my apologies if there is a thread like this that I was too damn lazy to look for.

#2

I love this thread idea Bill!

I had a thought over lunch about the dissonant jams of the early 90s, and about how it was a direct byproduct of incredibly tight execution of difficult compositional bits … or I get that impression anyway.

If you listen to LivePhish 05, that 2000 show nobody seems to really care about, the Llama is completely blues scale stuff. It’s like it was harder to be consistently harmonious at that point in their career, so being intentionally dissonant doesn’t really work you know?

Llama used to be a chance for them to stretch out weirdly. When they played that 2000 show it wouldn’t have been right for them to go completely dissonant on Llama. But in 1991, there was so much harmonious and perfect playing, that there was room for INTENTIONAL dissonance, and it was a huge part of their improv back then. [Not that they don’t still get dissonant, I mean c’mon.]

But there was a special kind of dissonance in that era that almost said, “we’re doing this on purpose because we enjoy the contrast, and furthermore, you can tell it’s intentional cuz in a few seconds we’re gonna pull out the most harmonious and beautiful ensemble playing you ever heard.”

#3

Sometimes I think of dates of past Phish shows when I look at a digital clock.

#4

I love when funny little things like this happen.

#5

Totally. Or like someone was born on 3/13/92, and I have to refrain from telling the parents that it’s the anniversary of something even cooler!

#6

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

#7

Sometimes I think that Phish is the ultimate FYOU to the global elite and their police state apparatus. The whole process of going, listening, communing, watching Phish, is totally outside of their controlled realities, class warfare, race baiting, red vs blue divide and conquer paradigms that I can’t help but smile and have hope for free humanity.

#8

phish

#9

Happens allll the time.

#10

The ASIHTOS from that show is a gem as is the Walls segue. Most people are all about the 6-19 Piper, which is obviously good, but the ASIHTOS gets over looked… I feel it is a deeper, more cohesive jam then the Piper, ambient but driven, deep undertones, rich textures. The Piper has all those elements too but the progression of the jam has a segmented feel.

Ok those are phishy thoughts about 6-19-04. As for present phishy thoughts I have little… the only phish I’ve listened to lately is Joy… and I’m already a bit burnt out on it.

#11

:smiley: man this is a seriously great post from you TFP. i agree whole-heartedly too. it’s something extremely direct, genuine and special in a world dominated by distraction and negativity.

i love Phish. no other band has done anything close to what phish has done to me. i’ve seen so many great ones, but the pure, spiritual power of Phish’s music is something that is untouchable. the countless memories and strange, serindipitous synchronicities and just pure…i don’t know…it leaves me in a bit of awe.

the last 13 years have been an incredible journey with this band. watching them go from the top of the world, to the bottom, to complete disintigration…and then one of the greatest and most unlikely comebacks in music history…it’s just amazing. i know they don’t play at quite that level yet, but seeing them playing together again; the joy is back, the humor is back, the unpredictability…phish is back again. right around the corner is a fucking HALLOWEEN PHISH FESTIVAL. man…i’m just feeling really grateful right now. wow.

#12

This is really hard to put into actual words but I’ll try my best.

I think that sometimes some people can take the things they were able to experience for granted. Let me explain. I would probably now say that Phish are my favorite band and I am incredibly happy that they reunited because it gives me the opportunity to experience them while they are still around. For this I feel grateful because many of the other things I would have enjoyed experiencing were, of course, ahead of my time. Yeah, I was not able to see any awesome 90’s PH shows or see the Dead, Zappa, etc. But that’s the kind of thing that makes me say this to begin with. In other words, I am so used to so many of my favorite musical things being before the time that I just grew used to the fact that I was never able to experience it as it was going on. Also, I will never be able to experience the culture of previous generations (needless to say, I pretty much reject what the culture that a lot of my peers associate themselves with). I’m really not sure if I entirely nailed exactly what I was trying to say but what I want to get across is that you should just remember to be thankful for the things you enjoyed the most and were able to experience in your lifetime. Whether it be Phish shows you saw, people you met, or the culture you grew up with. Also, try to make the best out of whatever is available to you. For example, I’m going to make the best out of whatever Phish experiences I can have since they’re back together now and since even pre-09 Phish was ahead of my time.

Talk about a rant.

#13

This is not the w00kie you are looking for - Trey’s Jedi Mind Tricks. (TJMT for short)

#14

Damn dude, that was very well said, I’m impressed that you have such a mature perspective at age 16. (Not that teenagers can’t be mature, but I know I wasn’t quite that far along when I was your age.) Kudos to you :sunglasses:

#15

Awesome.

FYI, Your gonna be seeing alot of stuff that I will probably miss.
Some new band that will be the shit.
Keep enjoying Phish for sure, but keep your ears open for new sounds.
You’ll be able to see the next big band at some hole in the wall before they become the “next Phish”.
Seriously, nothing lasts forever and there is something always coming round the corner.

But in the mean time, lets boogie to Phish while they are back!

#16

Same here, but I do it with sun dials too.

My thoughts aren’t contained to just the shows. If I am listening to a show I’ve attended, I reminisce about traveling to the show, the lot before, getting out of the show, etc. Particularly Hampton 2009. One of the best times I’ve had in a long time was sitting up with our very own Bill in a dingy hotel room, sipping Vodka, toking and listening to Phish on my laptop and discussing our Phish experiences and what to expect the following night. I can remember it like it was yesterday, as I can pretty much all of my Phishy experiences.

Nothing I see can be taken from me!

#17

Phish really changed the way that One listens to music. Totally helped One gain an appreciation for any and all music.

#18

Yes!! In my case, it’s an extreme case. Everytime I see a date at all, I think of Phish and wonder whether they played a good show on that date.

#19

^^^Often how I reminisce about shows as well. Parking lots especially. I can recall the layout and or feel of a parking lot(s) from any venue before I can tell you what was played inside that particular show. Or, especially with outdoor venues, I can picture each place from the high Page side view.
Weather conditions. Crowd size. Crowd vibe. Mental status. What sorts of escapades took place before and after the show. What the cops were like. I bought something special. Someone was selling really good hummus sandwiches. I met great people. The views and scenery surrounding. Lost this or that.

Just writing this made me realize all the small ways with which I can recall one show/venue or another. Philly Spectrum’s (I don’t know the real names of any place) walls get greasy when the show gets going and things heat up. Polaris in Colombus has those lit up stars on the wall walking in. The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer night at Shoreline.

I count myself among the world’s luckiest.

#20

I am still just in a complete state of joy about the level on which Phish is already playing. I mean, i had confidence in them but i had never imagined that Phish would be playing jams like R&R, gin from the gorge, or RR Boogie On, Drowned -> CE&P, Or even the DWD-> Twist from JB, this soon. I thought maybe they would be playing this good by fall tour or new years. I had not become a fan until 06/07 so i had pretty much accepted the fact that i would never see Phish. I had been listening to nothing but Phish for about a year and 1/2 and when they announced those show, so you can imagine the emotions that had been building up and that were released on that day. I nearly cried, but my mood was elevated for several weeks after the announcement. i was almost overly-friendly to any person that came near me. All that I’m really trying to express is the extreme happiness that just heaaring that Phish was scheduled to return, brought me. Much more than i could have hoped for or imagined.