To Phish or not to fish?
Part of the beauty of music is how it brings people together. People gather around common tastes of music. I totally get that. You like a certain band or genre, so if you're really into live music like I am, you often choose to spend time with people who share that affection. That way you can listen to the latest album releases, share your newest downloads, and always have someone who's willing to make that 5 hour drive to Cleveland to see Michael Franti play at a tiny venue. Awesome. That's one of my favourite things about music.
But why all the hate? My question is predominantly around Phish. While I do maintain that a Phish show is a life experience that is not to be missed, I recognize that there are a lot of things about their music that don't appeal to the general public. 16 minute jams, a drummer that's worn the same grubby dress for 15 years, vacuum accompaniments. Some people aren't into it. I get that. But why all the hate?
Go on Facebook or Youtube or any other website that allows user comments. Search out Phish. You will find tons of fanatical, dedicated fans, who, like my brother, have devoted 75% of their brain capacity to Phish information. They know all the details of Trey's thesis, who made Fishman's dress (even I don't get the dress thing- but I don't judge!) and at what age Page started losing his hair. Cool. Not my thing, but to each his own. But then there's the other side. All the rants about Phish being Grateful Dead wanna-bes, anger around Trey never living up to Jerry Garcia, and, the most recent comment I just received “people desperate for a pale version of the dead without the true feel of the dead.”
My reply? I love Phish shows. Its not desperation for The Dead at all- I've never seen The Dead so I had nothing to be desperate for. Its simple really, I went to a Phish show, loved the vibe, and had an amazing time, so I kept going. I don't listen to them at home really; the albums every now and then but never the live super-long jams, but I just love seeing them live. I love the music, love the scene, love the people; mostly I love the love. I never really got why people got so judge-y about Phish. So it's a band that some people like and some people don't… but for some reason people that don't like Phish get really worked up about people that like them…
Why can't one person like Phish, and one person not like Phish, but still co-exist? Why is a Phish fan not just a Phish fan, why are they a wanna-be Deadhead. Why can't Trey just be a sick guitar player who leads a band with a big following of people that love live music and are willing to travel extensively to see a whole leg of the tour, and not be some guy that will never live up to Jerry?
So I like Phish. A lot. Actually, I friggin love them. The whole world LOVES Bruce Springsteen. Me? Not so much. But Phish played with the Boss at Bonnaroo this summer, and 100,000+ fans saw it, loved it, and danced their asses off with not an ounce of judgment in the crowd. That's what I love about music.