popinjay-z

Another great installment. The Harris/Scott dynamic never gets old. And "tomato lettuce" should obviously be a lot shirt immediately. I wanted to call in but I was busy at the park with the kids. In PT talk that would be like saying "life'd" or "adult'd" or something, right? Obviously, the point of the show isn't too actually convince Scott or anyone to like the band, but for the sake of switching it up, I'd love to hear an episode based purely around their studio material. Scott's stance might soften if he heard some of their more concise, traditional songwriting and performance. If I had made it on the phone, I would have offered up the studio version of "The Connection," which I know is reviled by most of their fans, but I've always enjoyed as a nice, sunny power pop song. I'm wondering if Scott has had any exposure to that side of the band. It's not all long, guitar solos. I'm in my mid-30s. I've never done drugs or even had more than half a beer in my life. I love much of the same music Scott does (I'd say Neil Finn is my favorite living songwriter). And I love Phish's music. I don't love shows. I don't love the scene. I genuinely love the music itself, stripped away from everything else surrounding their presentation. I mean, I guess the lights are cool, but all I want to do is listen to the recordings. I don't like attending Phish shows because none of my friends will go with me and I'm the weird sober guy standing still by himself just listening, but I've been seeing shows since '94 and I've obsessively listened to hundreds of them and compiled my own edits, mixes, all that stuff. I completely empathized with Harris' zeal whenever one of the callers would get into specifics and start talking in fan short-hand. I once found out that a freelancer at work was a hard-core fan, and he was also pretty boring and non-stoner-y like me. I found every excuse I could to go talk to him during the few weeks he was here because it was the first time in years I met someone who understood what this music means to me. It's a weird, cultish thing, no doubt, but if it grabs a hold of you it's impossible to shake. And it's deeply frustrating to know that the vast majority of the population dismisses that love as "oh, so you're a dummy who likes just likes to party and doesn't appreciate REAL music," but the cultural conversation shifted re: the Grateful Dead over the last 20 years or so, and I fully expect a reappraisal of Phish by the critics, cynics, etc. around 2027. Just in time for a 30th Anniversary box set of the complete '97 Fall Tour.