Episode 7 — A Crazy Moment in Phishtory

[Kickpuncher 5012]

"Stop being like Samm Levine."

 

"I'm skeptical...that you'll make it as an actor in New York."

 

"Your what?" ... "Your what?"

 

"They could be dead and loving...it! Just like Dracula!"

 

All hail the Choctaw.

[robinsbruce 4985]

Love this show - I've been to 2-3 Phish shows, but I'm losing my taste in the band and recently ditched my copy of Farmhouse. I wonder if Mean Scott is having an effect on me...

 

 

"custy"

 

Harris are you going to be at the gorge this year?

 

Make Scott listen to Split Open and Melt and then Tela. He probably won't like either but they are both sweet phish jams.

[EarBear 460]

Goddamn that meat tray bit killed me.

[Shannon 2953]

I can't get over how fascinating and wonderful I find this podcast.

 

I think it's so neat that people love and hate different things. I think it's even neater when people really really really love the things that they love.

 

This show is teaching me about empathy and the power of music and human nature... I love it.

[seanotron 2307]

This was a real treat. I wasn't expecting them to return to this format after the Analyze Fish episodes, but I'm absolutely tickled that they did. I also agree that Mean Scott is a kick since we so rarely see him.

 

And while this is what Phish generally sound like to me

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNHIFM0Y87c

 

I still love hearing Wittels nerd out over them.

[mattman92ish 823]

cookie monster hat

[CapricaSixSixSix 100]

I don't think I need a new format for this. Just Harris being really hopeful as he picks a song to play and then Scott inevitably saying "stop. stop. enough." never gets old. I, too, like the snarkiness that Scott seems to let come out in these eps.

 

Also- for a sec I thought the guy from Jacksonville was T.J. calling in from prison.

[JohnBrunsfeld 0]

Talk about painful irony, I am unbelievably excited to listen to the new episode of Analyze phish . . . but I am just getting into the jam section of Crosseyed and Painless from tonight's show.

 

Scott should be forced to put on headphones turned up to 11 and listen to any show from this tour. Or even better get him the livephish app and a requirement to follow 4 or 5 shows all the way through loud, one of them while driving in his car. That's how converts are made, you can't skim Phish c'mon.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

The opening to "A Divided Sky" sounds like the background music to a Mr. Roger's video about how bicycles are made.

 

That's all I have to contribute right now.

[klemjohansen 748]

I wish I could still derive pure, stupid joy from things the way Matt (or was it Michael?) does. He sounds so happy- or is he just stoned all the time? I've never done drugs so I have no idea. I also have a somewhat German idea about happiness, that delayed gratification is the only gratification that doesn't lead to soul-crushing guilt. So, I'm a blast at parties and stuff. Yay.

[nathanpierce 400]

I thought Nick's line of "someone should drop a toaster in that bathtub" was the gem of the episode, personally.

 

I've listened to all seven episodes. I'm mixed on Phish. I can't really get into a lot of their songs as a whole. They do some really neat things, but instantly ruin those neat things with either a bad direction or just shitty, shitty lyrics. And alothugh Nick was a tad bit excessive in his distain (which was hilarious, but still a bit much), he made some great observations that I agree with. But overall, I respect the musicianship of the group. All four men are very talented.

 

And has Scott heard David Bowie yet? I'm sure he'll have a field day shitting on that song.

[snato 67]

Love the show. Indifferent toward Phish. But recently I was watching the Tony awards, and saw that Trey Anastasio has co-written a Broadway musical, based on the great documentary "Hands on a Hard Body". Given Scott's love of the theatre, could that be a possible gateway for him? Almost definitely not!

 

Still, if they ever mount a production in LA, that could be a good excuse for another episode. And as with all great musicals, remember to drop your bean during the overture.

[neilly 105]

I too am very happy to have the Phish Defense Commission back in the fold. Look, Phish is..well...Phish. They are talented musicians; they appeal to a certain audience, and like many musicians that thrive on their live performances, they have a devoted fan base. I've been to two Phish shows in my life, and having been in college in the early 2000s, I heard my share of their music. When you are a die-hard fan of a band, it is what it is. You cannot rationalize it to someone who is not. I love Pearl Jam, and most of my friends think that they had their day in the sun 20 years ago; and no matter how hard I try to persuade them with THEIR live shows, it wont happen. When I comae across a fellow fan of PJ, or Ween, or any other band that has cult-ish type of followers, you get that "Rain Man" conversation. That is another aspect that fans can have with each other; it's like secret societies, but usually without the murder. You think that the banter between these guys was bad; you should get a group of DeadHeads together, now that's some crazy shit!

[MarmOfSmarm 36]

"David, you gotta not go to New York."

 

That had me laughing hard. Plus, Scott's derision of fans throughout the program was great.

[ben mcd 127]

"Jesus fucking Christ, turn it off. Why are we doing this podcast? TURN IT OFF. What are we doing?" would also have been a good title for this episode. But I still love/hate it. Only way Phish could get any worse is by covering a Rush song.

[Ghost of HST 71]

I was down with Nick from the get go...I guess someone has to represent the completely opposite side of the spectrum but I do enjoy the show and really bear no ill will towards Phish fans as I figure, being that soft in the head is burden enough, namsayin.

Oh! Wasn't there something about Besser being a Phish fan? He should definitely get involved with this!

[klobbermang 532]

Marcus sounds like the coolest dude in the world. I love how disgusted Scott and Nick were just by the name of the song Gotta Jiboo, and then when Marcus recommends the song, it's in the best stonery delivery "Gotta Jibboo maaan!". Laughed hard. Also, I'm surprised Rabin and Harris got along so well considering Rabin wasn't the most generous with his reviews of the latest season of Eastbound and Down. Especially this episode. That episode was hilarious and Rabin gave it a C+ because it too silly. TOO SILLY??! IT IS A COMEDY YOU DILLWAD! SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMSSSSS

[WEdidITagain 458]

 

This was my favorite moment.

[iangustafson 30]

One day Scott's ears will be ready for the right Antelope.

[popinjay-z 0]

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.

[TheRiverportGinger 0]

Harris,

 

Maybe it would have helped if you had explained to them that the section of Divided Sky you played was a musical palindrome. The opening part of the section is played backwards after the lyrics are sung. That is why it sounds so chaotic and hectic. I think that it would have prepared them a little more for what they heard.

 

I think that the best way about going about this is to listen to a few songs in full before the podcast. Then you can analyze what you listened to during the podcast. Another way would be to start a song and listen to the whole thing, but cut that segment from the podcast.

 

TheRiverportGinger

 

P.S. It is so annoying when Scott says, "This is terrible," within seconds of hearing a song. Who can make an honest opinion within 5 seconds?

[Hobocop 59]

This was not only my favorite Analyze Phish episode, but probably my favorite of any podcast episode I've ever heard. So many funny moments all over the place. Keep doing these!!!

[Foltaire 333]

- You gotta stay right where you are: in Bilmingham, Washington.

- Bellingham.

- Bilmingham.

 

I've only gotten this far, but I had to take a break at this point to say how much Scott's stubbornness made me laugh. I've got tears in my eyes.

 

So glad this show is back. Almost unbeatable.

[sam1326657715 3]

nathan rabin has the wettest mouth ever, i couldn't understand anything he was saying, i just heard a bunch of wet mouth sounds.

[snato 67]

Now there's some constructive criticism. Dry your mouth, Rabin! Get one of those mouth towels!