# Get your fucking Phish facts straight **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 16, 2000, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061 "2000-10-16T00:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/1 "2000-10-16T00:33:22Z")
Having read the same article several times about Phish’s recent “breakup”, I have a few words to those who insist on spilling ink over this story: –First of all, notice how in the title of this thread, I used alliterative F’s, yet I resisted the temptation to turn them all into Ph’s! “Phreaky Phish phans phind phun with phunky phollowing” was cute the first 800 times. Now it’s annoying. –The band is not “breaking up”. They are “taking a break”. I know it isn’t nearly as good a story, but no one in the band has suggested anything about the hiatus being permanent. They just want to do other things for a year or so. Mike likes to make movies. Trey and Page have kids. Trey likes to do solo work. They’ve toured together every year for 17 years, and spent much of the time off the road together in the studio. Who can blame them for taking a break? A lot of bands would do well to do the same. –This news does not “shock fans”. I knew about this hiatus when I was on tour this past summer. So did everyone. It was a big topic of conversation. –For the love of God, the people who follow Phish on tour are NOT THE SAME PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE DEAD! Most of them are college-aged, which means they were probably too young to make it to a Dead show, much less go on tour! Yes, there are a few holdovers, and they aren’t hard to spot. Maybe these are the people who would have toured with the Dead, although I don’t really think so. To imply that the Phish crowd is just the leftover Dead crowd, though, is a crock. –Finally, the big rant: every article is asking, “What will come of the Phish Phans? Where will they go now that their way of life has left the road?” I’ll tell you where they’ll go–they’ll go back to their jobs, their schools, their families, to WHATEVER THE HELL THEY DO THE EIGHT OR NINE MONTHS A YEAR THAT PHISH DOESN’T TOUR! That’s right–most Phish fans have lives outside the band! Really! My campsite at Deer Creek consisted of three medical students, a physical therapist, an engineer from Dell, an elementary school teacher, and two journalism students. Those were just the people camped near me. (Only one of the other med students was with me, by the way–the rest all came together randomly.) I similarly talked to people from just about every walk of life you could imagine. I can’t say I met anyone who would consider Phish a “way of life”, or whose lives will come to a screeching halt now that the band is taking a year off. A few might have to come up with something else to do for the summer, but they’re not, as the articles claim, clamoring to find another band to follow around. How hard can it be to write a few sentences about this band without delving into the stereotypes? Or at least with accurate information? Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/2 "2000-10-16T00:54:17Z")
Oh go take a shower, you hippie. _:: fleeing ::_ * * * Yer pal, [Satan](http://www.members.tripod.com/jmspoofe/sdmb/satan.jpg) \*TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING: Six months, six days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 58 seconds. 7598 cigarettes not smoked, saving $949.77. Extra time with Drain Bead: 3 weeks, 5 days, 9 hours, 10 minutes. **I slept with a moderator!** \* ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/3 "2000-10-16T03:10:31Z")
The first I heard of this supposed “breakup” was on tv the other night when they were referred to as “the rap group Phish.”:rolleyes: I am not THAT familiar with Phish (songs by them I know: Chalk Dust Torture, Piper, Bouncing Around the Room, Free, maybe a couple of others.) But I would not describe their music as “rap” any more than I would describe U2 as “polka.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/4 "2000-10-16T04:23:17Z")
Who the fuck cares? ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/5 "2000-10-16T11:56:45Z")
Really; at least the Dead were _good._ But if it wasn’t for Phish I guess all those spoiled white kids would have to find another reason to put tie-dyed bumper stickers on their high-end Volvos, $50,000 SUVs etc. ---
**Author:** ![Nurlman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Nurlman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurlman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/6 "2000-10-16T12:36:48Z")
> [@](#): > > They just want to do other things for a year or so. If you’re going to rail against inaccurate information, would you care to defend the “for a year or so” portion of this statement? I haven’t seen anything that has suggested that this “haitus” is anything other than “indefinite” which could mean a year or so, five years, or forever. > [@](#): > > the people who follow Phish on tour are NOT THE SAME PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE DEAD To some extent, you are correct. Albeit misleading. Yes, the average age of the **current** Phish audience puts them in late high school or so when Jerry Garcia died. But as you note, Phish has been playing for 17 years, and for many of those years, their audience overlapped significantly with the Dead’s. I personally know Deadheads that gave up touring with the Dead around 1990-91 and followed Phish because Dead tickets were around $30 and Phish tickets were $5. There was also a sentiment in some sectors of the Deadhead community in the early 1990’s that the Dead had stagnated, and some saw Phish (or Blues Traveler, or, God forbid, the Spin Doctors) as a fresher alternative. More importantly, it is disingenuous to assert that the two bands don’t share a common philosophy, style, and, consequently, a typical audience. While Phish audiences may not literally be composed of people who were on Dead tours in the past, they are certainly filled with people who are of a similar mindset and personality. Not that I disagree with the fundamental premise of your rant… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/7 "2000-10-16T13:06:42Z")
> [@](#): > > I personally know Deadheads that gave up touring with the Dead around 1990-91 and followed Phish because Dead tickets were around $30 and Phish tickets were $5. This is a bit of a hijack, but who the hell has time to frigging tour with a band who isn’t being PAID by the band? Do some people’s parents really support this? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/8 "2000-10-16T14:50:22Z")
RickJay, your comment isn’t specifically a nitpick. Just thought you’d like to know. Do parents really support it? Without question the answer is yes…in some cases. Overall, probably not. People travelling with bands have a bare minimum of expenses. No need for hotels and they should have a fuel efficient car. Concert tickets and food are their main concerns. They can make things at the concert site and sell them for the money they need. People will buy anything from jewelry to grilled cheese sandwiches and you survive off the proceeds. Or you just have enough money saved up at the begining of the tour that you don’t have to worry about it. It must seems to you like a weird way to live. Heck, even to me it does. But I understand it. It’s not causing me any harm and it’s their choice of lifestyle. Live and let live. It should be everyone’s philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/9 "2000-10-16T15:23:29Z")
> [@](#): > > If you’re going to rail against inaccurate information, would you care to defend the “for a year or so” portion of this statement? I’ve heard them say that the hiatus would be for at least a year–that is, they weren’t going to even think about playing any more for that long. In other words, they know, right now, that they don’t want to do anything together for a year or so, and it might be longer. You are correct, though; my statement was misleading. (I’m guessing that they’ll tour again in summer 2002, but that’s a guess.) > [@](#): > > More importantly, it is disingenuous to assert that the two bands don’t share a common philosophy, style, and, consequently, a typical audience. While Phish audiences may not literally be composed of people who were on Dead tours in the past, they are certainly filled with people who are of a similar mindset and personality. That’s my point. A lot of people seem to think that there are all these people who did nothing but follow the Grateful Dead around, and when Jerry died they all just jumped over to the Phish tour. (Hence the “what are they going to do now?” articles.) It isn’t the case. They did “inherit” the Dead’s tour culture, but that doesn’t mean they inherited the Deadheads. Rickjay: > [@](#): > > This is a bit of a hijack, but who the hell has time to frigging tour with a band who isn’t being PAID by the band? Do some people’s parents really support this? Sure. Who has time to go to Key West, or Vegas, or Europe? For most people, the Phish tour is a vacation. I did a week of the tour this summer (Deer Creek -\> Polaris) while I was off from med school. Others will take a month and do the entire tour. You get to see new places, meet cool people, sleep out in the open, and listen to great music every night. Is it for everyone? Of course not. I don’t understand why people would take a whole week to go skiing or hunting; I don’t expect them to understand why I would follow a band around. As for money, my trip was cheap–probably $350, between tickets, gas, camping, random supplies, beer, etc. I could have done it for less. Most people who don’t have the money to tour will sell grilled cheese, burritos, beer, etc. in the parking lot; I knew several people who covered all their expenses that way. And I’m sure some people’s parents footed some of the bill, but how is that any worse than parents funding a Spring Break trip to South Padre? Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/10 "2000-10-17T14:51:34Z")
Who the fuck cares? As it says on the t-shirt “Jerry’s Dead Phish Sucks Get a Job!” ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2000, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/11 "2000-10-17T18:14:44Z")
I’m sorry; it seems I forgot to run my OP through the Dropzone and Ivar Give-A-Shit-O-Meter before I posted it. I’ll be more careful in the future. > [@](#): > > As it says on the t-shirt > "Jerry’s Dead NFW! Why didn’t anyone tell me? > [@](#): > > Phish Sucks I’m glad you were here to tell me this. After 15 shows and a few hundred hours on tape, I was starting to think they were pretty good. Boy, was I wrong! > [@](#): > > Get a Job!" You’re right. Maybe I should give up my life of smoking dope and mooching off my friends and find some gainful employment. Oh, wait–there goes my pager! :wally Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2000, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/12 "2000-10-17T18:50:08Z")
Jesus Christ- It takes you 15 shows and a couple hundred hours of watching Phish on tape before they start to sound good? God, I sure do hope they break up. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/13 "2000-10-18T16:10:08Z")
Turpentine! One word… BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Doctor J! I’ve never been “putzed” before. thank you so much. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-fucking-phish-facts-straight/37061/14 "2000-10-18T16:10:08Z")
Turpentine! One word… BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Doctor J! I’ve never been “putzed” before. thank you so much.