Understand Phish - Phish.net Forum

frump 11/14/12 12:45 pm

To me, Phish is an enigma; and I like it that way.

I deliberately avoid looking at song histories/stories (esp. b/c much of it being hearsay) , but rather I like to listen subjectively to a show/jam/song and try to decipher the message myself.

Although, to me, it seems many of the lyrics, segues and/or shenanigans are products of inside jokes within the band or nuances of the times and scene. I personally think the band does not want to be 'understood', instead they have come to represent a sort of paradox for 'be happy' and 'have fun'.

I want to ask you guys: Is Phish an enigma to you?

From my perspective I 'get' Phish, there is nothing to get , besides: be happy, love life, be kind to others, and have fun.

But, when you hear their music there seems to be something else, something you cannot put into words. What is this indescribable element? What do you guys think?

^ sorry for the ramble- but i think about this a lot. and I like to hear others opinions.

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cactoid 11/14/12 12:47 pm

the only thing that really bothers me is the nipple thing

i mean what's that all about, man??

Score: 7

TomSawyer 11/14/12 12:50 pm

You can only understand it when you quit trying to understand it.

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mfhgreyboy 11/14/12 12:52 pm

Not sure. I guess I'm a bit confused by your post. You say:

1. Phish is an enigma and I like it that way ("I don't want to figure it out"

; then

2. there is nothing to "get" ("there's nothing to figure out"

; then

3. ask for descriptions of an additional indescribable element ("help me figure this out"

.

So, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for. If you could clarify I'd be happy to try and contribute.

Score: 2

phan83 11/14/12 12:56 pm

@cactoid said:

the only thing that really bothers me is the nipple thing

i mean what's that all about, man??

It's all about the triple nipple. Still waiting.............

Score: 1

steamstash 11/14/12 1:06 pm

@cactoid said:

the only thing that really bothers me is the nipple thing

i mean what's that all about, man??

hahahahahah i'v always hoped for a triple nipple....but yeah that shit is weird. As is "take care of your shoes".

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somepothead 11/14/12 1:16 pm

i know what you mean man, and im gonna go out and saythat i really only got "it" when i was tripping with lucy. i can't describe it till this day, but there is something that is beautiful yet brain exploding awesome that i feel when they play live. they do it on purpose, and understand it fully, but i bet they cant put it into words either. it's why i love this band and what they do so much more than any GF i've ever had. including my current one!

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lumpyhead 11/14/12 1:29 pm

I think you are right, the lyrics don't mean one thing but have the possibilty to mean infinite amounts of things depending on who is listening. Same goes for the actual music. That's the great thing about music; everyone can listen to the same song and have different interpretations and feelings. But as far as lyrics I believe the Dead and Phish are the masters of creating ones that are left open for interpretation. I've found that listening to one line from a song might come across differently depending on your mood, age (as time goes on), and a bunch of other factors. That is why I choose to listen to this music and I feel it will never get old.

Score: 1

frump 11/14/12 1:30 pm

@mfhgreyboy said:

Not sure. I guess I'm a bit confused by your post. You say:

1. Phish is an enigma and I like it that way ("I don't want to figure it out" ; then

2. there is nothing to "get" ("there's nothing to figure out" ; then

3. ask for descriptions of an additional indescribable element ("help me figure this out" .

So, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for. If you could clarify I'd be happy to try and contribute.

you just read my thoughts and interpretation of the music.
i asked for your opinion/interpretation of the music.

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frump 11/14/12 2:21 pm

@lumpyhead said:

I've found that listening to one line from a song might come across differently depending on your mood, age (as time goes on), and a bunch of other factors. That is why I choose to listen to this music and I feel it will never get old.

thats absolutely true.

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Bamajama 11/14/12 4:36 pm

A little thing called magic. No biggie.

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walstib 11/14/12 4:40 pm

You can enjoy the heck out of all music as a casual fan. How much you actually "get" IMO depends on how much you know about music, music theory, the instruments and the interaction between the instruments.

To what level you can break down a tune or follow the subtle interplay will determine what you miss and what you don't. It certainly seems to me when I'm at shows that some people aren't getting their faces melted during kick-ass face melting jams. The only explanation I have for that is they somehow missed what just happen, cause like, that just happened....man.

Score: 1

frump 11/14/12 5:16 pm

@Bamajama said:

A little thing called magic. No biggie.

ya man, seriously, magic is the nearest answer i have come up with.

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HARRYHOOD213 11/14/12 5:59 pm

I like to call Phish "Intelligent" music.

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BernardShakey 11/14/12 6:13 pm

Enigma is a good word for it. To me, like someone said above, the lyrics are infinately interpretable and the images they evoke depend on what words you latch on to(or are psychologically significant and pop out) what mood your in etc. I think Zappa has a quote about everything you do in the day, even drinking a cup of coffee, manifesting on stage;similar could be said about listening to music? Phish is tight but loose, goofy and serious, assonance and dissonance.

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SpiritWolf 11/14/12 6:28 pm

The trick is to surrender to the flow

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ol_dirty 11/14/12 9:01 pm

phish is the light between you and your mind

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deBebbler 11/15/12 2:46 am

@HARRYHOOD213 said:

I like to call Phish "Intelligent" music.

I do believe they were once billed as "The fabulous jam for the thinking man."

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johnnyd

11/15/12 7:54 am

There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don't know.

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cactoid 11/15/12 10:00 am

And then there are nipples

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dealgodown 11/15/12 11:43 am

i think of it as a soundtrack for the present. its not a moment in time. it moves with time.

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fanman900 11/15/12 12:57 pm

this whole entire thread is too baked

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freezertweezer 11/15/12 1:01 pm

There has to be some kickass essays/novelettes by now by people who are trying to explain IT. Any links?

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frump 11/15/12 1:02 pm

@freezertweezer said:

There has to be some kickass essays/novelettes by now by people who are trying to explain IT. Any links?

IT's why were are here. isn't IT?

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Halfway 11/15/12 1:20 pm

you cant get into it unless you get out of it
And you gotta get out of it before you get into it
you gotta be out of it to get myself into it
then you'll enjoy yourself

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