The Minutes Seem To Last A Lifetime
12.30.09 (W.Rogell)
Never has a singular experience, at the same time, been as intimately personal and intensely communal, as a Phish show. Though ultimately navigating this rite alone, with companions on the ride, relationships are forever changed and deepened. Regardless of any psychedelics, Phish provides a drug unto itself, and when people share in the highest imaginable high, bonds are cemented, relationships fostered, and irreplaceable connections made. It’s all a bit different when meeting on the astral plane rather than the local watering hole. And interestingly enough, a Phish show shared in silence can trump hours of beer-driven small talk in forging a personal understanding.
Congregating amidst this phosphorescent fantasy land eliminates a lot of the formalities that one encounters in conventional social situations. Without speaking, people connect through, dance, spirit, and shared energy – meeting points that create intimate relationships. Powerful Phish jams can spark or strengthen interpersonal bonds, as the unspoken experience of the moment allows for ample common ground. Shared moments catalyze legitimate friendships with the understanding that everyone is on the same page.
12.29.09 (W.Rogell)
With an air of universal magic surrounding Phish shows, most people bring their best selves into the arena, leaving their everyday baggage elsewhere to be picked up another time. Shedding these layers of societal pressure, individual worry, and the ennui of routine, Phish shows become beacons for basking in the moment; places where conventional responsibilities fade away. As people enter this realm on individual missions, the similarity of their spiritual goals unite them in a profound way. Raging a monumental “Tweezer” together will bring two people closer to an existential understanding than four martinis could ever do. Interestingly, American culture values surface level interactions lubricated by alcohol, rather than spiritual exchanges facilitated by hallucinogens that have proven, since the beginning of time, to bring people closer to each other and the natural world. But that’s another subject for another day.
11.18.09 (M.Stein)
Whether people become a close friends, or even just show acquaintances, powerful emotions flow between those who connect on the plane of Phish. More than any other place in my own life, Phish has introduced me to my best friends on the planet — unquestionably, friends forever. Attracting eccentric characters from all walks of life, the Phish community provides a patchwork of unique personalities that radiate vitality. And within this spectrum, friendships naturally arise due to mutual love of Phish and the irreplaceable live experience.
Not to paint shows with the intimate brush strokes of Kesey’s acid tests of lore, but within the many subgroups at Phish, these type of personal dynamics takes shape nightly. And every now and then, a profound moment will occur with someone you never met before. Although you’ve never spoken, for that moment, you both completely get IT. Maybe a nod suffices, or perhaps a high-five or a hug, depending on the context, but that moment of understanding – seeing soul to soul with someone – lives within you forever.
11.20.09 (W.Rogell)
At Phish, we expose our true selves without fear of judgment, allowing our inner core to commune with the music in an unmatchable symbiotic journey. Simultaneously, thousands of others are immersed in the same process of introspection, forming a glowing and connected whole. The energy exchange between individuals, and between the audience and the band, becomes palpable, and the unknown adventure unfolds, in slow motion, before our eyes. Within three hours of a Phish show, one can learn more about themselves and their place in the world than three years in school, as few things provide the perspective of a transcendent experience. Feeling a part of something larger than oneself – a glimpse of a greater potential – everyone donates to something more, and a sense of communal purpose glows.
While this may sound a bit over the top, the unparalleled Phish experience pushes the boundaries of human possibility; conjuring magic like nothing else on earth. And that is exactly why we keep coming back.
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Jam of the Day:
“Wolfman’s > Sally > Timber” 7.17.99 II
This musical triumvirate provided the meat of the second set on the first night of Oswego.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ph99-07-17d3t01.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ph99-07-17d3t02.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ph99-07-17d3t03.mp3]=====
DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
7.9.99 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD < Torrent
7.9.99 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD < Megaupload
Merriweather '09 (Jess3)
Phish made up for an underwhelming first set with a fiery second frame. “Punch, Free” sparked the set with adrenalized textures, while a thick “Mike’s > Twist” with a “Macerena”-laced “Weekapaug” brought things home. And a “Hood” encore to cap things off in style.
I: Limb By Limb, Farmhouse, Back on the Train, The Divided Sky, Train Song, Llama, Driver, Runaway Jim
II: Punch You In the Eye, Free, What’s the Use?, Meatstick, Mike’s Song > Sweet Emotion Jam > Twist > Weekapaug Groove
E: Harry Hood
Source: FOB Schoeps mk4v > KCY > VMS021B > DA-P1
Tags: Culture
@voidboy
You’re a graphic designer!?
my girl just graduated in last May and she just got her first graphic design job.
Have you been doing it for long and do you like your work?
Have I been doing this for a long time…?
Yes. I do printing as well. Got into Graphic Design along the way…
I like the design aspect… flows along with my artistic aspirations.
Working with people is the real challenge to graphic design… you’re part therapist and psychic…
Is there a specific part she is interested in?
dig Hemingway…
“It’s more abstract, as close to avant garde as Hemingway can get. As close to modernism as Hemingway gets.”
I always felt he had a very “modern” feel. Loved his short stories for their stark and vivid contrasts.
@Silly
Yeah, I’ve heard good things about In Our Time, so that’s definitely on the list for me!
I’m actually really really stoked for the next book on the docket! Neither my friend nor I have seen Apocalypse Now, so we decided to read Heart of Darkness at the same time, then watch the movie. So as soon as he picks up his copy I’m gonna dive into that one! Not really sure what to expect, to be honest… Never read any Conrad, not even excerpts or short stories…
For the record: my roommate is a nice guy, but a completely oblivious ass
I plan on getting my own digs later this year
Heart of Darkness was a favorite book of mine in high school, and AN still stands out as an outstanding film
enjoy, garret
Oh yeah, and I have an open request for the BB. I’m looking to get into some jam bands other than Phish and the Dead, and I was wondering if some of y’all could point me in the direction of some good shows by your favorite “other” jam bands? STS9, Umphrey’s, WSP, whatever, I’m open to any and all recommendations!
Thanks in advance!
Ah, right on Chef! That’s promising news! My experience thus far with high schoolers is one that suggests a lack of interest in good literature, so I tend to be very heartened when I hear about a classic novel being enjoyed by someone as a high schooler….
I got nothin’ for ya, man. Haven’t found much that did me right. A few songs here and there by some “jam” bands, but nothing much. Older Bisco, and some Umphrey’s
I’m not hip enough to recommend anything though
Garret, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the best public school systems in the state in which I was raised. A couple of other high school favorites: Lord of the Flies, and The Metamorphosis. And The Picture of Dorian Gray. And The Great Gatsby. Catcher In the Rye.
The more I think, the more I could go on. And it seems to me that that’s a basic list of high school lit reads, but I don’t know. Those stories all still stand out to me, for various reasons.
Follow your nose, bud, see what you like and where it leads you
Yeah, out of those I read all but Dorian Gray in high school myself, and enjoyed all of them quite a bit, but I generally found myself in the minority on that… Like how I absolutely loved Crime and Punishment, despite 99.9% of people I knew at my school hating it…
Although hell, I’m guilty of disliking my fair share of books from school…
@voidboy
She specialized in print based graphic design…Right now she is doing web-based stuff. She prefers print, but beggars can’t be choosers…
I definitely get that feel from that she has to be part therapist and part psychic.
She finds work much easier than school because there are hard and fast guidelines at work. Her boss tells her what he wants, she produces, and thats that. When she was in school she slaved and battled with herself to make her stuff as good as she could. I mean she would pull 3 hours a sleep a day for whole weeks.
@garretc
Heart of Darkness is awesome. It’s set in colonial Africa unlike Apocalypse Now…sorry, if you already knew this.
Crime and Punishment is awesome. Dostoevsky is an early existential genius. The Russians had some good stuff going on. Im not a big formalist, however.
Hemingway loved Tolstoy, Chekov, and Turgenev.
Also, garretc, pay close attention to how Conrad treats the natives in Heart of Darkness. I am very interested to see what you think of it.
A good friend of mine is a Post-Colonial PHD from India and she abhors Heart of Darkness. She says people want it to be a statement against colonialism, but all it does is re-affirm Western morality against an African backdrop where the natives are de-humanized.
I agree, after giving it another look.
I just said Heart of Darkness is awesome and that I agree with a professor who abhors it in the same post….
The book has some excellent ideas. But, it is also problematic.
Overall, I do like it though.
Yeah, I’ll definitely keep an eye out @Silly! And report back of course!
The copy of Heart of Darkness I checked out also has The Secret Sharer, know anything about it? I’m sure I’ll probably end up reading it anyways, just hadn’t heard of that one, wondering how it’s supposed to be…
Little Feat has always been good to me.
I have the Secret Sharer, garretc, but I have not read it.
let me know when and if you start The Secret Sharer and Ill read it, too.
kinda need some literature in my life.
I gonna head to bed.
Sorry, I know it’s not late in Cali…
good night!
Will do @Silly!
@Pencilneck
I assume that was directed at my jamband request? Any recs on particular shows?
No worries Silly, it’s NEVER late in California!
For those of you who’ve never been here, that’s not actually true…
Good night! Thanks for the book input!
Just jumping in late for a minute, but wanted to comment on today’s post…
@Mr. Miner, this is beautifully written. I have difficulty putting the thoughts you expressed so perfectly into words, but this is why Phish shows are so important in my life. It’s not just the music, it’s what happens during the music.
“The energy exchange between individuals, and between the audience and the band, becomes palpable, and the unknown adventure unfolds, in slow motion, before our eyes.”
As always, thank you. 🙂
Designers *are* part therapist and part psychic… in addition to being a slave to the (often times highly unrealistic) deadlines… sigh.
Mr. Miner, this write up is truely inspiring! For those of us who have seen Phish, your sentiments echo the magic that is often times indescribable. Yet, you have managed to capture this feeling and translate it so beautifully into words. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us, and giving us a place to share ours.
Amazing blog Mr. Miner! I got the chills while reading it. If only the other non-phish people in my life knew what this feeling is like…oh well….i’ll keep it for me and the pham