The Phish Book (Paperback)

by Phish (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
With pride, drummer Jon Fishman explains the level of success that his quirky, experimental roots-rock quartet has achieved: "We've reached the point where it's cool to hate us." As you might expect from this eclectic band, such a metric speaks louder than the legions of Phish fans that follow the quartet from town to town.

Cowriter Richard Gehr describes this enlightening book as "a studio edit of Phish in real-time conversation." Along with Fishman, Page McConnell, Mike Gordon, and Trey Anastasio are revealed in their own words, the result of a spate of interviews conducted by Gehr between 1996's New Year's Eve show at Boston's Fleet Center and 1997's year-end Madison Square Garden run. Much like a Phish show, the conversation rambles back and forth, and the complete portrait of the band only emerges subtly and indirectly, although it certainly does emerge. Most rewarding is when they discuss the process of performing and creating music. They describe "onstage love affairs" between two of the four, and how certain members basically ignored others for years at a time and then finally "discovered" them after a decade of playing together. Some may be happy to know that even Phish own up to the unevenness (read: boredom) of some of their extended musical journeys.

In many ways, The Phish Book serves as a gift to die-hard fans, often diving into some of the band's more esoteric mythology: the origins of songs and lyrics, the various recording processes, the Dude of Life, and so on. The treasure-trove of photos includes shots of bars and stadiums, onstage and backstage, giant flying hot dogs, fans clothed and not, Fishman clothed and not. But the uninitiated can gain much-needed perspective from this enjoyable book as well. They'll learn how Phish find a connection between all styles of music, and use this connection (implied or otherwise) to inform their own music. And they might be surprised to discover how much substance there is behind the twirling fans and endless jams. --Marc Greilsamer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Phish performs long, improvisational jams, draws on influences as disparate as Concrete Blonde and barbershop quartets, and eschews music videos. With band members' help, Gehr nicely presents Phish and its milieu in what amounts to a coffee-table picture book. The group honed its skills in a Burlington, Vermont, bar for five years. Often dubbed inheritors of the Grateful Dead's legacy, Phish is democratic to a fault. For example, even though the drummer likes to wear a muumuu-like dress for concerts, the other band members don't make him sit behind them. For another example, Phish is famous for encouraging stump-the-band request-taking, and face it, no matter how loud you yell, Metallica is unlikely to play Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Phish, though, not only might--it has. The four Phish come across as a bunch of entertaining guys having fun while meeting with success--as Frank Zappa put it, "workin' hard and doin' swell." The Phish ethos is warm and welcoming, and this book is a good place to encounter it. Mike Tribby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Villard (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375752544
• ISBN-13: 978-0375752544
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for any Phish fan, October 5, 1998

By	Kevin Flinn ([e-mail]) (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phish Book (Hardcover)

Whether you first saw Phish in the cafeteria at Goddard College or the Lemonwheel, the Phish Book needs to be in your library. Gehr maintains an objectivity that is difficult when one realizes how much time he spent with Trey, Mike, Page & Jon. A great companion to the Almanac.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The MUST HAVE book for every PHiSH fan!, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Phish Book (Hardcover)

MOST EXCELLENT! Contrary to what another review says, this book does NOT contain setlists from their shows. Rather it is a glorious picture painted via interviews conducted by Richard Gehr with PHiSH as he toured with them for over a year.

What everyone else said: Awesome pictures. Hilarious stories. The stories about the '96 trip to Vegas are worth the price of admission. If only the Harpua had ended as Trey had envisioned...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT a typical rock-n-roll book ... NOT a typical rock band!, November 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Phish Book (Hardcover)

The first thing you want to do when you get your hands on this book is flip through every single page and absorb all the amazing photographs. For those of us obsessed with the music of this remarkable band, the pictures of the early days and even those of more recent times are priceless. Combine all that with the free-form roundtable discussions of Trey, Mike, Page, and Jon and you've got a wonderful piece. This is not your typical rock-n-roll book -- no wild tales of scandal or debauchery on the road. Instead we gain real insight into the workings of one of the greatest live acts ever, from a band that's been around for nearly 15 years now. Co-author Gehr is to be commended. His insights are smart, his feelings genuine -- and he admirably keeps them to an absolute minimum, instead deferring to the band's own words for the majority of the book. An absolute must read for any fan of Phish. And if you are not a fan ... what are you waiting for?