Weekend Reading: New Phish Bio

With the second leg of their summer tour about to kick off next week what better summer reading than the recent authorized biography, penned by respected Rolling Stone contributor Parke Puterbaugh.

By Jedd Ferris

After Phish reunited last year after two break-ups (the first deemed a hiatus in 2002, the second supposedly final in 2004, longtime fans were hoping this authorized biography from former band in-house writer Parke Puterbaugh would answer a lot of questions. The jam kings spent two decades building one of the most loyal underground followings rock ‘n' roll has ever seen, but their abrupt crash-and-burn ending in 2004 - concluding with two of the sloppiest shows the group ever played at their own festival in Coventry, Vermont - left many loyal Phishheads with puzzled emotions.

Author Parke Puterbaugh, too, is an admitted fan. He came to the band through a 1995 Rolling Stone assignment and ended up becoming the group's staff writer. Along the way, he not only compiled plenty of interviews with each member of the quartet - guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman - he also tasted the magic of their adventurous live shows and stayed along for the ride for pleasure as much as profession. As he plainly states in the book's intro: "I firmly believe they are one of the great American bands - and not just jam bands."

The author's personal fascination both helps and hurts the authorized Phish: The Biography. He clearly understands the geeky minutiae of the Phish experience - tracking every show set list and distinctly defining the band's different musical eras. The book is a solid overview of the group's gradual rise from crunchy college kids in Vermont playing dance halls and local bars to regional New England grassroots favorites to theatre-level mainstays to arena rock heroes.

Along the way, Puterbaugh covers all of the band's notable highlights. He looks into the early years when they created many of their compositionally driven rock epics like "You Enjoy Myself." He also discusses much of the band's underground lore, like an onstage secret language and the fictional back-story of Gamehendge, Anastasio's college thesis turned never fully realized rock opera. With these quirky elements and boundless sonic exploration, the band was able to earn fans one at a time with little mainstream recognition. With persistence they eventually lured the multiplying herd to big arenas and their own massive festivals, including the all-night millennium marathon at Florida's Big Cypress Indian Reservation. For the outsider, this is a comprehensive read through Phish's unconventional and intriguing story of success.

On the downside, hardcore fans have little to learn here. Besides briefly discussing Anastasio's upbringing in New Jersey, Puterbaugh doesn't offer too much background on the individual band members before their formation. He also doesn't offer much more than what's already known about the break-up. In initially calling it quits, Anastasio admitted fatigue and insecurity about the band's ballooning, self-sustained organization. It also became apparent that drug use was a factor - fully revealed with the guitarist's 2006 arrest. Limited details surface at the book's conclusion. Even in an epilogue Q&A interview with Anastasio, it feels like Puterbaugh's relationship with the band made him skittish about asking the tough questions about what went wrong. Not that the band owes anyone any juicy tales of debauchery, but a deeper explanation would have been appropriate, especially as the band seems fully invested in their third chapter.

Phish starts the second leg of their extensive summer tour on August 5 at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. Dates at Phish.com - sorry kids, but most of the shows are already sold out.