Mike Gordon Addresses Jamming Style
If you called 212-330-9092 today, aka Mike Gordon’s “hotline” you’ve heard the Phish bassist address an issue many fans have discussed over the course of the group’s recently completed 18-show tour – why doesn’t Phish do extended jams as much these days as they did in the past? Considering that some fans felt Gordon was unhappy with the lack of exploratory improvisation, his answer may come as a surprise…
“Why doesn’t Phish do extended jams anymore? I don’t understand the question because I thought there were a lot of long jams and I was always surprised about how long they were going. And I kept writing in my journal even saying, ‘wow, what’s great about these jams is how long they are.’ Now, of course anyone that wants Phish to be Phish in ’93, Phish in ’94 is just deluded because that year is gone forever in the history of mankind at least until we loop around time again [unintelligible]. Maybe it’s because now in the jamming, the chord progressions stay similar rather than veering off and I think that’s a good thing. I think it makes the jam get deeper.”
[Mike Gordon Hotline]
There’s always been this great divide between what artists think about their own music and what fans think about an artist’s music. Gordon’s comments illustrate that divide. While some fans (myself included at times) are mostly looking for jams that veer off the structure of the song, aka Type II Jams, in listening back to the Merriweather shows I was stuck by just how good the jams that didn’t lose the structure of the song were in songs such as Bathtub Gin, Crosseyed & Painless and On Your Way Down.
Cactus also answered another fan’s query about intoxication…
Another question was about intoxication, drinking and having beers before playing and we don’t drink beer or alcohol or pot or anything like that in Phish now. We play sober. But I think that the places that we’re going are actually adventerous in terms of what happens with my conciousness as much as it would’ve been with intoxication.
Here’s the whole message:
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[Audio thanks to DaveAHZ via Eric Wyman]
Scott Bernstein
Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for Relix Magazine and curates YEMblog.com.
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Mike, seriously, ignore PT and the haters.. Just keep playing together.. Many of us are just happy to see you dudes playing again..
Signed,
A longtime fan
P.S. The music is great
I think whatever Mike thinks is all that matters, you know, since he’s the one playing and all! I understand his shock at the presumption, as I was present for that 58 minute, 3 song jamageddon at Detroit. As for Phish right now? Couldn’t be better. I’ll take this tight, dense jamming over the slop psychedelia of 03-04 any day. This is the best they’ve sounded in YEARS, and they are clearly enjoying themselves. And also, being around for the 98-2000 years when they were all blasted for every show, it’s refreshing to see them so clear minded and able to concentrate. It produces more bust outs.
Well been seeing them since 96 and the Gin at Alpharetta was the best Gin I have ever heard in my life. That was also the consensus of MANY about the legendary Phish song. I hope Mike is reading this cause I got my mind FUCKED in the 4 Southern shows. Jams were going for 12, 13, 15 minutes and the word hear is Tight! Another that comes to mind is Cooking!! Would I like more extended jams? Would b nice, but, the boys are sounding the best they have since They’ve been back, so just let these musicians do their thing and melt faces like They do so well.