Description
Description
Phish rank among the greatest live bands in rock history, and a sizable subculture of Phishheads would argue there's been none better. Formed in Burlington, Vermont, this determined foursome of high-IQ misfits developed their uniquely telepathic chemistry playing that college town's club scene. Vermont's best-kept secret rose to national prominence in the nineties, when they became the most obvious heirs to the Grateful Dead's legacy as onstage improvisers and touring Pied Pipers. With a raft of self-imposed challenges, Phish mapped out much new territory, as well. Wildly eclectic, endlessly resourceful, and ever unpredictable, Phish were at the forefront of the jam-band movement, an organic alternative to the mainstream status quo that caught the ears and imagination of millions.
Drawing upon nearly 15 years of exclusive interviews with the members of Phish and those in their employ, veteran music journalist Parke Puterbaugh delivers an insightful and authoritative biography of this beloved band and their quixotic career. Phish: The Biography thoroughly traces the quartet's history from their formative years to their spectacular success as a prolific touring phenomenon. Puterbaugh examines the colorful chemistry - the unique mix of personalities, backgrounds and talents - that inspired the members of Phish to push their four-way experiment to the limit. He documents their rigorous work ethic, boundless creativity, and all of the resulting innovations, including a series of one-band festivals that served as the blueprint for Bonnaroo and a slew of latter-day rock festivals. Moreover, he details how Phish distilled classical discipline, jazz improvisation, and rock instrumentation and attitude into an intoxicating brew that kept hordes of fans coming back show after show, encouraging them to digest and debate every note and nuance.
The book also candidly addresses the bumps in the road that followed Phish's ascent to popularity, as rock's hardest-working band also became one of its hardest-partying entities. Mounting excesses and internal dissent led to a two-year hiatus, a dramatic breakup, and a well-documented drug bust and courageous recovery from addiction for guitarist Trey Anastasio. The tale concludes with Phish's triumphant reunion in 2009, marking one of the greatest comebacks in music history. An intimate and fascinating portrait, Phish: The Biography is the definitive story of these Vermont jamband legends.
Drawing upon nearly 15 years of exclusive interviews with the members of Phish and those in their employ, veteran music journalist Parke Puterbaugh delivers an insightful and authoritative biography of this beloved band and their quixotic career. Phish: The Biography thoroughly traces the quartet's history from their formative years to their spectacular success as a prolific touring phenomenon. Puterbaugh examines the colorful chemistry - the unique mix of personalities, backgrounds and talents - that inspired the members of Phish to push their four-way experiment to the limit. He documents their rigorous work ethic, boundless creativity, and all of the resulting innovations, including a series of one-band festivals that served as the blueprint for Bonnaroo and a slew of latter-day rock festivals. Moreover, he details how Phish distilled classical discipline, jazz improvisation, and rock instrumentation and attitude into an intoxicating brew that kept hordes of fans coming back show after show, encouraging them to digest and debate every note and nuance.
The book also candidly addresses the bumps in the road that followed Phish's ascent to popularity, as rock's hardest-working band also became one of its hardest-partying entities. Mounting excesses and internal dissent led to a two-year hiatus, a dramatic breakup, and a well-documented drug bust and courageous recovery from addiction for guitarist Trey Anastasio. The tale concludes with Phish's triumphant reunion in 2009, marking one of the greatest comebacks in music history. An intimate and fascinating portrait, Phish: The Biography is the definitive story of these Vermont jamband legends.
About the Author
About the Author
Parke Puterbaugh has written numerous books and magazine articles on music, travel, and the environment. A former senior editor for Rolling Stone magazine, he lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"The important story is Phish's pioneering way of bringing its fans in on the joke, and its fans' pioneering use of the Internet to spread the word (Puterbaug notes that phish.net was created as early as 1991). The important story is how Phish...prophetically anticipated the zeitgeist of today...Knowing Phish's story will enrich anyone's understanding of the American scene over the past quarter century."--New York Times Book Review
"An even-keeled evaluation of an important American band-a must for Phishheads."--Kirkus
"A consistently lucid and revelatory look at the 26-year-long career of the legendary 'jam band'...[This] solid and intelligent take on how Phish blends both seriousness and whimsy into rock, jazz, funk, country and experimental music (sometimes in the same song) will satisfy newcomers as well as the band's obsessively knowledgeable fans...His solid reporting produces the best account so far of Phish's college-era birth and growth."--Publishers Weekly
"Puterbaugh serves up everything one could want to know about jam-band supreme Phish, from its beginnings in Burlington, Vermont, and acquisition of a Deadhead-like cult of devotees to its 2004 breakup and 2009 reunion...Puterbaugh was a devoted fan, well qualified to write this laudatory history. Valuable enough as a comprehensive Phish file, this book is greatly enhanced by Puterbaugh's depth of knowledge."--Booklist
"Parke Puterbaugh's Phish: The Biography, based on his decade as the band's in-house scribe, offers a detailed portrait of the group beloved by a generation of suburban Jews, one of whom turned himself, with help from Phish, into a superstar ba'al teshuva."--Tablet Magazine
"What sets [the book] apart are rare, first-hand accounts and details provided by Phish's inner circle...Phish: The Biography's entertaining stories and colorful pictures of key events in the band's remarkable history make it a must-read for fans."--Relix
"The definitive Phish bio, one that can be updated throughout the years as the band rolls on into 2010 and beyond...Phish: The Biography receives 4 out of 5 pot leaves."--HighTimes.com
"Couldn't get tickets to the Phish shows at the Garden this weekend? Sit back, crack open a cold one and check out this authoritative Phish-ography by Rolling Stone contributor Puterbaugh, based on more than a dozen years of interviews with the band members. From the guys' early days at a Princeton prep school and the University of Vermont to success, fame, drug busts, breakup and reunion, it's all covered."--New York Post
"Though he's clearly a fan...Puterbaugh is frank about how drug-addled and lazy Phish had become in the years leading up to their 2004 split...The real story."--Rolling Stone
"[This] book is stuffed with insider details."--Cleveland Scene
"Puterbaugh's book provides a fascinating glimpse at how a successful band implodes in spite of its noble intentions."--Vermont Life
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Da Capo
Pub date:
2010-10-26
Length:
352 pages
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