Good Eats: Bittersweet Motel

Phreakin Philly Cheesesteaks and Cheesechops, root beer floats, jalepeno cheese bites, a mashed potato bar (with skyline chili, sour cream, bacon, green onions, and cheese), kettle chips, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, chocolate brownies, powdered donut holes, glazed donut holes, veggie burritos, chips with guacamole and salsa, and some sort of corn rice thing that I think was supposed to go in the aforementioned veggies burritos.

Bittersweet Motel, Evening in Review

I, SC of R’lyeh, hereby approve of the Bittersweet Motel MMN.  Every MMN location has its own personality.  From the Dungeon’s mildewy appeal to Optimus’ blind dog entertainment to Beef’s fireside chats to Phantom’s hipster appeal, every location has a quirk.  What does the Rabbi offer?  A sense of community.  Bittersweet though it may be, the Rabbi insists upon opening up MMN to the general public, constantly pushing the envelope with what MMN means and how the original five should interact with the world at large.  Though this may cause strife within the ranks, it is an expectation of the Rabbi’s off-campus fraht-haus.

The food, sublime as always.  Enough to feed an army.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by an inflated Hairy Dog in need of a ticket.  I am assured this is an inside joke that had I gotten, would have been hilarious.  Further into the complex, the soothing sounds of car-radio Phish from a splayed open fuel-friendly hatchback set a festival-like tone that continued throughout the evening.  The Phish touring community is one of free love and sharing and acceptance, so were we all welcomed.

The Rabbi’s rabid love of Phish was evident in his introduction to the evening.  Hardly able to remain seated in his chair, he effused effusively the history of the band, the history of Bittersweet Motel, and the personal relationship it seems every true fan of Phish has with the band members, often commenting on the moods and personalities of Trey, Jon, Mike, and Page as if they were his best buds.  Best buds indeed.  This is the loving relationship Phish fans have with the band and with each other.

Food eaten, drinks consumed, and other elements taken care of, the show began.  A relatively short presentation, clocking in at a paltry 82 minutes.  But in 82 minutes, Phish fans got the fix they needed, missing details filled in by their wandering imaginations and remembrances of concerts past.  Any song cut short in a directorial decision played fully in the addled fan’s mind.

And there were naked people.  Usually appreciated.

Post-game.  Apparently, those who consider themselves a part of the Phish community are vehemently opposed to being accused of being a part of a community.  Who knew?  There were no immediate converts at this MMN.  Former fans still appreciate Phish for what they are and the memories they have fostered.  Current fans are still rabid.  Casual listeners still listen casually.  Hippie hating hippie-haters still practice hippie hating.  However, even as I write this as a casual listener, I jam out to the soothing sounds of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” and “The Music Never Stopped” from One from the Vault.  Have I been moved up in the rankings from a casual listener to a former fan?

Bittersweet Motel: Had to Make a New Post Cause It Was Too Long for the Comments Section and I Still Wanted to Post It

Oddly enough, my experiences with Phish began while Jewberg was still listening to Lou Rawls's Garfield Christmas album.  At my suburban high school, Phish was the cool band.  The hip-jocks, stoners, and soon to be fratties found common ground with their music and its intoxicating culture.  Although I was deeply embroiled in a life of religious study and proliferation, I found a rebellious outlet in Phish.  I didn't drink or stay out too late or do drugs.  I honestly just liked the music and was attracted to the coolness of the fans. 

I had been listening to the Dead, the Allman Bros, Clapton's various projects, Skynyrd, Moby Grape, and the like throughout most of my sophomore and junior years of high school.*  I was actually turned off by Phish because they were so popular at my school.  Class of 95 song was "Down with Disease."  Not listening to them was a way to separate myself from others.  It's interesting to hear Marc say their popularity didn't peak until 97/98.  I finally started listening because of the one true tie-dye-wearing, long-haired, birkenstock-sporting hippie dude at my high school. 

The first albums I remember buying was Picture of Nectar.  This is pre-internet days so I just went to the store and bought one of the three or four of their albums the store had.  My selection was probably based on PON having more tracks than the other albums, getting the most for my money.  I liked it and soon bout Junta, which was what did it for me.  I've listened to it the past couple days and still find it really good.  It's got great, tight instrumentals and a couple imagery-laden narrative songs that rock.  I started getting bootleg tapes from friends and started seeing shows. 

Through a two year period, senior/freshman years,  I probably saw em 5 or 6 times.**  A few at Lakewood, one or two at the Fox, and then once at the Omni.  I bought tickets through their mail order for a couple shows in Virginia but didn't go due to my religious fundamentalist obligations.  In fact, I remember thinking that if I was to leave the Church I'd probably end up following Phish around-- a repressed young man's fantasy.  I did end up leaving the Church, though, in 97, I think.  For some reason, at that time I also stopped listening to Phish.  I've never really thought about what began to turn me off to it, but I can only assume it's that I became embroiled in the Athens life which frowns upon Phish.*** 

I've tried since to listen to them again.  It's never clicked like it did when I was younger.  My last attempt was a couple years ago.  In anticipation of Marc's night, I gave it another shot.  Again, Junta has remained great.  Most of the other stuff, live and studio, is sorta hit or miss.  There's a lot of awesome stuff.  Great music.  Compelling lyrics.  Rockin hooks. Even the longer jams can be epic.  However, there's also a lot of shit.  Annoying, non-sensical, repetitive lyrics.  Chaos.  Childish shit.

I found the documentary to be interesting as some one who was into this band before YouTube as I'd never seen them interviewed before.  In the Phish community, like that of the Dead, the audience feels like their friends with these guys****  But the film shed some light on the individuals.  Again, it focused too much on Trey.  The super close-ups of his face were annoying.  The other guys only spoke a few times with the exception of Fishman, who the audience still didn't get a good picture of.  I'd have preferred just watching a good video of one of their shows.***** I think it'd have been a better representation of what they are capable of.  You did get an idea of what amazing musicians they are, especially Trey, who is an incredible guitarist.  I wish it'd shown more of what Page does, cause I've always loved his jazzy playing.

I'd like to say the evening was a success.  Despite issues surrounding attendance and ill girlfriends, the Rabbi pulled it off.  I hope he understands how much we appreciate him sharing his knowledge, love, appreciation and this movie with us.  It is a very special feeling to be able to share with your friends something which has been so much a part of your life.  Good job.          




*My 88 Ford Ranger was decked out with a Steal Your Face, Mean People Suck (I'm very embarrassed to admit this one), Ice Cream dude (from Europe 72), a Calvin with his finger in his nose, and a "You Don't Need Dope to Dance" sticker (again, embarrassing). I didn't add a Phish sticker until I moved to Athens.

**I agree with Brent's comment about some of the more special elements of their live shows being left out of the documentary.  The trampolines and Fishman on the vacuum. 

***In one Athens kitchen in which I worked, the tapedeck was marked "Phish Phucking Phorbidden." 

****I've heard of people having photographs of the band in picture frames on their desks as if they are family.

*****As I write this, I'm watching one on YouTube.  My BluRay player let's me watch it in HD.  It's professionally filmed, multiple cameras, good stuff.  There's a good number of em on there.

Phish - Bittersweet Motel

For such a group of seemingly casual guys, there's nothing casual about Phish. Even people who dislike them hate them with a passion arguably as intense as those who drop off the grid to follow America's greatest party from city to city. I try to gauge my love or disdain of bands based on their live act, and for the uninitiated, Todd Phillips' Bittersweet Motel (2000) offers a look at everything that makes Phish one of rock's greatest cultural artifacts: unique songs, masterful improv, humor, and the scene, man ...

Commissioned by the band, the film overly features Trey Anastasio, the creative, virtuosic force without whom there could be no band. At times, Trey comes off as a down-to-earth character who lives for music, but at other times, he's a total prick with an ego the size of a festival audience of 70,000 adoring fans. He's probably no different than any other lead figure in a larger-than-life rock band, but since he's a nerdy Vermonter, it's easy to see how his dexterity with the guitar inflates his sense of self. Thankfully, Phillips presents him -- and the rest of the band -- in both shades, and the viewer is free to decide if each clip is authentic or not.

Phillips follows Gamehendge's troubadors throughout a legendary Winter 1997 tour that culminated a year where the band grew into a funkier, more relaxed sound and improv style that defined them until their hiatus in Fall 2000. The band's earlier material obviously contained extended improv, too, but jams in the early 90s featured more tension-and-release buildups where Trey's solos were more intricate, fast, and prominent. As the band kept trying to make somewhat coherent studio albums in the early and mid 90s, arena rock anthems like "Down with Disease", "Free", and "Character Zero" laid a more traditional foundation (though the band still jammed, obviously).

After a spacy cover of Talking Heads Remain in Light for their 1996 Halloween show, Phish's jamming grew into even more esoteric space where bassist Mike Gordon and keyboarist Page McConnell began to find more territory to explore as Trey played more with loops and textures. These differences probably aren't apparent to a casual listener, but hardcore fans can often pinpoint specific recordings to years, tours, or even specific shows just by listening to the quality of the recording, Trey's tone, Mike's prominence in the mix, and the flow of the setlist.

Memorable moments from Winter '97 clips include a sick "Down with Disease" jam from Rochester, NY on 12-11-97 (the first Phish bootleg I ever had after a friend acquired it in high school, coincidentally) and moments from Phish's biggest night every year: New Year's Eve. Phillips also followed Phish through a tour of Europe and finally ends with 1997s summer festival The Great Went. While I advise anyone that you can't understand Phish without seeing a live show, you really can't understand them until you dedicate an entire vacation toward traveling to one of their elaborately planned festivals. The Great Went was the band's second large festival taking place in the middle of nowhere at Loring Air Force base in Limestone, Maine. The band would later return to Limestone in 1998 for Lemonwheel and again in 2003 for the IT festival. The film's greatest moments from the Went include a photograph of over 1,100 nude fans, a band/fan art installation and subsequent bonfire, and the beautiful "Simple" jam, not to mention some hilarious fan interviews.

It's hard for me to write about Phish and avoid getting overly personal, praising, or critical, but like Trey points out in the film, the band opens itself up to that kind of love and scrutiny. Every show is taped by legions of tapers who dedicate all of their recreational time to recording and distributing the band's music - for free. Now, every show is available for soundboard-quality download within minutes upon the show's conclusion - every single night of every tour. Tickets come with a free download code for the show, and the band webcasts high-demand shows (and fans then pirate the streams on sites like Ustream). With yesterday's lot kids growing into professionals and parents, couch tour has become a viable business venture for a band that once thrived on the personal connection of witnessing something original LIVE and in person. Just as culture continues to evolve, so will Phish.

Good Eats: "Get Thrashed" edition

Here we have Master of Arms' loaded chicken nachos, The Rabbi's jalapeno and pineapple pizza from Little Italy, Optimus' buffalo chicken dip, R'lyeh's two pounds of bacon, and Grand Phantom Wizard's McDonald's cheeseburgers and apple pies.