Phish: The Biography

by Parke Puterbaugh

Overview

The definitive biography of the jam band based on original interviews, by a veteran music journalist

Drawing upon nearly fifteen years of exclusive interviews with the members of Phish, veteran music journalist Parke Puterbaugh examines the colorful chemistry that inspired the wildly popular rock group to push their four-man experiment to the limit. An intimate and fascinating portrait, Phish: The Biography is the definitive story of these Vermont jam-band legends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306819476
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	11/24/2009
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	946,790
File size:	3 MB

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.

Editorial Reviews

Much like the band itself, Phish can be a little much. But knowing Phish's story will enrich anyone's understanding of the American scene over the past quarter-century.
—The New York Times

Marc Tracy

In the wake of Phish's wildly successful summer reunion tour, journalist and Rolling Stone contributor Puterbaugh delivers a consistently lucid and revelatory look at the 26-year-long career of the legendary “jam band.” Puterbaugh's 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. In the process, Puterbaugh definitely demolishes the media's “reflexively drawn” comparisons of Phish to the Grateful Dead just because both played long improvisational concerts for hardcore fans. Much of the book's success stems from Puterbaugh's experience as in-house PR writer for the band from 1995 until its 2004 breakup. His insider access allows him to get never-before-published comments and insights from the band, its management, archivists, crew and close friends. His solid reporting produces the best account so far of Phish's college-era birth and growth in Burlington, Vt. And his exclusive interview with Trey Anastasio provides a frank look at how the guitarist's drug addiction brought down the band, how his recovery led to their reunion and why “there's no reason that Phish couldn't go on for quite some time.” (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The first biography of the undisputed king of modern jambands. Founded in 1983 in Burlington, Vt., Phish spent years honing their chops and developing explosive live performances, which differed completely from night to night, before they entered the national radar in the early '90s. Former Rolling Stone contributor Puterbaugh (co-author: Rhino's Psychedelic Trip, 2000, etc.), who has covered Phish on and off since 1995, is quick to note the importance of the band to the live-music landscape of the past 25 years. "I firmly believe that they are one of the great American bands," he writes, "and not just jam bands." The author begins with a well-executed framing chapter that traces the band's legendary festivals, from Ian's Farm in 1987, to the forward-thinking Clifford Ball in 1996, to the disastrous mudfest at Coventry in 2004. In chronological fashion, Puterbaugh follows the band's progress from a high-energy bar band to a consistently entertaining arena band that drew more than 80,000 fans to the swamps of Florida for Big Cypress in 1999-2000. He also discusses the many changes in the band's playing over the years, focusing on how the group's dynamic jamming has evolved as they have ventured into larger arenas and outdoor amphitheaters. The author ably sketches each band member's distinct personality-from the alpha-dog exuberance of guitarist and de facto frontman Trey Anastasio to the quirky genius of bassist Mike Gordon-and digs up many intriguing stories behind the band's storied career. Puterbaugh doesn't shy from the negative events in the band's history-including Anastasio's arrest for narcotics in 2006-but his respect and admiration for his subjects is clear. The portrait thatemerges shows a uniquely gifted collection of omnivorous musicians who understand the necessity of group collaboration and the near-infinite possibilities of the stage. Also included is an illuminating 2009 interview with Anastasio, conducted amid the band's triumphant return, and a full list of Phish's studio recordings and official live releases. An even-keeled evaluation of an important American band-a must for Phishheads, even though they probably know most of the stories already. Agent: Sarah Lazin/Sarah Lazin Books

Kirkus 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

From the Publisher