Phish.net is a non-commercial project run by Phish fans and for Phish fans under the auspices of the all-volunteer, non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.
This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music.
Credits | Terms Of Use | Legal | DMCA
The Mockingbird Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Phish fans in 1996 to generate charitable proceeds from the Phish community.
And since we're entirely volunteer – with no office, salaries, or paid staff – administrative costs are less than 2% of revenues! So far, we've distributed over $2 million to support music education for children – hundreds of grants in all 50 states, with more on the way.
Enough fluffing though, it's that above point that really rings true with me, and has since...well, since before I even started listening to Phish and saw the same behavior in Deadheads. There's a contradiction in the fandom that's always stuck in my craw, and that's the dichotomy between the exploratory, "in the moment", nature of improvisational music (and the Phish experience) on the one hand, and the need to measure, rate, and analyze on the other. Like you say, I definitely understand it, but I also think it can go way overboard. There's a type of fan that is all about the stats, and listening to someone like that is about as enjoyable as listening to a Creationist. They're just looking for a comfortable structure to latch onto. It's the same thing with the tons of people I see that confuse the difference between a religious experience and a spiritual experience. Sure, it's great that you can go out and have your mind blown, but when your sitting there looking at the pieces of your brain scattered on the floor in front of you, it's about what you do when you start picking them up that really matters. It's a "map is not the territory" kind of thing. Phish provides a great starting point, but if you're really going to get out there, you've got to do it yourself. Otherwise, you're just out there re-creating the same experience night after night, chasing that first time, and not really getting anywhere. That's why, for me, the best show to listen to, is the one they just played.