Monday 12/14/2020 by phishnet

INTERVIEW OF TREY BEFORE 12/14/95 BINGHAMTON (NEWLY RELEASED)

[We would like to thank Dave Berman for the following reflections and for the release of his interview of Trey conducted between soundcheck and the show on Dec. 14, 1995. -Ed.]

You could say I was born in the taper section. In the mid 1970’s, Grandpa Jimmy recorded three-year-old me singing and proudly answering questions about my birthday, address, and parents’ names. In January 2020, I found a few such cassettes, along with the reason you’re reading this.

The tapes turned up in the final few weeks of helping Dad downsize from a house to an apartment. The move was never possible while Mom was still alive, thanks to her hoarding.

Sorting, sifting, trashing, gifting. It was five months just to get the house on the market, and over eight months between Mom’s passing and getting to leave the US again. More than enough time for reliving 47 years of mismatched temperaments with Dad.

On top of grief, his familiar frustration, anger, and scorn toward my playfulness and laughter as an adult invited us to revisit old memories that influenced me beyond his awareness.

For example, the chatty three-year-old who Jimmy recorded sometimes got told by Dad that if I didn’t stop talking, I’d run out of words. While growing up, many other long forgotten messages and messengers fostered my insecurity about being verbose, both for worse and for better.

Freshman year at Cornell University, fall 1989, I started training to be a radio DJ at WVBR in Ithaca, NY. Barely escaping with my communication degree four years later, my first job was the overnight show on WKGB in Binghamton, NY. These were the years when Phish and the other HORDE bands became my passion. I did my part sharing in the grooves on the air.

First Phish memory: listening to A Picture of Nectar with future Nugs.net founder Brad Serling in his room next door to mine at Thumpty, our fraternity.

First Phish show: 7/10/92 at Empire Court in Syracuse, one of the three original eight HORDE shows I attended with radio station comp tickets (only two with Phish).

First Phish interview: 4/9/94 at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, Jon Fishman generously talked with me for 43 minutes live on WKGB before the show. That recording lived for a while on an early version of Nugs.net but has apparently been lost to time.

Photos taken of Dave's interview of Trey on Dec. 14 1995
Photos taken of Dave's interview of Trey on Dec. 14 1995

First (and so far only) time going on tour: summer 1995, six shows in eight days from Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center through Jones Beach (skipped Waterloo Village). This is still my favorite vacation ever, and what a blessing to get all the tickets from my job plus extras for every show! My coworker and tour buddy Chaz and I randomly miracled the same hippie chick at both Mann and SPAC.

Concluding with the two MSG New Year’s shows, 1995 was my most active year as a Phish fan, including heavy tape trading and participation on rec.music.phish. In all I attended 12 shows, including 12/14/95 in Binghamton, later immortalized as Live Phish 01. Between soundcheck and this show, I interviewed Trey live on WKGB for about 12 minutes.

Starting NOW, on the 25th anniversary, you can stream the interview right here on Phish.net:

On reflection, it seems I was totally in the moment because as I introduced Trey, I wondered if I’d pronounced Anastasio correctly. At the time it felt to me like a faux pas but Trey said there was lots of confusion about this and eagerly shared some family history.

A few other noteworthy nuggets:

  • Trey’s story of falling through a hole in the stage and injuring his ankle before a show
  • Recalling the only Phish show ever canceled (it’s not the one above!)
  • His observation of the changing age range of audiences
  • The Hose Theory, and why words can’t do it justice
  • His favorite guests during Phish shows and who he most wanted to play with
  • Upcoming releases

Listening to this interview now, I hear myself as a cheeky young performer (23 at the time). I interrupted Trey a few times in ways I wouldn’t today, as a better listener and more authentic person.

However, I knew our time was limited and being such a fan my ego clearly drove me to show that. This is especially noticeable at the end when I toss it back to the studio claiming Trey is on the record about a future Gamehendge recording (he wasn’t).

© 1995-1996 Album Network magazine
© 1995-1996 Album Network magazine

Overall, I hear a career highlight for me. There is also synchronicity with the direction life would take me 15 years later. Describing the spiritual essence of making improvised music, Trey said “the map is not the territory.”

This phrase reappeared in 2010 as a basic concept in training to be a hypnotherapist and life coach. I chose this career path specifically as a return to “making a living from my words,” as I had on the radio, only going forward I’d have more freedom to improvise.

That freedom largely translates to exploring intentional laughter as a form of exercise, self-care, and self-discovery. The insight that laughter is hypnotic took me around the world to share my laugh and my words about it.

I had been living in Vietnam for nearly two years when I returned to New York for Mom’s final 19 days. We were at peace saying goodbye, and now thanks to her hoarding I found the recording of this interview amid Grandpa Jimmy’s tapes. I waited all year for this anniversary.

I arrived in Melbourne, Australia, in late January 2020 and have ridden-out the COVID pandemic here so far. Our long strict lockdown was creatively and spiritually fertile and inspired the book Laughter Lost and Found, covering laughter life lessons that helped me navigate Mom’s death and Dad’s anger. One of my dreams is to perform an acapella “Ha Ha Ha” with Phish. - Dave Berman

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.


Comments

, comment by TheMarmar
TheMarmar I remember hearing this on the radio.

I also remember the Fishman interview.

I also remember rockin out to Dave on 92.5....

I don't remember the show....must've been that lovely Susquehanna tap water or too many spiedies at Sharky's before the show......
, comment by ChalkDustTeacher
ChalkDustTeacher So I guess the lesson is that hoarding is a good thing?

Super cool! Thanks for sharing. Just popped Live Phish 1 in my CD player.
, comment by DividedSkySolo
DividedSkySolo "Gamehendge is on the cards for the year after." A simpler time.
, comment by paulj
paulj "Recently I've been noticing a lot of people, umm...'older' is probably not the right term...my age and up, I'm 31...a number of people older than myself." Trey on changes in the Phish audience.

Yep, that would be me. Back when you youngsters would avoid being anywhere near me 'cause you thought I was some kind of narc.
, comment by mcgrupp81
mcgrupp81 Thank you for this.
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman Thanks, @TheMarmar. Cheers! Are you still in the Southern Tier?
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman You're welcome, @ChalkDustTeacher. Thanks for reading and listening. I don't think the lesson is about hoarding, specifically, but rather that old Phish tapes never die!
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @DividedSkySolo said:
"Gamehendge is on the cards for the year after." A simpler time.
I sooo wanted to press him on this but we were out of time so I just declared victory. Hahaha.
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @paulj said:
"Recently I've been noticing a lot of people, umm...'older' is probably not the right term...my age and up, I'm 31...a number of people older than myself." Trey on changes in the Phish audience.

Yep, that would be me. Back when you youngsters would avoid being anywhere near me 'cause you thought I was some kind of narc.
So just to be clear, @paulj, what kind of narc are you?
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @mcgrupp81 said:
Thank you for this.
You're so welcome, @mcgrupp81. Thank you!
, comment by paulj
paulj @DaveBerman said:
@paulj said:
"Recently I've been noticing a lot of people, umm...'older' is probably not the right term...my age and up, I'm 31...a number of people older than myself." Trey on changes in the Phish audience.

Yep, that would be me. Back when you youngsters would avoid being anywhere near me 'cause you thought I was some kind of narc.
So just to be clear, @paulj, what kind of narc are you?
I'm happy to seasonably narc about one of my favorites shows, 12/16/99. Second set is criminally good.
, comment by NoHayBanda
NoHayBanda Great listen. What a show for this to be connected to!
Soundcheck > Interview > Live Phish 01
, comment by whatstheuse324
whatstheuse324 That was cool, thank you for posting.
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @NoHayBanda said:
Great listen. What a show for this to be connected to!
Soundcheck > Interview > Live Phish 01
Thanks, @NoHayBanda, glad you enjoyed. Is the soundcheck in circulation? Do you have a link for that?
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @whatstheuse324 said:
That was cool, thank you for posting.
You're welcome, @whatstheuse324, I'm glad, glad, glad that you liked it.
, comment by suzydrano
suzydrano Super awesome and not that he isn't still very open but it's great to hear him just sounding so young and innocent(ish). Clapton!!! Whowouldathunk. Thank you so much for digging this up!
, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @suzydrano said:
Super awesome and not that he isn't still very open but it's great to hear him just sounding so young and innocent(ish). Clapton!!! Whowouldathunk. Thank you so much for digging this up!
@suzydrano, thanks for checking this out. The digging part of digging this up wasn't the most fun but the surprise of discovering it (on an unlabeled tape!) was such a trip!
, comment by The_Gamehendge_CD_Rom
The_Gamehendge_CD_Rom I want that flannel!
, comment by ChalkDustTeacher
ChalkDustTeacher @DaveBerman said:
@NoHayBanda said:
Great listen. What a show for this to be connected to!
Soundcheck > Interview > Live Phish 01
Thanks, @NoHayBanda, glad you enjoyed. Is the soundcheck in circulation? Do you have a link for that?
Free was included as a bonus on the iTunes release of LP1.

, comment by DaveBerman
DaveBerman @ChalkDustTeacher said:
@DaveBerman said:
@NoHayBanda said: [quote]Great listen. What a show for this to be connected to!
Soundcheck > Interview > Live Phish 01
Thanks, @NoHayBanda, glad you enjoyed. Is the soundcheck in circulation? Do you have a link for that?
Free was included as a bonus on the iTunes release of LP1.

Thanks @ChalkDustTeacher! I can't remember if it was this show or the previous Binghamton show but for one of these, where I was in the arena early awaiting the interview, one of my bosses from the radio station secretly recorded the soundcheck. This person wasn't even a fan. I remember repeatedly lobbying him to get more Phish on the air. Never understood why he recorded that or what he did with the audio, if anything. Surely this isn't it as I see it is part of a whole YouTube playlist of soundcheck recordings. Thanks again for sharing!
, comment by BozakAxel
BozakAxel Timing couldn’t have been better. Got to listen to this right before listening to the show!
, comment by firstshow4_24_93
firstshow4_24_93 The show where Trey fell through the stage was 04.10.94, Alumni Arena, SUNY Buffalo. The band was very late (almost and hour) and there was some tension in the air wondering what was going on. The floor was packed and hot then Trey limps on stage with a cast, says "oh well" then rips into a spacy Runaway Jim. I'm sure this show is not on many of your lists, but check it out. The SOAM is way trippy, the DWD predates the big jams, but has one of the most spirited Trey solos that's one of my faves, and roll through this whole second set...again way trippy showing those now lost Phish years of freak out, settle down, freak out and land gently. This is what it's all about!
, comment by Banff
Banff Terrible interview!!!!! Berman needed to shut the fuck up & let Trey answer his stupid questions. I just got outta high school and could have conducted a better interview. My 1st show was 4/11/94 UNH & Trey couldn't jump on the trampoline during YEM because of the hole the floor the night before.
, comment by Midcoaster
Midcoaster @paulj said:
"Recently I've been noticing a lot of people, umm...'older' is probably not the right term...my age and up, I'm 31...a number of people older than myself." Trey on changes in the Phish audience.

Yep, that would be me. Back when you [b]youngsters would avoid being anywhere near me 'cause you thought I was some kind of narc.[/b]
I remember being at MSG in 1998 and fans kept calling me “Sir.” “Sir, this is our seat.” “Would you mind moving, sir?” “Sir, is this your hat?” I was like, Huh? You mean me?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Support Phish.net & Mbird
Fun with Setlists
Check our Phish setlists and sideshow setlists!
Phish News
Subscribe to Phish-News for exclusive info while on tour!


Phish.net

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

© 1990-2024  The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. | Hosted by Linode