What's the secret to Phish's success? Trey Anastasio says it's their 40-year friendship
In a Q interview, the band’s frontman also shares the key to improvisation
Phish is one of the highest-grossing touring acts in the world, raking in more money than Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Iron Maiden.
But the rock band's lead singer and guitarist, Trey Anastasio, doesn't think their success has anything to do with their business savvy or even their music. He credits the band's success to their 40-year friendship.
"Practicing, being good, achieving something — none of that means anything anymore," Anastasio tells Q's Tom Power in a rare interview. "The support of the friendship means so much to us. We've been very blessed that we get along, and I will just do a shout-out: the only other band that I've ever seen that seem to get along in the same way was Rush."
Anastasio believes that his strong friendship with his bandmates comes out of something Phish is well-known for: improvising. Phish fans — known as "Phishheads" — come to concerts not just to sing along to the songs they know and love, but to see what the band will play on the fly.
Anastasio and his bandmates Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman and Page McConnell have been improvising together since the early days of Phish. At band practice, each member will take turns being the improvising "leader" while the others act as the "complementers." They'll then jam and see what happens when they literally tune in to each other. When it all comes together in harmony, someone will yell, "Hey!"
"That means, 'I'm listening to you. You're there. I hear that you're there,'" Anastasio explains. "If you're listening, you should all say it at the same time."
This has allowed Phish to write and improvise so many songs that in 2017 they didn't repeat a single one of the 267 pieces they played during their 13-night concert, The Baker's Dozen, at Madison Square Garden.
"I don't have to worry on stage, they've got me," Anastasio says. "If I take a risk, the other three guys have my back. And it's allowed us to be very, very risky."
I see it as a community out there.... A lot of times now, we feel like casual observers from the stage.- Trey Anastasio
The band's friendships transfer onto their fans. Phishheads often create their own relationships at the band's shows. In fact, Anastasio met his wife at a Phish show 35 years ago. The family tradition continues, as his daughter also met her partner at her father's show.
"I see it as a community out there," Anastasio says. "People have gotten married and met their long-time friends — and we can see it. A lot of times now, we feel like casual observers from the stage."
Even as they grew from a small-time jam band in Burlington, Vermont in 1983, friendship remained core to Phish's success.
"In the years we've been together, I think there've been five divorces and people have gone to jail and had health problems," he says.
But at band practice, it's like 40 years haven't gone by. "We start cracking jokes and it's like we're right back where we started and I love it so much," he says.
Phish releases a new album, Evolve, on July 12. While some bands would stop making music now, Anastasio says they're not done yet.
"We never blew up — ever. We don't have any hits," he says. "We still feel like there's a space to grow and a space to develop musically because we are not nailed to that period of our career where we suddenly blew up."
The full interview with Trey Anastasio is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Trey Anastasio produced by Mitch Pollock.