Were the members of Phish ever Deadheads?

About the many comparisons with the Grateful Dead, members of Phish have always walked a fine line. They didn't want to wholly embrace the Dead phenomenon for fear of being lost in its shadow, but they knew it was foolish to deny the connection between the scenes and the operative philosophy of their "business model." They were not Deadheads growing up, though Gordon was marginally one and has openly acknowledged Phil Lesh's influence on his bass playing. Anastasio told Puterbaugh, "The Grateful Dead as an American live touring act are the forebears. And it's not musical style I'm talking about, because style is style, and style is directly related to the lives that the band members have led. So whatever experiences you've had in your life are going to come out in your music. But conceptually, they put the music first, they put the fans first. It was a noncommercial kind of approach. And they were influenced by real American country and bluegrass bands.

How Phish Got Their Name

The first live gig that the core members of Phish played was in a University of Vermont dorm cafeteria on Dec. 2, 1983. They were known then as Blackwood Convention (derived from a popular contract bridge bidding strategy), and their repertoire included covers of "Proud Mary," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" and "Roadhouse Blues." As they began to play more gigs, they realized they needed a better name. They thought of Phshhhh (no vowel), allegedly from the sound of brushes on a snare drum. By Halloween, 1984, they added a vowel and shortened it to Phish. As Puterbaugh writes, "Phish was intriguing but ambiguous, and it didn't tie them to any particular sound or movement. Phish played on Fishman's name and on fish in general, much like the minor alteration of animal names that turned beetles into 'Beatles' and birds into 'Byrds.'" Puterbaugh puts to rest the long-lived rumor that Phish is a contraction of Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh's name. It was total coincidence, though a happy accident to fans of both bands.

More Trivia:

- Mike Gordon's mother, Marjorie Minkin, is an acclaimed abstract artist whose paintings served as backdrops on stage in the early days.

- Page McConnell's father was the co-inventor of Tylenol.

- Trey Anastasio was raised within walking distance of Princeton University campus, which he used as his second home. Most Phish songs are a collaboration with lyricist Tom Marshall, a boyhood friend from Princeton.

- Trey Anastasio's full name is Ernest Joseph Anastasio III (thus "Trey").

- Phish Food (described as "Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow & Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish") is the third highest-selling Ben & Jerry's flavor. The proceeds from the sales of this flavor have raised millions of dollars to help the fish in Lake Champlain.