Phish

Phish's music is a heady mix of juxtaposed styles so convoluted I felt the most concise way to describe it is through the use of an illustrated mathematical formula.

The band's lyrics, penned mostly by friend Tom Marshall, are zany escapades into a whimsical world populated by pokemon-like creatures who carry out wars and haunt tortured souls with childlike aplomb. There also seems to be a strange fascination with deliberately inflicting paper-cuts on people's nipples (not making this up). If this is confusing, study the illustration above before proceeding further.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Phishnomenon is the obsessively dedicated fanbase they built over their career (which incidentally boasted the highest concentration of white dreadlocked people ever seen on Earth). Much of phish's appeal was that they were a refreshing alternative to other artists, most of whom were, and still are, taking themselves way too seriously. Phish instead promoted a laid back approach to basically everything, and their fans took this to heart. Following the band across the States, feverishly taping shows and bartering these tapes for nitrous tanks, they created a "parking lot micro-economy" where beads, textiles, venereal disease, and all manner of ganja-infused baked goods were exchanged freely. In the words of some guy (pictured below left), "everybody shared and were all a big family and if you ran out of money you could just sell some fake acid to a frat boy (below right)"

When not "on the road" phish-heads participate in an online community that still thrives to this day. Much of the discussion consists of vigorous debates over which concerts were the best. (It's 11/22/97 Hampton Coliseum now STFU!!)

Through their career, Phish have often used highly advanced technological devices in their concerts, including Personal Levitation Devices, anti-gravity jumbo dogs, and the highly controversial "mouth operated mind erasing vacuum cleaner". Their light show was developed in accordance with the CIA's mk-ultra protocols (unconfirmed).

Often overlooked is Phish's contribution to the current hipster trend. The band and it's fanbase were pioneers in the misspelt pop culture reference t-shirt movement, the low-browificationist school, and began the great hipster tradition of pretending you never listened to that band.

Since their official breakup, no band has been able to fill their shoes as supercolliders of musical irrelevance, but My Morning Jacket is trying really hard. You've been warned.