From: "Henry A. Petras" <petras@pa.dec.com>
Subject: Posting 
Reply-To: petras@pa.dec.com
Organization: The Internet
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 22:59:11 GMT


I would like to mention a word or two about having discretion
in one's postings. On one hand, this is a free forum and one
is free to say anything one wants. However, let me point out
a few things. This newsgroup and mail digest forum, aka "The Phish Net", 
has gained a great deal of popularity since its inception. The 
fact that we were able to get a rec.music newsgroup for a band
that hadn't even released a record on a major label at the time
is highly impressive. This forum has come to be known outside of 
the computer community as where people come to talk about Phish. 
It has been discussed in the international Phish newsletter. 
About a year ago, I requested input from those on the net about their
view of Phish. This article went to the Elektra publicity department
to help them better to understand and market Phish. A fair amount
of these quotes went into the press package and have subsequently
wound up in major magazine articles describing Phish. This gave even
further credence to our community as being a useful point of feedback
and information. Subsequently, postings from the Phish net have also
gone into the press package and have been read by columnists all over
the world. 

Last month, I gave an interview to a UK periodical called FACE. 
Of all the topics to discuss, the two pieces of information that 
the interviewer wanted to focus upon were 1.) comparisons to the
Grateful Dead and the Dead scene and 2.) the use of LSD-25 and other 
drugs as a possible catalyst of the Phish phenomenon. I spent an hour 
trying to answer her questions, while at the same time trying to give a big
picture on the Phish scene and how those two topics were not the 
focus, nor an element of the environment. However, she quoted two
people mentioning going to shows and ingesting chemicals and 
having a great time. I was surprised at the particular quotes and when I
asked her where she got them, she responded that they were from the 
Phish net. I was quite disappointed that this was all that she picked up 
from the net excerpts. The one thing I did ask her at the end of the 
interview is that she did not have the impression that this was the 
focus of the Phish scene. I also asked not to be associated with 
any quote directly relating to the Dead or drug use. However, this is what
I got:


   "Phish don't drink or do drugs and neither do many of
   their fans. That's why we take so much offence being
   compared with the grateful Dead scene, because that
   was so acid related"
   
                   Henry Petras - The Face August 1992

Obviously, this was put together from all the things that I tried
to tell her, but in the end focussed on the Dead and drug use, although
it did sort of imply that this was not part of our focus. I don't think
that I have ever used the term "acid related" in my life before. I have to say
that I am quite disappointed in the interviewer's interpretation of my
words, but more importantly, I am sometimes disappointed in the digression
from the focus of this group, which is the music of Phish and how we relate
to it. Comparisons to other musicians can be very useful in the context
of having a "measuring stick", but I think that focusing on the exact
comparisons or differences to a particular entity can help to 
detract from the originality and individuality that is part of the wonder
of Phish. Please take what I say with a grain of salt. I just wanted
to point out to the community what an impact we have had and we can have
upon the perceptions of the general public about Phish. Obviously, all
one really needs to do is go to a show and found out themselves
from the music and what they observe around them, but I think it would
be truly detrimental to have someone not go to experience Phish because
of some misperception that they have gotten from print. I truly respect
this community and am proud to be a part of it and I hope that we can
continue to grow and help to get the message out. 

Cheers!

Henry A. Petras

"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul!"