Phish released their first album over 25 years ago, so technically that means they would be eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame based on the standard submission rules. And yet they’ve just never been voted in. Some fans think they don’t belong there, but some fans would love to see them as part of the next class of artists in the famed hall.
For Phish’s part, they’re clearly into at least participating based on their having been involved in the past for the Genesis induction. Plus, the “hot dog” is there.
Now they have some more people making the case that they should be in there.
On a new podcast from a relatively new podcast series called Hallwatchers, you can hear a married couple (one fan, one not) debate a bit of the background behind what makes the band great and why they would make a strong addition to the hall. Hit the link above or scroll down as I’ve embedded the episode here.
Personally I think Phish absolutely belongs there, but I also don’t get too tripped up on the specifics of a voting contest for this band. They’ve never matched the mainstream expectation of what “cool” is and I’d rather the secret is safe with a smaller crew.
This topic has definitely been explored in the past in a few spots, but I gave the episode a listen and it’s a good discussion and a great primer for somewhat newbies. Here’s the description of the episode:
The time is near, the mission’s clear. This episode will delight some, repel others, and that’s OK. Love ’em or hate ’em, Phish’s impact on music and festival culture is huge and indisputable. Across 36 years of concerts, this legendary jam band has become a singular phenomenon worthy of Rock Hall induction.
Listen to the podcast episode below.
Bonus: remember when Peter Gabriel let it slip that Phish hit him up about doing a Halloween album together? Yep, that definitely almost happened.
