Many articles mention the "garbage" of the wannabes of the Phish community. But should I have to feel bad that when I go to shows if I'm not poor, and yes, I've gotten financial support from my parents? I don't think that's entirely right.

I've been a musician for my entire life, and I go to Phish shows for the musical experience. Now, because I am perhaps wearing name-brand clothes, should I be forced to feel uncomfortable and out of place? I like to think I have a taste for style at times, but is our Phamily style necessarily cheaper clothing? Should I feel pressured to wear only homemade clothing when I go to shows?

I have one other point that I'd like your reaction to. As I stated earlier, I'm a not-so-wealthy kid in an extremely wealthy school. So yes, most of my friends, when I mention Phish, say..."Oh yeah...that band that does 'Heavy Things,' 'Down with Disease,'" etc... I can tell that they're not as much into the musical aspects of Phish, but rather have a half-assed, materialistic view of them...So what is a guy like me to do?

They are my friends, and they can afford to go to shows obviously...but should I encourage that? Just like you, the last thing I want is for people to be filling shows (like MSG) only because their rich parents got box seats to the Garden and they sort of "have heard of a few Phish songs." But YET, these people (or at least their parents) have been what our society tends to deem financially successful in life.

So...does this Phamily that we have encourage poverty, in a sense? Should this musical devotion necessarily include a more rugged lifestyle? It's a dilemma for me...I'd really some input.

Peace.

- Sam Madden (SamMadden@hotmail.com)

Editor's Comment: Sam, I think you've raised an interesting topic and I hope you get a lot of feedback.  Here are my 2 cents (which ended up turning into about 200 cents): I think you should dress in a way that makes you feel the most comfortable with yourself.  Unless you start a fight in the lot or act like an asshole, no one (or no one worth associating with) is going to care if you wear a Polo shirt or any name brand apparel.  Sure, you can wear homemade clothing to a show and you'll see that many phans are sporting the same type of gear, but it's doubtful that simply wearing those clothes is going to enrich your experience at the show.  You should just be yourself and judge people by the conversations you have with them, not by the clothes they're wearing.  And if you're not wearing any patchwork or the "typical" phan attire, don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with those fans who are... I think you'll find out that most are friendly and that you can connect with them no matter what you're wearing.

To answer your final 2 questions more directly, after I went on that little rant... 1) I don't think the Phamily encourages poverty at all.  Just because some phans wear homemade clothing does not mean they like the idea of being poor, and you'd be surprised to find out that many of them have a lot more money than you think. 2)No devotion to music should necessarily include any type of lifestyle.  Music is here for our enjoyment and our enlightenment, to fulfill many of our natural desires.  If we start attaching a certain type of lifestyle exclusively to a certain type of music, we alienate the music and the fans; we see the music in narrow terms as if it can only apply to certain specific types of people or objects, when in fact it is a universal entity that can and does apply to all kinds of people in all kinds of ways.  There's no reason why clothes should affect our appreciation of the music, honestly.  I'll end with this statement: Get whatever benefits you can out of music, but don't let it restrict your open mind or interfere with the lifestyle you're happy and comfortable to live.