Mt. Rushmore: Possum

Summary

Podcast Summary: Helping Friendly Podcast – "Mt. Rushmore: Possum"

Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Brian & Meg (Osiris Media)
Episode Theme: Ranking the four greatest ("Mt. Rushmore") live versions of Phish’s classic song "Possum"

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Episode Overview

This episode is a deep-dive into "Possum," one of Phish’s oldest and most-played live songs, as part of the HFPod’s ongoing "Mt. Rushmore" series. Hosts Brian and Meg dissect the song’s history, evolution, and pivotal performances, ultimately selecting the four most iconic live versions. Along the way, they reflect on Phish’s jamming styles, the role of experimentation in "Possum," and how its role in setlists has changed through the band’s career. The conversation is detailed, candid, and laced with plenty of Phish fan camaraderie.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catch-Up & Preliminaries (01:19–14:07)

• Show Opening: Brian and Meg banter about weather, Phish ticketing for the Sphere in Las Vegas, and life updates. RJ (regular co-host) is mentioned as on hiatus.
• Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) Discussion: Meg shares her experience at recent TAB shows at The Beacon, highlighting the communal achievements of the Divided Sky Fund and how the atmosphere at TAB differs from Phish shows.
  • Quote (Meg, 14:07): “When I go to TAB, I just go to see Trey...I love the horn section. I just am always so blown away watching them...It’s just a great experience to go and hear some really fun Phish and TAB songs.”

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2. Why Talk About "Possum"? (20:34–28:35)

• Nature of "Possum":
  • It’s considered an “entry-level” Phish song: simple groove, allows playful experimentation, but has become more standardized post-1997.
  • Early versions were shorter and featured secret signals, with room for teases and audience interaction.
• Song History & Stats:
  • Written by ex-member Jeff Holdsworth, debuted Sept 27, 1985, and has been a consistent set closer or encore.
  • Played 585 times, averaging every 3.5 shows.
  • 22% of versions feature jamming; this ratio is consistent even post-2009 (“3.0” era).
• Importance in Phish Lore:
  • Quote (Meg, 21:30): “This is one of the oldest Phish songs…also the last song on Trey’s thesis. Possum is a classic opener or closer or encore…an exclamation point of a song.”

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3. Evolution & Dissection of the "Possum" Jam (28:35–36:34)

• Choogle & Crowd Energy: The song’s dynamic was especially powerful in the early 90s, inciting peak energy due to dramatic tension and crowd anticipation.
• Decline in Exploration:
  • Early-to-mid-90s versions were brimming with danger and risk; post-1997 renditions tend to be more straightforward crowd-pleasers, missing the unpredicatbility that used to define them.
  • Quote (Brian, 27:03): “It is really hard not to have a good time when Possum is on...Sometimes you just need the band to play some choogle and rip it up. That’s what you get with Possum.”
• Comparison to Other Phish Songs: They compare "Possum" to "Antelope" and discuss how songs can leave room for madness and unpredictability within a defined framework.
  • Quote (Brian, 29:49): “You listen to, like, 7/16/94 Antelope, and you’re like, my God, this band is just a bunch of mad scientists...Possum is like that.”

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4. Mt. Rushmore Selections: The Four Greatest "Possum"s

Segment Start: (36:34)

I. 5/17/1992 – Proctor’s Theatre, Schenectady, NY

(36:50)

• Why This Version?
  • Represents the peak of the “secret signals” era (audience games/teases) and seamless band communication.
  • Teases include: It’s Ice, Divided Sky, Rocky Mountain Way, LA Woman, China Grove.
  • Quote (Meg, 31:30): “This way this plays out...they find It’s Ice, they find Divided Sky, but it’s all very seamless...encapsulates the 1992 sound and energy.”
• Historical Importance: Shows how the band could weave in humor and spontaneous ideas without breaking the framework.
  • Quote (Brian, 36:34): “It hangs with Possum while showing you that this band has such quick communication skills, so much humor...”
• [Highly recommended listening for context: 32:57–36:34]

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II. 7/13/1994 – Big Birch, Patterson, NY

(39:12)

• Why This Version?
  • Extremely wild, psychedelic, and “loses the plot” in the best way.
  • Features unusual funk elements, discordant jamming, and a swirling, psychedelic peak.
  • Quote (Brian, 41:27): “That show is clinically insane...this Possum really loses the plot in the best way possible...the Evil version of 6/17 and 6/22.”
• Cultural Lore: The second set of this show is considered legendary among Phish nerds for its chaos and masterful segues.
  • Quote (Meg, 41:45): "A must have. It has this slight funk to use in the intro that is really different...The crowd is going absolutely bananas."
• [Key detailed commentary: 41:27–45:56]

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III. 12/8/1994 – San Diego, CA

(46:49)

• Why This Version?
  • Chosen for its dynamic tension and dramatic “silent jam” section; most experimental take on Possum tension-and-release.
  • Hosts discuss how this version showcases Phish balancing tightness with risk-taking.
  • Quote (Meg, 47:44): “The tension in the intro to this version, I think, is the best tension of any Possum. It is stressful in the best way.”
  • Brian on evolution: “This is that marriage between the tightest band on the planet and the most experimental band on the planet.”
• [Segment to hear the analysis: 46:49–54:36]

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IV. 10/11/1995 – Chandler, AZ

(55:28)

• Why This Version?
  • Represents the transition to the late-90s: still powerful, but this marks the last “magical” Possum era.
  • Features “You Don’t Love Me” and “Johnny B. Goode” teases, a sharper guitar tone, and wild, careening peaks.
  • Quote (Brian, 58:15): “This version specifically represents...we are full-blown powerhouse ’95 Phish but playing with that frenetic, zany energy…”
• End of an Era:
  • Post-1995, Possum became a way to energize a crowd — not a vehicle for deep improvisation.
  • Quote (Brian, 61:39): “After 1995, yes, Possum can be played and be one of the best parts of a show. That’s not going to happen past 1995.”
• [Segment for context: 55:28–62:10]

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5. Reflections on "Possum" and Phish Setlist Trends (62:10–65:30)

• The Loss of Experimentation: The intro “mystery” of Possum is gone in recent years; the risk and curiosity that once made it a must-see is now largely absent.
  • Quote (Meg, 62:10): “What I always loved about Possum was the intro was always so...you never knew what was going to happen. And I think that loss of curiosity is...makes it just feel like a song that maybe you could go to the bathroom in the beginning of and be back for the peak.”
• Room for Revival? They note that other “classic” Phish songs have been revived in new jams, and muse that Possum could one day return to its unpredictable roots.

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6. Listener Engagement & Closing (66:07–End)

• Rushmore Recap:
  • The Four Possums: 5/17/92, 7/13/94, 12/8/94, 10/11/95
  • Listeners are invited to share their own favorites and debate their picks.
• Heads-up for Next Week: The next episode will focus on “Slave to the Traffic Light.”
• Meta: Noted that this might be the “narrowest Rushmore spread” so far (all selections are from a tight time window where the song peaked).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• On Song Evolution:
  • (Meg, 25:30): “What makes the early Possums so good are these intense dynamics, where the tension just builds so much that when they finally pop that cork, it’s just...the crowd...they just lose their minds.”
• On the 7/13/94 Possum:
  • (Brian, 41:27): “That show is clinically insane...that Possum really loses the plot in the best way possible.”
• On Missed Opportunities & Fandom:
  • (Meg, 55:28): “I feel like I’m trolling my 18-year-old self...I was at this show and I have no memory of this show and I feel like it just continues to mock me for not remembering it.”
• On the Modern Possum:
  • (Brian, 65:33): “When Possum starts...there’s going to be the groove, there’s going to be the chugal...But what we’re talking about here with these versions...that’s definitely missing.”
• On Hopes for Phish:
  • (Meg, 65:39): “It would be nice if we could do it again. Let’s get weird in the beginning. Let’s just do it. Do some weird shit for Brian Brinkman. He likes that stuff.”
• Summation and Listener Challenge:
  • (Brian, 66:53): “These are our Rushmore. We’re going to chisel it into the stone...Write in to us...We’d love to debate this going forward. We’d love to hear your favorite versions, because we all ultimately want to know what versions move you, what we may have overlooked here.”

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Time-Stamped Guide to Key Sections

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------------|-------------------------------------------| | 01:19–14:07 | Banter, updates, and TAB/Divided Sky Fund | | 20:34–28:35 | Why talk about "Possum"? | | 28:35–36:34 | "Possum" jamming & setlist evolution | | 36:34–46:49 | Mt. Rushmore: Picks I & II | | 46:49–55:28 | Mt. Rushmore: Picks III & IV | | 62:10–66:07 | Reflections, current role of "Possum" | | 66:07–68:55 | Recap, listener questions, next episode |

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Mt. Rushmore: The Four Greatest Possum Performances

1. 5/17/1992 – Proctor’s Theatre, Schenectady, NY (32:57–36:34)
2. 7/13/1994 – Big Birch, Patterson, NY (41:27–45:56)
3. 12/8/1994 – San Diego, CA (46:49–54:36)
4. 10/11/1995 – Chandler, AZ (55:28–62:10)

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Final Thoughts

This episode is an essential listen for any fan who wants to understand Phish’s improvisational ethos and how “Possum” served as a bellwether for the band’s playful and risk-taking side. It’s a passionate, detail-rich discussion that balances musicology, fan experience, and nostalgia. The challenge is thrown out for modern Phish: Bring back the unpredictability that once defined "Possum" and keep the weirdness alive.

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Next Episode: Mt. Rushmore: Slave to the Traffic Light.

Transcript

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[Brian]

Osiris.

And we are live Millennial pauses and everything. Just wait for that ticker to go. We're 19 minutes late. I don't think this would fly in broadcast news. A movie which is streaming now on Hulu, which I'm very excited to rewatch. But this is not Blockbuster Card. This is the Helping Friendly Podcast. We're coming to you live here. Snowy Denver, Colorado. Is it snowy in Brooklyn right now or are you guys in like an eternal beautiful fall? What's going on, Meg?

[Meg]

Definitely not. It was supposed to snow yesterday. We were supposed to get a few inches and instead it was cold rain and everybody was very upset about it because nobody had umbrellas because it was going to snow.

[Brian]

It started to cold rain last night and we were taking bets on whether or not it was actually going to snow or just cold rain. And then I woke up at like 4:30 in the morning and it was snowing. So we are in the middle of it. Working from home here today as a result. The Helping Friendly podcast coming to you. It's Brian and Meg today. Today. Today we are covering Possum on Mount Rushmore. We are very very excited about it. Someone who is not very excited about covering awesome Mount Rushmore, Mr. RJB.

RJ is right now in like crunch time at work. It's his first semester is ending of his teaching gig. He is coaching I think three different basketball teams plus playing basketball himself. Just a quick show Housekeeping update. He's going to be taking a quick a little bit of a break here as he focuses on school and work and all that good stuff. Will be manning the ship here today and for the rest of 2025. And we're very excited to talk with you today about Possum. We're very excited to talk with you about Fish, I just put on or put in for Sphere tickets, which is like the craziest thing I've done since I bought Mexico tickets.

How are you doing here today, Meg? That was like a whole just like word vomit. I'm not used to this whole hosting gig thing. How are you doing here today?

[Meg]

I'm good. I'm trying to figure out my Sphere plan too. I think we've got it locked down. I'm going to put in my request tonight. Feels wild. I've been waiting for this announcement for a long time. After I missed the debut, I promised myself I would go back and people were asking me to go see Dead and Company and I was like, nope, I'm waiting until Fish goes back. So I'm excited and hopefully I get some tickets and we'll be able to go. I see people in the chat getting their packages. That's thrilling. So I'm excited for people and I'm really excited to see what Fish does at the Sphere now they know what. What it's like. It's going to be. It's going to be pretty incredible, I think.

[Brian]

I mean, the intro announcement video is Fukuoka Jam. Like, they clearly know what they're doing going back. Like, just like the drive out into the desert with that. I mean, it was just. It was amazing. Tyler Riggs here. Can I share my excitement for landing Sphere travel packages today?

[Meg]

So awesome.

[Brian]

You can, you can. I got a text from a buddy who got the travel packages. What weekend are you thinking you're going to go?

[Meg]

Either the second or third. It's up in the air. How about you?

[Brian]

Weekend one is all I can do. I've got a huge work event for weekend two. Plus, it's the kickoff of Little League baseball season. And let me tell you, weekend three, I have agreed to accompany a good friend on a turkey hunting trip, which will be a very, very first experience for me. Yeah.

[Meg]

Wow. Turkey hunting. I've never. I've never been hunting. My dad got a little bit into it when one of his bosses, they did a lot of pheasant hunting in Minnesota, but I've never been hunting. Have you ever been hunting before?

[Brian]

I have been on hunting trips. I've never done the actual hunting. I kind of had an epiphany during COVID that, like, I eat red meat, I eat white meat. I should probably kill an animal at some point just to understand the sacrifice and the whole process associated with it.

[Meg]

It's very, very interesting, that perspective.

[Brian]

It's one of those things, like you talked about your dad, like, my, my dad did not hunt, he golfed. We grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but one of my best friends from high school, as well as most of my good friends from college, I went to college in Montana, were all hunters. And so like Saturday mornings during fall, they were all. They would, they would. We would party until like 9 o'. Clock. They'd go to bed, we'd continue partying, we'd go to bed, they'd get up and they'd go out hunting.

[Meg]

That's a commitment. I'm impressed.

[Brian]

Even in college, I recently got into fishing. So, like, you know, I feel like this is just. I have to start doing.

[Meg]

You think you'd be able to do it? Like, I don't. I couldn't do it. I know I could not actually kill something. I know that about myself.

[Brian]

It's a good question because I have thought about like that moment, you know, yeah, maybe a bird.

[Meg]

I don't. Birds are different in a little, little bit. I could never kill a deer, could never kill something that could look me in the eye.

You know, there's this bear that hangs around our place in Massachusetts and I've looked it in the eye before a few times. It's pretty scary, but I have. And I just think, could you look an animal in the eye that could look back at you and kill it unless you needed it for survival? You know, if this was some post apocalyptic life situation, I could definitely understand that. I read Barbara Kingsolver's amazing book about killing everything they ate and only eating things they either grew or killed. It's an incredible book. Why can't I remember the name of it? And that makes sense to me if you're living on that. But I couldn't do it, considering I don't need to.

[Brian]

So I think that, that what you just brought up is kind of part of my thinking here. So you're prepared at some point. I'm reading this like tome of a book about a potential climate change apocalypse that happens in the next 15 years. And I'm halfway through it and one of the things that comes up in the book are people from like the suburbs who have learn how to kill their own animals, like kill their own meat. And I'm like, I don't really want to get to that point where I have to do it. And then that's the first time you don't start breaking down because they, you know, they look an animal in the eye or they, you know, all that sort of stuff. So.

We'Ll see. But that is potentially weekend three. So I'm looking at going weekend one. So maybe within four months, five months at this point in time, you know, I'll have an on site review of Sphere. You'll then have on site reviews of Sphere. And as a podcast, we'll actually be able to talk about fish and talk about fish at Sphere, because as everybody knows, you have to be there to fully understand what happened.

[Meg]

Yeah, I think we got a little pushback when we did the Sphere recaps last time, and everyone was like, were any of you actually even there? So now we'll be able to answer that, and that'll be really good.

[Brian]

Hopefully.

[Meg]

Hopefully.

[Brian]

As long as I don't get tickets under that awning. Because, man, that, like, I saw pictures from under there and that just looks like you're not like, what are we doing here? What? What is going on?

[Meg]

That's so scary. Okay. I looked up the book. It's called Animal, Vegetable Miracle, and I highly recommend it. It's a little preachy, but it's really good.

[Brian]

That is one of the few Barbara Kringsauru books that we don't have on our shelf. So I have to look that up. That's really exciting. VT TH says, good luck on your Sphere quest. My trip west next month should include reprise shows in Denver. Expectations for December 97fish shows are high. I think I will most likely be seeing you there, VT to boot.

[Meg]

You gotta go br.

[Brian]

I know, I know. It will be my first show of 2026 and maybe my last until Sphere, if everything plays out right, you know, we'll see.

[Meg]

All right, well, we'll see. Yeah. Reprises.

[Brian]

The artists that I want to see, they all are announcing tours for 2026, and they're all avoiding Denver, which I'm.

[Meg]

Just like, very weird.

[Brian]

Why are we doing this? Like Ryan Davis? No, Denver. M.J. lenderman, his only Denver show. Get this. He's opening for Zach Bryan at what? Power Field?

[Meg]

I saw that. Actually, I saw that. Yeah, I saw that. Because my daughter wants to go really badly to see Zach Brian.

But, yeah, she does. And so I was like, well, this would be great if MJ Linderman's opening for him. Like, I love Zach Brian, too, but I would love to do both of that, but he's not doing it in the East Coast. So you're not going to go and see Zach Brian?

[Brian]

Well, no, I would totally do, like. I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about it because I really want to see mj. The last time he played in Denver was.

Sometime last year, and tickets were like $150.

[Meg]

So much changed for him. It's wild.

[Brian]

Everything's changed.

[Meg]

It's so huge. I'm going to see him on Monday because I'm seeing Snow Caps. Well, I'm actually seeing Ryan Davis open for Snow Caps, which is Waxahachie, Katie Crutchfield, her sister Alison Crutchfield, MJ Linderman, and Bradley Cook. And I'm going to see them. I haven't seen MJ Linderman yet. I'm super excited.

[Brian]

I have not seen Arena. I almost paid the $150 last year because that was my number two album of 2024. I was like, I got to go see it. And then I was just like, can I really justify this? You know, it's just.

[Meg]

I know tickets are getting these artists, man, for everyone.

[Brian]

Tickets are getting crazy.

[Meg]

It's crazy.

[Brian]

But we'll see. So, you know, as I map out next year, I'm just like, am I going to go see a concert at Broncos Stadium? Maybe. Who knows?

[Meg]

Maybe. Maybe.

[Brian]

It sounds like I'm probably going to have to go see Fish at Boulder again, you know, just based off the initial rumors.

[Meg]

So you think something with the Dicks weekend? You said it hasn't. It wasn't scheduled.

[Brian]

Well, so, yes. So the Rapids just announced their 2026 schedule, and they do not have any home games.

At Dick's over Labor Day weekend. That's good. And I've been trying to figure things out, and I've been emailing people, and nobody knows anything. And in the first, rumors that dropped were that Fish was playing at Folsom Field again July 2nd through 3rd through 4th, the second run of the tour.

[Meg]

And I'm just like, that does not seem right.

[Brian]

Brian Weinstein says that these rumors are bunk. So I'm going to hold. I'm going to hold you to that, Weinstein. All right. Your attendance bias better also transfer translate to, you know, smelling bad rumors. That's what I'm hoping for here. So we will see. We're going off the rails here. We got a lot to do.

At some point, we have to talk about Possum. We got a great comment here from Eric Dempsey. 5044. They played so many possums in 3.0, and it's going to be so sad when none of them make Rushmore.

[Meg]

Spoiler alert.

[Brian]

We're entering an interesting period here with rushmore. We've got three more left in 2025. This week is Possum. Next week is Slave. The week after is you enjoy myself. And you might ask yourself, hey, you guys advertise doing Riba? We've pushed Riba back. So just, you know, Reba needed its own dedicated window of opportunity here to. To go back to. We need to really spend our time with Reba. Even though I'm all ready for it, I got my four versions.

[Meg]

We know, we know, we know. We're proud.

[Brian]

We're doing like imagine a 2010 fish set. You know, we got another great comment here from Attendance Bias that ends the first set with possum into like a carrot. No, no, no. Full sag. A carrot in a slave. And then right when they end slave, Trey does the 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, and we go into UT.

[Meg]

I mean, I like it. That's a great second quarter.

[Brian]

It's a nice second quarter. It's very classic. You can get away with not playing these songs really well and people still freak out. That's the fun part about them. You can also get some versions that really break the norm, which we're going to focus on today. We're very, very excited about that. Before we dive into Possum, is there anything else we need to cover? Any questions we have here from the chat. What do we got to do before we dive in?

[Meg]

I don't think so. I just. I do want to say that I did see Trey this last weekend at the Begin. I saw him night. Yeah. And it was really great. And I love my vibe. When I go to Tab, I just go to see Trey. I had amazing seats. I was really close. I love the horn section. I just am always so blown away watching them. I love Dezran. It's just a great experience to go and hear some really fun fish and tab songs. I thought the band sounded great. Really energetic, really tight. Stretched a couple things out the night I was there. Nothing huge. Obviously I'd rather some big jams, but that's not really what I expect for Tab. And it was at the Beacon, which if you've ever been in the Beacon, it's one of the most beautiful theaters in the country. It is absolutely Beaux Arts gold everywhere. This incredible ceiling, that's mosaic, like beautifully painted. That is this incredible like drop down sculpture in the middle. It's just an absolutely stunning place to see a show. So it's always fun to see Tab play these absolutely beautiful iconic theaters. It's fun.

[Brian]

Yeah.

Can we really call these the Beacon Jams anniversary when it was just like straight tab with like strings.

[Meg]

I don't really know why They. I guess it was just. Well, they wanted to draw attention to the Divided Sky Fund and what they did, you know, raising money for the. And celebrating the center, because what an accomplishment and how amazing to raise that money and five years later, have it be this thriving center. When Trey listed the name of every single person that works there on Sunday night, and it was just incredible to think of what the community has accomplished. Like, of course, Trey did that, but we did that. The community did that. And I think that's really important to acknowledge, and I think that's what they were trying to commemorate. But the music was. There weren't many jams, but it was fun, and the strings were beautiful. Like, hearing some of these songs, like Slave and if I Could with strings is just, you know, it's something you don't get very often. And you really get to see that.

Trey, that student of composition, you know, that person who wanted to be a composer, living out his dream, playing these songs of the Beacon with huge band and strings. I love bandleader Trey.

[Brian]

What you said earlier about the vibe, I remember the last time I saw Tab was May of 2022, which was a late snowstorm weekend here in Denver. It was like 35 degrees at Red Rocks.

We brought my son, and he definitely got a contact high and was just like. Like, eyes were like slits. I, like, halfway through, took a nap at Red Rocks, and I remember being there and thinking, you know what? When all this is when. When Fish is gone and whatever ends up happening, Trey is going to still be playing tab, literally, until he collapses on stage. And at that point, I will be very, very, very excited to see as many tab shows as possible.

The one thing I love about the.

[Meg]

Beat with fit while Fish is playing.

[Brian]

Well, I don't mind it. I just not. It's not like a destination thing for me. It's very nice.

It's very nice. It's very vibey. I texted a friend. It's. It's like a. This is a throwback. It's a sunset lake vibe, you know, 100%.

[Meg]

It's so.

[Brian]

It does enough.

[Meg]

It was so great. It was just feeling. It's like. It's just light, you know, I have no expectations. And what a joy. I go to Fish now, and I'm so anxious the whole time, like, is this going to be good? And not because it usually isn't, but just because I care so much.

But with tab, I'm just like, let's go. Let's go have some fun, you know, let's go.

[Brian]

My other Memories of Tab dance all night. And I think this may cloud me because I'm a hiatus kid. My first Fish related shows were Tab shows. And I saw two back to back that are still like, if those were Fish shows, they would be like a top 10 fish show I've ever seen. Like, just That's.

[Meg]

Cause Tab had that out. Trey needed that outlet then.

[Brian]

He did. He did. So you're making a. You're making strong points. It's very much the dad rock side of Fish.

[Meg]

Yeah. I mean, playing Love is what we are is rough. Is rough. I'm not gonna lie. It's rough.

[Brian]

But didn't we have done one night of Trey Trio? Like, Trey Trio happened here in Denver for one weekend. And everyone knows the first night, like, scared everyone away because Trey debuted like 75 new songs, including one twice. And people are like, what the fuck is going on? I went to nights two and three, and those shows smoked. And I loved everything. Those shows.

Can't we just get one Trey Trio show? One Trey Trio run? Like, what's going on here? How do you form a band with John Fishman and Des Ron Douglas and then be like, cool, we're done after one weekend?

[Meg]

I know they'll come back. They'll come back. But, you know, it's like, Trey loves that big band stuff. You know, I'm a huge Paul Simon fan, and I love when Trey gets to lead that band. Like, you know, Ciro back there just losing his mind, playing chains on top of his cymbals. Like, crazy stuff. It's so funny.

[Brian]

Really nice noise.

Great. It's really great. It's so fun going off the rails here. I'm glad you had a great time.

[Meg]

I had a great time. And, you know, I didn't dance all night. I was like 20ft from my favorite musician of all time. Like, I saw Ryan Storm and Ryan said he was like. And I was like, well, you know, I just love it. And he's like, because you love all. And I was like, I do. I love all Trey. Trey wants to blow my mind with like, you know, a 45 minute. What's going through your mind? I'm super happy. If he wants to play Love Is what yout Are and jam out with his band, I'm cool with that too. I just love Trey.

[Brian]

But you heard it here first. 12:30, 2025 is the night of the 45 minute. What's going through your mind?

[Meg]

Let's go.

[Brian]

Very excited about that.

Talk Possum. Speaking of animals being killed. Speaking of playing dead or playing tab, whatever you will. How dare you.

Let's talk. How dare you Set us up.

[Meg]

Let's do it.

[Brian]

We are talking about one of the.

How do I put this? I feel like Possum is the. Is like one of the perfect entry level Fish songs. Not super complicated, super groovy, allows a lot of weird, zany experimentation and then over time has become a little bit more standardized and ever since it's become more standard, it's been less celebrated. I think that's fair to say. Give us backstory about Possum here and why we are tracking this song in Mount Rushmore right now.

[Meg]

Well, this is one of the oldest Fish songs. It was written by former band member Jeff Holdsworth and it was first performed by Fish on September 27, 1985. And that's about eight months before Jeff left the band. Possum is also the last song on Trey's thesis, the man who Stepped Into Yesterday. And like you said, it's been played consistently since the 80s, but 96 and 97 are the years that it was played the least. This song, which is interesting, this song is a classic opener or closer or an encore. To me, it's really an exclamation point of a song. Originally it was really short, but the Jam and the intro have both been extended throughout the years. During the early 90s, the intro to Possum, it often contained the secret signals which are such an important part of Fish history. They're those community building, if you know, you know, games that the bands would play with the audience. And two versions from spring 92 even contain the instructions to the secret language. And the Jam often contains teases during this time as well. And so the song has a place in Fish history that I think is important. And it was a vehicle that the band used to connect to the audience and to bring people in and also to experiment with medleys when they were doing a lot of that and also with jamming in short versions that jams that were not just Trey led peaks. The song's been played 585 times on average every three and a half shows. It's my third most commonly seen song. It goes Tweezer, Yam, Possum.

[Brian]

So I got to figure this out now.

[Meg]

You got to find it out third finding out right now, you look, there's 129 entries on the jam chart. So it has a 22% chance of jamming, which I felt like that was more than I thought. And so I was looking at it post 3.0 and 3.0 on. There's only 16 entries on the jam chart, but it's been played 62 times, so it actually maintains that around 20 to 25% chance of jamming, which was actually very surprising because I feel like it jammed so much more in the beginning. Brian curated 33 versions of us to choose from. There are three versions of live Bait. Most of the best versions of this song have not been released archivally, which is a real crime. I was actually pretty shocked at how few Live Baits there were, considering how important this song was in the 80s and early 90s. And I think what you were talking about earlier is really true. I think when I think about Possum, I think when you get up to like 1990, you can hear how strong the control was and what an important song this was for the band to practice that really, really fast, really tight music they were playing in the early 90s. And then in 91, 92, you get the teases and the secret signals, all kinds of things in the intro they're playing like Landlady, Buried Alive, different songs within the intro and really messing with that in spring 92. Every version seems to just get better and better and trump the one before it. And they are really playful. This is like really starting to explore in the jam and in the intro too. And August 1993 to me is sort of the. The peak of when it starts to get really exploratory. Not surprisingly, during our top five tour of all time that summer 1993. And then it just has this incredible life throughout 94 and 95, where you have some versions that are absolutely mind blowing, so exploratory. And after that it just completely drops off in terms of what they were searching for with the song. It just becomes a totally standard song that they play pretty much the same way for a majority of its existence. Which is interesting to me. And I want to have a larger conversation with you about that at the end about songs that do that, because I just find it interesting.

[Brian]

Yeah. And I mean, well, let me just. I just looked at my. My stats here, so I've seen 337 different fish songs. Possum is not in my top 10 most seen, but it's in my 20 now. I'm also a 2.0, 3.0, 3.04.

[Meg]

That's true. Yeah.

[Brian]

So like I'm seeing it at a point. Like you saw all those 95, 96, 97 shows, especially 95 and 96. Or you know, like where you saw a ton of these, like, right after each other. I've seen it 23 times. It is in a category with four other songs I've seen 23 times. Wolfman's Brother, which I feel like I see every single show. Yeah, awesome. Piper, which I'm on record. I would see that every single fish show and be really happy.

[Meg]

Yeah.

[Brian]

And the newest in this category is Light, which. Oh, really? Who saw the vast majority of his shows in 3.0? That makes a lot of sense. When in doubt, let's jam Light. Yeah, no, this is a really. This was a really interesting and fun project. I think we've done throughout this year a really good variation on like big jam vehicles. Newer songs, songs like ACDC Bag that like have jamming moments throughout. Songs like Ikyulys that are just like really fun rarities.

This one.

It is really hard not to have a good time when Possum is on. I mean, I know a lot of people don't have a good time when possible. I also know for. For my. My. My Goose fans out there, a lot of people don't enjoy the flow down. This is Gooses float out. That is. That is their Possum.

[Meg]

A hundred percent to me.

[Brian]

Sometimes you just need the band to play some choogle and rip it up. And that's what you get with Possum. You're not getting anything crazy nowadays. You're getting what this song was originally intended to do, which is tell a joke little allegory that can go at the end of the thesis. But really, let's just rock out, let the white lights go crazy and either get people set up for the night or have them reflect on how much fun they just had. I remember when I was getting into Fish, Possum was kind of seen as this. It was a very entry level.

Song, you know, to get into the band, I would have people.

Always send me like Possum or like tapes with Possum on it because it just. It was either always played or like it was just one of those songs that I think people wanted you to like hear to know how much fun and exploratory this band could be. But it's definitely done this thing where since 97, I think is the last real time, it's really just become like, we need to energize the crowd. Here's Possum.

[Meg]

Yeah, I agree. And they're not. They're just not interested in, I think, exploring what the song has for them anymore. And I also think that the hard part for me about it Is that what makes the early Possum so good, are these intense dynamics where the tension just builds so much that when they finally pop that cork, it's just. You can hear it in the crowd. They just lose their minds. Especially between, like, 91 and, like, 94, the crowds just go absolutely insane. And I think that now, like you said, it's chugly. It's much more like.

It doesn't have that. Like, that's what Trugal sounds like. I'm never gonna do it again.

[Brian]

No, please, I was. That. We have to make that a new bit on the podcast.

[Meg]

It just doesn't have that, like, it was dangerous kind of sounding in the early 90s, and I miss that. Like, I want it to be more dangerous. I want it to be riskier. And when you think about some of the versions that we talk. We're going to talk about today, you just don't know what's going to happen in them. And we know it's going to happen in Antelope or, I mean, in Possum today.

[Brian]

Well, and Brian Weinstein getting a ton of attention here today because he's got great comments. Antelope is what he's comparing this to, which is exactly it. You listen to, like, 7, 16, 94 antelope, and you're like, my God, this band is just a bunch of mad scientists that's willing to do anything within a song while staying within the structure of a song, because that is. That's a huge antelope with a catapult in the middle of it.

[Meg]

Yes, please.

[Brian]

But it's all. It's never. It's never going off and never returning. I guess there are a couple antelopes that do that, but, like, Possum is like. Like that, where you're. You. You're guaranteed that build and that final peak, and that is, like, what we're all kind of here for. But before that, is that madness? So let's dive in.

[Meg]

Let's start. Let's do it.

[Brian]

Let's start chipping away at the limestone here and putting some possums onto Mount Rushmore. Meg, do you want to give us our very first possum, Mount Rushmore here?

[Meg]

Yeah. I'm really excited because I love this version, and I also feel like there are some great versions I just want to quickly shout out on our way there. I think some of the 1990 versions are really awesome, and I would recommend people check out, like, 6, 1699, 2090. So Townshed, Vermont and Somerville Theater, and then also the capitol theater. From 10, 6, 90, and the Boulder show from 11, 290. Just some really, really killer, awesome early versions.

[Brian]

Great.

[Meg]

Yeah, we're going to skip through 91 too, even though I love the Middlebury, Vermont one from 12 6. And I also love the Boulder one from 4, 5, 92. And then, you know, we had a lot of discussion about the April west coast tour. Has some absolutely killer Possums. Anaconda and Eureka, both of those are. They just rip. The suspense in them is huge. Incredible drops. They're earned. Those drops really just like, go for it. And I. I thought that one of those might be on there, but I think we ultimately settled on the version that to us, really had the best secret signals and is the. Has the teases and has that absolutely perfect playing from Trey. That is the May 17th from 1992 from Schenectady. The way that this plays out, they find it's ice. They find divided sky, but it's all very seamless. They land back into Possum. It's absolutely incredible. And it has so many other teases and little jams in here. It has Rocky Mountain Way, LA Woman, China Groove. It encapsulates the 92 sound and the 92 energy. And again, the playing from Trey is. This is why 1992 is the way it is, because Trey is so fast and so precise. I love this version. I'm so glad we have it archivally released.

[Brian]

Yeah. Same. This is really the template Setter. There's some great versions. 421-924-164592. That was on my honorable mentions as well.

5:17 is really the one where you hear.

This unique thing that happens in Posim and is going to build over the next couple of years, which is.

The underlying groove of Posim is always there, but at the same time, the band has this unique ability based on how much they've been playing together, how much communication has been happening, how many risks they're willing to take at this point in time where they can ultimately say.

As they're playing that.

You know, their groove is going on, they can immediately take a left turn and go off into a tease or go off into kind of a mini jam. And there's an alternate universe where Possum is the jamming style of Fish, where they don't.

Really try to push beyond the confines of a song and see what is available in the unknown, and instead, a little safer, a little more.

You know, a little more fun.

[Meg]

Like all type one jamming. Yeah.

[Brian]

Kind of like type one experimentation. Where, like, they can throw any tease in. They can throw any sort of reference in any secret language in while still playing the song. I would not argue in favor of that type of jamfish as the 90s evolved. But there is definitely, as you're hearing it here, like, they're having so much fun. And you imagine, because they would start doing this with Bowie, Antelope would get this sort of treatment from time to time. You could imagine a universe where this is kind of like, hey, we found this. It's our bread and butter. And it gets fans back in the door night after night after night. Would they be as big as they are today without the risks that they took breaking the song mold? I don't think so. But Possum kind of gives you this, like, very unique alternate universe of, like, what fish could have been if they decided not to, you know, throw out the rule book like, you know, Maverick does in that pivotal scene in Top Gun and just say, we're. We're.

[Meg]

Oh, no. He throws it in the trash.

[Brian]

He throws it in the trash and he's like, throw. Throw it away. You know, we. You only learn how to fly a billion dollar jet if you, you know, improvise. And everybody's like, yeah, it's great, great.

But, like, I love this version. I think it's super fun. I think it does everything that you're talking about here.

It hangs with Possum while showing you that this band has such quick communication skills, so much humor, such an ability to just, like.

On a whim, play, turn, turn, turn on a whim, play Landlady on a whim, you know, throw in another tease on a whim, test the audience, secret language standpoint, and then get back and peak the jam. And that's the other thing is, like, all these versions that we're going to talk about here today, they all have that really substantial peak at the end. Something like the speed, the energy, the connection when they get. When they hit, there's nothing like it. And it all kind of, for me, starts with this version, albeit the versions you listed, the versions we talked about that are under honorable mention, they're all part of that road. This is just where, like.

I think to our ears, not only are the teases and the hijinks there, not only this speed there, but it all kind of blends in a way that feels like the band at their best is kind of levitating about five feet above the ground.

[Meg]

Yeah, and I think we had some discussion about.

Because there are some. So many of the versions like, we had to leave off some really great versions for Mount Rushmore, and, you know, you can only have four. And I think we had questions about do we need to include one of these 92 versions? Because.

They aren't as exploratory or experimental as some of the other ones. But I think it was really, really important, and I know we settled on that to have one with the secret signals in it, just because it's such an important part of the history.

[Brian]

And, you know, when I think about this exercise that we've done here around Mount Rushmore, I think about it in terms of the Mount Rushmore that exists in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where you have Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. That inclusion of Jefferson is really, really essential because half of this country does not exist without Jefferson swindling Napoleon. And while people think, obviously Washington and Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt.

Are as important, if not more important, for what they did to push America forward. From a historical standpoint.

It would be one thing to have a Mount Rushmore that's just Founding Fathers. It would be another thing to have a Mount Rushmore that includes other presidents, say, Jackson for, you know, the evil, he Wrath, but also, you know, his ability to, you know, centralize a bank so that, you know, the country could modernize in that sort of way.

You know, maybe have FDR instead of TR. Obviously that doesn't totally work with the timing of the creation of Mount Rushmore, but you know what I mean.

[Meg]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian]

There's a reason why Jefferson and T.R. on that mountain, and that's the same reason why 5, 1792 is on there. Without this, where do we go next? And where we go next is.

To probably, and I'm not going to say probably, definitely the best year for possums that has ever, ever existed. Now, by doing this, we are making a bit of a controversial choice here because we are skipping 1993, one of.

[Meg]

My favorite possums, too, of all time.

[Brian]

Likewise, we debated for a long, long time the entry of 8 16, 1993 from St. Louis. It's an outstanding version. The reason why it ultimately left the list is because we have to have 94. And spoiler, we have two 94s. 94 is the year of past, and it's also the year of Reba. It's also the year of Slave. Like, probably, it's a really great.

[Meg]

My first year.

[Brian]

It's your first year. Fall 94. I, like, nearly cried on this podcast a year ago talking about how much I loved the period of listening to fall 94, our top three tour of the year of all time.

And ultimately we found with 8, 16. 93 is. It is kind of that step up from 5, 17, 92, but not fully to where we would get in 94. So we had to make a very difficult choice here. And that difficult choice is because our number two version is 7.13.94 from Big Birch. Shout out to incredible perp who just referenced this. One of his all timers. He's one of my old timers too. That show is clinically insane. That's like one of the wildest and weirdest and most bizarre Fish shows ever. I'll never forget the first time that I. I heard that tape and I was like, you got to be kidding me. They're playing Cavern and Wilson inside of each other. Like, what is going on right now? That second set is mind blowing. And a lot of that set kicks off because Possum really loses the plot in the best way possible. This is kind of the Possum that could have, of all versions, just completely abandoned any sense of reality and just completely gone off the rails and never returned. The fact that it returns and the peak is so massive and the peak ultimately hints at where the band is going to go throughout the remainder of 94 and also highlights the power of Possum is really just like a massive reason why we knew we had to keep this on the list, but we had to put this on there.

The same night that this happened, the Dead was playing in Vermont while Fish burned down New Jersey. Yeah, it's. It's pretty amazing.

I love this version. I don't see how you can have a Possum list without this version. What are your thoughts on it?

[Meg]

A must have. It has this slight funk to use in the intro that is really different. And it's so playful and discordant right away. Like you can just feel them kind of stretching the boundaries in the intro. They're taking risks right away. And my notes just say, holy shit, this just fucking rips. Because that is what it does. It just absolutely rips. The peak too is really swirling and psychedelic. They're doing these weird vocals at the end of it. The crowd is going absolutely bananas. I just wish this was released archivaly. I don't understand why this has not been released.

[Brian]

Yeah, this is one of those shows. I mean, I feel like we could say this for much of 94. I mean, they've done a good job, 94 shows. But there are just so many 94 shows. The next one we're going to talk about absolutely needs to be released as well. This is one of those shows, like there's either got to be something wrong with the tape or they're a little bit freaked out by the response to what this would be. Because this is the Evil version of 617. This is the Evil version of 622. This is where they're taking that segue second set style and applying it to like this very maniacal jamming and kind of evil fish that will really start to bubble up in the fall and especially the following summer. I got to imagine the show freaked a lot of people out.

[Meg]

Yeah.

[Brian]

You're nearing the end of the. What's been, technically speaking, two tours. But they've been on the road since April promoting Hoist. They're going to be off for a couple of months as they prepare for a massive fall tour. 94 is the biggest touring year in the band's history and so like there's just so much pent up energy. They've gone all across the country and they've come back, they've done that big double swing that they did in 90, 91, 92, 93. Now here again in 94. It's gonna be the last time they do this in a spring setting where on the east coast go west and come back. And so you have people who are probably seeing fish for the first time. You've got people who are seeing fish for the 50th time, who are locals who've watched this band rise from Vermont. They've got this like, you know, big range here in the Northeast where anytime they play in these kind of northeastern little, you know, hubs, there's a sense of like their home. And you get that sense here where it's just like they feel so comfortable, they feel so much a part of the community. Their friends are in the audience, all this great stuff. And yeah, I, I love this version. I just double checked on the jamming charts. I gotta talk to my, my, my other bosses here. They've introduced this really great, highly recommended feature on oh yeah charts and this is not a highly recommended version. So we're gonna have to figure out what's going on here. The, the notes on this are a wild, chaotic and improvisational ride that you never really lose sight of. Song and play. The boys take this possum for a crazy and far ranging journey. Hysterical mic and fish vocals at the end to add fitting emphasis. That sounds pretty highly recommended to me, guys. I don't know, I don't know what's going on here. 7, 1394, Big Birch. My goodness.

[Meg]

Incredible. I mean, I think we need to talk to them about anything we put on Mount Rushmore really should be in consideration for. Highly recommended.

[Brian]

I just want to read this second set because it just blows me away every time I look at it on paper. This is one of those second sets. Like some people say, you can't judge a show on paper. I say you can't. But also you kind of can sometimes. Sometimes. Because sometimes it just. The look it just turns into. So we got Possum Cavern into Wilson into Cavern, NICU into Tweezer into Julius into Tweezer into big black furry creature from Mars into Tweezer into Mound faded into slavery, fitting into Susie Greenberg. Like, that is a. That is a 94 set. It's got everything all over it. Amazing stuff.

[Meg]

It really does. I just love, too, that they're doing this when you know a lot of people. This time we're going to see their first Fish show her having heard only their studio stuff, you know, and it's just interesting that they were taking such risks. I love that about them. But, yeah, I think that version had to be on there.

[Brian]

Had to, had to. We also have to take a quick break. For anyone listening to the show, for everyone watching, you're just going to see us hanging out here in silence for a second. And we will be back with Possums three and four of Mowershwarm.

All right.

Let'S transition here. Talk about our third and fourth possums. We've talked about 5, 1792 and 7. 1394. Give us our third possum for the Rushmore list.

[Meg]

Well, I have to admit something that I haven't admitted to you yet about this version live on air.

[Brian]

You're going to do this.

[Meg]

Yeah.

I had to be convinced about this version a little bit. And I know that's funny because I think it might be your favorite. I don't know, but. Or one of you think that you think is one of the best of all time. And I do, too, but. But.

It took me a minute to really appreciate it because it is from 1994 as well. I'll just tell you what it is right away. It's December 8, 1994, from San Diego, all the way on the other side of the country. And we all know what 94 was for fish. And here they are in San Diego in December of that year. They are weeks away from playing Madison Square Garden for the first time, headlining there. And this version, we don't have an archival released version of this, and I think that it's.

[Brian]

Nor do we have a highly recommended note on the jam chart either for this. What is going on here?

[Meg]

What is happening? This version is great because the tension in the intro to this version, I think, is the best tension of any possum. It is stressful in the best way. It just feels. It's, to me, kind of that quintessential, like, Possum Antelope feeling that Fish is really one of the only bands that does this really well, that makes you, like, want and crave that peak so badly. And then it gets really quiet and they have a silent Jam.

Amazing. And also weird. Like, it's just weird to stop playing music in the middle of a song and. And the experimentation in this version took me a minute to appreciate, but I think it's so playful and it's so definitive of what we want this song to be, I think. And I think it's a perfect example of incredible dynamics. It goes from being so tense to so quiet to so playful to so out there. It's got all of that. And I think it's. It's important that it's here. And I'm kind of shocked. It's not highly recommended. Not gonna lie.

[Brian]

I am, too. And your note about the Silent Jam is. I don't think you've thought about this yet, but that is an interesting critique for a future Rushmore debate that I anticipate us having in the next 10 days.

I found that to work really nicely in this Possum because something you noted at the top of the episode, there's so much about Possum that is about dynamics. And the dynamics, the dynamic range here of this Possum, you just hear it from, like, absolute insanity to. This band is, like, just locked in, continuing to, you know, churn out ideas, even if it's all in quiet. And it was something that they were playing around with a lot in, like, 94, 95. It's like, how quiet can we turn a rock song in 1990, like, in a live setting and still have, like, the entire audience engaged? I think the thing that really, like, makes this version is. Is there's kind of an extended intro here and a really, really massive, just, like, huge dissonant peak. And that dissonance mixed with the very straightforward chugal rock of, you know, what most possums are.

That tends to be something that, like, when I'm listening to these, I'm trying to figure out, like, what versions not only say everything about what this song is, but then also what else this song can be. You get that in this peak of Possum, it, like, if they would play a version like this in 2025, which I think we should all note that they are capable of doing, like, there's no reason why they would not play a possum like this today.

I think people would very quickly change their tune about what this song is and represents when it's played. This, to me, is that marriage between the tightest band on the planet and the most experimental band on the planet. This is not your 94 tweezers. This is not your 94 bowies. This is what that band can do when they're still trying to play within the confines of a song. Yeah, but push and experiment. This kind of leads back to, like, what I was saying earlier about that 51792 version. Kind of hints at where fish could have gone if they did not decide or did not stumble into or however it happened. You know, these wild, experimental type 2 type jams that would emerge over the next two years. This is kind of a throwback to that. But that band that has now started experimenting and played the Bomb Factory Tweezer and the Minneapolis Bowie and what will become, you know, a couple weeks later, the Providence Bowie, this is that band, you know, ultimately understanding what they can do with the rest of their catalog if they're not going to turn every song in a bow your Tweezer. How do we take what we're doing with songs like Bowie and Tweezer and apply them here while still retaining a rock band type of mindset?

[Meg]

Well, that's why I think this is such a peak year for this song. And I also think I really like what you said because it is really a marriage of that. I think this is when the precision and the skill peak with the experimentation. In a way, that is what makes 94 so special. I think after 95, you just started to get so much about.

Evolution. And I think in 94 it was obviously that. But they were also still trying to climb that mountain and be the best versions of themselves that they could be, in a way and play their stuff in a way that was interesting to them. And I think that that really comes through in this possum. It's 94. Possums are awesome. They're just so good.

[Brian]

Incredible. Perp says. I'd say the dynamic swing was most drastic in 94. Probably the last time there were playing venues that could accommodate that style of playing and not have it get lost in a Huge ven. That's a really, really good point. And that's something that, like, what we're going to hear three years from now when the band is playing, like, they're going to play a version of Possum. What is the. 28 years ago today, My God, in Philadelphia. It's going to be a fairly straightforward possum. And then it's going to. I think there might be a. Is there a can't turn you loose jam in there? My God, how am I. How am I blanking on this right now? We need.

[Meg]

I can't believe you don't remember this right now. It's unbelievable.

[Brian]

I'm, like, pretty pissed off at myself in the moment. I've got to just, like, be on the fly looking up. And of course, this version is not jam charted. So now I've got to, like, scroll through every single possum. But the version from 123 97.

It'S not even jam charted. So it fades into a funk jam because that funk jam comes after Possum. But, like, they're feeling that groove and that funk jam is like, what is going to connect the most in a arena setting where they're all connected on, like, one level. They're playing alongside of each other. They're a very democratic band in that sort of way. The dynamics that Trey is really controlling happens so well in these smaller venues, and it's something that. That we're just not going to see as we move forward.

Any last thoughts you have about the 12 8, 94 possum before we present our final version, which is probably going to be a controversial pick because it's also not highly recommended on the jam charts. I don't know what's going on here.

[Meg]

Yeah, no, I just. I think that to me, this version really shows the power of an exercise like this. And that is. If I had only listened to this on my own, I might have not listened as closely. So I really love that we get to do this and I'm encouraged to rethink some of my perspectives.

[Brian]

Well, that's the whole reason that you podcast is to rethink perspectives, find areas of agreement while also disagreeing and insulting each other live on air. That is the beauty of podcasts. If you too out there want to do that, you can do that. Just, you know, have to start your own podcast. It's an amazing thing, that Perspective shift. That's what we're here for. Speaking of perspective shifts, let's talk about aversion through from a show that we've Talked about quite a bit here in the last year or two.

[Meg]

I feel like it's a troll of me too in a way. Not like intentional, but I feel like I'm trolling my 18 year old self because I was at this show and I have no memory of this show and I feel like it just continues to mock me for not remembering it. We talked about this show as a lost gem with Rob Mitchum about how a really a show that stood out to him. If people haven't listened to that conversation, please go and listen to it. It was amazing to talk to Rob and his project and he picked the show as a show from 95 that surprised him. And I could just kill 18 year old me who didn't appreciate it and he wasn't present at this show enough to remember it.

[Brian]

It's, you know, it's amazing stuff. This is the 101195 possum. This is as if 8 8, 2015 was highly regarded as one of the greatest fish shows of one of the best fish tours. And I was just like I was there but I was riding a 12 hour drive from Maryland and I had a little bit too much of that joint that my buddy Kevin rolled for me and I coupled too many double IPAs and I was just running on little sleep. And the whole night is just kind of this hazy mess of Trey playing songs that I was like, can you play a different song right now? So maybe if that show came back in like 30 years and whoever you know is manning the ship here and was like, dude, 8, 8, 15, 8815.

[Meg]

8815.

[Brian]

I feel the same way. Damn it.

[Meg]

You'd be so mad. And I'm sure it was a very similar.

[Brian]

I don't think that's gonna happen though because yeah, just not, not that kind of show. But this show. 10, 11, 95 from Chandler, Arizona. First time I've ever heard of a town in Arizona being called Chandler. No idea where this is.

This is an outstanding version.

[Meg]

I just know I drove there from Tucson. Yeah, I don't know.

[Brian]

This comes with you. Don't love me teases Willie Cobb song popularized by the Allman Brothers. This is a version that comes in a show that. Part of the reason we keep talking about this show is that nobody talks about the show. And every single performance within the show is just mind blowing and weird and wacky and it feels like 94 fish. But in 1995 it feels like they're just let things kind of roll. And you get this in this massive 14 plus minute version of possum that opens set two before going into a really weird and bizarre mics or, excuse me, bathtub gin. And then a really bizarre Mike's. Mike's Magrup Wikipog into Llama, Susie Greenberg into Crossroads. Just like crazy, bizarre, weird set listing. It's like a tamer version of Big Birch.

This show to me. And this version specifically represents. We've now graduated from inserting teases and weird jams within the intro to expanding the peak and testing out dynamics to now we are full blown powerhouse 95 fish. But playing with that kind of frenetic, zany energy that you were getting in those first three versions. What are your thoughts on this version now that you've had a chance to listen to this show after having attended?

[Meg]

Yeah, I just can't believe I can't remember Trey playing Crossroads. Luckily I heard it again on 1229 97. But like that's really messed up. What's wrong with me? You know, this is great because the fall 95 up until this point was really, really safe and they were playing chess with the audience. And this kind of starts off this possum. And Trey thanks the crowd for making that chess move. And it was. I remember all the shows I saw before then that were very tame, but the way that this one just instantly experimental. Trey's playing really plucky. He has like a sharper tone. It sounds really different for a majority of the song. There's the Johnny B. Goode tease and just becomes really hard rocking and just builds up like you said, to this absolutely wild, careening peak that is one of the best Possum peaks ever. And this version stands out. It's just really, really excellent. And it's I think sort of fitting that we end the possum Mount Rushmore in 95 because.

[Brian]

There'S going to be some great versions after this. There definitely are. Brian Weinstein notes it in the chat here that 122997 is a fantastic version. That's a really, really great one. I'm just looking through the jam charts right now. Champagne 97 is a really solid one. Dayton has a really good version as well.

There are some others that we had on our larger list. I just want to shout out here.

[Meg]

Well, yeah, please do.

[Brian]

So my honorable mentions ends with 10.22.95. Beyond that, 7698 as a great version. 8, 1796, Clifford Ball is a great version. 7799 with Derek Trucks is very solid from a 3.0. 4.0 standpoint 8. 17, 10111 13, 9 3, 17, 12, 31, 23 the version to close out the game hen show. There's, like. There's some f fantastic versions here that I definitely recommend people listening to. But to your point, 95 is kind of where, like, something ends with Possum. The power in the peak is still there, but the mystery and the dynamics early on are kind of gone. And that aspect of what makes this song so special is something that will take something away from Possum going forward and will replace it with a little bit more of a standard fare. And this just kind of represents, like, the end of the road, no pun intended. The end of the road for Possum. Figuring out what it is.

Or like, not figuring it out, but more being a song that can be. That can. That can hang its hat on a. Like a show can hang its hat on itself. Like, yes, a Possum can be played in 1995 and be one of the best parts of a show. That's not going to happen past 1995.

[Meg]

No. And I think there's, like I mentioned before, just way less risk, way less experimentation and way less searching, particularly in the intro.

[Brian]

That's it.

[Meg]

And I think that is what, to me, I always loved about Possum was the intro was always so. The early versions, it was just. You never knew it was going to happen. And I think that loss of curiosity is. Makes it just feel like a song that maybe you could go to the bathroom in the beginning of and be back for the peak, you know, And I think that there's. It's fine. It's super fun still. And I think they still play tight enough to make it. They can still hit that peak, but the mystery is kind of lost for me there in a way that. That I'm just less interested, I guess, especially when it could be. That's what I wanted to ask you about. Like, you know, are there other songs like this that. Obviously there's lots of songs that used to jam. I mean, hello, Bowie. But this song kind of was so definitive to early Fish and provided such an important vehicle, I think, for their early stuff, that it's interesting that they don't feel that it's a place for experimentation anymore. But I do think that maybe that's because they have so many new songs and Trey's interested in pushing those, you know, in jams. Like, he wants to jam new songs usually, or songs that are just monster jam vehicles or. I don't know. I think it's just interesting that this song has totally changed, and I wonder if there are other songs like that.

[Brian]

I certainly went into this wanting to find that 3.0, 4.0 version that I was like, okay, we have to leave this on the list. But I think what you're saying is right. I mean, I think there's definitely a chance for it. Look at what's happened with you. Enjoy Myself in the last four years. That's a song that had just basically become, you know, we're closing out a special run or.

Like, three shows, and we'll throw down youn Enjoy Myself. And, you know. And then something happened in early 4.0 where they suddenly discovered, wait, we can add another jam on. And we don't necessarily have to do the vocal jam for seven minutes and, you know, have Trey dance around, like, keep your guitar on, do some. And then, like, figure a way back into the gym.

[Meg]

Go back into the funk jam.

[Brian]

Go back into the jam and see where it goes. Hello. 4 hours, 27 minutes and 25 seconds. What a sick version.

I think it's definitely possible. I think this is one of those things that maybe one of our hopes for what this series can do by default is getting Trey's ear of, like, hey, why don't you listen to these versions of this song again and see what. What happened once or twice. Once upon a time.

[Meg]

Remember, this thing is really cool, man.

[Brian]

That's. That's. That's definitely how you inspire artists to do more cool stuff. Yeah, no, I. I know what you mean, though, that, like, when Possum starts, I always love it because there's going to be the groove, there's going to be the jugal. My attempts at dancing work really nicely with Jugal. There's some shoulders in it. There's not a of lot of, like, movement that needs to happen.

But I know that that intro is going to then move into the song very quickly. We're going to go through the song, we're going to do that thing, and then we're going to move into the peak, and then it's going to be over, and it's going to be like eight minutes. And it's fun. It's really nice. But what we're talking about here with these versions, where they could stretch out elements of the song and see where it goes, that's definitely missing.

[Meg]

Yeah. Pour one out for late Possums, but, you know, still fun. It's just.

[Brian]

It'd be nice if we could do it again.

[Meg]

It would be nice if we could do it again. Let's go there. Let's. Let's get weird in the beginning. Let's just do it. Do some weird shit. Do some, you know, weird shit for Brian Brinkman. He likes that stuff.

[Brian]

I mean, you know, if we were hosting like the Sunday NFL Countdown of Fish, what would our, you know, a roundtable. What are you hoping for from Fish tonight? Do some weird shit.

[Meg]

That's it exactly. Especially in the beginning of Possum. It's made for it. So fun.

[Brian]

So our Possum Rushmore on the screen here for everyone. 5, 1792, 7, 1394, 12, 8, 94 and 10, 1195. Write into us, leave us a voicemail, tell us what we got right, what we got wrong here.

We would love to debate this going forward. We'd love to hear your favorite versions of Possum because we all ultimately want to know what versions move you, what we may have overlooked here. But these are, these are our, this is our Rushmore. We're going to chisel it into the stone. We're going to, you know, let out the whole world. See. 5, 1792, 7, 1394, 12, 8, 94, 10, 11, 95.

And we will be back next week. We are going to be talking next week about Slave to the Traffic Light. We will be doing our Slave to the Traffic Light, Mount Rushmore. We got a great late breaking question here though, from incredible perp. Is this the narrowest Rushmore spread I'm.

[Meg]

I bet it is.

[Brian]

I think the only other one.

The only other one that comes close I can see is hood, which is 12, 31, 93, 1023, 94, 11, 2, 9, 4 and 8, 1797.

If you listen back to that episode, you know, I had some issues with that because I thought we had to have a 2.0 version, but, you know, that's just not the way it works.

Is there any others here? I guess like technically speaking, Sigma, Oasis, Wave of Hope, because these are newer songs that we were covering.

[Meg]

But.

[Brian]

But yeah, I mean, part of this exercise was.

What are the strongest version of Possum? And once we got past 95, we were like, nope, can't do it.

[Meg]

Nope. Yeah, it will be interesting.

Even my, even my honorable mentions were all before 95.

[Brian]

So, yeah, my last honorable mention was 10, 22, 95. So, you know, know, it will be interesting to see what happens next week. Slave to the Traffic Light. Very classic fish song that one wonders, are they playing this classic fish song the way that they should be playing this classic fish song? Or are they just playing this classic fish song.

[Meg]

Jam it or shelve it.

[Brian]

That's what we're saying here. We'll be we'll be talking about that next week. We will see you at some point next week to talk slave. We hope you all are if you're in Colorado and it's snowy, I hope you're all staying warm elsewhere in the country. I hope you're all staying warm, happy, well fed after Thanksgiving and getting ready for the holidays here. We will look forward to seeing you guys here next week.

[Meg]

Thanks everyone.

[Brian]

Sam.

Osiris.

[Lawrence Lanahan]

This is Lawrence Lanahan, journalist, musician and host of Rearranged, an Osiris Media podcast about music arranging. Once a song is written, arrangers make musical decisions that shape how we end up hearing the song. We're not just talking about adding orchestral accompaniment like horns and strings, or doing a cover version of a song. Arrangement can be putting happy music over dark lyrics, using samples, recording all acoustic, even tiny decisions like putting an electronic loop into an acoustic song to draw your attention to an important turn of phrase.

It's all arranging. Rearranged Episodes are documentary essays where I use arrangements to answer some big questions like what is a song and what can a song become? And how can the sound of a song change the meaning you take from it? Listening this way has changed my relationship with music. Tune in to Rearranged and maybe it'll happen for you too. Learn [e-mail] com.

[Brian]

Osiris.