Earlier today, we shared a little video of presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders thanking Jon Fishman for his support, where he labels Phish as “one of the greatest bands in the country.” Watch the clip here. Once outlets like Rolling Stone, VICE, Stereogum, The Hill, etc. picked it up, the news was out. Bernie Sanders now had an official stance on Phish.
For fans of the jam band, the news came as very little surprise. The band was born out of Burlington, VT, and Sanders is the Senator for that state. Bassist Mike Gordon once name-dropped Sanders in a 2000 Entertainment Weekly interview (he was asked “Bush or Gore?” – best answer ever?), and both Fishman and Gordon endorsed Sanders in an open letter that was signed by members of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, David Crosby and more.
Still, with election season in full swing, many found it appropriate to comment on Sanders’ recent endorsement of Phish. Here are some of our favorite reactions from around the web:
What the hell? Why’d you have to do this Bernie? We were still holding out a glimmer of hope after yesterday’s primaries. And you had to take it a step further by thanking the phishiest member of Phish, muumuu-clad drummer Jon Fishman. I guess all we can hope for now is Hillary vibing out to Disco Biscuits to save the Sanders campaign. SMH. – Noisey (VICE) [read it here]
Of course Bernie Sanders is a total Phish head. – Entertainment Weekly [read it here]
I wasn’t feeling it before but I may be starting to Feel the Bern. https://t.co/Bc6r0Tjmfh
— Julie Roginsky (@julieroginsky) March 2, 2016
Oh @BernieSanders, we all had such high hopes for you… and then you had to go and endorse @phish #GratefulDead5eva pic.twitter.com/Hm6uzx8t1I
— Orlando Jones (@TheOrlandoJones) March 3, 2016
Having been to roughly as many @phish shows as @BernieSanders rallies (30-40), I’d argue Trey smiles a shit-ton more https://t.co/s7YH0ItWJI
— Paul Heintz (@paulheintz) February 22, 2016
I’m starting to feel about Bernie Sanders the way I used to feel about Phish: a pretty good band, but I never fit in with their fans.
— Dan Higgins (@Dan_Higgins) February 12, 2016
There’s a Phish-Bernie Sanders subreddit called /r/PheelTheBern. So yeah I think we can all get behind hating that, right?
— and peggy (@bmichael) February 11, 2016
Support for @BernieSanders will dwindle when Phish fans realize that a few $27 donations could go towards Phish tickets.
— The Phunion™ (@thephunion) February 11, 2016
https://t.co/IRUVEvj9c2 wow bernie how could u do this to me
— matt (@backseatmatt) March 3, 2016
*Seriously considers changing vote to HIllary in the upcoming primary*https://t.co/BinBB18TjN
— Matt Haughey (@mathowie) March 3, 2016
Bernie Sanders talking up Phish really made me think I hit my head and woke up in a weed-filled dorm room in 2005.
— Betsy Eichel (@beichel) March 3, 2016
@gln @jessamyn “I’d like the raise the national minimum length of songs to 15 minutes!”
— Matt Haughey (@mathowie) March 3, 2016
Facebook comments:
“Just another item to add to the pile of things Bernie is wrong about. Phish is a band of talented musicians that play fucking awful music.”
“Bernie = Colonel Forbin
Trump = Wilson
Gamehendge 2016″
“Phish and Bernie know whats up. They were able to see first hand how Bernie ran Burlington. And Phish is amazing”
“I took my friend to a phish concert once. He was supposed to be leaving for California with a friend that night (his friend declined, because he had work the next day….dumbass.) Anywho, it was sold out. No regrets. There was more shit going on in the parking lot than the arena. The smell of B.O., and pachouli. A cult giving away pamphlets with the purchase of a burrito, booze everywhere. And the shakedown afterwards was fantastic. Like a makeshift black market. Phish concerts are great. Just not Phish.”
“Phish comes in right behind Limp Bizkit at number 83,737,289 of U.S.’s greatest bands”
“That’s really embarrassing. Bernie has a tough enough time distancing himself from those types of people. Why encourage it? Phish is arguably one of the worst bands of this millennium.”
“wait. y’all realize PH is from Vermont, right? so Bernie is getting home turf support from a band that can sell out MSG (Madison Square Garden for you dumb-dumbs) in less than a minute. so cut the, “he can’t be right about everything” bullshit and realize that there is a whollllllllle lot of hippies & yuppies that will help get him elected due to this comment.”
“Clifford Ball, SuperBall, MagnaBall….Inaugural Ball!”
“The Grateful Dead wannabe band? That one?”
“Ugh. I’ll overlook this and continue to love Bernie.”
“This guy lives in the 60’s…his wife looks like she fell out of a ZAP comic book…!”
“code for “Hell yeah I inhaled.””
“Sorry but Phish isn’t even the best band in the ocean.”
“C’mon he already had those votes locked down a loooong time ago”
“Ugh. Well, I’m not going to hold the man’s horrible taste in music against him.”
“He can’t be right on literally everything you know?”
“Please don’t make me hate you, Bernie.”
“Gotta love a candidate that has positive views on rock & roll jam bands and marijuana! Thanks for trying, Bernie!”
“As if I needed anymore reasons to vote for him, he lays this on the table. Bernie, you’re a good man, sir.”
“Ahhhhhh!!!! OMG!!! I have been saying since #Feelthebern has been stumping the Media trying to block his very move THAT…. Bernie Sanders is like PHISH, he gets no airplay but can sell out Madison Square Garden four days in a row including NEW YEARS EVE.!!!!!!”
“Love Bernie, but Phish still kind of blows. “David Bowie…….UB40″ give me a freakin break.”
“Phish suck so much ass it’s impossible to fathom .Little commie brainwashed dip shits go see those horrible shows.”
“An asteroid crashed and nothing berned…”
“Whitest band on the planet next and Dave Matthews is next. Screw that garbage.”
“I’m starting to like ya alot more Bernie !!”
“Well, it happened. The man finally said something I disagree with.”
“Phish is one of the great bands? Yeah fuckin right… Make Music Great Again…”
“He’s so Typical Hippie. I’m fine with The Weed Bernie, but Phish was for 90s college kids who got sick of the aging Grateful Dead and hadn’t listened to Rubber Soul & Revolver yet.”
“That should tip the scales. My God, who’s next, The Dixie Chicks?”
“Make america chill again”
“This is the single most liberal thing i’ve heard from this man. Phish sucks. God help America.”
“This has to be one of the greatest scandals of the 2016 campaign season and all the more reason to simply cancel the election and hand the presidency to Donald Trump! Keep the Phish in the Republic of Vermont and as far away fro m the Oval Office as possible Socialist Sanders would appoint these freaks to his cabinet and America as we knew her would be officially dead… (Sorry to be so dramatic, but come on this is the Phish we’re talking about!!!!)”