In a new interview with GQ prompted by the news that Phish had been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Trey Anastasio also spoke about his reaction to the Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show at Super Bowl LIX this past Sunday.
In the Q&A with GQ‘s Grayson Haver Currin, who previously profiled Phish during the band’s Mondegreen festival last summer, Anastasio discussed his thoughts on why it has taken so long for Phish to be taken seriously by the mainstream.
“We didn’t make it easy,” the Phish guitarist explained. “It’s not a very surface band. It’s been hard for the Grammys, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fames, and even magazines in the beginning to understand why people were so excited about this thing. There’s a lot in there, but we don’t lead with it. I don’t blame anybody. I fully understand and always have, so there’s no hard feelings. I am not making the Oasis statement that it’s bollocks or whatever. It’s really meaningful.”
He went on, “This is going to be weird. I am going to make this comparison without even a drop of quality comparison. But when I saw Kendrick [Lamar] the other night, I was losing my mind. I thought, ‘This is the deepest thing I’ve ever seen at a Super Bowl.’ I watched it three times, and I still couldn’t pick up on all the messages he was conveying. I just assumed everyone thought that, until I talked to [my manager] Patrick the next day. I don’t really look at the Internet, but he said, ‘A lot of people didn’t really like it.’ How could you not like that?
“It was a piece of art. But it wasn’t all on the surface. It wasn’t McHalfTime Show. You had to dig in a little bit, and anyone who did dig in was rewarded,” Trey continued. “I love things like that.” Read Live For Live Music‘s full review of the Super Bowl Halftime Show here.
The rest of the new GQ interview with Trey Anastasio also touches on how Trey is voting on the 2025 Rock Hall ballot, his affinity for newer Phish staple “What’s Going Through Your Mind”, aging gracefully as a songwriter, his recent obsession with MJ Lenderman‘s Manning Fireworks, and more. Read the full piece here.
Trey Anastasio is preparing to head out on a solo acoustic tour, then link back up with Phish for an eight-show West Coast run in April.