Are There Any Phish Videos?
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Well, that depends on what you mean. There was only one in the conventional "music video" sense, and it did air on MTV, though not much. Ther are also...
Esther - Movie - Video - Short - Shows
DWD on MTV: There is a video (directed by Mike, assisted by Ted Lymnan, his advisor at UVM) for "Down with Disease", which was shown approximately four times on MTV. A clip was featured in an episode of MTV's Beavis and Butthead which has aired various times. To request the video, fill out a simple form at MTV's Total Request.
Small Ball Stall: A 22-minute piece about the Clifford Ball aired on MTV, all that would be released from what had been rumored to be a 90-minute movie in production. Videos circulate (though not widely) of the second set of the second day, with lot footage accompanied by the show's "Maze" in the middle.
A Movie after All: Phish recorded a documentary movie, expected to be released sometime in 1999, that covers from the beginning of 1997, through two Europe tours, and ending with the Great Went. (There was a screening for distributors on 6/9/99).
Animated Esther: There is also a sorta-video made for "Esther", using a series of graphics slides by Scott Nybokken assembled by ___, who reportedly also did the 1997-98 NYE graphics. It was shown on a stage-back sheet 7-19-91 between sets, and has not been shown since, although a few (rare) copies have circulated on VHS.
Short to YEM: Not an official video, but of interest, is the short-film American Road, set to the music of You Enjoy Myself.
Circus of Light is a documentary, following the summer 1997 tour.
Video Verboten: photography is not allowed at Phish shows. "Stealth" (unauthorized, illegal) videotapers have filmed various Phish shows, and some of these are circulated among traders, but the quality is generally poor (particularly since video loses quality quickly each successive generation), and sale of such tapes is expressly forbidden (including by, for instance, the agreement printed on the back of each ticket.) As well, some televisions appearances (e.g. of 2-16-97) circulate on video tape.
Bad Bootleg... Boooo!: Though sold, videos of the Waterbury Ski and Raquet Club show from 4/29/90 are not officially sanctioned by the band. In fact, Dionysian has been in legal proceedings to prevent sales of the tape.
420 Request Live: There was a movement afoot to get the video for "Down with Disease" on MTV's show "Total Request Live" on 4/20/99; a return is expected for next year. Here's info from the ring leader:
Thanks also to Rob
"It took a lot of convincing, but Elektra finally came around to the idea that Phish is not a hit-single-and-MTV kind of band. We could stop putting out records and continue to grow."
-- Manager John Paluska, 7/30/95 New York Times"Live video is forbidden for a few reasons. First, the band and Elektra are the sole copyright holders of the band's performances, and neither wishes to allow video taping at shows. That has always been the policy as far as I know, with very few exceptions. Another reason has to do with commercial bootlegging, which seems to favor video over audio, kind of like the preference for CDR over cassettes. I would hazard a guess that video taping also would require a different level of access (i.e., good sight lines, lighting, etc.) than does audio taping. Can you imagine a huge throbbing section of video techies in front of the front row of each show? Providing live video on the Internet or elsewhere is discouraged because the taping is prohibited and illegal. We don't want to allow people to provide content that they aren't allowed to make. It's inconsistent. That's why we have had to take a stance against unauthorized video distributors online and elsewhere."
-- Kevin Shapiro, Phish Archivist, in The Phish Companion