For nearly 40 years, most of you have probably known of Zenzile (if you have known of him at all) only as a guest at Phish's 2/3/86 and 4/1/86 shows - and even then might have regarded him as a random interloper, interjecting otherwise unusual politics into Phish shows, and may have wondered who he was and why he was there.

The former of those two shows was actually a benefit performed for the African National Congress, a critical component in challenging and eventually bringing down the apartheid regime in South Africa. It therefore featured Zenzile, not arbitrarily but topically and intentionally, reciting some of his revolutionary poetry during the encore of four songs. (Phish has performed only one of those four a second time, as far as we know, at the 4/1/86 show as backing for more recitations.)

This was by far the most political of Phish's known performances (moreso even than the 5/16/95 Voters for Choice show, and much more than other previous benefits such as those for NORML, OXFAM, and Farm Aid). Zenzile was also the most political of the more than 300 guests the band has had one stage. Yet, still, few Phish fans even know who he is, other than from the show notes on those two performances.

I'm therefore honored to have been exchanging emails with Zenzile over the past 18 months, learning about his (and Phish's) early days at Goddard College, his time before and after those shows, and his broader historical role.

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