Phish’s Surreal Attempt at a Music Video: “Down with Disease”
Phish, the iconic American jam band known for their improvisational concerts and loyal fanbase, has never been one to embrace mainstream commercial success in the traditional sense. Throughout their career, they’ve built their reputation on complex, spontaneous live shows, quirky humor, and a staunch resistance to the trappings of the commercial music industry. Their music, which blends rock, jazz, bluegrass, and funk, has always spoken to a niche audience—those who appreciate long-form jams and an escape from the rigid structures of popular music.
However, in the mid-1990s, Phish was at a pivotal point in their career. Their 1994 album Hoist had brought them a larger audience, and their fanbase was growing. For a brief moment, the band found themselves standing at the threshold of mainstream commercial success, and with that came pressures to engage in some of the traditional aspects of the music industry—such as making music videos.
One such moment came in 1994 when their label, Elektra, pushed for the creation of a music video for “Down with Disease,” a standout track from their Hoist album. Phish’s response to this request wasn’t one of eager enthusiasm, but rather a reluctant acceptance of an industry norm they had long resisted. The result was a music video that became a curious, surreal, and somewhat sad reflection of the band’s resistance to conforming to mainstream expectations.
The Context: Phish at a Crossroads
By 1996, Phish was riding a wave of success, but they were still very much a band defined by their live performances. Their albums were successful, but the true magic of Phish was experienced live, where their songs were often stretched into extended jams, and no two shows were alike. The band’s concerts had earned them a dedicated following known as “Phishheads,” and their popularity was driven by word of mouth, grassroots efforts, and the band’s ability to create spontaneous musical moments that couldn’t be replicated.
However, as Phish’s fanbase grew, so did the pressure to “cross over” to a broader audience. They had a more prominent spot in the rock music landscape, and Elektra, their record label, saw an opportunity to push the band into the mainstream. With that came the request for a music video, something that was a standard expectation for most bands with commercial ambitions at the time.
Phish, known for their irreverence and rejection of the traditional music industry, didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity. Instead, they approached the process with skepticism and ambivalence. This reluctance is evident in the final product—a music video for “Down with Disease” that is a far cry from the slick, polished productions typical of 90s rock music videos. Rather than creating a straightforward, narrative-driven video, the band produced something that was surreal, bizarre, and intentionally off-kilter.
The “Down with Disease” Music Video: A Surreal, Fish Tank Wonderland
The music video for “Down with Disease” features some of the most eccentric and surreal visuals of any Phish video, and it’s an exercise in the band’s refusal to conform to the conventions of the mainstream music industry. The video opens with the band’s members submerged in a large fish tank. The fish tank, which serves as one of the central motifs of the video, immediately sets the tone for what will unfold—an absurd and dreamlike world where the usual rules of reality don’t apply.
As the video progresses, the band is seen moving through a variety of disconnected, seemingly nonsensical scenarios, all within the confines of the fish tank. The visuals are a mix of abstract and surreal elements, with the band members dressed in peculiar outfits, engaging in strange behavior, and surrounded by bizarre props. There’s no clear narrative thread, and the video doesn’t even attempt to convey a coherent message. Rather, it plays with surrealism, offering disjointed scenes that reflect the band’s typical playful approach to their craft. It’s as if the band decided to subvert the very concept of the “music video” by intentionally creating something that felt more like a dream or a series of disconnected visual gags.
The fish tank itself becomes a metaphor for the band’s own relationship with the mainstream music industry: they are confined within a glass wall, separate from the outside world, and their movements within it seem to reflect both their discomfort with the commercial machinery of the music world and their lack of desire to fully participate in it. The bizarre imagery, paired with the band’s detached performances, creates an atmosphere of discomfort and awkwardness. It’s clear that the video was not made with the intention of impressing a large audience or making a commercial splash—it was made because the label asked for it, and Phish wasn’t about to pretend they were something they weren’t.
The Band’s Reluctance and the Absence of Effort
Phish’s approach to the “Down with Disease” video is rooted in their general discomfort with the commercial music industry. Throughout their career, the band has maintained a strong sense of independence, and their reluctance to make a traditional music video reflects their desire to maintain control over their artistic output. Rather than putting forth the effort to create a polished, commercially viable product, Phish chose to create a video that felt more like a joke or a commentary on the entire concept of music videos.
This reluctance is particularly evident in the video’s disjointed and abstract imagery. Instead of hiring a high-profile director or crafting a narrative that aligned with the song’s themes, Phish allowed their playful, eccentric nature to take center stage. The video’s randomness and surrealism are a direct reflection of the band’s ethos—there is no pretension, no attempt to create something marketable or conventional. The result is a video that feels like a playful rejection of the music industry’s expectations.
In interviews and statements from the band members, there is little indication that they were deeply invested in the creation of the video. The video was something they did because they had to, not because they saw it as an essential part of their artistic vision. In fact, they seemed to approach it with the same sense of irreverence they brought to everything else in their career—treating it as another oddity to add to their growing collection of unconventional endeavors.
The Reception: A Commercial Misfire
When the Down with Disease video was released, it was met with confusion by many and indifference by others. It was not a hit on MTV or the mainstream airwaves, as the label had likely hoped. The strange, surreal nature of the video made it difficult for it to resonate with a broad audience. Phish fans, however, found the video to be amusing in its eccentricity, aligning perfectly with the band’s unorthodox approach to music and performance. For fans who had grown accustomed to the band’s unpredictability, the video was another example of Phish’s irreverent, offbeat sense of humor.
While the video certainly didn’t achieve the same level of success or cultural relevance as music videos by other bands of the time, it became a curious artifact of Phish’s career. It wasn’t a hit, but it was remembered for its oddity and for how it so perfectly captured the band’s reluctance to play the commercial game. Rather than falling in line with the polished, well-scripted music videos of the 90s, Phish created something that felt like a deliberate misstep—a bizarre, surreal visual representation of the band’s ongoing battle to maintain control over their own image and creativity.
Legacy and Reflection: An Anti-Music Video Statement
In hindsight, the “Down with Disease” music video has become a significant part of Phish’s legacy, though not for the reasons Elektra had hoped. It stands as a statement of resistance to mainstream commercialization, an artistic misfire that reflects the band’s sense of humor, their discomfort with industry expectations, and their unique brand of irreverence. The video became an example of Phish’s larger philosophy: they were going to do things their way, even if it meant making a music video that was intentionally awkward, surreal, and noncommercial.
For Phish, the video ultimately didn’t matter. They were never a band that chased radio airplay or MTV rotation. They were always about the live show, the connection with their fans, and the freedom to create music on their own terms. The “Down with Disease” video, though it may have been an ill-fated attempt at commercial success, was never going to change who Phish was or how they approached their music. It was just another quirky moment in the band’s long history of doing things their own way.
Ultimately, the music video for “Down with Disease” has become something of a cult favorite, emblematic of Phish’s refusal to conform to industry norms. It’s a reminder of the band’s commitment to their own creative vision and an artifact of their unique place in music history—one that embraces the weird, the surreal, and the unconventional.
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