About his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, writer JRR Tolkein said: “the tale grew in the telling.” That phrase crossed my mind more than once while I spoke with Matt Campbell about the legendary "Ghost" played on May 22, 2000 from Radio City Music Hall.
Mini episodes are usually structured to last about 25 to 30 minutes, but as I spoke with Matt about Phish in 2000, this version of Ghost, and his love for the 2.0 era, it became clear that if I were to edit the conversation to 30-minutes, it would be a disservice to the conversation, to Matt, and to all of you.
Like some other guests on Attendance Bias, I got in touch with Matt through the Phish community on Twitter. I noticed that in conversations, responses, and cross-talk, Matt would always stand up for 2.0 Phish. It didn’t matter which song, which jam, or what the conversation was--he seemed to be the go-to guy for all things 2.0. He even compiled a collection of thoughts, media, and publications of all things from the 2003 February and summer tours. Obviously he had a lot to say.
Even with his love for 2.0, I was surprised but not shocked when Matt picked the Radio City "Ghost." A legendary jam at a busy time in the band’s career, there’s a lot to say about it.
So enjoy my conversation with Matt Campbell about the Radio City Ghost from 5/22/00 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.