This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! What is the secret language? What are "the signals"? See also: Phish's signals flyer and Darius' signals flyers The Phish language is a way of communicating between band and audience that goes beyond what any other act would even try! :) The first language show is 3.6.92 at Portsmouth, NH (featured in one of the official This Month in Phish History's, completed with soundclips). Trey introduces the main four signals (scream Doh! like Homer Simpson, fall down on the floor (or at least crouch; last done 8-13-96), sing a random note, turn around and face the back of the room, and scream "ow, fuck!" like your fingers been cut off) and says there will be more. He also says that the signals can come from Page or Mike, so that they should listen up. (Has anyone heard Page or Mike do one?) Fishman is reportedly not allowed to signal the secret language because he talks too much already. Trey noted at 3.28.92 that it was the first time the language was done "in the south". Where it appears: You may hear the language in "Possum", "Wilson", "Antelope", "Maze", or "David Bowie". Initial Signal: Dan Purcell points out (7/15/97) that "the pre-92 Secret Langauge signal is NOT the high trill, but a quote of the intro phrase of the Vapors' "Turning Japanese"? That is, dunna-na-na-na-na-NUNT-na-na? Trey's always the one who quotes it, and in the fall 91 shows, the language is almost always done on the fly, in the jam segments of Bowie, Possum, or Antelope. The Simpsons ... and Oom Pa Pa signals are the most common, but there are Random Note and Laughing signals as well. Live Explanations: The language was explained live at 3/6/92, 3/12/92, 3/13/92 (the "finger scrape" was added), 3/14/92, 3/20/92, 4/22/92, 4/29/92, 5/14/92 (one of the most complete and entertaining), 12/29/94, and 12/31/94. Origin and Forms: The "language" grew out of a system of signals among band members to covertly say such helpful things as "stop playing this song" or "look at that person" or "this is what we'll play next" or... Trey says there were about 20 of them. If you listen to old tapes, you may be able to pick up on some common riffs, themes, and teases. It isn't certain which, if any, were/are actually intra-band signals, but some possibilities include: the "Popeye" theme the "Linus and Lucy Theme" (from The Peanuts, eg during 4-18-92 "Harry Hood") the Woody Woodpecker theme the Spiderman theme (e.g. 5-13-94 Mike's Song) "Me and My Shadow" (aka the "Asshole in Front" signal) the Star Wars theme (e.g. during 8-2-96 "Antelope" David Taus 3/17/98; and during the 11-26-94 "Slave" which is on A Live One from 2:26-2:34 and 9:40 - end Ahmad Raza) the theme to "All in the Family" (during "Divided Sky", "Antelope", and "Mike's Groove" on 11-19-92) the theme to Mission Impossible (during the 10-23-94 YEM and the 6/17/94 Mike's Groove) the James Bond 007 theme (5-13-94 YEM; 11/19/95 Mike's Song) The Rolling Stones' "Time Waits For No One" (e.g. teased by Trey a few minutes into the 11/21/97 Ghost) Russ Barnett "The Street Beater" by Quincy Jones (aka "Theme to Sanford and Son") The "oh and he was a wonderful whiz if ever a whiz there was" line (on guitar) from "Yellow Brick Road" in The Wizards of Oz, e.g. in YEM on 3-25-92. various repeated teases (esp. "Spookey"; and "Foxy Lady" eg between "2001" and "Character Zero" at 11-26-97) and spirals one that ends in "Awwwwwwwwwww, Fuck!" (e.g. 4/21/92 I in Possum). six notes really fast, to which the band responds by bursting out in laughter (e.g. during Possum at 4/16/92) reported by Tim Kelly 10/23/98 More: Rich Fromm posted (5/16/93) that "the reason that only a small subset of the signals were announced is that most of them are cues for the band, not for the audience; just listen to tapes carefully and you'll be able to pick some out; a few that i can think of offhand...there's one where they all go into an oom-pah-pah waltz beat for a few measures...there's one where the music just kind of collapses in a downward spiral and sort of falls apart...i think there's one where the music goes to half-time (or is it double time?)...and there's one where they all laugh...these are kind of hard to explain over the net...."[ed: elipses in original] Now, a shorter list is used to communicate to the audience and bring surprise to the faces of newcomers. Trey clarified on 3-12-92 (?) that Page or Mike could be speaking the language too. None will be understood until you see them, but to remind those who are familiar, there are: All Fall Down (four descending notes; everyone falls to floor until Fishman's ta-tat), Simpsons ("DOH!", in reponse to the simpsons's intro riff), Turn Around ("to every thing turn turn turn" played softly; all face rear of venue and cheer as if the band was there!), and Random Note (sing "ahhhhh" at any pitch, level, etc; signal obscure.. listen to a tape for it). The Audience Talks Back: To note, a few attempts have been made by audience members to mimic this conducting of en masse fun and goofiness. Everybody's into the act: On 5/16/99, "at the Mayo Island Music Festival, The Roots played. At the end of their set, each member of the band did solos. When the bassist was doing his solo, he did the Simpsons secret language, and the whole band did the DOH!!!" <"mixmy1200s" 5/17/99> Thanks also to Egan Ta., S.Gelb., L.Taylor (1/14/98), Dan Shupack 11/18/97, Rob "rih5" 11/15/97, Jason Link, Ryan Sullivan, Terry Greenberg, and Ryan Mann 12/6/98. Phish's signals flyer Also, at 12-31-92 (broadcast and rebroadcast on Boston's WBCN 104.1 FM) a flyer was distributed upon entrance with the following intro and additional signals (with some typo corrections) "...we've been blessed with the opportunity to play with people's minds. We've come up with a bunch of new `language' signals designed to confuse and confound the average radio listener. These signals will be written on signs and held up by Trey at various times throughout the night. This list explains each signal: #1) MASS HYSTERIA If Trey holds up a sign that says "Mass Hysteria" it means you should scream hysterically. Imagine turning on your radio and hearing six thousand people screaming in terror... sort of a War of the Worlds thing. #2) FOOT STOMP Instead of cheering or clapping, you would stomp your feet. (Again... imagein this times six thousand) #3) YAY/BOO When trey holds up this sign and then points up you would "yay" and when he points down you would "boo". Alternating quickly between these two would be pretty surreal. #4) EGGPLANT This would mean that Trey would raise his arm and when he drops it, you would scream "Eggplant!" #5) ONE CLAP When Trey holds up this sign, do nothing until he first raises his arm, then drops it, at which point you would clap _once_ loudly. That way we can do something like introduce Paul and the whole crowd will clap once in unison. (Very strange to the listener.) #6) LIP-FLOP You would flop your lips with your finger while humming (x 6000 people.) #7) SNAP Everyone would snap their fingers to no particular rhythm... sort of a white noist snapping thing. #8) WHISTLE This means whistle a random note. That's it.. we dont know if or when we'll use these, but its good to be armed with some ammunition. Also, thanks for a great year and we're glad you can be here to start off a new one. Trey, Mike, Page, and Tubbs P.S. There are several trash cans in the lobby labeled "RECYCLE" on them; please seek them out and place these papers in there when the show is over." Well.. they tried, but Lemuria's paper survived! Of course, I won't tell which signals they did; you'll have to seek out the tapes and listen for them! :-) But, keep a sharp ear during Harpua, Col. Forbin, and I Didn't Know. Sign Language: Perhaps the opposite of the language signs, there have occasionally been sign language intrepreters on stage or nearby. For instance, at 7-22-97 there was a sign language interpreter on the stadium television during Simple. Jeff (10/26/97) posted that, "At the end of the song during 'skyballs and saxscrapers' the interpreter just sat there with a dumb look on his face." "At a time when it seems that almost every experience can be canned, published or downloaded, Phish and its fans are deep in an oral, immediate culture of their own devising."" -- Robert Everett-Green, Toronto Review, 7/22/99" A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing - Alan Perlis This page last updated June 01, 2009. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.