Happy Birthday Jon Fishman: Phish Radio’s ‘The Errant Path’ Playlist

Phish drummer Jon Fishman celebrates his 57th birthday today. Born on February 19, 1965 in Philadelphia, Fishman grew up in Syracuse, New York and began playing drums at an early age. Fish attended the University of Vermont and founded Phish there with guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon in 1983 with keyboardist Page McConnell rounding out the Vermont Quartet in 1985.

But along with being the backbone of Phish, Fishman is also a disc jockey. He began hosting his own radio show in 2017 and it made its debut as The Errant Path on SiriusXM’s Phish Radio in 2018. To celebrate Fish’s birthday, scroll down for a playlist of over 1,000 songs the drummer has spun on his show.

Whether he’s called Fish, Henrietta, Tubbs, Showboat Gertrude, Bob Weaver, Jon Sullen Melancholy or any of his other copious, hilarious and somehow apt monikers, Jon Fishman is the heart and soul of Phish. He is also one of the greatest drummers of all time. He possesses an impeccable internal rhythm that allows him to work other elements of the kit flawlessly — thunderous fills, sublime hi-hat play and a woodblock master — while still keeping the beat that holds the Vermont Quartet together. Then there’s the Electrolux. Fish is hands down the greatest vacuum player in the world, the “Yo Yo Ma of Vacuum Cleaners.” Does the muumuu even need to be mentioned?

But he doesn’t just wear dresses, play percussion and vacuums. Fish has written “Bye Bye Foot,” “Ha Ha Ha,” “Kung,” “Lengthwise,” “Party Time,” and “My Sweet One” among others. He also wrote the lyrics to “Gumbo” and co-wrote classics like “Dog-Faced Boy,” “Harpua,” “Tube” and more as per Phish.net.

Additionally, the drummer has presided over numerous choice and usually humorous covers including Prince’s “Purple Rain,” Neil Diamond’s “Craklin’ Rose,” The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” (dressed as the Pope during the Baker’s Dozen) and many, many more. Fish bits during shows were (and sometimes still are) often accompanied by elements of Argent’s “Hold Your Head Up.” Fish is also an admirer of original Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett and has performed a number of his tunes like “Bike,” “Terrapin” and most recently a big bust out of “Baby Lemonade” in the Ninth Cube on New Year’s Eve 2021.

Fish’s eclectic musical tastes and the antics they inspire are a cornerstone of the overall Phish aesthetic. But the drummer found another outlet for his encyclopedic musical mind when he began his Johnny B. Fishman radio show on Belfast, Maine (Fish lives in nearby Lincolnville) community radio station WBFY-LP in 2017. The show soon moved to SiriusXM’s Phish Radio and became The Errant Path.

Since the program’s debut on Phish Radio, Fish has hosted 68 Errant Path episodes with a special Mexico Vacation edition coming up for Phish’s Riviera Maya run next weekend. To celebrate the one and only Jon Fishman’s birthday, listen to a playlist of over 1,000 songs the drummer has spun through the show’s tenure. From Leonard Cohen to Van Halen, The Beach Boys to Dr. Dre, Brian Eno to Emmylou Harris and just about everything in between along with a healthy dose of Frank Zappa.

Stream Jon Fishman’s Errant Path playlist below: