Mike Gordon Breaks Down ‘Bathtub Gin’ Jam & Talks Flow State On ‘Science Friday’

Phish bassist Mike Gordon appeared on WNYC’s Science Friday. The musician was on the podcast to talk about research he’s helping to fund on flow state along with his research collaborator Dr. Greg Appelbaum.

Flow state is a difficult thing to describe but most people, especially artists and athletes, have likely experienced it. In sports it’s often referred to as being “in the zone.” The Science Friday conversation on flow state got underway with Mike discussing terminology, or lack thereof. He noted that Phish sometimes calls it “hooking up” but went on to describe it further.

“It’s inherently hard to talk about. It’s intangible… Someone might say, ‘during that jam I actually cried.’ Or I might say, ‘there were about five minutes where I forgot to swallow.'”

A particularly interesting portion of the interview came when Mike broke down a jam during “Bathtub Gin,” which he gives as an example of flow state. The bassist makes a very fascinating statement where he notes that there are things the band does musically, in an almost ritualistic sense, that transport them into a flow state.

“We’re playing notes and patterns not for the sake of playing notes and patterns. We’re playing notes and patterns for the sake of getting into a dream state.”

Dr. Applebaum also talked how flow state can be detected, noted that Mike has “robust brain activity” and more. It’s an intriguing interview. Listen below: