Trey Anastasio Talks ‘The Story Of The Ghost’ On ‘Under The Scales’

The latest episode of Phish lyricist Tom Marshall’s Under The Scales podcast features a discussion about the Vermont quartet’s 1998 studio album The Story Of The Ghost. Marshall and co-host RJ Bee of the Helping Friendly Podcast recruited Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio to share his thoughts on the writing and recording of the LP.

RJ and Tom start the 39th episode of Under The Scales explaining that they would present a look back at The Story Of The Ghost as the 20th anniversary of the album approaches. Marshall discusses his songwriting process and gives background on the time period leading up to the recording of The Story Of The Ghost. Tom talks about the friend that inspired the title track and then the pair calls Trey and brings the guitarist into the conversation.

Trey begins by talking about what a special period the mid-’90s was both for him personally and for his career. Anastasio shares a number of incredible stories about the genesis of some of the songs on The Story Of The Ghost, how important group songwriting was in creating the album and recording at Bearsville Studio in the Woodstock area. The trio aims to discuss all 14 tracks on the LP, but often go off on interesting tangents including one in which Anastasio explains how excited he gets to hear what Phish drummer Jon Fishman will bring to his songs.

The final portion of the episode finds Anastasio talking about Phish’s historic 2017 Baker’s Dozen residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He discusses how he put the songlist together for the repeat-less run and how Page has reached another level in recent years. The guitarist also expresses excitement about the state of the Phish community and appreciation for what has formed around the band.

Listen to the latest episode of Under The Scales below: