Seen and Not Seen

• Performances
• History
• Lyrics
• Artist
  • Phish
  • Fish
  • Mike
  • Page
  • Trey
  • All

Originally Performed By	Talking Heads
Original Album	Remain in Light (1980)
Appears On
Music/Lyrics	Talking Heads, Brian Eno
Vocals	Mike (lead), Page, Trey (backing)
Historian	Mark Toscano

History

No write-up could do justice to the incredible segue between “Houses in Motion” and this song at Phish’s 10/31/96 performance of Remain in Light. As each element of the former got stripped down to almost nothing, Mike surrendered his bass to Trey as a recliner and floor lamp were brought out on stage for him, from which he would deliver this most radio-unfriendly tune. The "almost nothing" then slowly became "almost something" as Fish played percussion, Karl Perazzo played drums, Trey played bass, and Mike played comfy chair. Comfy chair made Mike tell a story about a man and his face, and the whole audience held their faces in their hands, some in despair, some in glee. We all held our faces. Mike held his face. Listen to the story. Let it cradle your head in its arms like a comfy chair – a comfy chair telling a story through Mike’s face.

"Seen and Not Seen" – Phish, 10/31/96, Atlanta, GA

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