The
secret language is a
Phish language and way of communicating between band and audience that goes beyond what any other act would even try!
:) The first language show was 3.6.92 at
Portsmouth,
NH .
Trey introduces the main four signals (scream
Doh! like
Homer Simpson, fall down on the floor (or at least crouch; sing a random note, turn around and face the back of the room, and scream "ow,
fuck!" like your fingers been cut off).
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.
Where appears: You may hear the language in "Possum", "Wilson", "Antelope", "Maze", or "David Bowie".
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"
; and during the 11-26-94 "
Slave" which is on
A Live One
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)
"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)
#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.
thanx to
Phish.Net for
the skinny.