B List: 10 Things @LawnMemo Learned From The Daily Ghost

Back on October 10th Phish fan Myke “LawnMemo” Menio started a project called The Daily Ghost in which he would listen to and the write about every version of Ghost Phish has played since its debut on June 13th, 1997. Recently, Menio completed his project after detailing all 112 Ghosts the quartet performed up until this past New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden.

Myke’s passion came through in each of his posts and we were impressed at how he methodically analyzed the Phish fan-favorite as he seemed to learn from each previous article. We asked LawnMemo to share some thoughts about what he learned, not only about the song but also from the process of listening to and writing about 112 Ghosts. He put together this list detailing 10 of those things.

1. Ghost is an incredible jam vehicle. The sheer amount of fantastic jams blew me away. There is a lot to take away from just about every version. When the song Ghost starts up during a show, chances are it is going to be memorable. My top 10 list has to be a top 12 because there are just too many outstanding versions.

2. The fun part about Ghost is how the jams go in very different directions. A lot of people like the Prague Ghost (7-6-98) because of the amazing peak. I prefer versions that go off the deep end, peak and feature creative jamming. Some people look for those Ghosts that take you on a journey to Pluto and back. The differences from one version to the next leaves something for everyone and creates varying opinions.

3. The drop in after the pause is typically as ugly as Charles Barkley’s Golf Swing. I hope that is a running joke to the band and they are just messing with us. If they are really trying, and they miss the mark that often, it is a sad Story of the Ghost.

4. Say what you want about the 2.0 era. For Ghost, it was incredible. If you can make it through the composed sections, some of the most memorable jams took place during this era.

5. My favorite review was 10/15/98 at the Fillmore. I had not heard that version prior to reviewing it. There was a very small crowd that night and there are some fun facts about that show. Ghost opened the show, and man…what a version it was!

6. Get out there and write!!! I might have some of the worst grammar on the planet. Nobody cared, they focused on the fact that I was creating something unique.

7. Have fun with it. The less I took myself seriously, the more people seemed to respond. Quite often my reviews involved topics such as what I was watching on TV, the most random thing I could think of, eating ice cream and Star Wars. Only three of those things had something to do with whichever Ghost I was reviewing.

8. Deciding to release reviews on a daily basis was the smartest thing I did. About two weeks into the project I was already looking to take a break. Holding myself to a strict deadline (one that sometimes was tough as hell to make) helped both myself and the team get this project done.

9. People Like Gifs. Also, when in doubt make a Kate Upton reference.

10. The internet community of Phish fans is an incredible group of people. I had so many people (more than I could have ever imagined) reach out to me. There was tremendous support from people who helped make this project so much better than I could have ever dreamed. I can’t believe the amount of people that reached out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed the project. Their support was humbling, it made me drive harder to complete the project while continually improving it throughout the process.