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Back on the Chain

Fundamentals, Jason

A podcast that explores the deep connections between Phish's lyrics and the creation of Bitcoin, based on the blog posts of Fundamentals

Fundamentals Blog Post
https://risk-fundamentals.ghost.io/phish-and-bitcoin-a-continuum-of-genius-network-effects-and-unintentional-foreshadowing/

Fundamentals
X: @Fundamentals21m
nostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g
Jason
nostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40w

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  • 22 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 40 min
  • English

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Episodes 22

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  • S1 · E31
    January 20 · 1 hr 33 min

    Programming Phish into the Bitcoin Conference with Craig

    Fundamentals X: @Fundamentals21m nostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g READ THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutions Jason nostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40w READ THE FCKING BOOK!!^^ Intro: Back on the Train - Phish 09/13/25 Birmingham, AL Alternate HD Video 04-18-24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cySKvPB62k Backing Track: Set 2+Encore, Phish - 07-21-91 Parksville, NY Phish - 1991-07-21 (Set 2, E, E2) - Arrowhead Ranch, Parksville, NY Outro: Mountains in the Mist, Phish 07-11-99 Camden, NJ Mountains In The Mist In this episode, we welcome Craig—Bitcoiner, Phish fan, and Deadhead—to jam on the surprisingly rich overlap between Phish culture and Bitcoin ethos. We swap Sphere stories (themes, sensory overload, and “cup is full” moments), revisit the legendary Hampton “21” show easter eggs, and dig into lyrical synchronicities from Golgi Apparatus to Fluffhead, Character Zero, and Cast Away > IT’s Ice as playful signals that map onto Bitcoin ideas. We also talk scene history (Arrowhead Ranch, tape-trading, Wetlands), parenting at shows, and the way Phish’s risk-taking mirrors open-source experimentation. Craig pulls back the curtain on outreach strategies for the Bitcoin Conference—floating how Tom Marshall, Chris Kuroda, and even historian Jesse Jarnow might fit—and we kick around meet-up ideas around the Sphere weekend aligned with the conference. From Zappa’s “central scrutinizer” to NGU memes and the Baker’s Dozen “glazed” lore, this is a joyride through subculture, serendipity, and the values that tie improvisational music to decentralized money. We close on Mountains in the Mist and the stories we tell ourselves—little strands of golden truth that keep us warm and carry us through the night. In this episode, I sit down with Craig—Bitcoiner, Phish fan, and Deadhead—to explore the curious overlaps between Phish culture and Bitcoin ethos. We swap Sphere stories, dissect themed shows and deeper setlist easter eggs (from Hampton’s “21” motifs to Baker’s Dozen “glaze”), and debate whether lyrical threads like Golgi Apparatus, Fluffhead, and Character Zero accidentally presaged elements of Bitcoin lore. We also get practical: how to (tastefully) reach Tom Marshall or Chris Kuroda to intersect with the Bitcoin Conference, the realities of Sphere ticketing and travel packages, and the power of scene cross-pollination that built the jam ecosystem. Along the way, we reminisce about tape trading, Arrowhead Ranch, ARU, and the jam-band network effects; consider Zappa’s Central Scrutinizer as a proto-meme lens; and chat bringing kids to shows, parenting tradeoffs, and why even a “bad” Phish show still beats most nights out. We close with a bullish vibe: setting a playful prediction market on whether Tom Marshall might join the conference orbit, brainstorming a Fish x Bitcoin meetup around the Sphere weekend, and reaffirming why these stories—woven like “little strands of golden truth”—keep us connected to the music, the tech, and each other.

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  • S1 · E30
    January 13 · 1 hr 43 min

    The White Episode with Asher

    Fundamentals X: @Fundamentals21m nostr: npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g READ THE BOOK: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutions Jason nostr: npub19l2muzvelq07kfx8glfqmpf8jdcj2xp733rhjfc05t2g2mt9krjqrae40w READ THE FCKING BOOK!!^^ Intro: Dire Wolf, Grateful Dead https://open.spotify.com/track/7rLRoUv0PMTcHz0lOfpnti Background Music: Phish 6/18/94 Set 2 https://youtu.be/UKnh5eTQplA&t=4392 Outro: Looks Like Rain, Grateful Dead https://open.spotify.com/track/0LvXJBEAkICLyX49mD0Aa8 Bonus Track: Dire Wolf (bluegrass cover), Molly Tuttle https://open.spotify.com/track/7JMZ6bCzD1nENedrV3njJi In this episode, we welcome our friend Asher for a wide‑ranging, heartfelt, and often hilarious conversation that weaves through Phish, the Grateful Dead, and the culture around jam bands—recorded the day after Bob Weir’s passing. We reminisce on Jerry vs. Bobby, Owsley, LSD lore, MK-Ultra whispers, and how “Heads” by Jesse Jarnow frames the psychedelic marketplace of ideas. We trade ghost-in-the-machine stories about Trey, Hendrix channelings, and the ineffable fractal nature of Phish—right down to New Year’s gags, Kubrick nods, and the perennial art of reading setlist tea leaves. We also dig into the thorny question of race and jam-band culture, why these scenes skew so white, and whether the vibe today still feels countercultural or captured. Along the way we rehash the 2019 “rescue” gag debate, recovery culture’s influence, and how information warfare has replaced the old culture wars—all while staying anchored in our love of the music that still levels us. We close with thoughts on how Phish might honor Bob Weir onstage—recalling past tributes after Jerry and Phil—and speculate on what songs could carry the moment. It’s a candid, spirited memorial to the roots of this scene, a defense of the magic that remains, and an invitation to keep the signal alive—even as the culture around it shifts beneath our feet.

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Showing 21–22 of 22 episodes