Gamehendge
Gamehendge is a fictional mythical land created by Trey Anastasio as the central setting for his senior thesis at Goddard College, titled The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, a rock opera composed in 1987 and completed in 1988.[1][2] The narrative revolves around Colonel Forbin, a man from Long Island who discovers a portal to Gamehendge while walking his dog, entering a lush realm of green forests and mountains inhabited by the peaceful Lizards, whose society is guided by the sacred Helping Friendly Book.[3] This book, symbolizing wisdom and unity, is stolen by the power-hungry tyrant Wilson, leading to the oppression of the Lizards and sparking a failed revolution involving characters like the prophet Icculus, the Famous Mockingbird, the revolutionary Tela, and Rutherford the Brave.[3] The saga forms the backbone of several Phish songs, including "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday," "Colonel Forbin's Ascent," "Famous Mockingbird," "The Lizards," and "Tela," which Anastasio originally recorded on a four-track for his thesis presentation.[1] These tracks, along with seven additional related songs such as "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemen" and "AC/DC Bag," have been staples in Phish's live repertoire since the band's formation in 1983, often performed sequentially to narrate the full story and immerse audiences in the Gamehendge universe.[3] Influenced by works like C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, the tale explores themes of power, corruption, revolution, and the loss of innocence, with Anastasio's thesis emphasizing the creative process behind weaving music and narrative.[3] Phish has delivered full Gamehendge performances—complete with Anastasio's narration—six times in their history, most notably on October 13, 1991, at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington, and July 8, 1994, at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts.[2] The saga saw a rare revival on December 31, 2023, during the band's 40th anniversary New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, marking the first complete rendition since 1994 and featuring elaborate staging with guest actors to bring the characters to life.[2] This enduring narrative has cemented Gamehendge as a cornerstone of Phish's mythology, beloved by fans for its whimsical yet profound storytelling and improvisational live interpretations.[2]Background and Creation
Origins
Trey Anastasio's early conceptual development of Gamehendge drew from his childhood experiences in Princeton, New Jersey, where he grew up in a household influenced by his mother's work as a children's book author.[4] A key inspiration was the rhombus-shaped sculpture New Piece by artist Tony Smith, located at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, which Anastasio and his high school friends, including Tom Marshall, frequented in the early 1980s to write songs.[5] This geometric structure symbolized a portal to an imaginative realm, embedding itself in Anastasio's budding interest in fantastical worlds and serving as an entry point motif in the Gamehendge narrative.[5] Anastasio's songwriting for Gamehendge elements began in earnest during his college years at the University of Vermont, with early performances incorporating narrative fragments. For instance, "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters," derived from a poem by his high school friend Tom Marshall, debuted on April 6, 1985, at Finbar's in Burlington, Vermont, where it was narrated rather than sung, foreshadowing the saga's storytelling style.[6][7] This piece, along with co-written tracks like "Wilson," formed initial building blocks rooted in collaborative creativity and personal bonds.[1] In early 1987, Anastasio deepened his collaboration with Marshall on the poem "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday," which provided the foundational narrative for the entire Gamehendge story, evolving from Marshall's earlier mailed story ideas into a cohesive fantasy framework.[8][7] Anastasio's fascination with fantasy narratives stemmed from personal experiences, including his exposure to musicals and communal storytelling during childhood, blending them with philosophical explorations of surrender to life's flow, the inevitability of evil, and contrasts between naive idealism and pragmatic reality.[1] These themes emerged organically from his reflective process, as documented in his compositional notebook, where imaginative escapism intertwined with introspective insights.[1] The Helping Friendly Book arose as a central artifact in these early ideas, representing a guiding philosophical text within the fantasy construct.[1]Development as Senior Thesis
Trey Anastasio enrolled at Goddard College in Vermont during the late 1980s and selected the Gamehendge concept as the basis for his multimedia senior thesis project, formally titled The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday. Completed in July 1988, the thesis combined musical composition, narration, and visual elements to present the full narrative, fulfilling requirements for his Bachelor of Arts degree.[1][9] The recording process took place in 1988 using a cassette tape format on a 4-track recorder, featuring the early Phish lineup including Anastasio on guitar and vocals, Page McConnell on keyboards and vocals, and Mike Gordon on bass. With a runtime of approximately 54 minutes, including spoken narrations between tracks, the production captured the suite's songs and story elements in a raw, demo-style format. Collaborators included Tom Marshall, who contributed key lyrics inspired by an initial poem that sparked the project's development, alongside the band members handling instrumentation and performances.[9][10] Anastasio chose not to pursue an official release of the thesis recording, resulting in its circulation primarily through fan bootlegs over the years. The first full live performance of the complete Gamehendge narrative occurred on March 12, 1988, at Nectar's in Burlington, Vermont, marking a pivotal transition from academic project to live band repertoire. Core songs such as "The Lizards" originated directly from this thesis effort.[11][12]The Narrative
Plot Summary
The narrative of Gamehendge, as detailed in Trey Anastasio's 1988 senior thesis "The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday," centers on Colonel Forbin, a retired colonel from Long Island who stumbles into the fantastical land through a mysterious rhombus-shaped door.[1] In this utopian realm, the indigenous Lizards had lived in harmony guided by the Helping Friendly Book, a sacred text authored by the prophet Icculus that emphasized peace, love, and unity with nature.[1] However, the tyrant Wilson invades, steals the book to consolidate power, enslaves the Lizards, and establishes his oppressive kingdom of Prussia, plunging Gamehendge into tyranny.[1] Upon arrival, Forbin encounters Rutherford the Brave, a Lizard rebel seeking to reclaim the book and liberate his people, and joins the revolutionary cause.[1] Together, they navigate perilous landscapes, including battles with the multi-headed Multibeasts, and Forbin falls in love with Tela, a fellow rebel who is later revealed as Wilson's spy and executed by Rutherford.[1] Devastated, Forbin ascends a treacherous mountain to consult Icculus, who dispatches the Famous Mockingbird to infiltrate Wilson's castle and retrieve the book.[1] Meanwhile, the revolutionaries, led by Errand Woolfe, plot an assault, enlisting the Sloth as an assassin.[1] The climax unfolds at Wilson's fortress, where the Mockingbird succeeds in stealing the book, but Woolfe betrays his allies, murders Wilson, and seizes the text to declare himself the new ruler, perpetuating the cycle of oppression.[1] Forbin, imprisoned and reflecting on the blurred lines of morality, watches events unfold as Icculus observes impassively from his mountaintop perch.[1] This original thesis ending underscores a cynical resolution without full restoration of peace.[1] The 2023 rendition at Madison Square Garden introduced further deviations, including a volcanic eruption beneath Icculus's mountain that engulfs the land in destruction following the book's retrieval.[13]Themes and Symbolism
The central theme of Gamehendge revolves around the Helping Friendly Book, a sacred text embodying ultimate knowledge and the secrets to eternal joy and harmony, which becomes a tool of corruption when seized by tyrannical figures like Wilson.[3] This book, authored by the prophet Icculus, contains all the wisdom necessary for the Lizards to live in peace with nature and each other, but its theft and misuse illustrate how pure enlightenment can transform into a weapon of control under greed and avarice, as articulated in the lyrics of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent": "All knowledge seeming innocent and pure / Becomes a deadly weapon in the hands of avarice and greed."[14] Wilson's declaration of himself as king and enslavement of the innocent populace underscores this corrupting influence, turning a source of communal utopia into the foundation of oppression.[3] Recurring motifs in Gamehendge emphasize rebellion against authoritarianism, the cyclical nature of tyranny, and the pursuit of enlightenment. The narrative depicts the Lizards' resistance against Wilson's regime through figures like Rutherford the Brave, symbolizing a collective struggle for liberation from dictatorial rule.[3] This rebellion highlights themes of freedom and the fight against betrayal, yet it also portrays the inevitability of historical cycles, as seen in the rise of a new oppressor, Errand Woolfe, who perpetuates enslavement after Wilson's fall, suggesting that power structures recur without true societal transformation.[3] The quest for enlightenment, guided by Icculus, serves as a counterpoint, representing a spiritual path to inner wisdom that transcends external tyranny and fosters personal growth.[3] Symbolic elements, such as the Lizards and Multibeasts, deepen these philosophical layers, reflecting Trey Anastasio's explorations of fate and free will. The Lizards function as guardians of ancient wisdom, embodying innocence, unity with nature, and the harmonious society disrupted by external forces, while the Multibeasts—chaotic, multi-toned creatures encountered on journeys—evoke the unpredictability and duality of existence, mirroring the tension between predestined paths and individual agency in Anastasio's worldview.[3] For instance, Colonel Forbin's arduous ascent of the mountain symbolizes life's rugged challenges and the deliberate choices required for enlightenment, balancing inevitable fate with the exercise of free will.[3] In later performances, particularly the full 2023 rendition at Madison Square Garden, Gamehendge evolved to emphasize themes of redemption and natural catastrophe as renewal. This production, envisioned by Anastasio as a theatrical musical, incorporated elaborate staging to fulfill his long-held ambition, reordering songs and adding elements like aerialists to highlight resolution and rebirth.[15] The inclusion of "Split Open and Melt" depicted a volcanic eruption leading to the Lizards' extinction, symbolizing destructive renewal and the redemptive potential of chaos to break cycles of oppression.[15]Characters and Locations
Main Characters
Colonel Forbin serves as the central protagonist of the Gamehendge narrative, depicted as an aging retired military man from a suburban town on Long Island.[3] While walking his dog, he discovers a door leading to the land of Gamehendge, where he becomes entangled in the conflict between the oppressed Lizards and their oppressors.[3] Forbin joins the revolutionaries, ascending the sacred mountain to consult the prophet Icculus, who dispatches the Famous Mockingbird to retrieve the stolen Helping Friendly Book from Wilson's tower in Prussia. Forbin witnesses the revolution's outcome, including the book's misuse, before being imprisoned by Errand Woolfe's new regime.[1] His character embodies themes of duty, compassion, and reluctant heroism, driving the story's redemptive arc.[3] Icculus is the revered prophet and author of the Helping Friendly Book, residing atop the sacred mountain in Gamehendge.[3] He provides divine guidance to Forbin during the revolution, summoning the Famous Mockingbird to retrieve the stolen book from Wilson's tower, and imparts a warning about the perils of knowledge in the hands of the greedy and power-hungry.[1] Wilson functions as the primary antagonist, an opportunistic outsider who infiltrates Gamehendge and seizes control through deception.[3] Initially gaining the trust of the peaceful Lizard inhabitants, he steals the sacred Helping Friendly Book, which contains the wisdom guiding their utopian society, and uses it to justify enslaving the Lizards, razing forests, and constructing a tyrannical castle.[3] Wilson's rule enforces strict conformity, suppressing the Lizards' natural harmony with nature, until he meets his end at the hands of a rampaging Sloth after hiding the book in his tower.[3] Portrayed as greedy and power-hungry, he represents the corrupting influence of authoritarianism and exploitation.[3] Tela emerges as a key ally to Forbin and a symbol of resistance within the revolutionary movement, though her loyalties remain ambiguously portrayed.[3] As a beautiful and enigmatic figure, she aids Forbin during his journey, providing guidance on the land's history and serving as his romantic interest amid the rebellion.[3] However, Tela is revealed to be a spy for Wilson, using Spotted Stripers as messengers to relay information, and is killed by Rutherford the Brave, underscoring themes of trust and betrayal in the revolution.[1] Rutherford the Brave acts as a steadfast leader among the revolutionaries, embodying loyalty and martial valor in the struggle against tyranny.[3] A knightly figure who encounters Forbin upon his arrival in Gamehendge, Rutherford recounts the kingdom's tragic fall from utopia to subjugation, rallying allies to restore the Helping Friendly Book's teachings.[3] He supports Forbin's quest directly, fighting alongside the rebels to challenge the regime's forces and safeguard the Lizards' freedom, including executing the traitor Tela upon discovering her espionage.[1] His character underscores the importance of courage and communal solidarity in resisting corruption.[3] Errand Woolfe initially appears as a prominent revolutionary but reveals himself as a treacherous usurper, perpetuating the cycle of despotism.[3] Positioned as a leader in the rebellion against Wilson, he receives the recovered Helping Friendly Book from Forbin yet twists its wisdom to his own ends, overthrowing the old order only to impose a new era of enslavement on the Lizards.[3] Woolfe's betrayal culminates in his consolidation of power, capturing symbolic elements of resistance and mirroring Wilson's authoritarian rise.[3] Through him, the story illustrates how ambition can corrupt even those fighting for justice.[3]Locations and Creatures
Gamehendge serves as the central fantastical land in the narrative, depicted as a lush realm encompassing vast green forests, rivers, and a prominent mountain that rises prominently from the landscape.[1] This mountainous region, located at the heart of Gamehendge, functions as a sacred site inhabited by the prophet Icculus, who is revered as the author or manifestation of the Helping Friendly Book, a compendium of wisdom guiding harmonious existence.[3] Prussia appears as a fortified city within Gamehendge, housing Wilson's imposing castle, which stands as the tyrannical seat of power where the Helping Friendly Book is concealed in a towering structure.[1] The rhombus represents a mysterious portal serving as the entry point to Gamehendge, often described as a dimensional gateway through which protagonists access the land from the outside world.[3] Among the non-human entities populating Gamehendge, the Lizards emerge as wise, nature-attuned guardians originally entrusted with preserving the Helping Friendly Book's teachings for peaceful living, though they face enslavement under tyrannical rule.[3] Multibeasts function as rideable hybrid creatures resembling enormous, shaggy horse-like beings with alternating blotches of color, utilized for transportation across the terrain much like mounts in a mythical world.[1] In the forests, chaotic dwellers include the Spotted Stripers, tiny three-legged animals confined in cages and employed as messengers to relay information covertly, and the Unit Monster, an octopus-like entity with tentacle appendages that protects allies and navigates perilous environments.[1] Symbolic guides such as the Famous Mockingbird, a swift avian that retrieves sacred artifacts from high towers on divine command, and the Sloth, a stealthy beast dispatched to enact retribution against oppressors, embody pivotal roles in restoring balance.[1] Quirky inhabitants like llamas, integral to the disrupted natural harmony of the land, and the AC/DC Bag, a mechanical execution device enforcing tyrannical order, highlight the realm's blend of whimsy and peril.Associated Songs
Core Album Tracks
The The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday cassette, submitted as Trey Anastasio's senior thesis in 1988, comprises 15 core tracks that interweave music and spoken narration to propel the Gamehendge narrative forward.[16] These tracks were recorded by Phish in a rudimentary home studio setup at Goddard College using a 4-track recorder, yielding a raw psychedelic rock sound infused with progressive rock elements such as shifting time signatures, layered guitars, and improvisational flourishes.[10] The narrations, penned and voiced by Anastasio, serve as essential bridges, reciting key plot advancements in a dramatic, storytelling style that transitions seamlessly into the accompanying songs.[3] The track listing, totaling approximately 50 minutes, alternates between spoken segments and musical pieces, each contributing to the saga of Colonel Forbin's quest in Gamehendge. Below is the complete listing with durations from the original cassette:| # | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narration | 3:56 |
| 2 | The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday | 1:45 |
| 3 | The Lizards | 5:50 |
| 4 | Narration | 3:06 |
| 5 | Tela | 6:16 |
| 6 | Narration | 0:44 |
| 7 | Wilson | 3:58 |
| 8 | AC/DC Bag | 3:41 |
| 9 | Narration | 1:26 |
| 10 | Colonel Forbin's Ascent | 1:23 |
| 11 | Fly Famous Mockingbird | 5:48 |
| 12 | Narration | 3:36 |
| 13 | The Sloth | 3:00 |
| 14 | Narration | 0:44 |
| 15 | Possum | 4:29 |