Some of the following quotes are from the new Vanity Fair story in which newly announced presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke and his wife, Amy, discuss their experiences in past campaigns. Some of them are from various interviews with Phish guitarist and singer Trey Anastasio. With apologies to the Cut, can you guess which are which?
1. Every seat was taken, every wall, every space in the room was filled with probably a thousand people. You could feel the floor moving, almost. It was not totally clear that Beto was what everybody was looking for, but just like that people were so ready for something. So that was totally shocking. I mean, like, took-my-breath-away shocking.
2. There is definitely an energy, definitely a sound at the Garden. It actually vibrates. The whole room goes up and down—so much so that the mic will swing back and forth and bump you in the nose. When people start dancing, the mic stand will sway.
3. I watch people when they’re dancing. And I feel what I feel in my heart. And it’s bigger than one person. It’s bigger than us.
4. I don’t ever prepare a speech. I don’t write out what I’m going to say. I remember driving to that, I was, like, “What do I say? Maybe I’ll just introduce myself. I’ll take questions.” I got in there, and I don’t know if it’s a speech or not, but it felt amazing. Because every word was pulled out of me. Like, by some greater force, which was just the people there. Everything that I said, I was, like, watching myself, being like, ”How am I saying this stuff? Where is this coming from?”
5. I try to remember how insignificant my experience is … I try to get away from the idea that it’s even starting from us. When I actually get into a moment where I’m only listening, I find that the music gets so much beyond us. And I can tell that from the reaction I hear from the audience. It always feels more resonant if I can get my hands off it. … It’s great as long as you listen to anybody but yourself. Anything but yourself.
Ah, well, some of the context clues and proper nouns there kind of give it away, but you get my point: This is going to be a vibe-y campaign. On that note (ha-ha!), O’Rourke apparently ended his inaugural official campaign appearance in Keokuk, Iowa, on Thursday by telling the crowd, “I will remember this forever. Each of your faces and what you were wearing.” Perhaps he saw the recent interview with Sirius XM’s Jam On program in which Anastasio spoke about finding “unity with that person in the back row” during performances? Heady Nuggets 2020!
