The parallel popularity of a rock band and a politician

In the midst of the presidential primary and caucuses one cannot easily ignore the extravagant political fervor occuring across America. It's damn near impossible to turn on a radio, walk past a T.V., or scroll through a social media feed without experiencing a deluge of campaign promises, systemic disputes, and basically just a whole lot of finger pointing.

Now there are certain candidates (who must not be named) that engage in rather extreme rhetoric resulting in an onslaught of media coverage. Promoting hate, inciting violence, and, well, flagrant disregard for accuracy are among a few of the tactics.

That's one way to do it.  If I were making comparisons to popular musicians of today, this particular candidate may be commensurate with, say, Justin Bieber. You're never quite sure what will come out of his mouth-though you can bet it will be despicable; he is wildly popular-though you aren't exactly sure why; and he is obnoxiously ubiquitous-though I can't name a single goddamn song of his, newscasts are disrupted when he gets arrested.

Yes, that's one way to gain followers.

And then, there is the other side of the political spectrum.

Since the day he announced his bid for president, Bernie Sanders has been persistently undermined by essentially every mainstream media outlet.in the U.S. Despite thousands of supporters consistently overcrowding arenas and auditoriums across the nation to hear Sanders speak, and hundreds more congregating outside his rallies due to capacity limitations, large media outlets in our country don't seem to think this warrants equal coverage.

It's obvious that the energy and momentum are there, but for some reason the folks in charge don't want to acknowledge it because, clearly, this movement is a phase wrapped up in ideals that "will never work".  In the same political/musical comparison as above, Bernie Sanders far away parallels Phish.

Aside from the obvious congruency of hailing from Vermont, the grassroots popularity of the two is unassailable. One of the most prominent, and astounding, aspects of Sanders campaign is his refusal to accept support from super PAC and corporate money.  Now this would seem like a nail in the political coffin, a variance so far from the politics as usual model many assumed this approach would naturally leave his message fruitless. However, much to the contrary, nearly a year after his announcement his campaign has over one million individual contributors who continue to shatter political donation records. Nobody, I imagine even Bernie Sanders himself, thought he would make it this far, but he choose to blaze on down his own trail, unrestricted by the financial motivations of special interest groups.

Phish formed when members Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman were still in college. They were not suddenly thrust into the limelight with a number one hit. Alternatively, their climb to popularity was slow and methodical, spread mostly by word of mouth.  Now, I suppose the word popular is subjective because by music industry standards the band would be considered quite the contrary.  A flop, if you will. Of their robust catalog-calculated at somewhere near 900 songs-zero have topped the charts or even been incorporated into radio circulation.  Only one Phish album has ever appeared on the Billboard Top 10 (Billy Breaths, 1996). From the beginning, rather than seeking support from record labels or talent agencies, Phish choose the vastly unconventional route of-gasp!-giving their music away for free. Eager to share their art with the world, the guys encouraged people to record shows for free. Those early pioneering phans would make copies to give to friends, or hand out in the lot at shows. While most bands were pushing to sell records, Phish focused booking gigs, Because every show was unique, fans couldn't get enough,

Much to the surprise of music industry big wigs, this method worked. By the time the internet and file-sharing hit the scene, and people predicted the fall of the music industry, Phish was wholly unaffected and continued to be quite profitable. They began bundling digital downloads with tickets, and live-streaming shows from their website. While technology advancements made it harder for some bands to make a profit, it was only beneficial for Phish; They sold experiences, not albums.

At a Phish show, the excitement is palpable. It's almost as if everyone becomes one collective unit, literally being moved by the sound waves emanating from the stage. The band, in turn, is motivated by the energy of the crowd to push each song to the next level. Every show is an anomalous painting in which everyone present is the artist.

The same "we not I" mentality serves as the foundation of Bernie's campaign. We are all in this together. People are tired of listening to what the record label wants them to buy, and what will, ultimately, fill the pockets of those at the top. They want to be part of an all-inclusive movement, focused on collaboration and unity, not corruption and deceit. A place in which we are all sharin' in the groove.

Ultimately, when it comes down to showtime, who knows what tickets will be available. I don't know about you, but I'd MUCH rather be dancing at a Phish show with a group of jovial gyrators, than experience the torture that would be every minute of a Justin Bieber concert spent fighting off screaming tweens witnessing life through a smartphone screen just waiting for the perfect Instagram photo.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.