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Phish Bassist Hooked
« on: Aug 20th, 2003, 9:15pm » |
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Phish Bassist Hooked
by Josh Grossberg
Aug 20, 2003, 10:15 AM PT
This isn't the kind of jam Phish's Mike Gordon is used to.
The quirky bassist was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child endangerment and trespassing on Saturday after being found with a nine-year-old girl in a restricted area during a concert by the Dead at Jones Beach in New York.
Gordon, 38, was a backstage guest of the Dead's (né the Grateful Dead) along with some members of the Hell's Angels. The bassist was documenting the show with his camera when he met the daughter of one of the Angels and asked if he could take some "art photos" of her, according to police.
Only problem: The musician didn't bother to get her parents' permission.
When her mom and dad couldn't find her, they alerted security, who discovered Gordon and the child fully clothed in a boathouse behind the amphitheater, a dimly lit area accessed only by state employees.
Authorities said the child, whose identity is being withheld because of her age, was uninjured and was immediately reunited with her mother.
According to local station WNBC-TV, some biker buddies of the girl's father dispensed their own brand of justice, roughing up the musician before cops arrived. Gordon was not seriously injured, however.
The station also said Gordon initially told cops, "I may have shown bad judgment, but I am not a pedophile."
Major Richard K. O'Donnell of the New York State Park Police did not reveal any details of the police report, nor could he confirm the altercation. However, he did note that the bass player has never been convicted of any crime.
While the girl's parents opted not to press charges, police still slapped Gordon with one count of child endangerment, a charge that could land him up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
An insider with the band said nothing phishy was found in the pics taken by Gordon. A joint statement released by Phish's label, Elektra Records, and the girl's parents said the incident was much ado about nothing.
"We have had several discussions regarding the situation," the statement says. "It is now clear to all involved that this was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us."
Andy Hurwitz, president of Ropeadope Records who is releasing Gordon's solo album, Inside In, on Tuesday, seconded that.
"If you knew Mike at all, you'd know he doesn't live on planet Earth," Hurwitz told the New York Post. "He's been making movies since he was a kid, and he's always taking photographs. He's an artist. This whole thing's a misunderstanding."
In a conference call, the band's manager says Gordon is trying to "make amends" with the girl's family, and the girl's father said, "Muckraking journalists should put the story to rest."
Nonetheless, "Cactus," as Gordon's known by fans and bandmates, is now stuck with a summons from the New York State Park Police and is scheduled to appear in court on September 29 to address the charges.
Phish, meanwhile, concluded its first summer tour since returning from a self-imposed hiatus with the hugely successful weekend-long "It" festival, which drew 60,000 Phishheads to Northern Maine earlier this month. The quartet is expected to tour again in the fall, though dates haven't been announced.
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