77. Jimmy, Poster Nutbag, and a Dog Named “Harpua”

“Omm pah pah, oom pah pah, oom pah pah, oom pah pahhhhhhhh-ahhhhhhhh…”

If you hear the band sing those a cappella lines, know you’re in for a rare and special treat. This is the opening to “Harpua,” a unique song to say the least. This song, which has never been recorded on a studio album, is a narrative journey, an improvised story about a boy named Jimmy and his cat, Poster Nutbag.

While Phish has played “Harpua” more than 80 times since its 1987 premiere, they’ve played it only six times in the Phish 3.0 era. As such, what was once a reliable staple at Phish shows has become a rare treat and highly sought-after performance.

With each “Harpua,” Trey Anastasio narrates a new and unique story about our friend Jimmy, which often includes references to current events, recent shows, or their locations, and sets up classic cover songs the band then performs, all of which is part and parcel of the “Harpua” experience.

Recently, at the Baker’s Dozen, Phish performed “Harpua” and, in a departure from the norm, read a scripted dialogue detailing how the universe is in fact a doughnut. In 2015, Phish delivered an epic encore at Dick’s in Colorado (September 6, 2015) that kicked off with “Tweezer Reprise” and segued into “Harpua” with a narrative about Jimmy in Colorado listening to his favorite records (cue “After Midnight”) and inhaling what he thought was oxygen (“NO2”) to help battle the altitude sickness of the Rockies.

Over the years, “Harpua” has led Phish to play a variety of cover songs, including “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath (October 31, 1994), “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers (December 30, 1997), and Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety (November 2, 1998).

As part of almost all “Harpua” narratives, Jimmy’s cat, Poster Nutbag, will meet his death. The subsequent “Harpua” dialogue onstage between Jimmy (Page McConnell) and his father (Mike Gordon) is pretty straightforward:

“Jimmy?”

“Yes, Dad?”

“Jimmy, I have bad news.”

“What is it, Dad?”

“It’s about your cat...Poster.”

“Poster Nutbag?”

“Your cat died!”

“Poster is dead” (2x)

“Poster’s so dead”

“How about a goldfish?”

“I don’t want a goldfish (3x), I want a dog.... A dog...”

Famous and infamous performances of “Harpua” include the 1996 Las Vegas “Harpua” (December 6, 1996) with help from members of Primus, a pair of yodeling cowgirls, and four Elvis impersonators, as well as Chicago’s 2013 “Harpua” (July 21, 2013) with members of local comedy troupe Second City.

Perhaps the most widely acclaimed, the “Pentagram Harupa,” took place at Madison Square Garden in 1997, during which Anastasio bantered about the TV show Lost in Space and took us all on a journey into darkness from which we were saved by Tom Marshall’s rendition of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.

This author’s favorite “Harpua” (July 29, 2003) took place in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, during which Jon Fishman delivered a heartwarming interpretation of Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”

At its core, “Harpua” is a love story between a young boy and his cat. It’s a jukebox plotline, and Phish has a pocket of quarters ready to play anything. It’s a bedtime story for all of us eager goddamn children, fawning over Uncle Anastasio.

Its performances are storied, its likelihood rare, and its potential limitless.

Dare I say “Harpua” is Phish at its most intimate?

Listen for that opening “Omm pah pah,” and know, when you hear it, that you’re now participating in an epic story, a story started in 1987, a story with a varied yet classic soundtrack, a story about a boy, his doomed cat, and a dog named “Harpua.”