While thoroughly enjoying the full video of Trey Anastasio’s acoustic show in Portsmouth, NH, which to me proved to be an unprecedented and intimate look into the mind of the guitarist, I couldn’t help but lock on to one of the stories Anastasio told about being a doomsday prepper. 

“Any doomsday preppers out there other than me,” Anastasio asked a couple of songs into his set, which drew the type of laughter you’d expect if you ever asked someone if they were a doomsday prepper. “No, I’m serious. I’m a doomsday prepper. My closet is full of stuff.” 

Maybe……he is serious?

He continued, “I got into a big doomsday prep-off not too long ago with Fish’s wife who is an amazing doomsday prepper. And I gotta say–she wins.” He mentions them going back and forth about the LifeStraw, which is a water purifier, and “survival tablets.” 

Now I’m concerned and unfortunately, it didn’t end there. 

“Recently I got these Israeli military grade gas masks because I have an apartment in the city and I might need a gas mask.” 

More laughs from the crowd: “I’m serious.”

This apparently very serious moment begs the question: Does Anastasio really spend his non-musical time prepping for the end of days? I found this exchange with the audience, who widely accepted it as a comedy bit, rather fascinating. Doomsday prepping has been around for a while now as the impending fear of the fall of civilization grows–and it doesn’t extend to just your crazy uncle in West Virginia. 

The New Yorker recently profiled doomsday prepping amongst the super wealthy, including the CEO of Reddit, that details the private Facebook groups where wealthy survivalists swap tips and otherwise prepare themselves for the downfall of life as we know it.

Steve Huffman, Reddit CEO, cites the 1998 film Deep Impact as one of his early inspirations for doomsday prepping. “Everybody’s trying to get out, and they’re stuck in traffic. That scene happened to be filmed near my high school. Every time I drove through that stretch of road, I would think, I need to own a motorcycle because everybody else is screwed.”

Either way, at least the zombie apocalypse will have a fantastic lead guitar player. Watch below in a video shot by Josiah Babcock–the doomsday shenanigans kicks in around the 15-minute mark.