Pheaturing Ricky Raymi From The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Hello, welcome to another entry of the Phile, where we're celebrating The Most Phantastic Summer Ever! The Phile is a proud sponsor of...

Check it out at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/coolwaters-live. So, who's reading this on the new iPhone 4? So, Rush Limbaugh was married this past weekend. Sorry ladies, he’s off the market. This was his fourth marriage. He blames the first three breakups on Obama. Elton John sang at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding. According to Rush, gay people can sing at other peoples’ weddings, just not at their own. Did you hear, with e-mail and text messaging, we’ve become a paperless society? Except maybe in Arizona. President Obama pitched his healthcare bill to a group of seniors. According to a poll, half of the seniors thought the president was convincing, 30 percent thought he was unconvincing, and the rest thought he was Will Smith. The finale of “Glee” was on the other night. The Fox network is the home of “Glee,” while Fox News is the home of people who don’t like people who watch “Glee.” I would make jokes about the oil spill, but cannot think of any. If the oil reaches Clearwater though, the town would have to change its name. The spill has lasted longer, cost more, and destroyed more wildlife than Sarah Palin. I cannot believe there's actual inspirational posters about the spill. Check it out.

I think the new ad for bp is kinda weird as well. Have you seen it?

I would like to tell you the detailed plot of this movie but I've forgotten what it is. I remember that Jake is adopted by a king and the king's brother is bad and Jake and his boys invade a sovereign land under false pretenses but they didn't know it was all lies so you can't blame them for doing it. Then there's a sassy princess who loves Jake but is being headstrong about it until the last part when they make out as the sands of time swirl all around them. There's also a dagger that operates with magic sand and you can turn back the clock with it. Everybody wants that dagger but Jake's going to keep it tucked right into his belt at crotch level so the princess can stare at it for the whole movie. The reason I forgot most of what happens in this film isn't because it's too dumb to remember. I like dumb movies. I soak in them like a hot bath. But when you're going out of your way to make a dumb movie then you'd better be extra fun, extra bold, extra exciting and extra rule-busting with your dumbness. You want to make people remember how uniquely, entertainingly dumb you were. And if you can't do that, or if you're too lazy to do that, then you're going to attract one-time filmgoers looking for air conditioning instead of repeat customers who take the movie to their heart, identify with that special brand of dumbness and then clamor for an even dumber sequel. The tagline for the movie should of been Featuring A Cast Of Extremely Talented Persian Actors: And when I say that, what I mean is that the films of acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami regularly feature talented Persians. This movie stars exactly one paleface American and several paler-faced Brits in almost all the supporting roles. The bronzer budget must have been a major line item. As idiot moves go it's not quite in the league of Mickey Rooney playing Japanese in Breakfast at Tiffanys, but it's the 2010 equivalent. I was promised parkour, the insane acrobatic jumping-around battle move that made a variety of soft drink commercials so darn entertaining. In fact, all I heard as the buzz for this movie built up was that Mr. G was doing lots of the stunts and it was going to be so exciting to watch all that jumping around. But mostly what happens is the camera comes in close on his furry man-teats and lingers there for a bit. Then, when it's time for action, they haphazardly slow it down and speed it up Matrix-style and not one single stunt gets a beginning, middle and end without at least three edits tossed in to diminish whatever physical thrill the shot was going for in the first place. You never know what's being done, by whom or how digitized it is. That ain't parkour and if I had paid to see this I'd have asked for my money back. From 1 to 10, it gets a four. I wouldn't buy it on DVD or blu-ray but Logan loved it so we probably will.

Marvin Isley
August 18, 1953 - June 7, 2010
A little bit softer now.
John Wooden
October 14, 1910 - June 4, 2010
The commissioner attended UCLA. But we'll try and write something mean anyway. He was a terrible surfer.
Rue McClanahan
February 21, 1934 - June 3, 2010
3 down, 1 to go.

1692
Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts after having been convicted of "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries." Bishop is just the first casualty of what will come to be known as the Salem Witch Trials.
1942
The town of Lidice (Loditz) is liquidated by the Nazis as penalty for the assassination of Adolf Hitler's favorite general, Reinhard Heydrich. Every adult male is killed, the women sent to the camps, and the town bulldozed.
1973
The 17-year-old grandson of J. Paul Getty is abducted in Rome. When the kidnappers demand a $17 million ransom, the billionaire refuses. "I have 14 other grandchildren, and if I pay one penny now, then I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren." After the grandson's severed ear arrives in the mail, Getty finally coughs up the money.
1980
Percy Wood, president of United Airlines, receives a parcel at his home in Lake Forest, Illinois. Inside is a copy of the book "Ice Brothers" by Sloan Wilson. When he opens the book, it suddenly explodes, throwing shrapnel into Wood's hands, face, and thigh. The book turns out to be a present from the Unabomber.
1999
Outside on the front lawn of his Miami home, Russell Cameron is covered with trash and doused with gasoline. Then his lunatic nephew, Thomas Pellechio, sets the pile on fire and runs away. When police arrive, they discover a 12.5 inch Oriental sword in Cameron's rectum, rammed in all the way up to the hilt.

The 9th book in the P.P.B.C. is...

It's available from Amazon.com and Kimberly Raiser will be next week's guest here on the Phile.

Today's guest is a multi-instrumentalist from San Francisco, California. He is most famous for his work with the neo-psychedelic rock band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre. They're new album "Who Killed Sgt. Pepper" is now available on iTunes. You can see them tonight at Mad Hatter in Cincinnati, Ohio and tomorrow they'll be appearing at Off Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri. Please welcome to the Phile... Ricky Raymi.

Me: Hello, Ricky, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

Ricky: Alright, very busy.

Me: Did you know I put the ass in massacre?

Ricky: No.

Me: Okay, seriously, I admit, I am not the smartest guy on the block, so you have to explain a few things to me... what does surrealist technique of pastiche mean? And what is UK shoegazing genre? Those are some of the descriptions I read the band is.

Ricky: The Brian Jonestown Massacre don't really fit that description. Perhaps The Imajinary Friends EP "Come out to Play" does...? The band Tipsy definitely does... Travis Threlkel (original BJMer) is in both Imajinary Friends and Tipsy. I believe UK shoegaze is fairly well defined and documented...

Me: Let's talk about the band name. Is it a combination of Brian Jones from the Stones and the cult suicide in Jonestown? Who came up with the name?

Ricky: Yes, it is... An acid head on Haight St. named Brian came up with the name.

Me: Are you guys Stones fans? I am guessing with the album title "The Satanic Majestie's Second Request".

Ricky: Not particularly.

Me: What other bands did you grow up listening to?

Ricky: Beatles, Kinks, all British invasion groups as well... also The Tubes, Bauhaus, David Bowie, Television, Roxy Music, The Damned and The Sex Pistols...

Me: Where is the band based? California, right? You guys have been together for a while.

Ricky: We are based around the world... I live in Australia, Anton in Europe. The rest are all over America.

Me: Explain to the readers of the Phile what is the Committee to Keep Music Evil about.

Ricky: It is an indie label that was started by Anton and (un)appropriated by Rob Campanella... It has no money so please don't send your demos...

Me: Ricky, you are also part of a shit load of other bands, right? What are they? You are also a founding member of BJM, am I correct?

Ricky: I started this shit with Anton, that' s right... I play with Steve Kilbey (The Church), The Triffids, The Wild Swans, GB3, The Imajinary Friends, Mellow Drunk, Freelovebabies and sometimes with Koolaid Electric Co. and I also work with lots of people in and around Europe, Australia and the US.

Me: You started off playing drums in the band, but moved to guitar which is very unusual. What made you change instruments? I don't even like changing fonts.

Ricky: I wanted to make a louder noise... I play everything still to this day. I play guitar, bass, drums, etc... I produce, provide creative direction and guidance, etc...

Me: I didn't know to much about BJM so my sister Leila and her husband Ben (who are HUGE fans) gave me a crash course. They leant me a bunch of your CD's and your film DiG. How did that project come about and was it fun to do, or were those cameras a pain? Is BJM still friends with the guys in the Dandy Warhols?

Ricky: We DO NOT like the movie... thankfully, it was made at a time when I was away from the band. We are friends with the Dandy's, yes.

Me: Speaking of films, your music has been in a bunch, right, and a bunch of TV shows. Is that something that you try to do, get your music out there that way? What is your favorite film or TV show your music was in?

Ricky: Hate it all... it's all down to decisions made by publishers and management.

Me: Ricky, is their a website or anything you would like to plug? What is the year gonna hold for you? Any new projects?

Ricky: I have a lot of records coming out this year. The Wild Swans, Steve Kilbey, GB3 (Glenn Bennie from the underground LOVERS with Steve Kilbey) and others...

Me: Ricky, I hope this was worth you while, and tell the other fellas I said hello. By the way, give a shout out to the current members of the band. Who are they?

Ricky: Myself, Anton, Dan, Joel, Frankie, Collin, Rob, Matt.

Okay, that's it for another entry of the Phile. Leila, I hope this interview didn't disappoint you. It wasn't my best. Thanks to Ricky Raymi from BJM. Check them out on the road. Also, thanks to Wikipedia and of course you, the readers. The Phile will be back next Thursday with Peverett Phile Book Club author Kimberly Raiser and then the Thursday after that legendary guitarist Les Dudek. Spread the word, not the turd, don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye love you bye.