Hello, welcome to the Phile, kids. This will be a day long remembered, this is the last entry for Star Wars Month. All month the Phile has been celebrating, if that's what you want to call it, the Star Wars films. It is the 35th anniversary of the original Star Wars film, plus Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios, plus my one year working at Star Tours. Before we talk more about Star Wars, let's see what else is going on. Police in South Dakota arrested a 53-year-old man formerly from Chicago who's trying to climb Mount Rushmore. The guy is in his 50s, from Chicago, and he's desperate to get on Mount Rushmore. Oh my God, it's Obama! Speaking of Obama, just two weeks after a felon in jail got 41 percent of the democratic vote in West Virginia, President Obama got embarrassed again in Arkansas when an unknown lawyer got 42 percent. See, that proves once and for all that there's only a 1 percent difference between a lawyer and a convicted felon. Four Secret Service agents fired for that sex scandal decided to fight their dismissal. The lawyer said they didn't realize the women were prostitutes. Is that the best argument when you're trying to get your job back in the Secret Service? These guys are supposed to be experts at picking people out of a crowd. Can't spot a hooker? Really? A new study says that people who snore have a higher risk of cancer. But the good news is: Hey, at least they're not losing any sleep over it. So, did you hear the news about Justin Bieber? He's wanted for questioning by the Los Angeles sheriff's department. Apparently Bieber had an altercation with a photographer. Bieber went all Mel Gibson on some dude. Now Justin's on the lam, considered armed and adorable. The photographer says he was roughed up by Bieber. He had to go to the hospital. Doctors say he'll live, but his masculinity will never fully recover. The guy probably will sue Bieber for some cash. But he will be known for the rest of his life as the guy who got beat up by Justin Bieber. How much is that worth to you? Okay, when the Star Wars Blu-rays came out, a lot of die-hard fans were pissed off Lucas made more changes again. Lucas answered back with this...
It's cool though, one the Blu-ray set there's some Star Wars deleted scenes. Take a look at this one.
A few entries ago I mentioned that Lucas ripped of Dr. Seuss when he was making the films. Readers of the Phile wanted more proof, and I have it here.
And Darth Vader would look like this...
People have asked me why I love Star Wars so much, and I would like to sum it up with one picture...
You don't see hot girls like Megan Fox wearing Lord of the Rings t-shirts, do you? Anyway, all month I have been showing you real products with the Star Wars pieces of merchandise that are out there and you might not be aware of. Well, here's the last one I have to show you. If your problem with ladies isn't related to your smell, but rather, your looks, then relax and let the Lando Calrissian Disguise Kit help you pass yourself off as the studly administrator of Cloud City.
And now, from the home office on Coruscant, here is the...
Top Ten Ways To Get Lucas To Make Episodes 7-9
10. Label three tapes in his Library "Episodes 10, 11 and 12". That way he'll think he has to make the prequels.
9. If he doesnt do them, James Cameron will!
8. Threaten to mass produce copies of the Holiday Special.
7. One word: Wedgie.
6. Come up with a foolproof way to do it without totally, utterly and completely annihilating the continuity of the Expanded Universe.
5. Make them... or your flannel collection gets it!
4. Convice his kids it's a good idea!
3. Claim that the numerous times he said he wasn't going to make 7, 8 and 9 were all part of a different continuity that can be discarded piecemeal or wholesale at will.
2. Catch his eye by submitting witty yet insightful response to Peverett Phile top ten list.
And the number one way to get Lucas to make Episodes 7-9...
1. Three words....Portman, Gold, Bikini.
During the month I had a brand new character to the Phile come one and tell some really funny jokes. Okay, they weren't all funny, but he was pretty popular. So, please welcome one last time, the intergalactic comedian...
Tractor: Knock knock.
Me: Um... who's there?
Tractor: Dook.
Me: Dook who?
Tractor: Ha ha! Get it? That's it, I'm out, don't eat the bantha, suckers.
Doc Watson
March 3, 1923 - May 29, 2012
And you thought he was blue before.
Johnny Tapia
February 13, 1967 - May 27, 2012
"Looks like I've Tapia'd out! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk."
Okay, this is cool, today's guest is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work with the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers. His latest album "Confederate Buddha" is available in stores and on iTunes and he'll be next appearing in Little Rock, Arkansas at Whitewater Tavern on June 8th. Please welcome to the Phile... Jimbo Mathus.
Me: Hello, Jimbo, welcome to the Phile, how are you? I can call you Jimbo, right? Or do you prefer Jim?
Jimbo: Hey, Jay, you can call me Jimbo.
Me: I have to talk about one of my favorite 90's bands, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, that you were in. How did that band come about?
Jimbo: That band was the result of a curious combination of influences. Eary Trinidad calypso, early New Orleans and Harlem jazz, and a vaudeville-type presentation with a distinct visual edge incorporated from early German cinema and Max and Dave Fleischer cartoons.
Me: That band changed music styles from when the first album came out. You jumped on the swing bandwagon during that craze. Was that something that came natural because you liked that music, or another reason?
Jimbo: I would disagree highly with the assertion that we changed styles to jump on the swing craze of the 90's. Our music was never the jump blues of the Setzer orchestra et al. We were even more experimental thru the later part of the 90's than we were on our first release.
Me: I have to ask you about another band you were in... The North Mississippi All Stars. Awhile ago I had Luther Dickinson on the Phile which was cool. When did you first meet Luther?
Jimbo: They opened a show for Squirrel Nut Zippers in Memphis circa 1996 with their jug band Gutbucket and after that Luther and I started collaborating, sending each other music and doing all kinds of gigs together.
Me: Did you know his dad Jim?
Jimbo: Yeah, thru him, I met his dad Jim and immediately began collaborating with him as well. He was the first producer that made sense to me, and I played on many of Jim and Luther's records and have helped with songwriting chores and chores around Zebra Ranch ever since. A lot of people tend to throw their names around but, to me, Jim and Luther are probably the second greatest contribution to my musical vision.
Me: Who was your first?
Jimbo: The first being my own father teaching me the instruments and harmony singing.
Me: And do you have a third, Jimbo?
Jimbo: Third would be my tenure with Buddy Guy. My participation in "Sweet Tea" was pretty in-depth. I was charged with being a sort of North MS music form translator, taking the Junior Kimbrough style mainly and helping make a form that made sense to Buddy. We would rehearse all day and then do 40-min takes until we got the form and trance vibe right. We toured with Double Trouble as the rhythm section.
Me: Jimbo, where are you from?
Jimbo: I am from Mississippi. I was born in Lafayette County in 1967.
Me: You have your own studio as well, right?
Jimbo: Yeah, I started my studio, Delta Recording Service, up in Clarksdale in 2003 then moved it to Como where it is today. We use a lot of the old school ribbon microphones and tube preamps and just record in a big room, always live with live vocals. That's where we recorded "Confederate Buddha".
Me: Okay, let's talk about your latest band... The Tri-State Coalition. Who is in that band with you, sir?
Jimbo: Matt "Pizzle" Pierce, Justin Showah, Eric Carlton, Alex "Felix" Holeman and Ryan Rogers
Me: My twelve year old son Logan and I listened to your latest album "The Confederate Buddha" and really enjoyed it. He has a question for you, Jimbo...
Logan: Are you a confederate?
Jimbo: I guess I would consider myself a confederate but also a patriot! I love my state and my country.
Me: My favorite song on the album is "Jimmy the Kid". Who is Jimmy the Kid? Is that you?
Jimbo: I'm glad you like the song "Jimmy the Kid". It's really written about my dad and kind of plays with the idea of a real story turning into myth or folklore like John Henry, Casey Jones or any of the outlaw ballads. A lot of the other songs on the Buddha are story-songs, too, such as "Aces and Eights" and "Days of High Cotton".
Me: Jimbo, you say this about Mississippi... God bless Mississippi and pass the antiseptic. What do you like most about that state?
Jimbo: One of my favorite things about my state is the abundance of great musicians and rich musical history. I also love the little rib-joints, honky-tonks, crawdad holes and catfish houses. I play a lot of gigs in these kinds of places, entertaining patrons of all ages, races and beliefs. It's in these little joints that I developed my repertoire of Catfish Music...
Me: What is Catfish Music?
Jimbo: Just a blending of different folk songs that people love to hear and enjoy themselves, too. I take my ego out of the equation and just use the music for it's pure purpose... entertainment & enjoyment.
Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else you want to. All the best, and please come back to the Phile again when the next project comes out.
Jimbo: I really appreciate the opportunity. Jimbomathus.com.
Well, that about wraps it up for another entry and Star Wars Month. The Phile will be back on Saturday, not Sunday as I will be at Star Wars Weekends again, with teen singer Bree Rose. Then on Monday it's Alumni Marc Savoie from Infinite-Lane Highway and then next Sunday it's the 500th entry with rock icon Dion. This is the last entry on Wednesday's for awhile as well. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Make the phorce he with you.
Your blog rocks, and Jimbo is so cool.
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