Hey there, welcome to Peverett Phile Coming Down. Haha. How are you? I haven't talked about Justin Bieber here on the Phile so let's start with a story about him. Pop singer Justin Bieber was summoned for questioning by an Argentinian judge for allegedly ordering several of his bodyguards to beat up a photographer outside a nightclub in Buenos Aires while touring through South America last year. If Bieber chooses to ignore the summons, an international arrest warrant may be issued, after which nothing at all will happen ever. Among the many things that humanity has learned about the universe by somehow managing to land a probe on the surface of a comet, the most important is probably that... holy shit! We can land a probe on the surface of a goddamned comet! The most surprising however, is that comets make very odd, but strangely beautiful music. Has NASA sent the Kim Kardashian photo to that comet probe yet or is that part of the universe still safe? Dumb and Dumber To... the long-awaited sequel to the Farrelly Brothers' 1994 comedy hit Dumb and Dumber (that was not the long-since-forgotten prequel Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd) is shockingly failing to win over critics, currently hovering in the lower regions of the Rotten Tomatoes website with a 27 percent approval rating. So, looks like the best we can hope for come awards season is a Best Supporting Actor win. By the way, a lot of toy readers sent me email asking if I saw Big Hero 6 yet. The answer is no, but I am gonna see it tho afternoon. Big Hero 6... that was my nickname in school. Haha. In the process of promoting his new Christian-morality-themed holiday movie, Saving Christmas, Kirk Cameron has been handing out a bunch of free familial advice via his Facebook account. Earlier this week, he informed women of their sacred duty to keep up their homes, and now he's suggesting to husbands that they take a break from their patriarchal position at the head of the table to wash a dish and rub a foot or two. I have to talk about this story I read about this morning... Remember Kaci Hickox? She was the Maine nurse who refused to submit to a quarantine after returning from Sierra Leone where she was selflessly treating patients with Ebola. Doll manufacturer Herobuilders is making sure you never forget her, because they've made an Ebola nurse doll, Kace-E to have as a keepsake. This is 100% true.
Whether this is a wonderful honor commemorating her efforts or a beyond tacky attempt to monetize a tragic epidemic is up to you. I'd say the decision would be up to Kaci, only WMUR says the people at Herobuilders insist this doll wan't modeled after her. She is just an "Ebola Nurse Action Figure (Just in time for the holidays only $29.95)." Possible. There have been many nurses who have helped treat Ebola patients in West Africa. But just to jog the old brain, here's a picture of Miss Hickox.
I couldn't find any pictures of her her rocking her midriff, but I think we have a match. Civil rights cases surrounding the brave men and women who are doing their part to help people may come and go, but this plastic figurine will last at least as long as the deadly disease rages on or your money back. Money-back guarantee is a rhetorical gesture made byme and is not backed by Herobuilders or their affiliates. Just putting that out there. Ha. Speaking of Ebola, there's a new Ebola themed reality TV show coming out.
I bet that's a shitty show. Haha. I was watching the trailer for the new Avengers movie and I spotted something that confused me.
We call that synergy in the biz. Haha. Actually, I think that pictures a fake. Do you kids play Connect Four? In Germany it's a little different...
Hahaha. That's very funny. I think it is anyway. You know, I don't talk about the Pope here, I'm not Catholic, but if I was I would have to say the Pope is pretty damn hip.
Alright, so there's a lot of different blogs on-line. Milliona and billions... but not all have had over 750 entries, or is as funny and entratinaing as this one. And this one is not that good. But, there's some good ones. So, every once in awhile I pick randomly another blog to pheature on the Phile in a pheature I call...
You know this is random because this blog looks boring... today's Phile Blogspot Award goes to...
I like Whole Foods but this isn't it. Haha. Anyway, here is what the blog looks like...
So, go to wholehealthsource.blogspot.com and check it out but not before you finish reading this entry. Haha.
If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. It's very hard this one. Alright, guess what time it is? He's a singer, patriot and renaissance man. It's...
Just got off the phone with my oldest son. He told me that I have to go to Christmas Eve dinner over at his place with the whole family... my ex-wife, my ex-mother-in-law, my son's girlfriend's family... a virtual who's who of those who hold me in utter and complete contempt.
I just laughed...
Son: Why are you laughing, dad? Me: Because... every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Son: Yeah... and what's THAT supposed to mean? Me: "Olivia told me you won't let her play with your antique slot cars. The ones I gave you when you were six. MY old slot cars and track... Fine, I'm buying the grandkids their OWN slot cars and track. YOU'LL have to set it up... YOU'LL have to watch them race instead of racing yourself... and YOU'LL never be able to watch a football game in peace again without racing induced buzzzzzing and fuzzy lines on the TV."
Son: ...really? Me: ....abso-fucking-lutely. Son: You play rough, old man. Me: Love you too, son...
Alvin Dark
January 7th, 1922 — November 13th, 2014He sure is.
The 30th artist to be pheatured in the Phile's Art Gallery is the Winged Warrior Chrissy Alberston. And this is one of hr pieces...
Chrissy will be a guest on the Phile next Monday.
Today's pheatured guest is a very talented musician and a Phile Alum, and is very beautiful. She has a new single out on iTunes called "Confessions" which is fantastic, and her album "Heart Beat" is well worth downloading. Please welcome back to the Phile... Lila Rose.
Me: Hello, Lila, welcome back to the Phile. How have you been?
Lila: Hi! Thankyou, I've been great over all, I could hardly complain.
Me: I have to say, you look gorgeous in the recent pictures I saw. Especially of the one of you I have to show of you naked with tiger stripes painting on you. You're very comfortable with your body, aren't you? I think that is so cool that you are.
Lila: Oh wow. No actually, I am not at all. It's really great that everyone thinks I am, but I am actually really not (but I'm working on it and have been breaking new ground with it recently). Unfortunately fortunately, a lot of the visions and concepts I see in my head creatively often entail raw form... for many many reasons, but more than anything it is the most pure, honest and blank slate that exists, and that is often where I am inclined to work from. It is INCREDIBLY uncomfortable! I am a curvaceous woman... I am not by any means model thin, and so this adds a whole other "layer" (no pun intended) of insecurities. Part of my work I do feel, calls on the need to be uncomfortable, to push the limits, walk the edge, which could potentially strengthen the messages anyhow. Especially when trying to tie the connection between humans, and non human animals. Animals do not wear clothes in nature. And that's that. Oh, and by the way, it was a zebra, and a giraffe, not a tiger!
Me: Oh. Of course. Duh. You have been naked a lot in your career... you are even naked in the new video. I have a screen shot of it here...
Me: It's kinda dark and you can't see a whole lot. Anyway, do you like being naked?
Lila: I think I kind of answered that above. I would say yes. I enjoy being naked when say... I'm alone at home. I am completely NOT comfortable in public spaces or ON FILM naked. It's all about the message. I have always been inspired by performance artists who use raw form... that's likely where I got the initial visions for it many years ago. Look up Marina Abramavic. She's my favorite. Naked, raw, form.
Me: Anyway, you are gorgeous in every photo. Do you like doing photo shoots and coming up with different looks, Lila?
Lila: Thank you. I don't even see myself as photogenic so that's very sweet. I do enjoy the creative parts of photo shoots! Very much! It's a whole other medium in itself. I used to do photography years and years ago (now I am very bad at taking pictures) but I think it put me in the place to dream about images I wanted to see. So I think it fueled me creatively even though pressing the button isn't my forte exactly anymore.
Me: Is there any look you had in your music career that you regret doing?
Lila: Haha. YES. OMG. Soooooo many. I'm not going to draw attention to it by sharing that here publicly, but I will say it's almost every single thing of the past (except the naked animals and other fully conceptual shots... I still stand by their side).
Me: Didn't you post a picture of you on Facebook and they make you take it down? I'd post the picture here in a heartbeat... or heart machine. I have it here and it's the giraffe pic.
Lila: Awww thanks! Yes, it was the picture of me as a giraffe. My nipples are showing through the "furr" (like an animal would, and that's the point). This is a VERY big topic but I'll summarize by saying this: Facebook does not allow female nipples to show. There is a movement called Free The Nipple which is so worth checking out and supporting. It is about creating equality of opportunity for female and male bodies. It's amazing to realize, but it wasn't until 1936 that the male nipple was also "freed". Yup... in many places men were also not allowed to show their nipples publicly. They needed to protest and rally, just the way we need to today, to gain the right to roam nipples... out freely. It seems ridiculous now, doesn't it? The idea that it was illegal for men to show nipples. So whyyyy is it so different for women? We are still fighting that fight (and it is incredibly religiously imbedded). So, besides the creative impulses I shared earlier to use the raw form, it is an act of political rebellion and political statement to say we too, should have the right to "bare it all" particularly when it comes to art. In short, my furr-covered-animal-nipple picture was removed, and yet there are pictures of women in thongs, and push up bras all over the place on Facebook. Because the one little area, the areola is covered. Strange strange world we live in.
Me: I will support Free The Nipple. The Phile will get right behind that right now. "Heart Machine" is still an amazing record, Lila, and everybody should download it right now from iTunes. Are you still proud of that album? You really should be.
Lila: Thank you very much! It is selling more and more which is wonderful (and of course what one would hope for). I am definitely still proud of it, and see it as a wonderful expression of that time in my life creatively and emotionally, and I am very excited to put the new one out too because it's very different, and really shows my evolution as an artist.
Me: Yeah, you just completed a new album called "WE.ANIMALS.", did I get the right?
Lila: Yes, it's been done for 6 months now, and it's "WE.ANIMALS." as in WE (period) ANIMALS (period).
Me: You raised money through Kickstarter like a lot of musicians have to do, and filmmakers and other people with projects. Did that work out for you?
Lila: Yes! It was very stressful, and it is far fro my favorite thing to ask for "help" so it was challenging but I really feel like it was worth it on so many ways way beyond the money (the money was gone over night to the studio we worked at... to make the CD's we will give to our supporters!) It gave us an opportunity to share our process of creating the album... we really feel like it has been like creating a team, a family, a community. Which feels so much better than doing it alone!
Me: Was it hard to do that whole campaign?
Lila: It was just a lot of work. I tried to be lazy about it and just have it "do itself" for the first half, and then realized I needed to be way more involved and ended up needing to sit at the computer and do some serious reach out for a few hours every day. The other funny part was the video we made for it (which i will make live again now for your purposes). I guess I'm not great at talking to the camera since I can be a bit shy sometimes so we needed to do about 20 takes before I felt like I could be myself. Here's the video we did for that, I just made it live again: youtube.com/watch?v=LV0A7-q5OYQ.
Me: Would you go that route again?
Lila: Mmmm I don't see myself wanting to do that any time soon, no. Not at all. Maybeeeeeee down the line when my fan base is at a point where I can just do an album preorder campaign easily, and avoid the stress of trying to get to our goal... however at that point hopefully we'll be making enough that we won't need to do that.
Me: It was supposed to come out this year, but now it's coming out next year, right? What made you postpone the date?
Lila: Well, lots of things. Mostly business stuff. Annoying stuff that will hopefully in the long run pay off... I'm practicing trusting that this wait has all been worth it. It will definitely be out by spring 2015!
Me: The music business can be so fucked up, right? Do you ever feel that you just want to give up and do something else, or is music such a passion? I am telling you, Lila, don't give up. Your music is amazing!
Lila: Yes, it can be, and thank you! I don't see myself giving up because it's something I need to do close to the level of breathing. Like I would whither and die without it so i must go on! Of course I have my questions and insecurities about the future, but on a good day, I remember what I'm here to do and know that the universe is here supporting me in it... it's happening.
Me: You have been making music for a few years now. What has been your biggest challenges and hurdles?
Lila: Patience. I'm not patient and the music business (as described above) entails much of it.
Me: What have you learnt, Lila, and is there somethings you wish you could change?
Lila: Haha, well, I've learnt too much to add here of course, but again, I think my biggest lesson is patience. In this regard however I would say patience of craft. I thought when I first started making music, that my stardom was imminent... and was confused as to why it hadn't happened yet. However, looking back, I see how completely not ready I was (I won't even show people that first CD anymore!) So I wish I could change my idea and drive for "success" and just to deepen my ability to be present, and work more on my craft, rather than the idea of touring the world like... tomorrow.
Me: Okay, you have a new single out and video called "Confessions" which is a really cool song. Did you write it?
Lila: Thank you and yes. Of course. Always.
Me: Is this the first single from "WE.ANIMALS."?
Lila: Yeah. Although it doesn't have the vibe of a "single"... meaning it's not super upbeat, and it's not the most catchy song at all on the record, but we made more of a conceptual decision- for the sake of art... rather than business.
Me: All your videos you make look like works of art and cost a lot of money. Did you come up with the concept?
Lila: Haha, yeah, I know. It's crazy. Yes, I came up with the concept... I'm crazy like that.
Me: You really like working with black and white, don't you? Do you like black and white better than color?
Lila: No, I like both! I don't know why people think that... "Obsession" is the only video in black and white, the other videos do have color, it's just very dark coloring. All of "Heart Machine" images were color. "WE.ANIMALS. " has a very black and white pallet because that's the vibe we're going for. But I see rainbows in my near future!
Me: Who came up with the concept and are those guys in the video a dance troop or just friends?
Lila: I came up with the concept, and my collaborator, co-producer an video director Daniel Garcia made it happen with our 25 person team. Those dancers are pro... they have a company in Guatemala called Heroes Company... I didn't meet them until we were on set You can read all about the video and its makings on my blog. I had to write about it because it was so crazy. Here's the link: lilarosemusic.tumblr.com/post/101173369697/our-video-their-roof-the-making-of-confessions.
Me: Where was it filmed, Lila, and how long did it take youth film the video?
Lila: It was filmed in Laguna Del Pino near Guatemala City, Guatemala. The filming took two days. You can read the rest on the blog It was a lot of work.
Me: Will you be making any more?
Lila: Hell, yes. Always. We have another one ready already. Just waiting... for the business ;)
Me: I have to talk about the promotional stuff you were doing for "WE.ANIMALS.", with the animal pictures. Very cool. Do you have a favorite animal? Mine is a giraffe... especially now. Haha.
Lila: I love giraffes as well. No, I have no favs, I love them all. Although I have a soft spot for any type of feline since I've always had them around me.
Me: I don't think I mentioned this last time you here, you won best area musician in the East Bay Express and best in show for the Oaktown Indie Mayhem Contest. Congrats! I bet that made you feel good, am I right?
Lila: Thank you so much! Yes, that was a total surprise, and it did feel good, yes!
Me: Does wining things like that mean anything to you?
Lila: Well, it is definitely nice to get nods of approval from time to time... more often the better. It helps keep motivated to keep moving forwards with utmost fierceness!
Me: Last time you were here you talked about you wanted to be the first musician to release an album with tree-free kenaf paper. Are you still gonna do that, Lila?
Lila: Well, unfortuantly my friend who is starting the business has finally made the CD sleeves... but it's 3 years late! So, no I wasn't the first. But "WE.ANIMALS." is printed on 100% recycled paper. I did my research well and paid alot more to do it "right".
Me: Okay, as you know, on the Phile I ask random questions thanks Tabletopics. Ready?
Lila: Yes. What's your dream job?
Lila: To be a musician and run a not for profit supporting animals.
Me: Oh, and last time you were here I asked you what you thought about Miley Cyrus. This year Taylor Swift is everywhere, so, what do you think about her?
Lila: I think she seems incredibly sweet, authentic, and charming. I'm not a fan of over produced pop music, but I appreciate that she writes most of her stuff and has such a bright spirit.
Me: I have to admit, that fucking song "Shake It Off" is very catchy.
Lila: Yup. Funnily I just watched it before I started this interview. Total coincidence. She's cute in her clumsiness. I like that!
Me: Before I let you go, I have to mention the cover picture of the "Confessions" single... you are wrapped up in plastic, and are in the video and the other people in the video are as well. I love you, but I couldn't do that. Was it uncomfortable and hot?
Lila: I was fine because I often suffer for my art and so i understand the worth in the end result. My dancers were so awesome for the most part, but after several hours of being wrapped up they were definitely ready for a break. Totally understandable. I just wish i spoke better Spanish so i could tell them how fucking awesome they were. I tried my best to relay the message. You can read about that too on my blog.
Me: If you ever want to film a video down here in Orlando I am your guy, I'm just not going to be in plastic. Haha. Do you think you'll play down here on tour?
Lila: I really, really, really hope so!!!
Me: Okay, I'll let you go now. Go ahead and mention your website and social pages, and when 'WE.ANIMALS." comes out, will you come back?
Lila: Thanks so much! Lilarosemusic.com, facebook.com/lilarosemusic, twitter.com/lilarosemusic. "WE.ANIMALS." will be out early 2015 and I would love to do this again then :)
Me: Thanks so much for coming back. All the best, Lila. As long as you make music I'll have you here on the Phile. Deal?
Lila: Deal. Thanks!
That about does it for this entry. Thanks to Laird Jim and Lila Rose. The Phile will be beck tomorrow with Andrew Foys, Jeff Krause and Stefan Dostanic from the band Tapebenders, and then on Thursday it's singer Meka Nism and next Sunday it's My Phorty-Sixth Birthday Special Entry Pheaturing Phile Alum Chris Nelson. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Free the Nipple!
Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker
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