Hey there, kids, it's Monday and another entry of the Phile. How are you? Let's start with a story about Dick... Dick Cheney on something that Laird mentioned in yesterday's entry. Former Vice President Dick Cheney appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday in order to justify the Bush administration's use of torture on suspected terrorists, in the wake of a recently released report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. "I'd do it again in a minute," Cheney declared, while valiantly holding back an urge to lunge across the table and tear the throat of host Chuck Todd out with his teeth. Ask your Dr. Mengele if rectal feeding is right for you. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the highest-profiled legislator on a short list of congress members who seem to place the public good over corporate interests insists that she will not be influencing national debate by joining the Democratic primary next year, telling NPR, "I'm not running for president." When asked to clarify her position on not running for president, she stated, "I told [supporters], 'I'm not running for president.'" Asked to expand upon that position, the Senator explained, "I'm not running for president," and then later, "I'm not running for president. You want me to put an exclamation point at the end?" This obviously leaves open the question of Sen. Warren's intentions for the 2016 primaries. It seems as though it could go either way. After having its poorly secured servers hacked and its embarrassing emails stolen, Sony Pictures Entertainment is demanding that the media cease to report on the sensitive materials... such as executives' personal opinions of high-level stars like Angelina Jolie, that have been delivered to them. "If you do not comply with this request, and the Stolen Information is used or disseminated by you in any manner, SPE will [have] no choice but to hold you responsible for any damage or loss arising from such use," a Sony lawyer wrote in a three-page letter to multiple news organizations. It should be pointed out here that this is a PR tactic that rarely, if ever, works. If you're tired of having every person in your life feeling as though they can comment on your diet and influence the foods you eat, you may be getting a break from all that soon. Researchers are working on a new vending machine with facial recognition functionality that will be able take over those people's jobs and decide what snack products it's willing to serve you, based upon how fat and gross you are. The scariest movie ever is your own reflection in the vending machine when you see your candy bar is stuck. "The Newsroom", Aaron Sorkin's ode to how much smarter he is than everyone in the media and most people in the world... ended its third and final season on HBO last night to the great disappointment of its viewership, which is to say the several dozen or so TV critics who were still watching it in order to write about how much they disliked watching it. That's another show I never watched that I was told I would like. I watch a lot of TV but nothing worth while it seems. That reminds me, I need to catch up on "Nashville"... that's a great bloody show. Hey, I have to mention tomorrow is Hanukah. Hanukkah is eight days because it takes that long for people to realize it's Hanukkah. Haha. It's winter, and most places in the county there's snow. But not in Florida. Haha. Anyway, they released a really clever inspirational poster I thought you kids would like.
I thought it was clever. Chrostmas is coming in ten days and there's a lot of pre-written gift tags that are available and I have been showing some of them off here. Here's the latest...
Counting Crows? Are they still together? I bet I can get them on the Phile now. Do you kids like that Elf thing? What is it? Elf on the Shelf, right? Well, I don't think it's aimed for kids anymore...
What is he doing? I have no idea. That crazy Elf. Yesterday I told you about some new Star Wars character names were just revealed on vintage-style trading cards. I showed one yesterday and I'll show another one today.
I hope it's on its way to get a better name. I'm sorry, but BB-8 is a terrible name for an astromech droid. I would have called it CC-12. So, are you having problems figuring out what to get your loved ones for Christmas? For the past few weeks I have been showing you some weird and crazy products you can get from Amazon and I have the last one to show you here...
The 55 gallon tub of lube. Because you never know when you're about to have the best damn weekend of your life. And now, from the home office in Port Jefferson, here is this week's...
Top Phive Menu Items McDonald's Will Be Getting Rid Of
5. Thumbs-N-a-Bun.
4. Quater-Poinder with Angina.
3. Crispy Jalapeño Bacon Thing.
2. 33-Oz. Ketchup Chug.
And the number one menu item McDonald's is getting rid of is...
1. Apple Slices (Finally!).
Hannukah is a festival that celebrates how one joke lasted for eight Adam Sandler songs.
This is an easy Mindphuck. If you spot it, let me know. By the way, yesterday's Mindphuck had even me stooped. This is what it was...
I was fooled but a lot of you weren't. I was told to Google "Liu Bolin Panda" and I did. Here's a better picture to show you what is going on...
Well played, Ninja man, well played. Moving on... As you know I have a music project called Strawberry Blondes Forever and we have a Christmas single out called "Christmas On My Mind", here is the artwork for it.
You can download it off iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, or pretty much anywhere. Please download it, kids. It's a fun song. Go ahead and go to strawberryblondesforever.bandcamp.com.
Today's pheatured guest is a singer/songwriter/cellist whose new album "Animal Again" will be available soon, and the new single "Remember" is available now on iTunes. I;ve been wanting her on the Phile since 2008 and I'm glad she's here. Please welcome to the Phile... Lindsay Mac.
Me: Hello, Lindsay, welcome to the Phile. How are you?
Lindsay: I’m great, Jason, thanks. I hope you are doing well also!
Me: As could as can be expected. Haha. I am so glad you are here finally as I tried to reach out to you in 2008 to interview you. I love your album "Still Thinking." That was your second album, am I right?
Lindsay: Awesome and thank you! Yes, it was my second album. The title is actually "Stop Thinking" but that’s probably cause I’m still thinking. =)
Me: I'm an idiot, of course it was "Stop Thinking." I still love that title track. What is that song about, Lindsay?
Lindsay: The song is about trying to quiet all the noise inside of your own head. I guess sometimes it can be useful but generally I have found it to be pretty counterproductive.
Me: Lindsay, you're based in Massachusetts, am I right? Are you originally from there?
Lindsay: I’m based in Cambridge, Ma but I grew up in Iowa. That sounds pretty different but I grew up in a university town so there are a lot of similarities actually.
Me: Did you end up moving there to go to school?
Lindsay: Yeah. I went to school in New Hampshire first but then relocated to Boston to go to Berklee College of Music.
Me: You went to Berklee? I think 90% of the musicians I interviewed here went to Berklee. What did you study and did you have a good time there?
Lindsay: It was incredible. That’s where I really worked on my creative voice. A very special time for me.
Me: You are mostly known as a cellist, and I think with the new album "Animal Again" there's not a whole lot of cello on it, am I right? At least on the single "Remember."
Lindsay: You’re right, virtually no cello. I bow it in some of the string sections on the album but nothing like I used to play it.
Me: How old were you when you first started to play cello and how did you end up picking that instrument?
Lindsay: I was in 4th grade and in a public school where everyone got to pick an instrument. I realized that maybe I would get more rides to school from my parents if I picked a big instrument, so the cello was it! My plan pretty much worked!
Me: When you sing on stage playing the cello, you do something out of the ordinary. You don't use a bow, am I right?
Lindsay: I used to perform with the cello and with no bow like you say, but not anymore.
Me: I bet some jazz snobs or music snobs thought you weren't doing it right. Did you get any grief?
Lindsay: At first, or maybe always but they never had enough guts to tell me to my face. Mostly people started to think it was cool and I have taught many master classes to cellists who wanted to learn how!
Me: How did you come up with the idea to play that way and did it take a lot of practice?
Lindsay: Yup, a ton of practice. But I was a Berklee so practice time was easy to find.
Me: I have a picture her elf how you played the cello all that time...
Me: There was a large gap between your new album and "Stop Thinking." You were in an accident and hurt your back, am I right?
Lindsay: I wasn’t in an accident but my back just had had enough. The way I held the cello and the countless days on the road made it so that I could barely move. The doctor showed me the MRI and that was the end of that for awhile. I wrote the new album while my back was healing.
Me: Okay, so, your new album has a more pop sound, Lindsay. Have you been listening to a lot of pop music?
Lindsay: I’ve always listened to pop music. But I would say I listen to more of it now.
Me: What bands did you listen to growing up?
Lindsay: REM, The Police, Tori Amos, Radiohead, Sarah Maclaughlan, Moby, Death Cab, everybody.
Me: So, how long did it take you to write "Animal Again"? Where did the album title come from?
Lindsay: I don’t know how long it took... but too long! It’s about coming back into one’s (or my) primal nature. To feel a beat and have it move you... literally, as in against your chest... to have the music circle around and envelop you. Basically to make music as much of a physical experience as a cerebral one.
Me: Singer Lila Rose who I interviewed on the Phile a few times has a new album coming out called "WE.ANIMALS." Have you heard of her? I think you and Lila should meet. I bet you two would make great music together.
Lindsay: I don’t know her but sounds like we think alike!
Me: Anyway, on the album you use EDM. What is that exactly?
Lindsay: I guess I don’t know what it is technically, but to me it’s a type of music that has a strong beat and was created, in large part, with synthetic instruments on a computer.
Me: Are you glad you didn't have to play the cello as much on this album?
Lindsay: Yeah. I love the cello with all of my heart but I needed a break. I feel really free not having any predetermined instrumental ideas.
Me: Lindsay, are you the only one who uses cello as a rock instrument? I think Nirvana had a cellist on stage when I saw them in concert once. But you don't see it too often.
Lindsay: Nah, there’s a lot of cool cellists out there. Maybe not ones who strap it to their chest and pluck it like a guitar like I did, but plenty of creative and talented people rocking it on the cello.
Me: Do you have a favorite cellist?
Lindsay: The easy go to is Yo-Yo Ma, but I’ve had the opportunity to meet and play with him and he just makes you feel good about life and music. That’s a really special gift.
Me: Alright, I have to ask you about the album cover. Beautiful. Whose idea was it for you to be topless?
Lindsay: It was mine. I wanted there to be a simplicity to the shot that we could only get by not having fabric.
Me: Were you comfortable in the photo shoot?
Lindsay: Definitely. It’s art!
Me: Okay, on the Phile I ask random questions thanks to Tabletopics. Ready? If you could have another name what would you choose?
Lindsay: Matilda.
Me: Lindsay, thanks so much for being on the Phile at last. Go ahead and mention your website. Please come back soon. All the best. Take care of yourself.
Lindsay: It’s lindsaymac.com. Thanks, Jason, it’s been my pleasure!
That about does it for this entry of the Phile, kids. The Phile will be back on Thursday with Pete Donnelly and then on Saturday with Phile Alum Aradia. There won't be a Phile on Sunday but next Monday is the Peverett Phile Christmas 6. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker
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