Hiya, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you? The unpredictable nature of wild animal behavior played out horrifically in front of a Russian circus last week. NBC News reported that a bear attacked and injured its trainer at Olonets... a city in Russia 120 miles northeast of St. Petersburg. Released video footage shows a 660-pound brown bear pushing a wheelbarrow while on its hind legs suddenly snapping and tackling its handler to the ground. Pandemonium ensued as screaming spectators... many of them children... watched the horrific scene just a few yards away and fled for their lives. The venue had no protective barrier separating the audience from the stage. While the footage is alarming, viewers were relieved neither the bear nor the handler was seriously hurt. However, a vocal majority against the use of animals in circuses shouted pro-bear sentiments. Check this out...
According to The New York Times, Ruslan Solodyuk, the handler, was pinned down for a few seconds until a colleague kicked the muzzled bear and subdued it with an electric stun gun. Solodyuk survived the mauling with no serious injuries. Solodyuk, who runs the Anshlag traveling circus, told Russian media the bear... whose name is Yashka... was not feeling well before the attack and had not acted out violently before. Solodyuk claimed old age and joint pains, which worsen in autumn, contributed to Yashka’s aggressive behavior. He added that spectators ignoring the no flash photography rule provoked Yashka to snap. CBS News reported that Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation on a charge of “providing unsafe service.” The use of large captive mammals like bears and elephants in circuses remain legal throughout Russia, despite outcry from animal activists. Many captured bears tethered by chains are featured in street performances as part of various advertising campaigns in many Russian cities. The Times reported another incident in which a captive bear bit the leg off of a zookeeper and another that escaped from captivity and mauled a passer-by on the street. What will happen to Yashka was not specified. I guess he couldn't bear it anymore.
According to CBS News Atlanta, a customer ordered a McDonald's Happy Meal at the drive-thru. When she found out the order was wrong she went inside to complain. The report says "she waited 25 minutes." It's unclear if that means she was forced to wait 25 minutes, or if she waited 25 minutes to complain, but either way, she got frustrated and threw her Happy Meal at the manager. Having a Happy Meal thrown at you turns out to make one very unhappy, and in this case resulted in an escalation. In response to a burger and fries to the face, the McDonald's employee threw a blender at the woman. Here's a screen shot of that...
A few other questions remain. How did this footage get out? Would it have been okay if the McDonald's employee threw a burger back instead of a blender? Although this is a terrible situation, is the "McCheck" joke funny, and either way, how much is she going to get?
I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. A 12-year-old revolutionary went viral on Twitter when her dad, professor Andrew Heiss, shared the play-by-play of her inspiring protest movement in class. When a couple of kids' misbehavior resulted in a punishment for the entire class, the young future lawyer did some research during social studies, and found out that collective punishment is a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. While that adorably precocious observation is enough to make you root for this kid, her organizing went beyond that. Dr. Heiss provided an important update...
The revolution will not be televised: it will be at the student council meeting on November 1st. This girl is NON-STOP! Dr. Heiss provided us, his daughter's new fans, with a sneak peek at one of her Federalist Papers. "If you are punishing an entire great for what a few people did, it is no longer a punishment for the people you are trying to punish," she wrote. Rachel's new fans shared their similar experience and said "Viva la revolucion!" Teachers beware... or be proud. The next generation has listened to Hamilton, and they're gonna rise up.
In a soccer match where Shabab al-Ordon Club was playig Arab Orthodox Club at the WAFF Women’s Club Championship one of the player's hijab started slipping off her head. The other team could have taken advantage and with one person down, but instead they created a human shield so no one would see her hair. Hijabs are head coverings worn by some Muslim women, and in certain countries they are required to be worn by all women. In Jordan wearing headscarves is up to the individual. FIFA had a ban on wearing hijabs but it was overturned in 2014. In this screen shot you can see what took place....
People had a variety of reactions. Some people complained that women shouldn't be required to wear headscarves, while others celebrated sportswomanship.
Kellyanne Conway is one of the few remaining White House staffers who isn't related to Trump, and she serves him well as his chief propagandist. Conway has made up massacres for Trump, coined the phrase "alternative facts" for Trump, and bashed her own husband for Trump, thinking the statement was off-the-record. Meanwhile, her husband George Conway III is publishing articles and tweets about how Trump is mentally ill and an existential threat to the republic. "Donald Trump’s narcissism makes it impossible for him to carry out the duties of the presidency in the way the Constitution requires," he wrote in The Atlantic. Bro, have you met your wife? What do they even talk about when they're lying in bed? When a reporter from the Trump-friendly website The Washington Examiner asked Kellyanne about her husband's tweets, she freaked out and delivered a seven minute rant. She said, "So I just am wondering why in God’s earth you would need to mention anything about George Conway’s tweets in an article that talks about me as possibly being chief of staff. Other than it looks to me like there’s no original reporting here, you just read Twitter and other people’s stuff, which I guess is why you don’t pick up the phone when people call from the White House because, if it’s not on Twitter or it’s not on cable TV, it’s not real." The Washington Examiner published the complete transcript, and there are even more bonkers quotes. "Let me tell you something, from a powerful woman. Don’t pull the crap where you’re trying to undercut another woman based on who she’s married to. He gets his power through me, if you haven’t noticed. Do you think you could have described me as somebody who wears red a lot, or is a mother of four, who has been here from day one and has survived all these other people? So, listen, if you’re going to cover my personal life, if you’re going to cover my personal life, then we’re welcome to do the same around here. If it has nothing to do with my job, which it doesn’t, that’s obvious, then we’re either going to expect you to cover everybody’s personal life or we’re going to start covering them over here." Looks like another Very Stable Genius in a Very Stable Marriage. Speaking of which, has anyone confronted Melania Trump about her husband's tweets? Be... and I cannot emphasize this enough... best.
Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this album...
Maybe not. If I had a TARDIS I would probably get to where Michio Hoshino, a photographer well known for his photographs of dangerous wildlife, was mauled to death by a bear inside of his tent while on a shoot in 1996.
What is it with bears? So, Trump released a photo to show he's taller than Obama for whatever reason...
Haha! That's so stupid. That's as stupid as...
Did you know some babies are born with a full set of grown-up teeth? No? Here's proof...
Ewe. Creepy. So, have you seen the movie Hocus Pocus? I saw it for the first time the other night and I was surprised to see it had four witches in it... not three. Check this out.
And some snarky ones as well...
Ha! Do you know what "manscaping" means? I don't really but if it's something like this I might get it done...
Haha. Hey, there's a new superhero movie that is coming out that looks good. Here's the poster...
Hahahaha. Single Payer. Ha. Halloween is a few days away and there's some scary pumpkins out there...
Hmmm. That's not good.
Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani is the owner of the most guessable PIN number in history.
If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. So, there's this famous 70s pop singer who likes to pop into the Phile now and then when he's in town. Here's here again today, so please welcome back to the Phile...
Me: Hey there, Harry. How are you?
Harry: Hey, mate, I'm good.
Me: So, what's been going on? Been recognized?
Harry: Well, this woman asks for a picture with me and a man nearby says, “I don’t know who you are.” I said, "I don’t expect you to." He said, "What do you do?" I said, "I’m a famous pop singer from the 70s." He asked me, "Are you from Middlesex, England?" I said, "No, I’m from Essex, England." He said, "So you’re not that guy with big glasses that the movie Rocketman was about?"
Me: Haha. He thought you were Elton John. I can see that.
Harry: Very funny, Jason. All right, I have to go get ready for my gig tonight.
Me: Where are you playing?
Harry: At the Parliament House. It sounds nice and fancy, right?
Me: Haha. Yeah... have fun.
Harry: I will. Cheerio.
Me: Harry Webb, kids.
So, there's this really bad little girl who is here and wants to tell us what she did recently. I really don't know what to think about this. Please kind half welcome back to the Phile...
Me: Oh, boy. Hi... Awful. What's going on?
Awful: Hi, fat belly man. I was in the local super market parking lot and thought it would be fun to scream, “YOU’RE NOT MY MOMMY! WHERE’S MY MOMMY? YOU’RE NOT MY REAL MOM!”
Me: What? Awful, that's not very nice. What did your mom do?
Awful: As I had this evil smirk on my face as she panicked and tried to explain what could happen if someone heard that.
Me: And what did you do after that?
Awful: I started to do it again a little louder. You should've seen the look on my stupid mother's face!
Me: That's not good, Awful.
Awful: Whatever, fat belly man. I'm outta here. Bye!
Me: Awful, the rudest most most asshole kid ever, kids!
Some reaction videos are so good, you have to watch them over and over again. Such is the case with the clip of Donald Trump being booed and heckled at a World Series baseball game in Washington, D.C., this weekend. He appeared at the game with a cabal of lawmakers including Lindsey Graham. When the crowd realized Trump was there, they couldn't contain themselves. Here's a screen shot showing the moment he heard the boos and his lipless smile became a lipless grimace.
Some people are expressing surprise that Trump seemed to show an appropriately chastened reaction to being disliked. Writer Mark Harris pointed out that Trump was most likely riding high before this moment, as he'd just announced the assassination of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. And, some say, embellished the drama and his own role in it.
The 107th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...
Butch Patrick will be the guest on the Phile on Thursday which is Halloween.
Phact 1. Hawaii is one of the four states in the U.S. that have banned billboards.
Phact 2. Dorothy Kilgallen, a panelist on the hit TV show "What’s My Line?" died under what some consider mysterious circumstances while investigating the assassination of JFK. Shortly before she died, she told a friend, “I’m going to break the real story and have the biggest scoop of the century.”
Phact 3. Scientists have genetically altered chickens to express DNA that their dinosaur ancestors once possessed. Eventually, they grew teeth.
Phact 4. In 2002 a car was reported running off the road in Surrey, England by multiple witnesses. Police arrived, but found no signs of a crash. After a careful search the car and driver were finally found but it was determined the accident occurred five months earlier.
Phact 5. Wilma Rudolph overcame polio to become the fastest woman in the world, winning three gold track and field medals at the 1960s Olympics.
Me: Hello, Howard, welcome to the Phile. I have seen you a few times in concert and have been a big fan of yours for years. How are you?
Howard: I'm good thanks, Jason, how are you?
Me: Not bad. I interviewed producer Rupert Hine back in May who you who have worked with and he said he'll get you on the Phile and here you are so I thank him and you. I have been wanting to interview you here for years. I saw you do an acoustic show at a club called the Visage in Orlando in the 90s, then at the Horse of Blues in Orlando with a band, then at Epcot with just one person and a few years ago in St. Augustine when you opened up for Barenaked Ladies with another small band I think. Anyway, you played so many places do you have a favorite place you ever played in your career?
Howard: I love Japan. I tend to go back to Japan once every two years. I really love visiting and playing gigs there. It's such an exotic country and I like playing in Sydney, Australia as well. That's really wonderful place to do gigs. But a gigs a gig and it's about the audience really and I could be in a very humble building but have a wonderful experience because the audience is so great.
Me: When did you start getting into music, Howard?
Howard: Well, my parents are both Welsh, they spoke Welsh which is their first language. Welsh culture at the time was very much about music lie singing in choirs and poetry and performing. So when we used to visit our relatives it was normal we would play a piece on the piano or sing something or recite poetry. That was the culture so we grew up with quite a bit of healthy dosage of that. They really wanted me to learn piano so my brothers sang, my brother Martin played bass and played guitar and my youngest brother Paul played drums. So it was a kind of band really in waiting.
Me: When did you decide yo were gonna pursue this as a career?
Howard: Well, I just always wanted to do music. I didn't really think about anything else apart from doing music. There was never any consideration of doing anything else right from the early age. I suppose that must be quite unusual but I never wanted to anything else. I never thought I'd put all my eggs in one basket and playing piano and loving rock music, that was all I wanted to do and still is.
Me: So, who were your influences?
Howard: Well, I was a big radio listener because my mother always used to have the radio on in the kitchen. I used to listen to pirate radio. I couldn't really afford records and stuff so really it was stuff coming through the radio. I was influenced by, when I was very young, the Beatles and the Stones, all those 60s bands. The Tremeloes, Freddie and the Dreamers, Cliff Richard and all those 60s artists and then when the 70s came through Stevie Wonder, and I really got into Keith Emerson from the days when he was in the Nice and we he formed ELP. At the same time I was learning classical music on the piano so I had big influence from that.
Me: So, you had a mime in your act when Rupert Hine first saw you and when I first saw you on TV in England in the 80s. What was the deal with that?
Howard: Well, think it was the early 80s and suddenly there was all these amazing new instruments actually being available in music stores. I had this idea to do something different because I thought that was what artists were supposed to do. I thought they were supposed to strike out on their own, be individuals. Call me old fashion but that's what I thought they were supposed to do. So I put together this one man electronic rig together and there was this guy who used to come to the show who was a friend and he used to dance in the audience. He was so good that I was totally distracted from the stage and I thought I really need to bring him up here which he agreed to. We then started to create these characters that went along with these songs that I was writing. It was like an alternative performance art. That really fitted into my plan of doing something different and getting noticed and striking out on my own, taking some risks. People loved it.
Me: What was your writing style back then?
Howard: Well, I had this array of keyboards and drum machines sound me and I wrote music that was appropriate for that. I was going out playing live something like two or three times a week so it was all about the live thing, what can I reproduce out on the stage with this gear. It was all based around the limitations and the possibilities of that equipment. I was just having fun with it, I was having fun making these new sounds and playing with short sequences. The writing came from that, I didn't sit down at the piano and do it which was my main instrument and thought I'm going to write in a different way.
Me: You got a big following, am I right?
Howard: Yeah. Absolutely. Very quickly. I was playing local pubs and clubs and I very quickly got a following. Really quite fanatical people so we had to arrange coach trips to take people to other gigs where I was playing. I think the most coaches we had was six at one time. Talk about bringing the audience with you. The people just loved the idea that this was something new and different and they wanted to get onboard with it early on. I was really supported well by some amazing fans who would travel up to London. Every gig I did they were there, it was amazing.
Me: How did you first get signed to a record label?
Howard: The only way to really progress at that time, it's different now, but in the 80s we had to get a major label if we wanted to make records and be on the radio and be on the TV and get going. So we realised we had to do that. We did a residency at the Marquee every Monday for a month. All the record company's and all the publishers came down and they all rejected it. I did some great gigs and all my followers came up to London to see me but nobody from the record companies got it so I had to keep going and eventually one guy, a very influential record company guy called Paul Conroy understood what I was trying to do and the potential of it so I got signed to Warner Bros., which is an amazing thing to happen. So it just took off from there.
Me: Rupert said they put your album out rather quick, am I right?
Howard: Yeah, their roll was putting me together with the right producer for me and hey got that right which is something I didn't know about. I didn't know how to make records, I've done demoes and knew how to write songs and arrange them but I didn't know how to make records. They put me with Rupert who became my mentor and showed me how to make records and was an absolutely brilliant producer. He was very familiar with technology and he'd been experimenting himself on his own records that he was making so he introduced me to sampling and all kinds of new techniques in the studio using automated mixing desks. It was the perfect match really and we made the first album in six weeks. The first single was out while we were making the record. As soon as the record was done I was touring, I still tour all the time, it's a big part of what I do.
Me: What was it like to have a single out but not done with the album? Was there a lot of pressure on you?
Howard: It was the complete opposite because the single was roaring up the charts and everyone was so excited about that but I kind of knew that we would get some kind of attention with whatever we were doing. So it just added this excitement and energy to making the record. When it did come out it went to number 1 and the second single went to number 2. It was very fortunate the way it happened.
Me: When did you first come to America?
Howard: Well, I had an agenda of that on my own because I lived in North America as a kid. I spent three years in Canada and I had been exposed to North American culture so for me it was so important to have success in America. So while we were working away in the U.K. they were booking club tours in America and visiting radio stations, there was a lot of background work that was going on. I had to be determined to be successful in America and we did the hard slog doing the tiny clubs and then going up to theaters and visiting with thousands of radio stations. It really did work for me and I ended up being more successful in America than I did in the U.K.
Me: Did you have fun doing the videos for MTV or was that a pain?
Howard: Visual things, going back to my one man show with Jed the Mime, we also had TVs on stage with originally created videos that I had friends make. So that was already part of our thinking so making videos was just totally natural and I had loads of ideas for it and I loved working with the directors. It was so lucky because it was the birth of MTV and they were so eager to show anything that anyone was doing really, especially stuff room the U.K., so it was the perfect time really.
Me: Why do you think American fans embraced you? My dad had your first album and liked you a lot, as we all did in the Peverett household.
Howard: I can only have an opinion on it. I think that for a start it's obviously the combination, it's the videos with the fashion and the look of them and the music was very positive and was very much about don't be afraid to go for the things I really should be doing. Don't let anybody tell me I can't do stuff. Also everyone is equal here, there's no people who you should think are better than me. Whoever I am I'm great, so that message was running through the song and then there's a lot of melody in mine stuff and its radio friendly. I really wanted to be on the radio, a lot of bands thought it was uncool to be on the radio. I absolutely wanted to be on the radio because that's what I grew up with. I think it's a combination of all those things and also I was out there doing the gigs believing that it would work. I think it's just a combination of all those things.
Me: Your lyrics are positive, Howard, did you set out to make a positive message? You must have been a happy guy.
Howard: It was a very conscious thing because a lot of music around at that time when I was emerging in the early 80s was gloomy and doom and a lot of young men in long black coats. Life has mystery in it, let's be clear about that but I thought there was enough doom and gloom going on out there that I wanted to make music that could help when things weren't going so well, if you needed a bit of a boost, bit of a lift. I as a sort of quite introspective young person was very familiar with cynicism within myself. I knew the nature of that and I didn't want to put that message out in my music, I wanted to be a bit of a relief for people, to give them a boost when they wanted to. Of course this didn't go down really well with the very cool music press. They always liked bands that are on the dark side so I had to fight against that but I knew I had to deal with that so it didn't come as a surprise to me.
Me: Don't you think critics are miserable bastards? Hahaha. What did you think when critics were "against" you?
Howard: I think from this perspective now I realise it did make me a stronger person and it really forged my character in a way. I did get a hammering from a lot of different directions. I had to develop and strong core and I don't know if I would have developed it unless I had that kind of reaction. I had to stick to my guns and I had to take it on the chin so I'm kind of grateful to them in a way.
Me: How did it feel when you were getting more and more popular? I bet it was stressful.
Howard: Yeah, there was pressure because I had nothing for the second album. All the good stuff that I've ben working on live, that was all the first album. I was left incredibly busy because I was doing promotion, I was doing TV, my record was selling well so there was no time to even think about new music so I worked that the only way to do it was to have a little studio rig with me on tour and my amazing tour guys would set up this little studio in my dressing room in every gig that I did. I was able to gradually build up a few tracks and that was the only way I could do it because I didn't have time to really do it anywhere else. In a way it created a very exciting album and "Things Can Only Get Better" came out of that. I'd come off stage and I'd be buzzing of energy from the show and I'd have the studio there and I'd write and get that energy coming out in the new songs. It kind of worked.
Me: When Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" came out you were not on it. Did they offer it to you and you turned it down?
Howard: I missed out on Band Aid because I wasn't vigilante enough, I heard about it but I wasn't in the loop of people. I absolutely should of been part of that because I was from that generation and I was the one that was having hits at the time all over the place. I was upset that I wasn't part of it because I totally believed what Geldof and Midge were trying to do.
Me: You got to play Live Aid though and I thought you were one of the best acts there. I bet that made up for the Band Aid thing, right?
Howard: Thank you. When I heard about Live Aid I actually made my manager get in touch with them and he said, "Howard is totally going to do this, he's going to be a part of Live Aid whatever it takes," Geldof was very practical about things and anybody that wanted to be a part of this had to have sold a million albums in the last six months I've done that and I was on tour in America and we flew back to London and left the band in America as I decided to do it solo I just did one song and it was just amazing.
Me: So, when you came to the United States to perform what kinda show did you put on?
Howard: Well, I wanted it to have a combination of electronic elements that I was known for also great live playing. I think that's what we achieved and the "Dream into Action" band was quite big, there was about seven of us on stage. I had some amazing backing singers called Afrodiziak, they were the coolest girls ever and they agreed to do the tour with me. They were wonderful and added so much to the show. I had my brother playing on keyboards with me then Trevor who was playing this stand up electronic kit. We were presenting new sounds and new ways of doing things but it kind of looked like a conventional band but it was using all the new technology that we were using in the studio that was just coming out.
Me: Was it hard to do shows outside back then?
Howard: Well, I really enjoyed playing the big venues. There's so many people and excitement and the energy that that creates it just phenomenal. When they start singing back to me it's a fantastic experience. I loved playing any sized gig honestly. I was happy yo to play to a couple hundred people in a small room as well as a really big place. I love both but I have no problem playing to big houses to lots of enthusiastic people. It's such good fun.
Me: So, I don't know if you want me to ask you this, Howard, but when and why did you start to get into Buddhism?
Howard: I started practicing Buddhism in '93 and I've always been interested in philosophical things. I always had a seeking spirit about how to try to live my life so it's I don't do anybody any harm when I create value and I'm not angry all the time. I'm sort of in a decent state of mind. As soon as I came across religion and Buddhism I realised it ticked off all the boxes and things I sort of instinctively I felt was right. Having a practice of chanting every day did me so much good because it strengthened my inner core if you like. When things go wrong I don't get destroyed by it, I don't have a fit of anger. It retrained me to think in a very different way which has really benefited me and made me a more calmer person but also very passionate about doing what's right. Buddhism to me is not being sedated, it's about being more alive. I could really live to my full potential and treat other people well. Respect them and care for them which takes effort to do that so having a spiritual practice really helped me.
Me: That's cool. When your Warner Bros. contract ended, how did you feel?
Howard: Well, my initially response was I was deeply saddened that they didn't want to continue with me. I had so much more to give and they really should have stuck with me and supported me right through my life I felt. But it wasn't the case and it was the beginning of short term thinking for the record industry and coincided with the Internet explosion so I had six weeks of being very, very depressed and suddenly realised it was really now up to me to create the next part of my future. I decided to form my own label, make a record, book a tour, and just take responsibility for my own career and direction. It was the best thing that I've ever done. I think it helped to inspire people to do a similar thing.
Me: Have you ever written for anybody else?
Howard: I've not really done very much of it. I responded to people who really seeked me out to write with them or collaborate with them. If I've been impressed with their determination and I responded, but there's not enough time for me. I probably do ten songs a year which is the most I can do and manage. It take so long to write to get it right. I don't have a lot of time to write with other people but when I have it was happy. It's a different way of thinking, what's going to be good for them, what's going to work with their voice, and that's going to work for what they want to say.
Me: A lot of new music now is synth based, which you did years and years ago. What do you think of kids nowadays discovering your music and putting it in their records?
Howard: It's very exciting actually. With the whole streaming thing that's happening more because people are stumbling to finding because they have access to it all. It's great, and there's always an upside to things like streaming. I love to use Spotify, I love to be able to access any piece of music that I think of on my phone. I love that and it does meant that people do get exposed to my music and they would never get from the radio or any other kind of medium. I'm very honoured when young people like my music. I'm totally blown away by it, I just think it's such an honor to be liked by a young person.
Me: What do you think about people listening to your stuff for free?
Howard: I really don't mind because I'm just glad that they were able to hear it because that's why I make it, I want people to hear the work I do. Fortunately I get played on the radio so I don't have to worry, I do worry about artists that do depend on that as an income but what it's doing is changing the emphasis on the music business towards more of a live culture. If you want to hear an artist or want to hear new songs from the artist, if you want to really get the good stuff you have to go to the show. You got to be there, you got to have the experience. In a way isn't that a good thing because that's what takes the effort? It takes effort for both parties. The artist has to get off their arse and get out there and perform and get on the road and travel by bus and go through all that. Then the audience has to make the effort to buy the tickets, they have to get to the venue. There's effort requited on both sides. That's what makes great thing happen. So maybe a shift towards that, maybe that's good thing, maybe that's the importance of recorded work, the value of it is diminished but the upside is that the real experience so that's where my thinking is at the moment. I'm not quite finished with it but that's where I am at the moment.
Me: My dad was supposed to tour with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band once when Dave Edmunds and Joe Walsh did the tour, but he was on the road himself and scheduling fucked it up. You though got to tour with Ringo's All-Starr Band, what was that like?
Howard: Well, it was a great honour to be asked by Ringo. I don't think he worked with people really from my era, apart from Sheila E. actually. It was great and to be asked it felt like I had a direct connection with the greatest band of all time, music that totally influenced me. It was wonderful traveling with him and hearing those stories, talking about John and George. It was just mind blowingly good. He also had me really loud in his box. He told me he loved keyboards, he loved my playing, he wanted me really loud in his monitors. To have Ringo saying that to me was such a compliment. The best things on that tour were the sound checks where we just got to jam. I just realised Ringo has this feel, unique way of playing is just so good and so influential on all drummers from then on.
Me: I saw you last when you ere on the Barenaked Ladies tour a few years ago. What was that like?
Howard: It was great. I felt quite a bit of pressure but that was fun. It was great playing "No One Is to Blame" with BNL. That was really a highlight for me, that was just amazing.
Me: Howard, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Please come back when your next CD comes out.
Howard: Thanks, Jason.
I did not ask him anything about his new album. Hahahaha. I hope he or his people don't mind. What a great interview though. That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks of course to Howard Jones. The Phile will be back on Thursday, which is Halloween with It's The Great Trumpkin, Peverett Phile 3 Pheaturing Butch Patrick. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon
No comments:
Post a Comment