Hey there, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday... guess what? It's officially summer! Last night a mosquito flew past my ear and whispered, "We back, bitch." An elderly couple in India definitely did not expect to be robbed, let alone take part in an epic machete-wielding fight! Can you believe this?
A Canadian man is making news for having both a very cool and extremely unfortunate souvenir... the skeletal remains of his own arm. Thirty-seven-year-old Mark Holmgren lost the use of his right arm in a motorbike accident in 1999 but for two decades he refused to have the arm amputated and instead just sort of Bob Dole it. Finally, though, Holmgren changed his mind and had his arm amputated. But that wasn’t the end of it. Holmgren told doctors he wanted his arm back (he was pretty attached to it, after all… sorry). So Holmgren got his arm back and walked out of the hospital with it. In a trash bag. Holmgren kept his arm in his freezer for about a month before finally figuring out what he wanted to do with it. He decided he wanted his preserved arm as a souvenir. So he called around to various taxidermy specialists asking if they would preserve a human arm. Most of them said no, and right away at that. Probably followed up with a firm, “Never call here again.” Eventually, though, Holmgren found a taxidermist who was willing to preserve his arm. Unfortunately preserving a human arm like one would a deer they bagged isn’t so easy, so they opted instead to preserve it in its skeletal form. How do you do that, you ask? With flesh eating beetles and other bugs apparently. The taxidermist let these insects chow down on the arm’s flesh until there was nothing but bone left. If you need a minute to puke, go ahead and take your time. After that the arm and hand bones just had to be put back together and boom, the most rad goth home decor anyone could ever imagine was Holmgren’s for the taking! Thursday I'll show you a pic of it for Throw-Up Thursday.
What can only be described as, basically, a suburban version of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight, is operating Edinboro, Pennsylvania, creating mild and gross chaos for residents of the sleepy burg. According to Pennsylvania State Police, someone has been releasing bedbugs into the Edinboro Walmart. Pill bottles filled with the tiny, blood-sucking parasites that not that long ago had become a serious plague upon New York City, were found in a changing room inside the pocket of a boy’s jacket and again a few days later in the men’s department near where belts were sold. The changing room had become infested with bedbugs but it wasn’t until Walmart workers found the second bottle filled with the filthy, Biblical plague vermin that management called police. Which is fair, because, hey, one pill bottle with bedbugs conspicuously left in your store could be from anything. A forgetful scientist, a bumbling exterminator. You never know. And you can’t just assume the worst. But try to infest a store with bedbugs once, shame on you. Try it twice, shame on the people who didn’t realize what was clearly happening the first time. Walmart management handed over the bottles to police, who are running fingerprint analysis as well as pouring over the store’s surveillance footage, presumably to find the creepiest looking person possible and figure out who they are. That should be a fun basement to raid. Related: bring Raid. Meanwhile, Walmart has sectioned off the affected areas... but is otherwise still open for business, somehow... and is working with a third-party pest management service to remedy the fallout from the misdemeanor biological terrorist attack they endured. Here’s hoping Pennsylvania State Police catch the guy, because anyone raising and releasing bedbugs needs to be on both meds and lists.
To some teenagers, summer means endless amounts of pool time, staying up late, and doing pretty much nothing throughout the day. Yet, for Ellie Yeater of Williamstown, West Virginia, it’s the opposite. She decided to spend her summer break renovating a 1974 Wilderness camper into her very own “glamper”! Yes, you read that right, this 14-year-old decided to “glamp” in the wilderness, making camping a bit less rustic and a lot more glamorous. To those of you who are not aware of what glamping is, it is short for glamorous camping. It has become a new trend among millennials who want to explore the outdoors but also want to be comfortable while doing it. Usually, glamping includes a framed shelter, where one is set up in a natural environment within the great outdoors, with modern amenities such as a refrigerator and electricity. It is also within just a few miles from “civilization” like attractions and restaurants. In other words, it’s the great American dream, involving luxury camping, air conditioning, fancy linens, cozy bedding, all while avoiding any wild animals. According to the teenager’s mother, Lori, Ellie saved up around $500 from birthday money and chores to buy and refurbish a camper. Wanting to experience "luxury camping" and vintage trailers, Ellie found the camper in a local ad and bought it for $200. The teenager used the remaining $300 to purchase floor, paint, fabric, and decor for renovations. Ellie did have help from her dad with buying the rubber roll for the roof and the wood. As soon as they began renovating it, Ellie knew that the camper had to be gutted, cleaned, and repaired before starting with the decorations. She decided to learn some simple carpentry skills from her grandfather Lawrence and painted the camper’s exterior in “Mystic Sea” using Anti-Rust Armor for Valspar. Throughout the summer, Ellie would collect things she liked for the glamper and find inspiration on Pinterest for the decor. Here she is with her glamper...
It’s safe to say you can see all of Ellie’s hard work, full of positive affirmations and a lot of personalities. Ellie said the only things she was missing were extra decorative items, and an air conditioner, which she is trying to save up for. If you ask me, that’s pretty impressive, I guess everyone has their own different glamping experiences, huh?
Three months and six days after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced that the Louisville Police Department is firing one of the three police officers involved in the shooting. In a termination letter shared with reporters, LMPD interim police chief Robert Schroeder stated that Officer Brett Hankison violated police procedure and endangered the lives of people when he fired his weapon ten times at Taylor while executing “a no-knock warrant” back in March. The letter read, “I find your conduct a shock to the conscience. I am alarmed and stunned you used deadly force in this fashion. The result of your action seriously impedes the Department’s goal of providing the citizens of our city with the most professional law enforcement agency possible. I cannot tolerate this type of conduct by any member of the Louisville Metro Police Department. Your conduct demands your termination.” Schroeder stated several shots fired by the officers entered through the apartment next door, which endangered the lives of three additional people. The news of the officer’s termination follows several weeks of social media users and activists demanding that more severe action be taken against the officers who shot the EMT worker in her sleep during an attempted drug sting. Hankison is accused of violating department policing on obedience to rules and regulations and use of deadly force. Schroeder noted that the officer was previously disciplined for reckless conduct and was disciplined back in 2019. Sam Aguiar, Lonita Baker, and Ben Crump, the attorneys who are representing Taylor’s family in their wrongful death case filed against the city of Louisville, stated they are pleased to see the city if finally taking some action. The family is still hoping that officer Hankison and the two other cops involved will face murder charges. The three attorneys released a statement on the incident, reading, “Today’s announcement makes it clear, as we have always maintained, that the city had the power to fire the Louisville police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s murder. We look forward to them terminating the other officers involved in Bre’s murder. We also look forward to these officers being prosecuted for their roles in her untimely death.” All three officers were officially placed on administrative leave last month but it is still undetermined if the other two officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove, will be terminated. The shooting of Breonna Taylor along with the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery and the murder of George Floyd kicked off protests against the slaying of black women and men at the hands of law enforcement and police violence. Earlier this month, the city’s Metro Council passed “Brianna’s Law,” which banns all no-knock warrants in the state. A month after the Federal Bureaus of Investigation first laughed an investigation into the fatal shooting, federal agents were seen executing a search warrant at Taylor’s apartment.
Instead of doing this blog thing maybe I should be listening to this album...
Ummm... maybe not. Oh, this is weird... here is a Fox News Alert...
Hahahahahaha. Are you excited for the next season of "The Mandolorian"? Here's a screen shot of the Child from the second season...
It should be interesting. As I've been saying, large crowds all over the world have gathered to protest police brutality and stand with Black Lives Matter. People are standing up for the safety and dignity of black people whether or not its popular in their town. Anti-racist demonstrators are hosting their own protests in small towns and cities. While they may be the only people standing, they're not standing alone. Like in Chicago...
Big city, little protest. As the Black Lives Matter movement inspires actions around the world, many churches and other insitutions with prime sign real estate are using their platform to voice their support. Members of the clergy are quoting their fellow reverand, Dr. Martin Luther King, and calling on their communities to love thy neighbor. For example, Good Samaritan Church here in Florida has this sign...
Do you guys like Hot Pockets? There's a brand new flavor that just came out...
Yum! Haha. So, once in a while when I'm bored I get on Twitter and look up certain words. Recently I looked up "Foghat" and this is what tweet I saw...
Ha! Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is...
Top Phive Things Said By Gen Z Kids Making Fun Of Millennials
5. Why do Millennials lose their minds whenever they hear a song from a 90s Disney movie?
4. Why do Millennials care so much about the fact that they're 90s kids? Sis, WE KNOW THAT'S WHEN YOU GREW UP!
3. Why do Millennials use nouns in the place of verbs? "I cannot math" and "Englishing is hard today."
2. Why do Millennials only post TikToks of them dancing to music from 2003 and holding their sixth glass of wine?
And the number one thing said by a Gen Z kid making fun of Millennials is...
1. Why do Millennials think that not downloading TikTok makes them an adult? Like grow up.
If you spot the Mindphuck and I'm sure you will, let me know. Okay, so, a woman is wondering if she's a hero or a villain for refusing to go to her cousin's wedding in the name of feminism. The wedding will be in January 2021, and she won't be there because of the wording on the envelope, and she turned to the Phile for validation.
"My cousin is getting married to his girlfriend of four years. The wedding will be in January 2021 and the invitations arrived two days ago. His girlfriend's family is very rich/formal and the invitations reflected that. My husband and I received the invite in the mail, and they were addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith." I was livid, because they totally erased my name and my identity by referring to me as an extension of my husband. My husband thought it was old fashioned but he didn't think it was offensive." She confronted the cousin directly, and expressed her concern. "I called my cousin yesterday night, and told him that I will not be attending because of the wording on the invitation. I said, technically he didn't even invite ME because he never even wrote my own name on the invitation. I mean, I go by my maiden name and I never took my husband's last name when we married. My cousin apologized, said his girlfriend and her family were mainly responsible for the wedding planning, including the invitations, and he said they didn't know they were addressed like that. He said others received their invites a few days ago and nobody has complained about them so far. I told him that's no excuse for the blatant sexism on his invites and that we will not be attending." The rest of her family is not impressed with the protest. "My mother thinks I'm overreacting, she said my aunt is very upset at me and says I'm being a 'drama queen." Am I wrong here? Yeah, I agree with your mom and aunt, you're picking a truly ridiculous hill for your relationship with your family to die on. They addressed the invitations in a formal and traditional way. It’s not really setting feminism back in any way. Don’t be petty. If your cousin is important to you, you should go. Don't see the phrasing as a grand conspiracy against your feminist individuality, but rather a formality that the bride's family overlooked. It would be different if they were specifically targeting you and trying to offend you. However, I'm almost positive that they didn't word it that way just to spite you. It's the classic way to address invitations. It's just tradition. And you're really going to let a simple tradition stop you from celebrating what is supposed to be one of the most important days of your cousins life with him? Even when he obviously had nothing to do with it? That's a big arsehole move. Let this be a lesson: don't judge an invitation by its envelope, and always prioritize family over "offensive" calligraphy.
Sadly, the only thing left in this Trader Joe’s is corned beef. Let's take a live look at Port Jeff, shall we?
Looks like a nice day, not much going on there. Here's another story from...
Why don't people listen to me? Don't let snakes and ALLIGATORS bite you! A very chill morning turned into a straight-up not good time when a man out retrieving disc golf frisbees that had been lost in the water and got a face full of angry gator teeth. Forty-year-old Florida man Travis Spitzer was wading around a lake at a disc golf course in Largo, Florida at around 5:00 a.m. to retrieve disc golf frisbees that had been lost in the water hazard by other players so that he could re-sell them when his business venture turned suddenly but also probably pretty predictably violent, considering he was piddling around in a body of freshwater in Florida. A gator popped up and bit him in the face. Spitzer was able to get away from the gator but suffered injuries on his face and hands. He is expected to survive. According to other disc golf players, Spitzer’s hustle is common. Players lose discs in the water and then people like Spitzer, who they not-so-lovingly refer to as “squids,” go into the water after hours to retrieve the discs and sell them to shops so they can re-sell them as used. Most disc golfers in Florida don’t bother to retrieve their discs or hunt for others’ discs so they can sell them, however, because there are alligators in the water that will bite you in the face. This was not Spitzer’s first time in this particular lake either, though many of his previous forays ended in arrest instead of a mauling. If you’re going to undertake a business venture of sorts that includes the risk of being eaten by an alligator, make sure it nets you more than 20 dollars a day. I’m not sure how many frisbees you have to find and re-sell to make up the cost of going to the hospital after a gator rips your arm off but I’m guessing it’s a lot, which is unfortunate because you’ll have one less arm to haul all those frisbees with. This guy’s plan is full of holes.
Ian Holm
September 12th, 1931 — June 19th, 2020
In a hole in the ground there no longer lived a Hobbit.
Jean Kennedy Smith
February 20th, 1928 — June 18th, 2020
It seems like we have an endless supply of these.
Vera Lynn
March 20th, 1917 — June 18th, 2020
Does anybody remember Vera Lynn?
The 129th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...
Natasha will be the guest on the Phile on Wednesday.
Phact 1. In 1947, after the price of a chocolate bar, increased from 5 cents to 8 cents, 200 kids marched and protested on the capitol building in British Columbia, shutting down the government for a day. It is known as The Candy Bar Strike.
Phact 2. Garlic may help you live longer, as it fights infectious diseases, combat sickness, including the common cold, can reduce blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, which may lower the risk of heart disease.
Phact 3. Arnold Schwarzenegger temporarily deserted the Austrian Army so he could compete in the Junior Mr. Europe contest. He won.
Phact 4. Judit Polgar, a female chess player who defeated Kasparov, Karpov, and Spassky, was part of an experiment by her father to prove chess genius is made, not born.
Phact 5. The furthest a human being has ever been from Earth was when Apollo 13 passed around the far side of the moon on April 15th, 1970. At their furthest point, the crew was 248,655 miles from Earth.
This is so bloody cool! Today's guest is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News. Their latest album "Weather" is available on Amazon, iTunes and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Huey Lewis!
Me: Huey, I've been wanting you for so long to be on the Phile. I'm glad you're here starting of the summer on the Phile. How are you?
Huey: Wow. I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Me: I love the song "While We're Young" from the new album "Weather." What can you tell about that song?
Huey: I love that song, it was one of the first ones I put together. It's an expression in America "while we're young." If someone is taking my picture and they're taking too long I'd say, "Take it while we're young!" But it's written about growing old obviously. I'm not that young but not that old either.
Me: Did you write that song, Huey?
Huey: John Pierce, my bass player and I originally wrote that song in my living room and then Johnny put another part to it. I sang in my living room and we liked the sound of it so we pinched some of that and put it on the master.
Me: Was the album recorded with the band together?
Huey: Well, once we got the track in our studio the guitar plater came in and played. We didn't all come in and play at one time.
Me: Was that unusual for you?
Huey: We've made records all kinds of ways. We made a soul record called "Soulsville" where we captured everything completely live, real ambient ways. Then we made records where we cut and paste and used machines and stuff. There's no right or wrong to that, the song kind of tells us how it wants to be handled I think.
Me: Were these songs written a long time ago?
Hey: Yeah. My hearing crashed two years ago and we had seven songs. That's why there's only seven. I lost my right eat 33 years ago and I lost my left ear almost three years ago and I can't hear music anymore to sing to because it's cacophony for me because it distorts and resonates. It's horrible but the good news is it does fluctuate once in awhile and it can get a little better. And when its better like one to 10 and it's a 6 which is as good as its been in years I'm okay with hearing aids, the technology and maybe I could sing again but I haven't been 6 and stable long enough to find out. That's bad news. That's why there's only seven songs on the record. We were sort of compiling as we went along, we had seven things in the can, I lost my hearing, we waited for a while to see if I could regain it and when I couldn't decided to release the songs to the fans.
Me: So, what's this I hear about a Huey Lewis Broadway show?
Huey: Yeah, a Broadway show, a musical that we're hoping to bring to Broadway. We partnered with a Tony Award winning producer named Hunter Arnold who produced Hadestown and won all the awards and we're very excited about that. I wrote a new song for that. "While We're Young" is in that show as well. I wrote another new song with Johnny Colla for the show that will be the centerpiece for that show.
Me: So, have you tried a lot of stuff for your hearing?
Huey: Yeah, I've been everywhere. I've tried chiropractic, acupuncture, low salt, organic diet, no caffeine, no chocolate. None of this stuff works. I'm really trying to get my hearing back but in the meantime I try to stay creative and keep busy so I don't have to think about it. If that makes any sense.
Me: Yes, it does. I like you kept your sense of humor on this record. Do you write a lot of things down that you think might be funny?
Huey: I probably should. That's a good idea, but I don't. I don't do any of that. I just wait for the idea to come. Then I write the song. I don't save anything, I don't keep anything. That's not quite true. I have some notes around and I probably have some cassette tapes and I've got a few things in my phone, singing into my phone. But not many, a couple, two or three.
Me: So, I had Nick Lowe on the Phile a few years ago and just read the book about him, and you guys were in Clover together. What do you think of Nick?
Huey: I'm one of his biggest fans. He's a great songwriter and a wonderful guy, although he has a very American sensibility music wise, he's so British. Yet for the life of me I don't understand why he's not a huge star in his country. Britain is usually unkind to their own, do you know what I mean? Britain should be very proud of Nick Lowe. He really is a national true.
Me: I think your early music like "Some Of My Lies are True" and "Trouble In Paradise" are new wave-ish. Do you agree?
Huey: Well, I was in Clover and when Clover went to England Nick was slotted to produce us. But punk hit the day we arrived and all bets were off. We were a long haired country band in the middle of punk. We were managed by Dave Robertson and Jake Riviera and they both immediately went partners on Elvis Costello, Stiff Records, the Damned, Wreckless Eric, boom... it was off. But the exciting part for me was the stance the punks had. It wasn't so much musical for me because I always liked the same music but Clover spent all our time grooming ourselves to be attractive for record labels and these guys were numbing their noses at the record labels saying, "We don't care, we're singing our own songs, our own way." And I said that's what I'm going to do. If this band ever breaks up I'm going to go back to Marion County, I'm going to my little club, I'm going to ask them for Monday nights, I'm going to surround it with my mates and I'm going to sing every song and the band is going to have a little more saxophone in it and a little less guitar and be R&B based. That's what I did.
Me: All your songs are so catchy, Huey. How do you do it?
Huey: It was those times, it was a radio world. There was no YouTube, there was no Internet, we had to have a hit single or we weren't in the game. So we insisted on producing ourselves, because we wanted to make those commercial choices ourselves. In 1982 we were an unknown band producing ourselves, that kind of thing didn't happen, but our manager fought for it and Chrysalis fortunately was thousand miles away and couldn't control us and so we produced "Picture This" with "Do you Believe In Love."
Me: That was your first hit, right?
Huey: It was just a tickle, that was just a break-even hit. "Sports" really was the record that broke us though and we really needed a hit single. So we aimed every track right at radio. We knew we needed a hit, we didn't know we were going to have five or six of them but...
Me: You play harmonica, which I wanted to learn at one time, but settled on the kazoo. Do you write with the harmonica?
Huey: It was mostly a finishing touch. With the blues a lot of it's been done, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, wow! I looked for a way to be original a little bit. I use less amplification generally and I also like to just play harmonic lines like George Harrison. I try to think of myself as George Harrison. I'm the George Harrison of harmonica playing.
Me: Your music does have a taste of the blues with the organ and the harp, am I right?
Huey: You're very perspective. We use a Hammond organ. How many records use Hammond organ? Very rarely. Not a sample, we use a real Hammond organ. Those are the choices we make, I get its subtle but its there.
Me: So, with "Heart of Rock and Roll" what made you decide to list a bunch of cities? Haha.
Huey: When in doubt shout cities. That's a good lesson. James Brown did it, Chuck Berry did it. When in doubt, shout cities.
Me: A lot of your songs is first person, and not through characters, am I right?
Huey: True. And I have very few creative regrets. I do have one and that would be "Hip To Be Square," which I originally wrote in the third person. But I thought it'll be funnier if I told it on myself. Unfortunately some people thought it was an anthem for square people which it never intended to be.
Me: But you grew up in the Bay area, that's cool.
Huey: I thought people would take that for granted. My hip card has been punched. My mom was hip, I came from hippies. I figured my credentials were safe. Little did I know.
Me: I love the album "Small World." That's a little different than the previous records, right?
Huey: After "Sports" and "Fore!" and we sold millions of records and all that stuff and I said that we wouldn't do anything for commercial reasons anymore. I said we needed to stretch out. We had to explore these other rhythms and other kinds of songs and all that stuff. So that was the idea. It was, by the way, select as Rolling Stones' worst album of the year. But we got Stan Getz to play on it. Stan Getz's sax phone is the best music that we had on tape.
Me: I didn't realize that. How did that happen?
Huey: My father was a jazzer. When Zoot Sims died there was a benefit at a little club in San Francisco and my old man said, "Man, Zoot died, there's going to be a benefit, it'll be great." Unbeknownst to him I got two tickets and I surprised him and said, "Pops, we are going to the Zoot Sims benefit." "Man, that's great." he said. He never seen me perform yet. My dad called what I did the funny hat routine, because he was jazzer and every jazzer in one song would so a comic deal where they put funny hats over their mics and stuff. He thought all of rock and roll was a funny hat routine. So I get these two tickets and we are there early and they said, "Oh, my God, Huey Lewis, great to have you here." My dads going, "Wow, these people are paying attention to my son. That's crazy." They walk us down to our seats and we are right in the middle, on the aisle, third row. I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around and it's Getz. He goes, "Are you Huey Lewis?" "Yes." "My girlfriend wants to eat your shorts." he said, "Why don't you let me play on some of your shit? I can play that shit too." He gave me a little card that said, "Have sax, will travel." On the ride home my old man says, "If you don't take him up on that I will never, ever forgive you, Stan has cancer and is not going to be around that long." So we struggled to find a song that Getz gets to play over and Chris came up with "Small World." So I sent it to Getz and he played on it. I split the song up in two, I shouldn't have done, I should have left it in one but we edited it for a single that was a five minute single and it broke a string of twenty Top 10 singles that we had, and never cracked the Top 20. But it is the best piece of music I believe that we ever had on a record. And it's represented on "Small World" on "Small World Part 2." It was such a music lesson, watching him do it and play it, I get chills when I hear it.
Me: That's cool. I have to mention "Power of Love." So, what's the story behind that song?
Huey: All I know about "Power of Love," again we're producing records ourselves so we're trying to get them down. I remember singing the vocal in Studio C at the Record Plant. It's one of those songs that just got up and flew. Thank God, that's just a gift.
Me: So, how did that song get into Back to the Future?
Huey: I had a meeting with Steven Spielberg, Bob Zemeckis, Neil Canton and Bob Gale about this film and the lead character was Marty McFly and his favorite band would be Huey Lewis and the News. "How about writing a song for the film?" I said, "Wow, that would be great. I'm flattered. I don't know to write for film necessarily and I don't fancy writing a song called 'Back to the Future.'" They said, "No problem, the next thing you write send down to us, we just want one of your songs." I said, "Okay, I'll send you the next thing I'll write." I think I sang it on demo and sang it to Bob Zemeckis. When I sent it he said it wasn't "up enough." I mentioned it to Johnny who put in those three chords and then they loved it, that's how they did it.
Me: "Back In Time" is more specific about the film. You mentioned the "doctor" and "lightning." Did you have a script for of the movie or something?
Huey: Yeah, yeah, yeah, they loved "Power of Love," they finished the movie and they hastily said, "We need another song for the credits." I rewrote the movie basically.
Me: So, does the other band members put any input into the songs?
Huey: Yeah, we all have a hand in it, I mean it. Bill Gibson, our drummer is just the drummer, but he's got unbelievable ears, he's a great musician. Everybody in our band has got great ears. Johnny pretty much writes the horn chart and then we say, "Johnny, about that fourth bar..." Or whatever. That's the way that goes. He's the horn department and the vocal department, Billy's the rhythm section but we all run over each other.
Me: What's the most important part of your records do you think?
Huey: The most important part of our records is Bob Clearmountain who mixes them. He's spectacular and mixes everybody from the Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen. It's amazing how good he is and we've became very good because we made lots of records. We can mix our own records but we can't get near Clearmountain for some reason.
Me: Didn't you produce Brice Hornsby?
Huey: Yeah, I produced three songs on Bruce Hornsby's first record. He didn't need a producer but we had fun doing it. I wanted him to do "Jacob's Ladder," it's one of my favorite songs. But he wrote it in a different way, a completely different arrangement. I wanted him to do this arrangement and he didn't get it, he said, "You do it." So I said, okay, I'll do it. I did it and it was a big hit. I told him, I said, "Bruce, I told ya."
Me: Do you still get ideas for songs?
Huey: I get ideas. I used to get ideas on a regular basis but I'm anything but prolific. Not like my pal Nick Lowe who can just hammer them out. I got to have an idea. I think the way to have ideas is to be receptive to them, to be around instruments and all that stuff, be thinking about songs and music. Since I lost my hearing I don't think about that. I'm struggling to hear a pitch, it depresses me so much. Play one note on the piano it's out of tune with itself. It's so horrible, so I think about other stuff. The musical or whatever. But having said that there's lots of people out there who have it way worse than I am, I still have a lot to be grateful for, all in all I'm a lucky guy, it's important that I remember that. It's not easy but it's important.
Me: Well, you're one of my favorite singers of all time and I am so happy to get you on the Phile. Take care and come back again, sir. Stay well.
Huey: It's been great talking to you, Jason. Cheers.
That was pretty cool. That about does to for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Huey Lewis. The Phile will be back tomorrow with Henry Rollins. Spread the word, not the turd... or the virus. 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
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