Pheaturing Josh Ritter

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Friday. How are you doing? Good Lord, that is it. I have had it with all these teenagers trying to become Internet-famous by doing stupid stuff like this...

This is terrifying, and just absolutely disgusting to me. I don’t know about you but this stuff freaks me out, anything to do with teeth scares me. So when I saw this, I could not believe my eyes. If you have TikTok I do, look for me @Jaypea68), I dare you to search the word "veneers." Why? Because then you’ll find a lot of videos like from that pic, and let me tell you it is horrible. Basically, there’s this new trend going around TikTok where people are showing their teeth filed down in a before picture and then covered with crowns in their after picture, showing off their “new veneers” with the hashtag #veneerscheck. The videos by TikTok users have been alarming to a lot of dental professionals warning others about the dangers of getting the procedure done. Because let’s face it, this isn’t an easy procedure, and it isn’t a pretty one as you can see. Plus, nobody want’s to see those shark teeth as soon as they open the app. Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri spoke with Buzzfeed about this nonsense, in which she stated, “I was horrified when I first came across this trend... not only at the state of the teeth but also at how it was portrayed as a badge of honor. I didn’t understand why young people with seemingly healthy and aesthetic teeth were having their teeth shaved down to pegs, and why they were referring to these restorations as veneers. I was also concerned at the number of comments from people saying they were considering having this treatment done.” Manouchehri is a London-based dentist with postgraduate training in restorative dentistry and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. She explained that the TikTokers had actually just got in crowns on all their teeth, not the veneers like they thought. Crown preparations and veneers do have some similarities but they’re very different restorations. Veneers are used for cosmetic improvement of the interior teeth or to mask any developmental abnormalities of the teeth that may then affect one’s appearance. Crowns, on the other hand, are used to restore compromised teeth that may already have multiple existing restorations. According to the doctor, they may also protect posterior teeth that have been treated with a root canal. Manouchehri added, “Veneers will usually only cover the outer surface of the tooth, and they can be as thin as 0.5 millimeters. We can even sometimes do ‘no-prep veneers’ that leave no damage to the underlying tooth whatsoever. A crown will cover the entire surface of the tooth and will often need around two millimeters preparation of the tooth, so is much more destructive than a veneer.” I won’t go into further detail about why this is so wrong, and why getting crowns is very dangerous, but all I have to say about this is stop trying to become famous by doing stupid stuff like this. Do your research before you post something like this, you’re not an influencer, protect your natural teeth if they are fine. If you want veneers you should be very wary of the procedures in between, especially since they cost an arm and a leg and you don’t need that financial burden. Most importantly, you should learn about the damage that could happen if the procedure isn’t done by a professional, you don’t want to ruin your healthy teeth with all that cosmetic dental treatment. So maybe you should hold off on filing down your teeth with a nail file.

I get that there are plenty of people who hate President Donald Trump in the White House, but sometimes that hate can actually be used and channeled into the right things that are totally worth the time and money. And with the humor and entertainment that stems in mocking President Trump, it’s a win-win for everyone at hand where maybe strongly disliking Trump is actually worth the energy. So how would you like the chance to blow up Trump’s former Atlantic City casino for charity next month? The former Trump Plaza casino opened in 1984 and closed down back in 2014, falling into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began at the beginning of 2020. The rest of the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino is set to be dynamited on January 29th, 2021, and Mayor Marty Small of Atlantic City is hoping to auction off the demolition button with the proceeds going to a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City. He hopes to raise over $1 million, saying, “Some of Atlantic City’s iconic moments happened there, but on his way out, Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City, saying he made a lot of money and then got out. I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.” A professional auction company was hired by the Boys & Girls Club to manage the bids up until January 19th, 2021. On that day, the top bids will be revealed and during a live auction, a winner will be determined, with the proceeds going to the organization that provides, “after-school and summer recreation, education and career-training programs for Atlantic City children and teens,” according to The Guardian. President Trump had originally opened the casino in the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk where cars could come into the resort from the Atlantic City Expressway. It was a popular site for high-profile boxing matches, to which Trump would attend regularly. In 2014, it was one of Trump’s three casinos in Atlantic City to close, followed by the Trump Taj Mahal in 2016. The Taj Mahal has since reopened as the Hard Rock Casino, and Trump’s third casino, Trump Marina was sold to Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta in 2011, now called the Golden Nugget. Trump’s remaining ties to Atlantic City were finally cut in 2009, after billionaire Carl Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016 that was still paying Trump a 10% fee for using his name on what were his three casinos in the New Jersey city. Icahn has agreed to the implosion of the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino since it has been sitting empty for six years now. Earlier this year, large pieces had begun to break off and crash to the ground, with some debris even falling onto the Boardwalk. Mayor Small and Icahn plan to discuss future plans for the land once the building is gone, hoping to turn it into a family attraction. Mayor Small says, “Not often does inner-city oceanfront land open up. We have one chance to get this right.” 

A brutal case involving a Texas family is a horror story their loved ones will unfortunately never forget. Bryan Richardson, a 27-year-old man, has been charged with three counts of murder, according to the Copperas Cove Police Department. He was found in bed with his wife and two children, all three family members fatally stabbed and he as the main murder suspect. According to a criminal complaint from KWTX-TV, police officers had received a welfare check on the family after Richardson’s wife Kiera Michelle Ware’s brother was having difficulty reaching her. When law enforcement pulled up to her house on the block of Fairbanks Street, they found the horrifying scene. With a cellphone flashlight, officers followed Ware’s brother into the house. There was, “a large amount of blood on the kitchen and living room floors,” with a small dog lying dead in a pool of blood in the kitchen. Another large pool of blood was coming from the bedroom, and after police forced open the locked door, they found Richardson covered in the dark liquid, lying in the bed. His wife’s dead body lay next to him, and officers also found the bodies of their two young children in the room. The oldest of his two children was a Pre-K student at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy. When asked what had happened, Richardson said he didn’t know. He had three lacerations on his left arm that were self-inflicted as believed by officers. Police also found a bloody knife on a table, an empty six-pack of beer, and an empty bottle of Trazodone, which is a prescription antidepressant, next to the kitchen knife. While getting booked, officers asked why Richardson did it. They asked if he was worried about, “losing his job, his spouse or custody of his children,” to which he responded, “I already lost all of those.” He is now being held on $2.25 million bond and has not entered a plea. Court records have not determined whether an attorney has been authorized to speak on his behalf. Oh, man.

Yikes! Tom Cruise is out here scaring half of his Mission Impossible crew members. The actor had quite a lot to say after lashing out at crew members on the set of Mission Impossible 7 for COVID-19 protocols that were being neglected, as heard in a newly-released audio recording. In the 2-minute recording posted by the Sun and authenticated by sources to the New York Times, the 58-year-old producer and actor is heard yelling at members of the production team in London for reportedly violating guidelines. The audio was posted on social media, causing commotion from news outlets and tabloids. Cruz explains that he’s under pressure by filmmakers to lead by example of how a film can be shot safely during the pandemic. The movie had halted production in Italy back in February as the coronavirus outbreak began, but then eventually resumed in Rome in October. Variety reported that the set was then shut down for a week in October after several positive COVID tests and that they’ve been shooting in the London area for 2 weeks now. Calling the crew "motherfuckers" he is heard shouting in the clip saying, “They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing, I’m on the phone with every fucking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherfuckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!” Cruise continues his rant, telling the team members that if he sees them “do it again, you’re fucking gone… that’s it.” He continued, “No apologies. You can tell it to the people who are losing their fucking homes because our industry is shut down. It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night... the future of this fucking industry! So I’m sorry, I’m beyond your apologies.” The actor then tells the film crew members that they are not shutting down the movie despite the pandemic, asking them if they understand what he wants, and if they understand the responsibility that they have. Representatives for Cruise have not responded to the leaked audio. The seventh installment in the Mission Impossible franchise by Paramount Pictures is scheduled to hit theaters in November 2021 after being delayed and is being directed by Christopher McQuarrie.    Cruise is also set to star in Top Gun: Maverick which had its theater release date postponed from June to December and now to July 2021. Should he have yelled at them like this? No, probably not. But, I do understand him! People should continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines.

Warning: If you haven't seen the final episode of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 yet, this news contains major spoilers so read at your own risk! The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived, Star Wars fans! After eight fantastic episodes, "The Mandalorian" Season 2 finally saw its epic conclusion, and Peyton Reed's debut entry fired on all cylinders! Titled "The Rescue," Chapter 16 was once again home to several awesome moments, and it finally shed some light on the question we've all been dying to get answered since the last few chapters... which Jedi will answer Grogu's Tython call? During the tension-filled final act of the episode where Mando and his newly-formed rescue team consisting of Cara Dune, Bo-Katan, Kosta Reeves, and Fennec Shand were awaiting the attack of the Dark Trooper platoon, a mysterious X-Wing seemingly appeared out of nowhere to come to their aid. We all had our hunches as to which character it was going to be and once his green lightsaber flashed, there was clearly no doubt that it was indeed the returning Luke Skywalker. Easily the show's highlight, Luke astonishes everyone with his combat and Jedi skills as he singlehandedly decimated every Dark Trooper within sight. Now, in case you were wondering who portrayed Luke in Episode 8, no, it wasn't Marvel star Sebastian Stan as previously rumored. An unidentified actor played the iconic Jedi warrior with the use of a digital scan of Mark Hamill's face ala Wilhuff Tarkin in Rogue One. Just like that, "The Mandalorian" has once again hit us with a smack of adrenaline and this finale is the bittersweet ending we so desperately needed. It goes to show that Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and the rest of the people responsible for the show's creation really know what we fans want. It just sucks how we have to wait another year to see Season 3 but hey, I'm sure it's gonna be worth it. 

You heard of the Elf on the Shelf, right? Well, get ready for...

Hahaha. So this football season NFL teams are changing their logos, like this one...

Sometimes when I feel like it I go to Twitter and look up certain words. One of those words I look up is "Foghat." This is one tweet I recently saw...

Hahaha. If you're looking for a Christmas card to get how about this one?

Ha! So, have you seen "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix yet? I haven't, but now I see it's a Star Wars show I wanna see it. You don't think it is a Star Wars show? Lemme show you...

See! Told you! Okay, if I had a TARDIS I would probably end up somehow in the backseat of Fidel Castro's car...

Man, look at that weapon he had back there. Okay, now from the home office in Port Jefferson, here is...

Top Phive Things Said By Parents Who Are Tired With Elf On A Shelf

5. You've heard of Elf on the Shelf... now shut your damn mouths because my kids haven't.

4. I wish Elf on the Shelf was fun instead of a chore.

3. I went to touch this little Elf on the Shelf and almost started a war because "he'll lose his magic" if I touch it.

2. When you don't have kids, don't do Elf on the Shelf. Don't do it yourself. 

And the number one thing said by a parent who is tired with Elf on a Shelf is...

1. You ever feel like YOU are Elf on the Shelf? Moved around, played with, forgotten... 

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jeff, shall we? I wanna see how much snow is there...

Looks almost the same from yesterday. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, call the National Drug Helpline at 1-844-289-0879. 

The 142nd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Cathy Goldsmith who helped get that book published and who used to work for Dr. Seuss will be on the Phile Monday.

Today's guest is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. He is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine. His latest album "Fever Breaks" is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Josh Ritter.

Me: Hello, Josh, welcome to the Phile. How are you? 

Josh: I'm great, thanks for having me. 

Me: I love your latest album "Fever Breaks" and the song "On the Water." What is that is that song about?  

Josh: It's about uncertainty and giving it the best shot. 

Me: Jason Isbell, who has been on the Phile before produced the album. I didn't know he produced records. 

Josh: He doesn't really. I think this is the second one he's ever done. When I had the idea it felt like a lightning strike but at that time I thought of course this is a really cool idea but we're gonna run up against reality here, Jason's a very busy guy. He's playing all the time, I'm playing all the time, how are we going to make it work? But he wanted to make it work so I think the opportunity for both of us and something we needed was to do something that we both weren't comfortable with and what we're going to think about as we went to bed at night. It was that kind of project that just got in my head and won't let me rest. 

Me: There's stakes in to for both of you, right? 

Josh: Yeah, but both of us have a great situation that we're allowed to be explorers, we're allowed to go off and try are ideas. I think the thing more over time and my career and the thing I think I fought for in the end is the chance to have new ideas, and to take chances. And that's what people are given me, an opportunity to do. They're coming to shows and they're paying money and their given me money to go off and take chances and that's their job. 

Me: Do you think that's rare for any musician? 

Josh: Yeah, it is rare, not every musician that's their mandate from their audience. I know that's a political way to look at it. Some artists and fan would say, "Keep doing the thing. we're happy, play those four songs, we're going to be good." 

Me: What do you think of artists and musicians that are like that? 

Josh: I think that's great for the decisions they make for their own artistic relationship with themselves are so personal. For me I always felt a little afraid of getting stuck and not knowing it. I don't want to be the boring guy at the party whose talking and people are too nice. But I've always been afraid of overstaying my welcome that way. I think Jason is the same, we love to keep moving forward and keep surprising ourselves that's tough. 

Me: So is doing different kinds of music and things for you a motivator? 

Josh: Yeah, I spend so much time convincing myself that I have a lot of room up in my head to like go and look around and find new ideas and really at the end to be an artist my job is to forget about all the things that could go wrong, and look forward to the things that are going to be fun and exciting and will go right. Also, what else is art, in the end, but a chance to fail or succeed publicly? Ha ha ha. 

Me: Josh, where are you from? 

Josh: Moscow, Idaho. 

Me: Oh, that's different. Haha. So, it just hit me that we're talking about fear and being afraid and shit but but it's just making a record. I'm sure there's readers who are thinking what is their to be afraid of? Josh, can you explain what we are talking about? 

Josh: Sure, I made my last few records with the same band and the same sort of configuration and in this case I went to Nashville, Tennessee, I sit down with Jason Isbell who is a very incredible songwriter, I sit with HIS band 400-Unit and I make music with them. 

Me: Oh, wow, I didn't know that. So, how did that feel to work with a band you've never toured with before and never worked with before? 

Josh: Well, it's really strange and I've never experienced it. For 20 something years I made records with basically the same group of people. That's been fantastic, they are incredibly creative people and we learned to speak almost telepathically on stage, playing music for so long. So when I decided I really needed to switch things up for myself I didn't realize walking into the studio with the 400-Unit and everything that I was going to walk in having really no idea what was going to happen. I didn't have the relationships with the musicians that were personal and went back many years. They were learning the songs for the first time. I felt these are my songs and are wedging to turn them into something that is brand new.

Me: Did you have a real moment of doubt? 

Josh: I did because I was worried and really didn't take on how reliant I was on the people around me in terms of where things were going to go, and where the songs were going to go. I had a really good idea writing songs where the people could in my band take the parts that I was working on. I didn't have that experience with 400-Unit. I knew they were a great band, I've seen them and I got to hang out with them and play music and be around them but I didn't know what they were going to be able to do to turn my songs. I don't know my songs were going to be my songs in the end. When I'm a songwriter and that's what I do I think that's a scary thing to be given up a couple of years of work and will they translate? In my night time hours I would get nervous about that. 

Me: When did you know it was going to start to work out? 

Josh: It happened almost immediately when we sat down and played the first song "Ground Don't Want Me" which is one of the earliest songs I've been working on and the first I played for Jason when we were talking about making this record. 

Me: So, how did it feel when you realized that you and the 400-Unit clicked? 

Josh: It was amazing to feel suddenly this band swoop in around me like a flock of birds and just carry the thing off. It was incredible. 

Me: I heard your music in the past but now I'm starting to get into your music a lot. Being twenty something years into this does to feel like a good time to be making this kind of music you make? 

Josh: Yeah, it is. Not only that I've seen to happen several times in my career that their have been crests if waves. It happened all over and I think the first time it happened I was in Ireland, when I first got started I was playing over in Ireland a lot with bands like the Frames and Damien Rice and the Swell Season and see that a community ground swell lift like some music so more people could hear it. I've seen that happen a number of times, when a rising tide lifts all boats is so true, it's so exciting to see so many people with sometimes difficult songs. Like find like some real appreciation in a wide audience is really incredible. 

Me: Do you think it says something about our society right now that we crave a more challenging song or we crave more thinking about society? Man, that's a deep question for me... hahaha. 

Josh: I hope so. Certainly when making this record I really wanted to be a reflection of the world around us at the moment and I thought that would be a good way to choose the songs and to think about them hanging together. Really looking at the world today it's hard to look at the world and write introspective numbers. There's so much out there right in our face to be described, to be conceptualized. 

Me: Do you think on this record there's more "political" songs? 

Josh: Yeah, sometimes the temptation with making a record is to find a theme and write songs to a theme. I think that's one way to doing stuff and I think people have success with their art doing that at times. But I found that if I wanted to look closely at the world what I needed to do is look at it like sometimes I look at starlight. Which is I pick out those pinpricks of light at the corner of my eyes, not when I look directly at it. All the stuff in our view right now is very, very real and in our face that sometimes we just don't see it. There are things going on in the states right now that are horrific and strangely I feel like it's easy to let it all wash over us. But if we look at one little detail, if we look at family separation it's all we see. I think I wanted to let some of that into this record. 

Me: Do you think that's a risk talking about stuff like that? 

Josh: Well, I don't want songs and I feel it's a waste of time and boring to use songs to educate because I'm a songwriter, I don't know more than anybody else. What I want to do is frame the question in a new way. For myself that's the important part and songs when they get heavy handed and educational they lose I feel their power. 

Me: So, who is one of your inspirations musical wise, Josh? 

Josh: John Prine. Bob Dylan described him as a "philosopher," not as a teacher, but just gives us other ideas about how to live our life. 

Me: Is that why you're a fan of his? 

Josh: Yeah, I think that's so true. When I find musicians or songs that I grab hold of its not because the singer, its because the song is the foremost in my head. That's so cool to sing a song and get out of the way of it. John Prine does that amazingly. 

Me: So does Graham Parker. 

Josh: Yeah, Graham Parker is something else. 

Me: Did you get to see John Prine when you were in Nashville? 

Josh: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know him a bit from touring with him. 

Me: So, is is true you finished this album on the night of the mid-terms? 

Josh: Yeah, I did, yeah. 

Me: What was that like? 

Josh: Well, it was weird. We got up in the morning and go to the studio and once I'm in the studio I don't know if its day or night, or what season it is. Its like being on a submarine. The whole world was going on outside while we were working and it was hard to feel or ignore that something wasn't hanging in the balance that day. It was an amazing day to be recording. 

Me: Why is that? 

Josh: Because I definitely believe like wine or anything thing that the moment can seep into, the moment can seep into that song that we were working on. For me always this record will aways encapsulate that moment of working away while this election was going on. 

Me: Do you think you experienced the mid-terms by being in a southern state? 

Josh: Yeah, like I said I grew up in Idaho which is very conservative. Now I live in New York which is very Liberal and to spend some time in places that are outside of my own ideological kind of bubble is very interesting. It's so different and makes me wonder about so many assumptions I have. One of the great things I feel, I feel very lucky about this traveling and traveling around the country and seeing how it's all stitched together and seeing how we all are not that different, we all live in these bubbles that we can get out of, but are very secure when we are in. 

Me: Do you like to travel, Josh? I used to but not so much anymore. I'm getting lazy in my old age. 

Josh: Yeah, and it was an amazing time to be traveling. The conversations that are going on are just so important and so wild and I'm so happy we are having these conversations. 

Me: Do you think music helps people? I do. 

Josh: Yeah, I think music just reminds people that we are human. There are few experiences of being in a room with a bunch of people and taking part in music. That's something that politics doesn't have to take away from us. I think about the various religious traditions all around the world and all the ways we kind come together as people and music is always there. 

Me: That's cool. Josh, thanks so much for being on the Phile. 

Josh: Thanks a lot, man.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Josh Ritter for the interview, I love his music. The Phile will be back on Monday with Cathy Goldsmith. Then on Tuesday it's A Peverett Phile Christmas 12 Pheaturing Midge Ure. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain. 

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