Pheaturing Tom Bailey

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you? I just got my second Moderna vaccine shot a bit ago, and didn't feel a thing... yet. Fingers crossed. Is this all too surprising? I’ll try to keep the snarky, sarcastic comments to minimum as I explain what happened here, but no promises. Josh Duggar, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar from "19 Kids and Counting," has been arrested and charged with, “one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography,” according to CNN. If you’re unfamiliar with who this is, "19 Kids and Counting" was a TLC hit show that followed the Duggar family as they managed a household with 19 children. Now before I get into what happened, let’s dig into some context. The reality show was actually cancelled back in 2015 after reports of Duggar allegedly molesting girls as a teenager surfaced. And although Duggar was never charged, he did admit it, saying on Facebook, “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling.” And with his family, known for their Christian values, speaking on his behalf, he was never charged for any of those incidents. According to CNN, they had said, “Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before. Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God.” However, his time under the spotlight wasn’t over, as the former reality TV star’s name reappeared across headlines once again for getting caught on Ashley Madison, a website designed to help married people cheat on their spouses. The site was hacked in 2015, and Duggar’s name was revealed amongst the many others who had used the site.   So what the heck did this guy do now? Well, if you missed it back in 2019, Duggar has allegedly downloaded content that depicted the sexual abuse of children, specifically under the age of 12. And if this is still shocking to you at this point, then I don’t know what else I could’ve explained for this not to be. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas reported that he was arrested in Arkansas on those child pornography charges, and if convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. When he appeared in federal court via video conference, he actually pleaded not guilty. His attorneys, Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story, and Greg Payne said in an email to CNN, “We intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly. In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom... and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.” As for Jim Bob and Michelle, Josh’s parents? They posted a statement on their family website saying, “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.” I’m trying not to be too critical, but I almost applaud the bold statement made by Josh’s attorneys. I mean, this guy got officially caught downloading not just any sexual abuse material, but of children. He also has quite a amount of kids himself, which is even more sickening. Again, I’m not all surprised, but if you are, then I can’t really help you out in any way. But I saw this coming, and I’m glad this guy is finally getting what he deserves. Side note: Why is he smiling like that in his mugshot? 

Creepy. Brandishing signs reading “Stop the bullshit," climate activists gathered in Washington D.C. on Thursday to dump cow manure outside the White House. Demonstrators were protesting U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate plan, which they say is inadequate. The Thursday morning protest, which coincided with Earth Day, was led by activists with Extinction Rebellion DC. Extinction Rebellion is an international environmental movement dedicated to using nonviolent civil disobedience to urge governments to take action on the global climate crisis. The demonstration included at least a dozen environmentalists, who pushed pink wheelbarrows of steaming manure which they unloaded in a big pile on a street by Lafayette Square, reports Jane Recker from The Washingtonian. On top of the hill of poop, demonstrators stuck a sign reading “Stop the Bullshit." Other banners read, “Declare a climate emergency now!” and “Biden’s 2030 plan = mass death." The demonstration came on the heels of President Biden’s two-day virtual climate summit of more than 40 world leaders. By hosting the event, Biden endeavored to reestablish the U.S. as a leader in global efforts on climate change after then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris accord. During the summit, Biden promised that the U.S. would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 52 percent by 2035 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. According to spokesperson Reilly Polka, Extinction Rebellion DC feels the president’s plan doesn’t go far enough. XRDC is calling for the president to set his net-zero deadline for 2025. “We’ve elected another president who can’t understand basic science,” Reilly Polka told The Washingtonian. “Just like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, Biden is fiddling with dates and targets as the ocean rises and the world burns. The president has failed to address the immense scale of the planetary emergency. Those traveling first class are still enjoying the party too much to hear the cries of those already drowning in the decks below.” After dumping out a dozen wheelbarrows of manure on the street, protesters said they would “clean up their shit." But in the end, it was largely BIOPIC, low-wage workers of DC Public Works who ended up cleaning up the mess, which had begun to block traffic. “Rebels returned with shovels to clean up, which was the plan, but the city had already begun,” a spokesperson for XRDC told The Washingtonian. “It’s unfortunate that the city had to clean our mess, but that’s exactly what Biden is asking humanity to do with his 2030 plan... he’s making it everyone else’s problem. We thank the city for their services this morning.” 

A few caveats here before everyone decides they’d rather roast to death in the uninhabitable desert where Indiana used to be than do anything about climate change. This idea came from one guy. A Swedish professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. There are also actual, serious, real, widely accepted medical problems with eating human flesh. In short, this isn’t happening. You recycling and driving your car less is not a slippery slope to consuming the flesh of your dead family members. But anyway, on to making fun of this guy now. Magnus Soderlund said at a Stockholm summit last weekend that he thinks eating human flesh could help save humans from climate change because farming animals... specifically cows... is not great for the environment. Specifically, at the industrial scale we currently do it at. This is, of course, insane. And stupid. Even Soderlund said he was hesitant to eat human flesh but would try it so as not to appear “conservative.” Look man, eating bacon made from the ass of a dead 80-year-old man isn’t going to make anyone think you’re forward-thinking. It’s going to make them think they want to get as far away from you as possible. For what it’s worth, Soderland did follow up his cannibalism plan with some (only barely) more digestible options such as eating insects, or our pets. Honestly, insects are a fine enough plan. They’ll be a hard pass for me but if someone wants to eat cricket tacos I’m not going to stop them. But pets? Why in the name of God does this guy see food everywhere? Put me on a full vegan diet before I start eating human corpses and my dead dog. Again, this shouldn’t be reflective of all climate change discussion. If anything it’s absurd to have someone this nuts speak at what’s supposed to be a serious convention. He diminishes the actual good points. Soderlund isn’t thinking outside the box or being creative. He had a shitty idea and for some reason was able to share it with the world at a legitimate forum instead of being shot down and told to do better. That happens a lot. 

A devastating fire in Bardstown, Kentucky, fatally killed more than 50 dogs and puppies at a kennel. According to WDRB, owner Ron Kraemer went into town to buy dog food, only to return to find his kennel, Doggy Style Kennels, on fire. He posted a heartbreaking video of the fire on social media, detailing in a Facebook post how he lost all the Labrador Retrievers that he has been breeding and training, except one sole survivor, Candy. Kraemer sadly wrote, “To my clients and friends, I came home from town today with a load of dog food to find my kennels in flames. I have lost all my dogs and puppies except for Candy that somehow pushed her way through the gate. You can imagine how devastating this is. My dogs were my life. Please continue to follow my page. This will not be the end of Doggy Style Kennels.” Kramer explained how miraculous it was for Candy, the lone survivor, to break through the gate, despite her fellow friends and siblings tragic fate. Kraemer said, “When I pulled in the drive there were two neighbors here and they ran up to me ‘Ron, we tried! We tried. We couldn’t save any.’ And I could see nothing could be saved.” Kraemer also explained that he’s still yet to be told how the fire officially started, but he believes that it possibly could’ve started from an electrical mishap with a heat lamp that he uses to keep the puppies warm. However, comments on the kennel’s Facebook page have accused Kraemer of running a puppy mill because of how many dogs were residing at the kennel at the time. Kraemer expressed his love for his business and passion with a fiery response saying, “If you want to call me a puppy mill because I have a continuous flow of puppies, go for it, alright? But there is nobody that does this better than I do. There is nobody that treats their dogs any better.” A GoFundMe page has been set up as a fundraiser to help the owner of Doggy Style Kennels rebuild his dog kennel. Puppy mill or not, this is quite the tragedy. 

Oh Ted oh, you just can’t seem to stay away from the spotlight huh? During President Joe Biden’s joint session of Congress last Wednesday afternoon in the House Chambers at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, all eyes were on him… except for Ted Cruz’s eyes. While he was addressing a variety of topics including coronavirus vaccinations distribution, American rescue plan, stimulus checks, rental in food assistance, and more, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was caught sleeping and minding his own business. So yes, although Biden’s speech was interrupted by several standing ovations and loud applause from lawmakers throughout the entire address, Senator Cruz was far less enthusiastic about the situation. Luckily for us, there was video footage of the Senators sleeping and briefly opening his eyes before then dozing me off again. Texans, come get your Senator! During Biden’s address, he mentioned his administration’s legislative agenda, including higher capital gain tax, expanding voting, a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, LGBTQ Health Care, women’s rights, and climate change. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris were standing right behind him. But Cruz did not appear to care one bit about Bidens first 100 days, he just wanted a good nap time because he probably had a hard day. The footage made its way on social media, of course, and it’s safe to say that Twitter had one heck of a ball. It has been viewed more than 1 million times across several accounts showing slight variations of the same part of the address. Several mocked Cruz by taking jabs at the Senator, including Trevor Noah from "The Daily Show" tweeting, “Looks like Ted’s eyes are hooked up to his state’s power grid.” Cruz did issue a rebuttal of Biden’s speech during an appearance on Fox News’s Hannity show telling host Sean Hannity, “I think the speech tonight, you could sum up three words: boring but radical. The speech tonight, by design, was calm and dulcet tones, you know I challenge you to remember a single line from the speech.” Yeah, yeah Ted, go off and try to explain yourself. What else do you have to lose? Politics aside, to me this is so rude. I don’t care if you don’t agree with what someone of a higher power is saying, you sit and listen. That’s your job. Shame on you, Ted. 

Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this album...

Ummm... maybe not. 

Looks like an okay day there. 

The 150th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Dolly will be on the Phile next Monday. 

Today's pheatured guest is an English singer, songwriter, composer, musician, and record producer. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as the lead vocalist for the new wave band Thompson Twins. His first solo album "Science Fiction" is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Tom Bailey.

Me: Hey, Tom, welcome to the Phile. Thanks for being here. 

Tom: It's my pleasure. 

Me: You had a solo album out called "Science Fiction" a few years ago. What was that like? 

Tom: It was kind of weird. 

Me: Why is that? 

Tom: Because I never stopped making music. I've released so many albums in one sort or other but nothing that was mainstream pop, nothing that was oriented around structuring, three and a half minute pop songs. So, yeah, it was a bit weird. 

Me: What took you so long to do a solo album, Tom? 

Tom: The massive distraction of other things. 

Me: Like the other "bands" you were part of? 

Tom: Yeah, International Observer, Babble, The Holy Water, I'm too easily distracted to dabbling into labours of love which don't make anyone any money but is great fun to do. 

Me: Was it hard to get back into the pop mentality again? 

Tom: I think the challenge was confronting my own denial. I had to come to terms with it again. I think once I decided to do it it actually seemed strangely familiar. I thought, "You're a fool, Tom, if you had any skills it was in this department. And you ignored them and it's taken you a long time." It's the same with touring with these pop songs and things. The metaphor is getting back on the back after a long time. It just comes back to me. 

Me: So, I have two ask you about the title track "Science Fiction." Are you a fan of sci-fi? 

Tom: Kind of. I think what happened was at the back of my mind I was feeling for an overall concept for the album, something that tied all the various song idea together. I thought this would emerge, as it often does, I think it was three or four songs in "Science Fiction" the song came along and I thought that's it, and it would also be a great title for an album. A lot of the songs have the idea of sort of staring up at the sky, stargazing images came out in order to understand what we are back on Earth kind of thing. That's really what science fiction is, it's the kind of false futurism but it's about now. 

Me: You play guitar and keyboards, right? What do you use to write your music with? 

Tom: I swap between both. If I play just one instrument it can lead me down a kind of repeated pathway. Sometimes I say that to people who write on keyboards, just learn half a dozen chords on a guitar because it will help them approach the same song with a different way. 

Me: That's a good point. So, what instrument did you learn first? 

Tom: The piano. 

Me: What part of England are you from, Tom? 

Tom: I lived in Chesterfield, Darbyshire, only 12 miles from Sheffield right on the border. I was born in Yorkshire and all my family come from South Yorkshire, so I have a claim to both places. 

Me: Did you come from a musical family? 

Tom: I did. My family are all medical actually but they are all keen amateur musicians of one sort or other. My father was a very early builder of home hi-fi so there was always a great quality spending music around me as a kid. I guess that's one of those things that influences me when I'm young, to have that kind of intensity of music around me. 

Me: What got you into playing or using synthesizers? I remember when my dad first got his one for his home studio. 

Tom: Thomas Dolby. In the second Thompson Twins album which was called "Set" we were still guitars, bass, drums, percussion band, and there wasn't any keyboards because we couldn't afford keyboards, it was as simple as that. I love the sound of synthesizers and I was desperate to get that kind of influence in to the work. I think I reached a point where they became affordable. So Steve Lillywhite who produced "Set" said let's get Tom Dolby in and it actually led to a strange little pattern of events where he came in and played synth of some of the tracks and then my synth did arrive so I was also playing along side but he was way ahead of me in terms of what to do so on and so forth. But by the end of that album I was in a situation where we hadn't quite got enough tracks and I acquired a drum machine and a synthesizer and I went home and wrote purely on those two instruments the song "In the Name of Love" which kind of ended up being the lead single of the album because it had this kind of bravado about it that everyone liked. It was also slightly embarrassing because for the first time it stopped being a kind of group written song and it was an individually written song. 

Me: How did that affect the other members of the band? 

Tom: It somewhat undermined the stability of the seven piece band that we've become. 

Me: So, when you guys were a trio did you all write songs? 

Tom: Yes, it was a super critical moment for us. 

Me: Why was that? 

Tom: Because up to that point we had been a band of instrumentalists that wrote music together. Often from improv workshops we just kind of jammed away. A song would develop from group work. When we became a three piece we very clearly said we're not going to do that anymore. It's not about the music or the songs anymore, it's about the whole pop experience. As a committee of three we have to design the experience which is going to include videos, visuals, the way we behave on stage, how we put on a show, blah blah, blah blah blah. Then we had the division of labour, I did the music, Alannah did the visuals, Joe did the stage show. It was almost written as a kind of manifesto, that's how we're going to do it. It was a challenge to us, an experimental challenge, like of it doesn't work and we don't have a top ten record within a year we're going to quit. It was a very weird way to put pressure on ourselves under. Looking back there amazing thing was we realised therefore we were designers of a pop experience. We were no longer a band of instrumentalists. We were designers of an overall experience. That made it very clear and it also gave me a fantastic freedom to not to have to include the instruments that people plated in the band in everything that we did. So suddenly I'm free to make a rhythm from a cardboard box and a fire extinguisher. That just kind of blew the thing wide open. And it gave us access to our signature sound. 

Me: I didn't know this, but one of your songs was in the movie Sixteen Candles, which I have never seen. I did ask Molly Ringwald out on a date once though. True story. Anyway, was that a big deal for you guys having a song in that film? 

Tom: A lot of British people didn't see that movie. In America that song is MASSIVE, even though it was never released as a single, it's because of the film. So when I sing it in America it gets an enormous response. I never saw the film but I know people in the U.S. did so I only have to mention the film and they go crazy for the song. 

Me: I first got into the Thompson Twins with the song "Hold Me Now." What's the story about that song? 

Tom: A part of it comes from a real emotional breakdown. Alannah and I had some kind of fight about somethings, some kind of emotional dispute and then we got over it and that song rose out of the atmosphere of having realised there are more important things to do than to fight. If I'd written that just to write a sappy love song it wouldn't work so well but it was based on something real and powerful for us at the time. When we were recording that Bill Wyman from the Stones walked into the studio and we were freaked out and someone said, "What do you think?" And he said, 'Sounds all right to me." 

Me: Phile Alum Nile Rodgers produced "Here's to Future Days," a record I love! How was it working with Nile? 

Tom: We'd written all the songs and actually recorded all the basic material for that before we teamed up with Nile. Nile is a wonderful musician and he certainly brought a sort of magisterial finish to the whole thing but did didn't get involved to about half way through. Nile is such a lovely man and we recently played together again. I have to say the whole time he worked on "Here to Future Days" he was pretty much in his most extravagantly misbehaving drugs and drink and everything. Everything was going mayhem central in Nile's life. So it became very difficult actually. He's written all about that in his book so I'm not saying anything new. Fantastically he's now very clear of all that and is happy and healthy and supremely together. I think it's a miracle actually with Nile's life, the way he pulled himself out of it all. And still creating mega-hits as if it was the easiest thing in the world. 

Me: That's true. Thanks so much for being on the Phile. Continued success, Tom. 

Tom: Cheers, Jason. Take care.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Tom Bailey for a cool interview. The Phile will be back on Friday with Emilio Estevez. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain!

Give me some rope, tie me to dream, give me the hope to run out of steam, somebody said it could be here. We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year. I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one they all just fade away...