The Peverett Phile Interviews: Willy Zeen From Ultrazeen

PHIRST OF

Hello, welcome to the Saturday entry of the Phile. Tuesday it's St. Patrick's Day, and even though I'm not Irish, Irish I was drunk. So, how are you? Today we went to a local festival called Pig on the Pond. I didn't see a pig on any pond, but I did see a fat lady in a lake. Does that count? Have you heard Kelly Clarkson's new CD "All I Ever Wanted". If you look closely at the CD cover you'll see in small print it says "Is Jason Peverett". Oh, how I wish. Kelly said on the Regis and Kelly show she is single. Not for long, Kelly, I'll be seeing you in Orlando on the 28th. My wife Jen said if Kelly is dumb enough to put out to you, then have fun. Bad day for Sesame Street. They had to lay off 67 people. Now all the characters are living in garbage cans. Bert and Ernie are getting married just for the benefits. The U.N. says that the world’s population could reach 9 billion by the year 2050. That’s if the Octo Mom doesn’t stop having kids, of course.
Nadya Suleman, everyone’s favorite mother of 14, was on “Dr. Phil” again. I think she might even be living with Dr. Phil now. He got her to admit some of her problems. But on the downside, I think he got her pregnant again. President Obama said that kids need to stay in school longer, either longer days or into the summer, if we want to stay competitive. He said we can’t stick with a school calendar that was created at a time when most Americans were farmers. He’s right — we need a new school calendar for a time when most Americans are unemployed. General Motors announced they wouldn’t need an extra $2 billion from the bailout. They said they’re getting great returns from some guy named Madoff. Bernie Madoff going to jail. He could spend 150 years in the slammer. He won’t get out until he’s 220. The judge said, “Straight to jail — do not pass Go; do not collect $200...” Then Madoff said, “Hey — I can turn that $200 into $400,”... and the judge said, "Hmmm..." Well, I have a good interview for you today. But before we get into that, it's time for the Peverett Phile history lesson.

1883
Karl Marx dies of bronchitis in London.
1932
George Eastman, the founder of Kodak Corporation, kills himself after a long illness. His suicide note states "To my friends: My work is done. Why wait?"
1945
"I am going to jump into my grave laughing because the knowledge that I have the deaths of millions of people on my conscience is a source of extraordinary satisfaction to me." Adolf Eichmann.
1967
Nine German executives of the manufacturer of thalidomide, Grunethal, are charged with breaking their country's drug laws. Thalidomide, a sedative, caused over 12,000 babies in late 1950's Europe to be born with flippers instead of limbs.
1968
Nerve gas leaks from the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, near Skull Valley Utah. The gas killed 1600 sheep on the Goshute indian reservation and made hundreds more sick. Dugway is a test center for chemical and biological agents.
1997
A tank illegally stored at the federal government's Hanford nuclear facility in Washington state explodes, causing the release of 30,000 gallons of plutonium into the environment. The government tried to cover up the incident, going so far as having the Department of Energy deny the release of any contamination.

Today's guest is French, but we won't hold that against him. He's the lead singer for the French rock and roll band Ultrazeen. Welcome to the Phile, Willy Zeen.

Me: Bonjour, Willy, welcome to the Phile. So, how is life in Paris?

Willy: Well, life in Paris is ok. We got some beautiful Girls, nice places, but the negative point: too much cops.

Me: Willy, I have to apologize, I am English. And we all know how much the English love the French. 

Willy: Don't have to apologize, dude, I' m half English. In fact, I was born in Slough, next to London.

Me: So, what's an Ultazeen?

Willy: The name was a joke, we made it up as Ultrazine in the beginning like Cafeine, Nicotine, Amphetamine, etc, etc... All the addiction stuff you know, but we wrote it with a double "E", to create a sort of confusion.

Me: Do you sing in French or English?

Willy: We only sing in English. It sounds better for Rock'n'Roll.

Me: How many 'Zeen people are there? Who is in the band?

Willy: We're four. You've got: Chris on the drums, Stef on bass, Stan on guitar and me (Willy) on vocals. The French touch in our music comes from the members of the band, that's why we stuck on ULTRAZEEN a French touch for Rock'n'Roll. But sure we wanna stay out of garlic rock as you say, we re Night Creatures.

Me: Your album is called "Vs". What does that mean? Will it be available on iTunes?

Willy: The name "Vs" is for Versus. We haven' t got any plans to put it on iTunes for the moment, but you can download our tracks on some sites like 7DigitalIndiestore or X.trib.com.

Me: Your influences you have listed are pretty cool, Willy. I couldn't believe you mentioned the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. 

Willy: Yeah, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is one of our influences. 

Me: So, is this your first interview?

Willy: No, it' s not our first interview, in fact we' ve done a few now, mostly in France, for magazines and radios, but all so for some other European countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, England, we even had some tracks played in the States on Gutter Punk Radio and some other radio in Chicago.

Me: When did the band form?

Willy: The band started in 2004, so we're 5 years old.

Me: Any plans for you guys to come to America?

Willy: We will really love to come over to the United States if you' ve got any plans, you're welcome.

Me: So, do you like french fries, french toast, french bread?

Willy: If we like french fries, french toast, french bread, of course, but I guess we prefer french wine.

Me: Willy, thanks for taking part. 

Willy: Well thanks to you, for your work and support. Keep it going, "Bon courage" as we say in France. Take care & and best wishes.

Well, he seemed nice for a Frenchman, didn't he? That about wraps it up for another entry of the Phile. The Phile will be back tomorrow with a member of a new upcoming band, The Scenery. So, spread the word, not the turd.

The Peverett Phile Interviews: Johnathon Schaech

PHIRST OF

Hello, welcome to the new improved and better stylistically confused Phile. I am your host Slumdog Slacker. It's a start of the newly revamped Phile and also Friday the 13th. And no, I am not wearing my hockey mask. So, sad news for fans of the Virgin Megastore... a lot of them are closing down, including the one here in Orlando. Word is they are being replaced by a new store: Burst Cherry. Thanks to everybody who commented about my Grandmother passing away. When Death showed up she asked "Who are you?" "I am Death." Death replied. Then my Grandmother shouted "WHO ARE YOU?!" Disney announced they are going to have two new cruise ships in the next few years. The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. My Disney fantasy is Snow White having sex with Cinderella. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta turned down Obama’s surgeon general job because he would have to take a pay cut. Yeah, you have no idea how much money CNN pays him to keep Larry King alive. Michael Jackson is going to be doing 10 concerts in London this summer and is expected to bring in $400 million... 400 million? That’s enough to settle like 15 “personal” lawsuits. A special Beatles version of the video game Rock Band is coming out. I can’t wait for this. You can play as John, Paul, George, or Ringo. And it comes with a full warranty... in case Yoko shows up. Stocks were up 400 points today. I haven’t seen anything shoot up so fast since Amy Winehouse. The other day Logan and I were watching the cartoon "Static Shock" we couldn't believe it. I didn't know I was a cartoon villain. Take a look.

See what I mean? I am pissed off boy or something. How weird, right? 

1881
An anarchist from the radical group People's Will throws a bomb which disrupts Czar Alexander II's motorcade. After he thanks God for his deliverance, the anarchist yells "It is too early to thank God" and throws a second bomb, causing injuries from which Alexander bleeds to death.
1923
Twenty-two persons killed in a poison rice episode, China. Five cooks are blamed.
1964
At 3:15am, bar manager Catherine "Kitty" Genovese is raped and stabbed to death outside her apartment building in Queens, NY. None of her 38 neighbors who witness the 32-minute ordeal even bothers to call the cops. Later in court, several testify hearing her scream: "Oh my God! He stabbed me! Please help me! I'm dying!"
1996
Salim and Ruksana Patel find the arabic word for Allah spelled in the seeds of an aubergine (a Persian eggplant variant) which they intended for a casserole at their home in Bolton, England. Their local mullah declares it a miracle.
1997
Hassan Abdullah's wife accidentally severs her husband's penis while she was "dreaming about strangling him". Luckily for Abdullah doctors in Malaysia were able to successfully reattach his endangered manhood, but not so lucky is the fact that he sleeps with a woman who keeps a knife in bed and dreams about strangling her husband.
2001
One-eyed, mom-hating serial killer/drifter Henry Lee Lucas dies. Lucas was a serial murderer known for making bogus confessions which prompted police across the country to try and clear hundreds of unsolved cases by dumping them on Henry. He later recanted, saying that his goal was to make the police look stupid. Physical evidence only linked Henry to two of the murders.

From the home office in Groveland, Florida, here is this week's top ten list...

Top Ten Surprising Items In The Economic Bailout Plan 

10. Three billion dollars to "Wheel of Fortune" to make vowels more affordable.
9. Madoff-seeking missile.
8. $15 million to study the effects of pantsuits on international diplomacy.
7. 18% gratuity for Senators.
6. Lehman Brothers replaced by the Jonas Brothers.
5. The bailout plan has a bailout plan.
4. $10 billion to stimulate Joaquin Phoenix.
3. $200,000,000 to produce Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.
2. Stimulus to be delivered by A-Rod's cousin.
And the number one surprising item in the economic bailout plan...
1. It's going to aid the Big Three: Ford, GM and Jessica Simpson.

Today's guest is an with actor, director and writer. His career in movies and television dates back to 1993. He has appeared in such movies as Prom Night, Hush, Welcome to Woop Woop, Splendor, That Thing You Do!, The Doom Generation and Forsaken. And he was married to Christina Applegate. Please welcome to the Phile, Johnathon Schaech.

Me: Hello, Mr. Schaech, welcome to the Phile? Where are you right now?

Johnathon: I’m in Los Angeles sitting in my new home that has all the dry wall torn out yesterday. I’m redoing all the air ducts and making it all new. New everything. Just like my life.

Me: I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this. Most actors shy away, but musicians love me. Only Jill Wagner, Melissa Joan Hart and Charlyne Yi agreed to be interviewed by me. You've done every talk show known to man, even the "Donny and Marie Show", right? So, I hope this interview doesn't let you down.

Johnathon: As my Australian friend would say, “ No worries, Mate.”

Me: Is it true you were asked to be in a Jay-Z video? Did you say yes right away? I would of been scared shitless. What did you do for it?

Johnathon: I was in Vegas and I got a phone call from an old friend from High School, Chris Robinson. It turned out that Chris had become the top music video director in the country. I just had to go see him. They flew me down to Mexico. Put me in a helicopter... it was dope.
It ’s so weird, Chris walked my sister down Prom Court and here he is on top of the world. I was so proud of him. I played the cop chasing Jay-Z.

Me: I have to ask you about being married to Christina Applegate. I am sorry you two divorced, but are you still friends? And do you watch her show "Samantha Who?"?

Johnathon: Christina Who? 

Me: Enough of that personal stuff, sir. Where are you from originally?

Johnathon: I’m from Edgewood. And so is Chris Robinson. So is my production partner Richard Chizmar.

Me: And when did you first go out to California?

Johnathon: I went to Cali when I was 18.

Me: Was it hard to get an agent?

Johnathon: I don’t remember. I had the greatest agent ever after I booked the Franco Zeffereli movie. Ilene Feldman. I remember she discovered Johnny Depp and Christian Slater. But after her, the agents just came and went. Except now of course. MY AGENTS ROCK!

Me: You're a frat boy, right? Where did you go to school, and tell me about Lambda Chi Alpha.

Johnathon: Great group of guys. I went to UMBC for three years... I still keep in touch. But I’m not a Frat Boy.

Me: I believe I saw you on "Punk'd". Were you the punker or punkie and was it
fun?

Johnathon: I was on for a second. I guess Ashton gave me my fifteen minutes of fame. 

Me: Mr. Schaech, you direct, write an act... what do you like best and what are
you currently doing now?

Johnathon: I got the Poker Club coming out in April. It's distributed by Sony and it's my first project in which I wrote, produced and starred in. Tim McCann directed it and we are excited for everyone to see. Tim has won Toronto Film Fest and Austin Film Fest so it's not your typical DVD release. I'm simply a filmmaker. And I don't idolize Clint Eastwood. I want to be like Clint.

Me: One of my favorite movies of all time is That Thing You Do! Tell the readers
who you played in it. How was Tom Hanks to work for and would you ever do a TTYD
sequel if they asked?

Johnathon: That Thing You Do 2. I’m in! This time I want to be nice to the girl. They smell so good.

Me: A few years ago Vanity Fair nominated you for something. Do you remember
what that was?

Johnathon: I was on the cover with Will Smith and Leo. Nominated for next the new generation of Hollywood’s new leading men. Guess who got the short end of the stick? Me, the beautiful loser!

Me: Tell me about Chesapeake Films. When did you start it and what made you start
your own film company?

Johnathon: Richard Chizmar and I grew up together. He is a writer and publisher. We decided to team up and make movies. Poker Club is our first feature. Our next one will be Stephen King’s From a Buick 8. It’ll go in April and right now Tobe Hooper is directing.

Me: Are you taking submissions for films?

Johnathon: Sure, we just don’t have the man power to do anything about them.

Me: You are working on a movie that comes out next year called Bone Deep, right? What can you tell the Phile readers about it? It sounds like it could be a porno as far as the title goes.

Johnathon: It’s a action movie with Chris Brown, Ti, Matt Dillon, Paul Walker. It's dope and I have a small part.

Me: You've been part of a lot of horror movies, sir. Is that your favorite genre?

Johnathon: My partner is Richard Chizmar. His publishing company is Cemetery Dance. They're the leading independent publisher of horror and sci-fi in the country. That's why. This producer friend of mine Beau Flynn recently said to me people don't realize how many people have come out of the horror genre and become incredible story tellers. And I have to agree. Just take King for example most people think he's a horror guy, but he wrote Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me... it's endless. I've never been in films that were number one in the box office til Prom Night and Quarantine... and in this business it's good to be number one.

Me: Okay, I hear you are studying krav maga. What the hell is that?

Johnathon: Krav Maga is basically an Israeli martial art. You just don’t just strike. You kill.

Me: I also heard you are a big supporter of Obama. What made you go for him and
not McCain? I'm British, so couldn't vote at all.

Johnathon: Obama is a leader and has integrity. We’ve lacked a leader for so long here in the States. I’m excited to see the changes that Obama will bring. He’s brought hope not only for this country, but many people personally. I being one.

Me: Last November I stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel with my wife and son for five nights and I am now spoilt. Have you ever stayed there?

Johnathon: Never, but have had many successful dates there.

Me: If I come back to California this year can we hang out? Just kidding. You seem to go to all the cool parties.

Johnathon: Let’s go to Le Deux with my buddies, Clifton Sammy!

Me: So, can you tell your friends what a great time you had at the Phile and see if anybody you know would like to be interviewed?

Johnathon: You got it!

Me: Finally, sir, is there anything you would like to plug? I wish you all the best, thanks for doing this, and I hope you would let me interview you again one day.

Johnathon: The Poker Club. This gets released in April by Sony. We’ve gotten great reviews from Variety and such. It stars Johnny Messner, Loren Dean, Judy Reyes, Lori Heuring, and myself. It’s a thriller about four life long friends who play a weekly poker game together.
One night a burglar breaks into Aaron Tyler’s house while they’re playing. And things go really wrong from there. Mistakes are made, bad judgement and ultimately the truth is unraveled. It’s a story of how one lie can spiral into a world of betrayal.

Thanks, Johnathon, I will make sure to check out... what was the name of the movie? Oh, yeah, Poker Club. Well, that's it for the newly revamped Phile for today. The Phile will be back tomorrow with French singer Willy Zeen from the band Ultrazeen. Thanks to Wikipedia and Johnathon. Spread the word, not the turd.

The Peverett Phile Interviews: Steve "Sammy" Rager From Untamed Youth

Hey there, welcome to the Phile once again. Today we have the keyboardist for the band Untamed Youth. This band got their start in the late 80's playing fired up surf and hot-rod tunes. To date they have six full-length releases available, plus a greatest hits CD. So, kids, please welcome to the Phile Steve "Sammy" Rager.

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

Sammy: Doing well, thanks! Hope things are well at the Peverett Phile. 

Me: So, should I call you Steve or Sammy? Everyone in the band has nicknames, right. What should my nickname be?

Sammy: You can call me anything you like! Yes, everyone has a nickname, whether they like it or not. As far as what your nickname should be, if you're cheap, you too could be a Sammy!

Me: Sammy, for those readers that don't know who is in the band, wanna tell them?

Sammy: Deke Dickerson is our singer/guitarist, originator of all the legendary gimmicks associated with the band MACE, "King of Men" and "Mr. Hatred" plays himself and the bass. Myself, Steve "Sammy" Rager, play keyboards and feature fancy footwork and big grins. Chris "Sugarballs" Sprague plays drums and sings mighty back-up vocals.

Me: Deke is a legend, isn't he? Is he the founder of the band?

Sammy: Yes, Deke founded the band with MACE in the fall of 1986. Is he a legend? To some, I suppose he is. He's catching up with Billy Childish in most recordings issued by anyone associated with garage, hillbilly, rockabilly and snack rock songs!

Me: Was the band's name named after the movie Untamed Youth? Speaking of movies, has Untamed Youth ever had a song in a movie?

Sammy: Yes! The band got it's name after the movie! No, we have not had a song in a movie that I'm aware of. True stardom has eluded us due to this oversight by the filmmakers of the world!

Me: Sammy, I am confused. The band broke up for awhile, right, and then got back together? When did that both happen?

Sammy: The band broke up in 1993, seemingly for good. Then Dave Crider of the Estrus recording empire decided to issue the "Live in Las Vegas" CD, and lured the band out of retirement to play the Garage Shock '95 festival.

Me: The personnel in the band now... are they all original members? When did the band get together originally?

Sammy: No, just MACE and Deke are original members. They formed the band with Doug Walker on keys and Joel Trueblood on drums back in the fall of 1986. I first joined in the fall of 1988 and hung in there until MACE and Deke bolted to California at the beginning of 1991. I rejoined when the band reunited in '95 and have stuck with it ever since.

Me: I looked at your videos and photos on-line and the movie That Thing You Do came to mind. Anyway, were you all kids when the band started?

Sammy: The original members were all something like 17 when the band formed. Trueblood might have even been 16. I wasn't there so I'm not sure!

Me: Sammy, what kinda of keyboards do you play? A Hammond B-3 if I had to guess.

Sammy: The Untamed Youth keyboard sound is a Farfisa Compact Combo organ. Red or Gray models will do, but I prefer the red for the Sam the Sham look! But I'll play any vintage organ supplied by a promoter rather than flying or shipping one! They are very fragile!

Me: Who do you look up to, keyboardist wise?

Sammy: My role models would have to be Alan Price of the Animals, Rod Argent of the Zombies and from the modern garage era, Jeff "Monoman" Conolly of the Lyres.

Me: How many albums has Untamed Youth released? There's only two in iTunes.

Sammy: There are 8 titles total. The first three titles were vinyl only. The next 5 were issued on CD. I think only "Untamed Melodies" and "Youth Runs Wild!" remain in print, however. There are 5 studio, 2 compilations and 1 recorded live in Las Vegas.

Me: Is it true one of your albums was recorded in only two days?

Sammy: The basic tracks of the last two, "Planet Mace" and "Youth Runs Wild!" were definitely recorded in two days. "Planet Mace" may have been completed in two days. Mace, Joel and myself left the studio after two days during recording of "Youth Runs Wild!" Deke stuck around for a few more days to add some overdubs, vocals, guest vocals, etc.

Me: Are you still living in Columbia, Missouri? Have you heard of the band The Geoff Stein Project? They are from Missouri as well, but in the Ozarks.

Sammy: Yes, MACE and myself still live in Columbia. Deke and Chris live in Los Angeles. I have not heard of The Geoff Stein Project. When you say they are from the Ozarks, I immediately think Hillbilly music, but I'll bet that's not the case, right?

Me: Sammy, in the bands career, who have you opened for? NRBQ? Dexter Romweber? The Beach Boys?

Sammy: Dexter Romweber, yes, when he was leading Flat Duo Jets. Others have included Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Cramps, Lyres, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ben Vaughn and lots more. We've played with the Mummies, Gories, Cordell Jackson, Phantom Surfers, etc., but they all opened for us!

Me: What do you think of Smash Mouth? They kinda copied you guys but had a bigger career. Does that annoy you?

Sammy: I've only heard their hits and didn't think of them as copying us. I think the keyboard player was using a red Farfisa in their video, but that doesn't mean they are copying us. I wouldn't bet Smash Mouth has even heard of us actually.

Me: You have one song about a Honda and one song about a Ferrari. Not many bands could say that. You also have a song called "Pabst Blue Ribbon". Is that U.Y.'s beer of choice?

Sammy: You bet! PBR! Lots of songs about cars, girls, surfin' and beer!

Me: Last year you guys went to Spain to play a Festival. How was that? Do you play overseas often?

Sammy: We played the Funtastic Dracula Carnival in Valencia last October. It was great! That was our second time overseas, but we hopefully will be returning to Europe in July and then again on a regular basis in the future!

Me: Sammy, what's next for the band and yourself? Any new music in the works? Or another tour?

Sammy: We've got another festival to play in Europe in July, this time in Switzerland, and then we'll have to see. No tours or recording sessions in the works at this time.

Me: Sammy, go ahead and plug your website or anything else you like. Good luck in the future, sir. Hope this was fun and painless.

Sammy: We have an official website with lots of background info, funny stories and a discography at www.juvalamu.com/youth. Then we also have the myspace page that I maintain. There one can find historical videos from as recent as the Spain festival and loads of others dating back to 1987! These include a few of the gimmicks like MACE Jello wrestling women, the Youth backing Elvis in the first show since his death, a movie trailer for Deke's movie, Dolemace, and Deke's original moster shindig, The Hideous Vomit Creatures from Planet X-9! There's also a photo gallery, slideshow and the occasional blog. Yes, this was painless and even enjoyable! Thanks for your interest and Keep On Dancin'!

Cool beans. Thanks, Sammy. By the way, I did read somewhere that Smash Mouth were fans of Untamed Youth, but that could of been the movie. Anyway, next Phriday the Phile is gonna be a little bit different. It'll have a monologue and a top ten list, but it will also have an interview with actor Johnathon Schaech from That Thing You Do plus many other movies. Then on Saturday it's Willy Zeen from the French band Ultrazeen and Sunday it's Jordan from the hip band The Scenery. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd. 

The Peverett Phile Interviews: John Bentley From Squeeze

Hello, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile with another interview. First I have to say tonight I went to see The Barenaked Ladies in concert. It was weird to see them with just four members and without Steven Page, but they were great. One of my favorite concerts ever. My next concert will be Kelly Clarkson. Man, I cannot wait. Now for today's interview. It's with the bassist for Squeeze from 1980 to 1982. He played on the albums "Argybargy" and "East Side Story", generally considered to be the band's best by critics, as well as the darker and less acclaimed "Sweets from a Stranger". The Peverett Phile is pleased to bring you John Bentley.

Me: Hello, John, welcome to the Peverett Phile. This is a huge honor as Squeeze is my all-time favorite band. So, how are you? Busy it seems, right?

John: Just embarking on a 37 date tour with Chris (Difford). And also concentrating on writing new material for "Mind Your Head". I am also collaborating with the surrealist David Milner on films to accompany my solo album "The Man Who Never Was" which we intend to bring out as a DVD. Some of the films can be viewed on my Myspace. 

Me: I checked out your bio and didn't know you had the same birthday as my dad... April 16th. Happy early Birthday. 

John: Sorry you've lost your dad, and I remember to Foghat.

Me: For the readers of the Phile, correct me if I am wrong, but you were with the band originally from 1980 to 1982, right? Did you know the boys before hand, or did you have to audition?

John: I joined Squeeze early in 1979 and continued to tour and record with them until late 1983. Then had a short break (24 years) from the band. I auditioned for Squeeze at SUMA rehearsal rooms in Chelsea. Squeeze Management sent me there to audition for the job, but Squeeze had already finished the auditions and were rehearsing with their new bassist who they had chosen from 60 applicants. So I was just sitting in the control booth with Chris Difford watching the rest of the band rehearse. It was one of those moments. I could have simply walked out of there and left them to it, and that would have been that. But as I chatted to Chris, some magic happened, and I convinced him that I would be a better option than the guy they had chosen. So they set up a special audition for me the following day. And the rest (as they always say) is history.

Me: You played on some of Squeeze's biggest albums, John. What was your favorite album you played on?

John: My favorite Squeeze album is "Five Live", followed by "Argybargy".

Me: The band broke up in '85... and when they reformed a few years later they had a new bass player named Keith Wilkinson... was that your idea or theirs for you not to be in the band anymore?

John: It certainly wasn't my idea for Squeeze to reform without me and hire Keith Wilkinson. I could have easily got them someone much better.

Me: What did you do in that time? Did your own band?

John: I did have my own band (Luxury) for a short while and we had a recording deal with Polydor. After a couple of singles that flopped our album was never released, and then we were dropped. After that I realized that if I was going to sustain a successful career in music I would be better off returning to being a backing musician rather than a front man. I have continued to play and record and write music with many well known and successful musicians including Big Jim Sullivan, Garth Brookes, Chris Spedding, Keith Emmerson, B.J. Cole, Frankie Ford, Akasha, Mind Your Head. etc...

Me: Did you buy the other Squeeze albums after you left the band?

John: Squeeze put out several new compilation albums with 'bonus' previously un-released tracks. And many of these tracks have me on them. I would phone up to try and get free copies from the record company, and they would say 'who are you?' And I would reply - 'John Bentley - world famous and critically acclaimed X Squeeze bass player'.  So I ended up having to buy my own records in order to hear them.

Me: It was a big surprise to me as well as pretty much every Squeeze fan when Glenn and Chris decided to get back together. Who called you to rejoin the band? Were you hesitant, or did you jump on board right away?

John: Glenn called me up out of the blue one day. He said 'I've got this band - they're called Squeeze, do you want to join?' I said 'I'll have to think about it... (short pause)... Yeah - O.K.'

Me: Squeeze had a successful reunion tour and a live album called "Five Live", right? I had to order that album from England as it is hard to find here in Florida. Is Squeeze working on a new studio album?

John: "Five Live" is a must for any Squeeze fan, and the reunion tour was a great success. We've been back to the States three times since then. And at the end of the last tour we played a sell-out gig at Radio City in New York. Plans for a new album have been discussed, but nothing is set in concrete (apart from Keith Wilkinsons feet).

Me: John, do you still live in Deptford, or have you moved out of London? I was actually born in Balem, Gateway to the South.

John: The names Deptford and Squeeze have become synonimous. It's an urban myth. Ironically nobody from Squeeze ever lived in Deptford. I used to live in Worthing - gateway to the incontinent.

Me: Let's talk about your new album called "Mind Your Head". It's an album you did with Duncan McKenzie, right? Do you do the singing, or does he?

John: Neither Duncan or myself do any singing on the "Mind Your Head" album, as we are an instrumental group. Dealing with cinematic and psychadelic style themes - Mind Your Heads music takes you on a journey. (To Penge via Norwood). We have done a few gigs in England and there is a vid of one of our tracks on Youtube, called "Mousehole". 

Me: When did that album come out, and where would a reader of the Phile and myself pick one up?

John: The album was released just a short while ago. I am selling it on my Myspace.

Me: Is "Mind Your Head" your first solo album?

John: "Mind Your Head" is a collaboration with Duncan McKenzie. My first solo album is also a psychadelic cinematic journey called "The Man who Never Was". It's the best thing I've ever done. Still available on Myspace.

Me: John, is there any other projects you are working on right now?

John: I am working on another solo album. I have all the titles for the tracks. Now all I need is the lyrics, arrangements, a band of professional session musicians, a record producer, and some really good music...

Me: Is there a website you would like to plug?

John: myspace.com/johnbentleyofficial, myspace.commindyourheaduk, Email mind.your.head@hotmail.co.uk, http:/uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kujX-4So914. There is also some great footage on A&E TV Sessions with Lynn Hoffman taken in NYC last Summer 08... the behind the scenes is defo worth a look. Bye for now.

Me: I wish you the best, and am so glad you are back with Squeeze. Tell the others I said hello, and keep in touch, sir.

That was one of my favorite interviews so far, just because I am such a huge fan. Thanks to John for taking part and for his assistant Sara for helping out as well. The Phile will be back tomorrow with Untamed Youth. Then on Phriday the newly approved Phile will have the usual stuff as well an interview with actor Johnathon Schaech. You know who he is, right? He was in That Thing You Do. So, spread the word, not the turd. 

The End Is Nigh

PHIRST OF

Hello, welcome to the a special entry of the Peverett Phile... dedicated to the greatest movie ever made... Watchmen. I am your host, Doctor Groveland. So, how is everybody? I am doing fine considering over the weekend I lost my Grandmother and one of my best friends from work. Nan lived to be 98 years old, kids. That's very good for someone in my family. Right now I bet she's making a cup of tea in heaven and bugging the hell out of the angel's. My friend Brian was 51 and passed away from liver failure while I was sitting in a panel at MegaCon. Life is weird, and you never know when your time is up. Anyway, back top the Watchmen. I did get to see it today and I hated it. LOL. Just kidding. It is my all time favorite movie of all time, followed by The Dark Knight and Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I will give my review in a bit. So, let's get down to the comedy, kids. There was a terrible blizzard all over the East Coast. Police say there would have been terrible traffic jams if people still had jobs to go to. News from Iraq: The Iranian minister says Hollywood must apologize for making movies that are offensive to Iranians. It was in The New York Times so there might be some truth to it. Maybe.

Hollywood doesn’t apologize to anyone. I’ve seen dozens of crap movies and they’ve never apologized to me. But I don’t have nuclear weapons. Wait — neither do you, Iran. MSNBC had a report on the top consumers of online porn by state. It turns out 8 of the top 10 are red states. John McCain must be delighted about all the hands he shook while he was there. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating has dropped. People seem to be having second thoughts about having elected a robot to run the state. The stock market is fluctuating wildly. I haven’t seen this much bouncing up and down since Clinton was in the White House. There’s a mall that’s been playing Barry Manilow music to drive away teenagers. Apparently it works. But now it’s infested with aging gay people. The L.A. Board of Supervisors has declared the first week of March “No Swearing Week.” No swearing in L.A. and Christian Bale has left town... coincidence? Doesn’t the L.A. Board of Supervisors have anything better to do? Unemployment’s at 10 percent in Los Angeles; the gang problem is out of control; the air is unbreathable... let’s get rid of the swearing! A fertility clinic is offering parents the opportunity to select the eye and hair color of their children. Whatever happened to the good ol’ days when people would get pregnant and have their eight babies and go on “Entertainment Tonight”? 
According to a new study, people are sleeping less because they are worried about the economy. I think it’s also because they’re sleeping under bridges... You might not know about the latest figures because the big news in the media is that someone is stealing pet-store snakes. At Disney's Animal Kingdom a baby monkey was born. Guests in the park were very excited, taking pictures. They thought it was one of Obama's kids. Just kidding. I am not racist. At MegaCon last weekend I noticed one thing... Anime will be big one day. Jen and Logan got home from Utah safe. It's weird, since Jen was in Utah she stopped drinking soda and Logan stopped swearing. LOL. I asked if they saw any Mormons there and Jen said they didn't stick out like I stick out being a moron. 

THE PEVERETT PHILE TOP TEN LIST

From the home office in Groveland, Florida, here is this week's top ten list...

Top Ten Signs You're A Lame Watchmen

10. Costumes consists of thermal underwear and a Mets cap. 
9. By day you're a mild-mannered Radio Shack employee. By night you're a mild-mannered Radio Shack employee at home watching TV. 
8. Only super power: Doing a Ryan Seacrest impression. 
7. Two weaknesses: Kryptonite and Sara Lee's lemon bundt cake.
6. You're called "The Flash" because of what you do to people. 
5. Archnemesis -- guy in upstairs apartment who plays music too loud. 
4. Can only fight crime until 10:00pm, then mom wants you home. 
3. Your catchphrase: "Please don't hurt me". 
2. Mayor summons you by projecting "Fat-ass" in the sky. 
And the number one sign you're a lame Watchmen...
1. Your superhero name: Carl.

MARCH 6TH IN HISTORY

1836

Alamo seized by Santa Ana, 3,000 versus 147 not being a fair fight. The holdouts suffered unnecessary deaths, disobeying direct orders by remaining, and losing their arms and cannon to the Mexicans.
1918
The US naval vessel "Cyclops" vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle.
1978
Larry Flynt, publisher of the fine magazine Hustler, is shot and paralyzed.
1983
Cheryl Araujo is gang raped atop a pool table at a tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Other men in the establishment applauded the spectacle. Four men are convicted of the crime in a trial that attracts nationwide attention.

2009
The greatest movie ever made comes out. I don't need to tell you what it is.

SOMEONE PHAMOUS HAS DIED

Paul Harvey: Good day - you irritating, monotone, over opinionated, one-trick-pony weasel.

Horton Foote: One Foote in the grave.

I WENT TO THE MOVIES

Watchmen

In an alternate-reality 1980s United States, Richard Nixon is still president, the world is on the brink of nuclear war, and "costumed vigilantes" have been declared illegal after years of popularity and success. A former superteam come together when one of their own—a notorious bastard nicknamed The Comedian—is murdered. If you've read the comic you'll find Watchmen to be very faithful… which is OK, but also kind of its problem. It's so reverential that you soon realize that you're not watching an interpretation of the story, you're having the story read to you again. The only time Snyder breaks free of the confines of the book and actually interprets something is during the opening credit sequence and it's beautifully handled. Makes you wish he'd have been less of a fanboy and more of a filmmaker for the rest of the nearly three-hour run time. (Although his attempts to beef up the limited action of the comic make for some confusion—the story is saying "these people are broken and sad," but the action scenes are saying "look how cool they are!" Well, which is it, Zack?) If you haven't read the comic: The movie is truly an eye-popping technical achievement, and at its heart is a thought-provoking take on superheroes, the Cold War, and the American way of life. All solid stuff rooted in some of the best comic book source material ever written. However, there are loooooong stretches of dialogue (which are often bookended by even more expository voiceovers), which is fine when you're reading but exhausting when you're watching. Especially when most of it is delivered in monotone by the emotionless Dr. Manhattan. What he's saying is interesting, but if you can stay focused during his 10-minute droning, more power to you (shades of The Matrix: Reloaded slamming to a halt so that The Architect could explain to the audience what the fuck is going on… also in monotone). Still, you'll leave with the certainty that Rorschach will be on every "Most Badass Movie Character" list you compile from now on. ("I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here WITH ME!"). Watchmen features a costumed superhero sex scene, with nudity! Fapping fanboys can finally stop Photoshopping white hair onto Halle Berry in Monster's Ball screengrabs. Keep an eye out for a zoom through the legs of a floating, yoga-posing, nude Dr. Manhattan. You may feel yourself instinctively ducking under the butt crack. Would I buy the movie when it comes out on DVD? well, I already purchased the animated version of it on DVD today, I have most of the figures, two posters, three t-shirts, a hoody, baseball cap, lunchbox with thermos, sticker, button, journal and keychain so what do you think? I have been waiting since 1986 for a movie version of "Watchmen" to come out, and it was worth it. Next, I am gonna see it in Imax.  So, from 1 to 10, I give it a 10, kids.

PHINALLY

That's it, kids, a very short, but exciting entry of the Phile. Tomorrow I will post an interview with... should I now reveal who with? I dropped a lot of clues last weekend. Okay, I will tell you... John Bentley, Squeeze's bass player. Then on Sunday it's the band Untamed Youth. Then next Phriday the Phile will go through some changes. A new look, and interviews all three days. I am gonna focus on interviews mostly but will still have a monologue each day, as well as Phriday I will have a top ten list, jokes on Saturday and geek talk when I find news. Also, if something crazy happens in Florida or England I will post that as well, and still have the notes on phamous people who died. But, again, the main focus will be interviews, kids. So, keep reading, the Phile is getting better and better. Spread the word, not the turd. And e-mail me at Thepeverettphile.blogspot.com. 

The Peverett Phile Interviews: The Orchids

Hello, and welcome back to another entry of the Phile, kids. Today's interview is with a Scottish twee pop band that achieved success with Sarah Records. Welcome to the Peverett Phile... The Orchids.

Me: Hello, guys, how are you? Hope all is well. Are you back home in Scotland?

The Orchids: We’re all doing fine and looking forward to a busy time musically in 2009.

Me: So, tell me about the Orchids... who is in the band currently?

The Orchids: At present there is Chris, James, John, Ronnie and Keith, been that way since we got back together in November 2003.

Me: Are you all from Glasgow? How is the weather there?

The Orchids: All Glaswegian’s by birth and we all stay in and around the city limits.
As for the weather it’s cold and damp, but really a bad winter so far.

Me: I heard you played in New York at New York City Popfest. That wasn't your first time playing New York, was it? Do you get to the States often?

The Orchids: The NYC Popfest was our first gig in New York, first in the USA but hopefully we’ll be back sometime soon. In terms of being tourist we have visited over the years.

Me: When did the band form, and how did you become together?

The Orchids: The Orchids formed back in 1985, Chris, James and John where all friends from school and the same area of Glasgow, just started jamming in John’s house, making various noises etc. and it just came from that. Later on we where joined by James Moody on bass and Mathew Drummond on guitar. Did some demos and a friend sent them to Sarah and the rest is history.

Me: And where did the name The Orchids come about?

The Orchids: That’s a good question with various answers, I remember us being asked to put a song on a flexi disc and at the time we were called The Splendour. Another band where to contribute a song as well The Orchids. The fanzine that was putting it together got the labels wrong which resulted in both bands trading names, either that or it’s all Greek to us.

Me: You guys split up in '95 and reformed in '04. What made you split up, and reform again? And in the meantime what did you guys do?

The Orchids: In terms of splitting , guess it just start to unravel bit like a long term relationship, also you get to that age where choices have to be made in terms of important things in life, work, marriage, children. So in that respect it just kinds slipped away. Getting back together in some form was always discussed at pub level and under the influence of alcohol. Finally after many false dawns, we booked a rehearsal room in November 2003.

Me: Was it weird playing together back on stage for the first time in a while?

The Orchids: The first gig back in London was good, it sold out before the date and I think we pulled off a great gig. People travelled form California, Sweden, Spain, Belgium and they gave us a great reception and I don’t think we disappointed them.

Me: Your last album came out in 2007 called "Good To Be A Stranger" and I liked it a lot. Are you working on new music right now?

The Orchids: At this moment we’re rehearsing new songs which we hope to start recording soon. Already sounding different the last album and we’re going down the DIY method, having bought our own recording desk.

Me: I saw you did a video for one of your songs... "Another Saturday Night" I think. Was that your first video and how was it doing it? What was the idea behind it?

The Orchids: Glad you liked the video as it was shot in the town of Prestwick on a very cold, wet and windy day January 07. The idea was all down to our friends at Jangle films, loosely based on the Tom hanks film Big. As you can see the mini Orchids out acted us in very scene.

Me: Tell the Phile readers about Sarah Records. I know a little about it, but not much. You are no longer on that label, right? What is your new label?

The Orchids: Sarah were a great label to be with, Matt & Claire where great music lovers and just left us to get on with it. Always supportive. Sarah as a label ended in 1994 with a farewell gig and Matt & Claire went their separate ways in life and business. At this point in time we’re homeless, we’ll make the new album and see who wants it.

Me: Who were some label mates of y ours on Sarah Records?

The Orchids: Field Mice, The Wake, Secret Shine, Harvey Williams to name a few.

Me: I heard you guys did cover of a Go-Betweens song. How did that come about? What song was it? Are you friends of the Go-Betweens? And for readers that don't know who they are, wanna tell them?

The Orchids: David James from Rare Victory Records decided to release a tribute album after Grant Mclennan died. He asked various bands from all over the globe to contribute. We chose to cover “Magic In Here” which was one of The Go-Betweens later songs. The Go-Betweens are legends of the 80’s music scene hailing from Australia they where signed to the legendary Scottish indie label Postcard Records and went to make record some classic albums and singles.

Me: Describe what a Scottish twee band is.

The Orchids: Never been in a Scottish twee band and so I can’t answer that question.

Me: You guys have a habit of using words I never heard of before... Thaumaturgy, Lyceum, Epicurean. What do they mean?

The Orchids: It’s the benefit of a good Scottish Education and afternoons studying the classics and latin.

Me: Tell me where the title "Striving For the Lazy Perfection" came from. That could almost be the title for my autobiography. Is there a song called that?

The Orchids: “Striving For The Lazy Perfection” is a song from which the album takes it’s name, the song can be found there too. James wrote the song and it sounded like a good title for the album.

Me: Okay, do you have anything you wanna plug?

The Orchids: Nothing for sale at present.

Me: I hope this interview was fun. Good luck and I hope you get to come back to America real soon.

The Orchids: Have a nice day and see you in LA.

Thanks to The Orchids for taking time and doing this interview. By the way, Wikipedia described the band as a Scottish twee band. If I ever interview another Scottish band I'll ask them what it is. So, the Phile will be back on Phriday with a special Watchmen entry, then on Saturday it's that member from a band I am not telling you about. Put it this way, though, I had to squeeze the information out of him. Heh heh. On Sunday it's the band Untamed Youth, then the Phriday after that the Phile will go through some changes. Until then, spread the word, not the turd.

The Peverett Phile Interviews: Whitiker Forest

Hey, rockers, how are you? Welcome to another entry of the Phile with another interview. Today's interview is with the band Whitiker Forest, a really cool jam band that I discovered on Myspace. So, with no further ado here is Whitiker Forest.

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

Whitiker Forest: We're great currently recording our debut album and of course if you know us we do everything ourselves (raw and in house)... but it will be a better sound cause we actually have a drummer now...

Me: So, the band is from Jersey, eh? You have to be Giants fans, right? I was raised on Long Island and I am a Giants fan.

Whitiker Forest:  You're gonna hate us now cause were two Cowboy fans and a Dolphin fan... haha.

Me: Okay, let's talk about the band name... Whitiker Forest. Is there really such a place or were you named after the actor Forest Whitaker?

Whitiker Forest: Sounds like a cool place right? But no we named the band after Forest Whitaker changed a couple of letters and hope were not sued... lol. We really just started the band page out of the death of our previous band... we never thought The Forest would have got as big as it has...

Me: How did the band form, and get together?

Whitiker Forest: Well two of us are brothers and have been playing together for years... our last band myspace.com/deadriver2006 had some success but was ruined by women and relationships! We really formed Whitiker Forest as a joke...

Me: I love your sound, you guys. My favorite song is "Wine and Sleepin' Pills". Who wrote that one?

Whitiker Forest: Hey thanks we really love that compliment cause were just trying to stay away from the garbage being made today... Jon wrote "Wine & Sleepin' Pills". It's one of our favorites too... its gonna be on the album. We're gonna re-record it but haven't decided if we want drums on the track yet.

Me: You have a song called "Hoth". Was that named after the planet in The Empire Strikes Back? Are you guys Star Wars fans?

Whitiker Forest: We're big Star Wars dorks... haha. "Hoth" was written by Mike an hour before goin' to see Revenge of the Sith... it just all fell in place.

Me: I watched your videos you made for two of your songs. Tell me about making them, and who came up with the concept?

Whitiker Forest: One of our best friends and ex bassist Dan does all the videos... he comes up with the concepts... we think they're cool. It's really just film of us all hanging out.

Me: Are you guys gonna release an album and post it on iTunes? I hope so.

Whitiker Forest: We're trying to be done by March... we have about 30 tunes, we're thinking a double album.. maybe.

Me: Do you guys play mostly in the Jersey, New York area? If you do release an album are you gonna do a national other?

Whitiker Forest: We want to tour more than anything but we still need to be signed, hopfully our album gets us some notice... we have only to this point played NY and Jersey.

Me: It looks like you have a big fan base. Is that mostly from Myspace and your shows?

Whitiker Forest: Mostly from Myspace.

Me: Okay, plug anything you guys want.

Whitiker Forest: myspace.com/whitikerforest, stereofame.com/whitikerforest.

Me: How is stopping horrible music across the globe coming along? What do you call horrible music?

Whitiker Forest: It's hard work... people want garbage, it seems like one out of 1,000 bands on Myspace are actually worth the time. No one wants to be unique anymore its almost like these bands try to sound like one another... we personally can't stand emo, screamo, hardcore or what we call Walmart rock... bands like Nickleback, John Mayer, we could list a million different bands but we'd end up offending to many people. Haha.

Me: 'Kay, anything else you want to tell the readers of the Phile? I wish you guys luck, and I wouldn't say no to a free CD.

Whitiker Forest: You're first in line when we finish our album. :) Thanks for the interest. Can't say how important it makes us feel... we're gonna go light one up in your honor. Happy New Year. ; )

Light what up? LOL. That was a really good interview, and I hope the album comes out soon. It's nice I actually posted an interview with good timing. So, the Phile will be back again tomorrow only because my family is skiing in Utah and I have nothing better to do. Tomorrow's interview will be with the Scottish band The Orchids. Then the usual entry will be posted next Phriday and then on Saturday it's a member of one of my favorite bands. I am tempted to tell you who it is but you'll have to wait. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd.