Pheaturing Ed Pettersen

In the summer time when the weather is high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky. Mungo Jerry, kids. Do you know what the Foghat connection to Mungo Jerry is? That's a great song, and it was in Despicable Me 2 as well. Anyway, welcome to the Phile.  It's crazy hot outside. I'll give you an example. Remember Joey Chestnut, the competitive eating champion who recently ate 106 hot dogs in a minute? It was so hot today that he ate 68 Dove bars.  Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker, wants asylum in Venezuela. He also wants to be able to have summer asylum in the Hamptons. He says he may seek asylum in Russia. Well, he should really love the freedom and openness of that society.  According to a new study, inactivity can kill you. You can die from doing nothing. Believe me. These findings scare the hell out of the Congress.  President Obama told a group of school children that broccoli is his favorite food. You know, it's one thing to lie to the voters, but when you’re lying to kids, come on.  In a landmark legal case, the Iowa Supreme Court has ruled a dentist could legally fire his female assistant because he found her too sexy and a threat to his marriage. You can be fired for being too sexy, I better watch out at work then. Haha.  Britain, the great country from where I am from, is in a heightened state of alert. Right now they're in royal baby watch. Yes, everyone's on the lookout for the helpless little bald creature that will someday become the most powerful person in England. But enough about Prince Charles. William's brother, Prince Harry, is said to be very excited. He'll be an uncle for the first time. And he will no longer be the only one running around in the royal palace naked. Queen Elizabeth is also on pins and needles. Who can blame her? It's been 120 years since a British monarch has been alive for the birth of a great, great grandchild... or as Prince Charles noted, it's been 120 years, five months, three days, and 15 hours. Doctors have warned that the birth could be very painful because there's a 1 in 4 chance it's going to have Prince Charles' ears.  Hey, good news I guess... Twinkies went back on sale for the first time in eight months. Twinkies are back. Grocery stores are calling it a good week for business, while Spanx is calling it a GREAT week for business.  Do you know what's going on right now? The San Diego Comic Con? I was invited by a friend to go out there, but I opted to stay here so I can do this blog. You're welcome. I don't think I'm missing much. It's not like there's a hot security cop with big breasts walking around...

Son of a bitch. At SDCC, as the cool kids call it, a new show was revealed, and I have the poster for it right here.

I'll watch that. R2/D2 is there plugging his new CD. I didn't know Artoo had a CD until I saw the cover.

We salute you.  Hey, Monopoly is back at McDonald's. Personally I'm waiting for Stereopoly myself. McDonald's also has another promotion that is going on that I thought I was a bit odd.

LOL. At first I thought it said 'Get McCrapped'.  Well, it's summer as you know and all through summer so far I have been showing you some phascinating swimming pools. Well, today I have the last one to show you, unless you know of one I didn't mention. Email me a photo of a phascinating pool to thepeverettphile@gmail.com. In the meantime, here is the last one I have.

This is a cool infinity pool that looks out over a breathtaking skyline from several stories up. This is definitely a great place to enjoy the sunset at the Crown Towers Hotel in Taipa Island Macau. It looks nice, right? Alright, now for some sad news...

Helen Thomas
August 4, 1920 - July 20, 2013
That should put an end to all those annoying questions.

It's 4:23, 87 degrees and Kelly is gonna uncover her family’s past on TLC’s all new-season of “Who Do You Think You Are?” Tuesday, July 23rd at 9PM EST!

She's thinking about me right now in that photo, I know it. I'm such an idiot. You know who is not an idiot? Our good phriend who is a patriot, singer and renaissance man. It's time for...

To the giggly young girl who was too busy flirting with her co-worker to put the lid firmly on my cup of coffee at McDonald's..... I burned my chin, neck and chest... ruined my shirt, silk tie, suit and pants and now how to stop home and change... I hope you have a lovely day and wonderful life. EXCEPT for this Saturday night when you have a date with that cute new guy you've been dying to kiss... I hope on the morning before the big date you get the biggest pimple this side of Texas on your nose... and you get your period in the middle of your first makeout session in the back seat of his mom's Subaru. You innept fucking MORON!

I went to McDonald's today and got a strawberry and banana smoothie and everything was fine. LOL. Good job, Laird. Alright, well, another phriend of the Phile who looks about 12 years old wanted to come on and talk about civil rights. So, please welcome back to the Phile, National Director of Issue Campaigns for Organizing for Action... Lindsay Siler.

Me: Hello, Lindsay, welcome back to the Phile. So, what did you want to say about civil rights? 

Lindsay: Hi, Jason. When the Supreme Court struck down a critical part of the Voting Rights Act last month, it effectively gutted one of our civil rights landmarks.

Me: What happened after that?

Lindsay: The court left it up to Congress to act.

Me: So, what's Congress gonna do?

Lindsay: Congress will move forward with hearings to restore these protections under the law.

Me: Is there an act named something?

Lindsay: Yes, the Voting Rights Act.

Me: Alright, so Congress wants to restore the law. That means there was a law already? What happened? What's the story?

Lindsay: For nearly 50 years, this law has protected voters across the country, ensuring that millions of Americans... in areas that have historically suffered from voting discrimination, can exercise their basic right to vote.

Me: So, were there hearings heard about this yet?

Lindsay: The Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the Voting Rights Act Wednesday, and the House is wrapped up their hearing on Thursday.

Me: So, anyone in particular speak up?

Lindsay: We heard from bipartisan voices from Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat who helped lead the Selma march for civil rights that led to the creation of the Voting Rights Act, to Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican who has helped strengthen the Voting Rights Act twice in his career. 

Me: Wot?! A Republican?

Lindsay: That's because the right to vote isn't a partisan issue.

Me: Alright, so, what happened?

Lindsay: Within days of the Supreme Court's ruling, six states submitted voter suppression laws that could make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. There's real support on both sides of the aisle for finding a legislative solution to update the Voting Rights Act and put its critical protections back in place.

Me: That's good, right? It'll be taken care of?

Lindsay: Yes, but Americans need to speak up and voice their support. OFA is going to be fighting across the country to protect this most basic American right.

Me: Well, good luck, and keep us posted, and come back anytime, Lindsay.

Lindsay: Thanks, Jason. Talk to you soon.

Today's pheatured guest is a soulful folk singer whose latest CD and book “I Curse the River of Time: A Norwegian American Tale” is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile... Ed Pettersen.

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

Ed: I'm good thanks. Life has been a little crazy lately but so am I.

Me: Okay, before we talk about your music and new CD I have to say I am confused. There's a novel out by Per Pettersen called "I Curse the River of Time" that takes place in Norway. That's a coincidence, right? You're not Per Pettersen are you?

Ed: No, I'm not Per. He spells his last name differently, with an SON instead of the traditional SEN. But I'm a huge fan of his but his publisher gave permission to use the title (especially since it was originally a poem by Mao Tse Tung. Yup, the dictator). I hear he likes my book as well. A huge compliment.

Me: Alright, we got that cleared up... I think. Before we talk about your present release I have to mention the album "Songs of America". That release has 50 songs on it! You play on one song on the album, which other people play on like John Mellencamp and Phile Alum John Wesley Harding. But did you put that project together?

Ed: Yup, that was my project. It was from an idea by my aunt-n-law Janet Reno and I took it from there and organized it all and produced it.

Me: How long did it take for you to arrange all that and how did you get so many artists to take part?

Ed: Well, it turned out to be much bigger and tougher than I originally anticipated and it took nine years from start to finish. I almost gave up a few times from having to deal with managers and labels but we finally got it done. Most of the artists I knew somehow or knew through someone and called them directly. Getting them to say yes though is the easy part. Organizing recording for 50 different artists is kind of tricky. I'm not sure it could be done again since the industry has collapsed. Very few artists want to do anything for nothing anymore and I can't blame them. That said, we only had one artist say no last time so we were very lucky.

Me: I downloaded your album "The New Punk Blues of Ed Pettersen" from iTunes and really liked it. You play so many different kinds of genres, Ed, what one is your favorite?

Ed: My favorite? I guess that would be the one I don't do myself really and that would be R&B. I would never assume I could pull that off myself even with the right team but it's funny that most of the covers of songs I have written have been by soul and R&B artists. I consider myself a simple folk singer really.

Me: Who did you listen to growing up?

Ed: I guess a lot of top 40, singles, and most of the popular bands of the era, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Zeppelin and especially The Who. The are and were my all time favorite act. But I was taken to a Bruce Springsteen show as a high school freshman and that literally changed my life. "Oh, you can do THAT???". It opened a whole new world for me as a solo performer. I also then started discovering folk music through Phil Ochs who I was a huge fan of. I had great exposure to a wide variety of stuff via my high school radio station WKWZ-FM (where incidentally Josh Rosenthal of Tompkins Square Records worked as did Judd Apatow).

Me: You're from Long Island, right? What part?

Ed: Syosset. On the North Shore. We spent a lot of time at the beach in Oyster Bay where my grandparents lived.

Me: I lived on Long Island for ten years. Shoreham first then Port Jefferson. Have you ever been out there?

Ed: Sure, we used to go out there and hang all the time. Lots of great clubs out there to terrorize . I was a rambunctious kid . 

Me: You're based in Nashville now, am I right? What made you move from Long Island to Nashville? Was it the music scene?

Ed: Yeah, it was impossible to live in NYC anymore as a musician. It's just too expensive. Plus, I had met Bob Olhsson from Motown over the phone and internet and he was now in Nashville with a few of the Funk Brothers and he encouraged me to make the move. Smartest thing I've ever done other than marrying my wife. The Standing in the Shadows movie came out a few months later and found myself working and recording with the Funks. It was amazing. 

Me: How long have you been playing guitar and singing, Ed?

Ed: Since I was 13 or 14. I played piano first and studied jazz but I didn't take songwriting and performing seriously until I was well into my 20's. It's kind of shocking that my first few songs were any good but having lived a little first may have helped. 

Me: Okay, let's talk about your new CD "I Curse the River of Time: A Norwegian American Tale". This whole project came about in an usual way, didn't it?

Ed: It was oddly organic actually. I never expected it to be a book but I spent 4 years researching my family's roots and reading tons (ier: over 50) Norwegian novels to get a fair picture of the landscape. Then I started writing the songs and saw a thread. Next thing I know I sat down at the computer and in a Kerouacian frenzy wrote the text in 2 days. The day after that a friend in Norway where I was asked me to see her friend's art studio and as soon as I saw her work I said, "There it is" and she was kind enough to donate her unpublished work. It's kind of zen like the way it all came together. 

Me: When you went to Norway to play a festival was that the first time you went over there?

Ed: Yup, the Down on the Farm festival. You see my family wouldn't talk about their Norwegian heritage so we all assume somebody murdered someone. Instead I found out that my grandfather ran away when he was 15 because he was the illegitimate child of a Norwegian father and Sami mother. The Sami are the indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia and were treated as poorly as our Native Americans so he was shamed from birth and never felt welcomed or wanted and just took off one day on a boat never to return. He didn't even know where he was going! Funnily enough the island he's from is called Longoya which means Long Island. So he just went from one Long Island to another!! 

Me: You ended up living there for a few years, am I right? Was that a spontaneous choice?

Ed: I still live there part time. I found out since my dad was born a dual citizen (something I don't think he was aware of) I can get citizenship too if I want. For right now I just love it there. It's the most idyllic and beautiful place I've ever been and my music seems to fit there, ya' know? I'm not sure it has the same vibe in the U.S. The dark, melancholy thing. It's natural there. I understand why grandpa felt compelled to leave but if were up to me that would be my home. 

Me: How is it over there? I never really wanted to go... I saw what I wanted to see about Norway at Epcot.

Ed: I think you may find a whole different place. Very friendly people, gorgeous scenery and lots of open space. It sings to me, really. 

Me: The girls over there are gorgeous, am I right?

Ed: HA! Well, yeah, in the major cities. That's what my song "All the Pretty Girls" is about. I was wondering where they all were in the small town I was in and then I went to Oslo and went "WHOA! There they is!". Just like in the U.S. if you're a pretty girl in the East you go to NYC, and in the West to LA and the South to Nashville. At least, that's been my experience. 

Me: Are you married, Ed? What did your wife say when you told her you were gonna move to Norway?

Ed: Yup, been with the same woman 20 years, poor thing. She's been through a lot of moves and phases but I can't get her to leave!! Kidding, she's awesome. To her Norway was just another adventure. 

Me: Alright, explain this contest to find your Norwegian roots. Did a lot of people show up and help you?

Ed: A lot. And they all had different genealogies!! It seems there was two Anton Pettersen's on the same farm. Sheesh! 

Me: Most of what you found out you put in the book that came with the CD, Ed, but can you tell us anything that really surprised you?

Ed: I was surprised actually how many relatives I have there. I thought there were none! Turns out there's a lot on both the Sami and Norwegian side, except the Norwegian side is afraid I'm there to claim some inheritance so they don't seem to want to talk with me. Also there were some things about my grandfather I wasn't aware of as far as how he evaded authorities on both sides of the ocean and his military service. But that stuff will all be in the new novel I'm working on about the whole journey from his youth to death. The same publisher, Kontur Forlag, in Norway wants me to release that next year so I better get it done. I'm about half way (and it's a novel because there were some things that just couldn't be verified by records so it's up to me to make them up!) 

Me: When and how did you come up with the decision to write a book and songs for a CD about all this?

Ed: After my first trip to Norwasy I knew I'd be back. It really felt like coming home and I guess when you're that inspired it has to come out, ya' know?> 

Me: And where did the title of the release come from?

Ed: Henning Kvitnes, the Norwegian folk artist who's my dear friend suggested it to me that it would be a good song title so I said to him, "Okay, let's write it together!". So we did and then sent it to Per's publisher and they gave us the thumb's up. Henning was the one who first related to me the connection of the title to Mao. 

Me: On the CD there's a song called "Siste Reis". I take it that's Norwegian for something, but I don't know what.

Ed: It mean's "The Last Voyage". It's also the name of the most hilarious bar I've ever been in. You could put a camera in that joint and entertain people endlessly. It's an old sailor's bar so the name shows they have a sense of humor. Anyways, I always wanted to write a murder ballad and a lot of the old ones have water and boats in the story. Then this local girl I met at a party started bitching about the samll town she came from now that she lived in Oslo and why anyone would want to live there, etc. and I thought, "Oh, she's going down" and next thing I knew the whole thing came together. I'm pretty proud of that one. She has no idea it's about her! 

Me: You put together a Norwegian band to play on the album, right? Was it easy putting together this band?

Ed: I think what a lot of people don't realize, and I had this prejudice too, is that we're the only ones who know anything about music. In fact, some of the best, most expressive and innovative musicians I've met come from Norway. I think support from the government is actually a good thing that allows them to devote themselves to their craft. So yeah, it was very easy and they brought a lot to it, a different perspective. I also used some great Nashville folks on it too so it was a nice combo.

Me: And you got the great Freedy Johnston to work you with you on it. Have you known Freedy for a long time?

Ed: Freedy is one of my closest and dearest friends and I've known him over 20 years. We started out together on the NYC scene. We both got signed to majors at the same time. He got famous and I got high. Actually I think he got high too a few times. 

Me: I have to mention the artwork on the album and book, Ed. Who did all that?

Ed: The interior art is all by Elise Jarem (jarem.no) and the cover is by Gunn Vottestad who from the same place as my family and she's considered a national treasure. I'm very lucky to get them both. They've been incredibly giving of their time and talent. 

Me: So, have you been back to Norway since?

Ed: Oh yeah. Many time. I'm going back in a few weeks to promote the book/CD and do some acting on Norwegian TV. That should be pretty funny. 

Me: You stopped playing and touring for awhile because you had a mysterious illness. Did you ever find out what it was?

Ed: Porphyria. I still have it but we learned to manage it since it's incurable. It took us six years to figure out what it was because it's so rare and doctors said I couldn't possibly have it. 

Me: Are you feeling better now?

Ed: Doing well thanks. I have my moments but they're much less frequent then before. Plus, I'm a pretty driven dude and I can't sit still for long so maybe that helps not dwelling on it. 

Me: I have to ask you about Mad King Edmund. Is that you, Ed? Is that for a side project?

Ed: Yeah, that's me. It's my wife's nickname for me. Mad King because evidently Mad King George had the same disease as me (they thought he was mad or insane but he was really just sick-it kind of makes you a little crazy) and we thought it would be a good way to distinguish such a career left turn into jazz. I use that moniker for all my experimental/improv/avant garde side projects. 

Me: I also wanna ask you about the Giuseppi Logan project. What is that exactly and who was or is Giuseppi?

Ed: Giuseppi was a brilliant free jazz horn player who made only two albums in the 60s before disappearing for almost 40 years. I couldn't find any record of his death so I went on a search for him and finally tracked him down to record. He was living on the streets and playing for change. 

Me: So, what project are you working on next, sir?

Ed: I need to finish the novel, I'm about half way so far, and I've recorded an album with a Norwegian band to go with it. And I've done a second Giuseppi record which will be out in France any day now on the Improvising Beings label (improvising-beings.com).   

Me: Alright, so on the Phile I like to ask random questions based on the game Tabletopics. Here's yours... this is random but perfect. If you could have another name what would you choose?

Ed: The Reverend Eddie Bones. I think I may use that for a gospel album someday. I see a cape in my future. 

Me: Ed, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Please come back again soon. Go ahead and plug your website and I wish you continued success, sir. Stay well. 

Ed: Thanks a ton, Jason. I really appreciate the interest in my career and you taking the time to come up with great questions. Hope to meet you someday. edpettersen.com. 

That's about it. The Phile will be back tomorrow with the kid's from the band Damon Familiar. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!

Pheaturing Chalk Twins

Perfect song on the radio, sing along 'cause it's one we know. It's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine, it's summertime. Sweet summertime. Yup. Something like that. Good ole Kenny Chesney. I saw him writing a motorcycle here in Clermont once. I think he was building a house around here. Well, he was building it, someone else was... for him. You know what I mean. Anyway, how are you?  I mentioned this yesterday, and I'll mention it again... George Clooney broke up with his girlfriend. I didn't see that coming. George Clooney released a statement saying that yes, it's true that they're breaking up. George said he would like to spend more time with his next girlfriend.  They'll be a review in a few minutes, but yesterday Logan and I went to see the new movie Pacific Rim. Ocean monsters come out of the sea so we must build huge robots and they battle to the death. I'm telling you, I haven't seen anything like this since last Friday! It's the sea creatures versus the giant robots. It's from the original play by Noel Coward.  America has lost the title of the fattest nation on earth. This is only the second-fattest nation. America lost the title to Mexico. Isn't that amazing? We are so fat and lazy now that we're too fat and lazy to be number one at being fat and lazy. I am of course from England, but yes, I'm still fat and lazy. According to The Washington Post, the NSA has been monitoring phone calls and emails of people in Mexico. So apparently it's not enough to spy on American citizens, they feel they have to spy on FUTURE American citizens as well.  The U.S. birthrate is at an all-time low. The birthrate is now so low that "The Maury Povich Show" may have to cut back to just half an hour.  Now that marijuana is legal in the state of Colorado, in Denver they're talking about taxing it up to 35 percent. Suddenly those drug cartels don't seem so greedy anymore, do they?  Residents of northeast Colorado, which is much more rural than the rest of the state, don't think they're properly represented so they want to break the state into two pieces. This is what happens when you legalize marijuana. Everyone gets all paranoid and tries to secede. The idea is to divide Colorado into two states, and they want to call the new state North Colorado. If you're going to go to the trouble of creating a new state, give it a cool name like Danger Zone, or Colorado 2: The Reckoning. They have about as much chance of seceding from Colorado as Chucky has to secede from Cheese.  Hey, comic book fans, get this... Paula Deen apparently is going to be in a comic book about female empowerment. I think the only thing she empowers women to do is kill their families with her recipes.  Political experts say that Eliot Spitzer's decision to return to politics could hurt Anthony Weiner's chances of becoming mayor. Or as Spitzer put it, "See? I'm making things better already."  So, Pixar and Disney have out Monsters University, or Monsters U as the hip kids call it, right? And they're coming out with Planes, a Cars spin-off. Did you hear about the other movie they're coming out with? I have the poster right here.

I think it'll be good.  You guys know I love me some "Angry Birds", right? Well, there's a new version that doesn't seem to be as fun.

That's so stupid.  I was thinking about the show "Happy Days" the other day for some reason. Remember that show? Ralph Mouth, Richie, the Fonz... and John Lennon? Wot?

He actually looks cooler than the Fonz. Heyyyy.  One of the things I like to do in my spare time is to go on Twitter and look up different words, and one of those words I look up is Foghat. Here's a recent Tweet I saw the other day.

Very funny, Lee.  A few months ago back in march it was "The Great Space Coaster" Month here on the Phile and recently a Phile reader sent me this picture thinking I might be interested...

They're selling in on eBay for fifty dollars. No, I'm not buying it. It's really cool though.  Alright, it's summer, and there's one thing I like to do in the summer and that is swim. There's so many cool pools out there on this planet, I thought it'll be fun to show you some of the most phascinating ones. Like this one for instance.

No, New York is not underwater (yet, anyhow)... that's a clever ad for HSBC by Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai ad agency in India. The bank wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of global warming, so the clever ad guys glued an aerial photo of a city's skyscrapers to the base of a swimming pool … the effect of a submerged cityscape is fantastic! Pretty crazy. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson...

Top Phive Groups Of People That Went To See Grown Ups 2

5. The two friends of Adam Sandler's who weren't cast in the movie.

4. Math dyslexis encouraged by the original's 195 Rotten Tomatoes rating.

3. People who saw the poster and mistakenly thought it starred a young, funny Adam Sandler.

2. Tim Meadows' extended family, excited for his 11-second cameo.

And the number one group of people who went to see Grown Ups 2 are... 

1. Idiots.  

Godzilla/Gojira was a metaphor. He was the terror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki-made monster. But his serious intent didn't last long. Soon after his first film he was fired from being a metaphor and became a groovy pro-wrestler taking on all other kaiju foes. He was friend to all children and a pro-Earth spokesmodel/anti-littering advocate who battled a "smog monster" named Hedorah. This took place as go-go dancers gyrated in the background and a lady sang a slightly psychedelic song about pollution. This was not undignified; the valiant Godzilla was merely updating his personal brand to stay in step with the times.  In this heartfelt, loving homage to all things vintage kaiju (the first word seen onscreen, incidentally, the Japanese word for monster), director Guillermo del Toro has, for whatever reason, decided to retrieve a little of that past gravity and present his monsters as loose analogs to climate change. They don't invade us from space; they come from deep within the Earth's core, the world rebelling against itself because stupid humans ruined it all. Again. These giant monsters emerge from a poisoned ocean into a world where it never stops storming and it's up to the stupid humans to fight back or else suffer their own annihilation as the kaiju rapidly mutate into bigger and badder threats. Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi are our last line of defense, and they're just as capable as anyone, right?  A giant robot program is set in motion, requiring the cooperation of all nations and, more so, the cooperation of twin pilots who operate the mecha-warriors known as Jaegers via a neural transference/think-energy called "drift." Comic relief scientists (Charlie Day, Burn Gorman) and a black market kaiju parts retailer (Ron Perlman) show up to throw around jokes and minor plot wrenches in order to remind the audience that this is also meant to be fun even when the monsters aren't stomping cities flat or fighting the Jaegers. And they have to do this because every so often the other stupid humans threaten to ground the film to a halt when their special feelings steal the spotlight away from mechas and monsters. I don't know about you, but not counting the Mothra twins or the sparkly space alien women in Destroy All Monsters, the greatest kaiju film of all time, I barely remember the people from any installment. I remember monster battles. I remember body slams and helicopter moves. I remember Godzilla jumping up and down on other monsters' heads. That is the thrill. That is the excitement. That is why these films endure: fighting, fighting, fighting. And then more fighting.  So, about the fighting and destruction here, the only thing that really matters. It's spectacular, successfully tapping into whatever childhood happiness the old Japanese films delivered. Gone is the bad memory of the 1998 American botch-job Godzilla, with its digital cartoon lizard. These are great, detailed, realistic-looking monsters. Do we get enough city stomping after the prologue? No. Do we see the monsters in all their spiky, scaly finery? Not always. Are they presented in broad daylight for full appreciation? Not often enough. In keeping with its deeper theme, they fight in torrential downpours and at the bottom of the ocean and, as the battles get more intense, as more robots fight more monsters at once, this results in some visual incoherence... all the more reason to see it twice, really. Which I could never do. It won't steal any real estate in your heart still occupied by Gamera, Ultra-Man or those weird times when Godzilla battled King Kong or his own mecha-doppelganger, but it can stand proudly next to them and belch nuclear fire all day long. From 1 to 10, I give this movie a 6.

Today's guests are the 32nd and 33rd artists to be pheatured in the Phile's Art Gallery. They're one of the world's most unique pair of chalk artists. Please welcome to the Phile... Devon and Lexi... The Chalk Twins.

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

Devon: Very well! How about you?

Me: Not bad. We met at MegaCon a few months ago, if you remember. You do remember me, right? 

Devon: You're right and yes, we remember you. Though, there were tens of thousands of people at MegaCon… it can get overwhelming pretty quickly!

Me: Did you have fun there at MegaCon? Do you do a lot of conventions?

Devon: We had a blast at MegaCon! We got to see a lot of friends from past events and a lot of new faces as well. We do indeed do a lot of conventions.

Me: You were working on a piece with a dragon I think. I should of took a photo. How long did that piece take for you to do?

Lexi: Yup, Devon drew a Chinese dragon for the show. Overall, the drawing took us around 40 hours, working pretty much all day Friday and Saturday and finishing in the afternoon on Sunday. If you wanted to take a look at the final product, you can find it on our website, Facebook, or DeviantArt account.

Me: I have a picture of you two girls and the picture of your MegaCon piece right here.

Me: It came out very good. Okay, for readers that don't know, your last name really isn't Chalk, is it? That would be weird if it was. What are your last names?

Devon: Haha. No, that isn't our last name though I can see why you would think so. We go by this pseudonym because we work with chalk, otherwise known as soft pastels, and we are twins. But The Soft Pastel Twins just didn't seem to be as catchy. Our real last name is Fulmer.

Me: You are both twins though, but which one is older and by how many minutes?

Lexi: We are indeed identical twins! Devon is older by two minutes.

Me: I think it's cool you both work together. How long have you both been working together? And whose idea was it?

Devon: Initially, I suppose it was a mutual agreement between ourselves and our high school art teacher. We have been working together since high school. We started doing chalk art for local chalk art festivals in Orlando and usually most people, especially the high schoolers, would work in teams. We were really lucky to be able to have a built-in partner and because we have been working together since the very beginning, our partnership and ability to work together cohesively has grown even stronger along the way.

Me: Do you both divvy up the work 50/50?

Devon: Yes, for the most part. Lexi is very good at skin tones and rendering hands and faces so in general she will tackle that in our art. I have a lot of experience with fabric so I usually do a figure's clothes and then we both split the background up. This set up usually works out to be equal but if it doesn't, we split it slightly differently to make up for that.

Me: Do you two ever argue about what you are gonna or about anything?

Devon: We don't really argue about what we will do, but we will compromise sometimes. For example, sometimes we both really want to do part of the image, but eventually we will work it out that maybe she will do that table, and I will do this chair and carpet. Because we are sisters as well as business partners, we will have small arguments like anyone else, but usually forget it ever happened within 5 minutes or so.

Me: Where are you both from? I am guessing the same place. LOL.

Devon: Actually, we grew up on different coasts of the US and just found each other last year. Just kidding, just kidding!! We both grew up together in a small town north of Orlando.

Me: Where do you live now and did you both go to school to study art? We moved to South Carolina for four years to attend Furman University, a small liberal arts school in Greenville. We both were Studio Art majors though we had different concentrations within the major. While were at Furman, we both had the life-changing opportunity to study abroad in Italy. There, we studied a breadth of media with a community of fellow artists, all while in a culture that is deeply immersed in art itself. We came back to Orlando after graduating.

Me: Let's talk about your art. You are chalk artists. When and how did you start to draw with chalk? 

Devon: Again, we started doing chalk art in high school. There were a few art competitions throughout the year that high schools were allowed to compete in and our art teacher asked us to be one of the representatives for our school. We fell in love with those competitions because of the challenge, the newness, and the camaraderie of street painting. We still continue to do them now.

Me: Most people would just draw hop scotch gams with chalk, but your art is a lot more detailed. A lot more.

Lexi: Haha, yeah, it is a little more detailed than your average hopscotch squares. But for us, we revel in the challenge of detail and because there are two of us working on an drawing, we can usually get twice as detailed in the same time it would take one person.

Me: I personally would not want to put so much work into something to watch it get washed away or ruined. Do you get sad when you finish a piece and it gets ruined?

Devon: Surprisingly enough, this is the most common question we get asked. In fact, some people almost seem offended by the fact we put so much work into our art to have it gone the next day. I think it is ingrained in us, artists especially, to want to hold on to something we have created. But we have found a certain freedom that comes with creating art and letting it go. The only time we are disappointed when our art gets washed away is when we don't get a chance to finish before Florida's typical afternoon showers roll along. Luckily, that has only happened once or twice.

Me: I am guessing with your art work, it's hard to sell as you do it on the ground, right?

Devon: Well, some of our work we still do on cement, but we have also started making chalk drawings on permanent surfaces that are able to be easily transported.

Me: So, tell the readers what is the process of doing chalk drawings.

Devon: We start out with an idea or sketch that we have come up with. From there, we usually take that small drawing and transfer it to a much larger scale. Once we have the outlines of the image, we are good to go to finish our drawings.

Me: You draw a lot of fantasy stuff. Is that what you're into?

Devon: We are into a wide variety of fandoms. I think the first fandom we were ever a part of was Lord of the Rings, so the fantasy genre has a special place in our hearts. But we love everything from fantasy to anime to sci-fi.

Me: Do you take commissions? If so, what has been the strangest thing you have ever been commissioned to do?

Devon: We do take commissions though I don't think we have done anything that is particularly "strange." Unless perhaps you think that a multicolored, Basquiat and Surreal inspired cello is strange. 

Me: How much would it cost for you to come to my house and draw a picture of Kelly Clarkson in my drive way? I live in Clermont.

Lexi: Maybe that is the new strangest commission we have gotten! It really depends on the size and complexity of the drawing but our base prize is usually around $200.

Me: Okay, how much would it be if you added me in the drawing?

Lexi: I guess it depends on what kind of face you are making. ;)

Me: Man, if only I was single... Alright, have you ever been in the middle of a piece and had to stop because of weather or something?

Devon: Yes. That is so sad when that happens. We had one time in particular when were working on a piece. We saw the storm clouds gathering quickly and tried to hurry so we could at least get a quick picture of our finished work. Well, we got about 90% done with it before it started just down pouring and we finished the drawing as it was getting washed away.

Me: You two won a lot of rewards, girls. What awards have you won?

Devon: We have won 7 second places, 3 first places, 3 best in shows, and a Mayor's award. You can see all of the details of those awards on our website.

Me: How long do you two see you both doing this chalk drawing stuff?

Devon: Well, this is our profession as well as our passion, so we will giving it our all to continue making our art for as long as we can.

Me: I like to ask artists on the Phile what they think of the Phile's logo. That would be something cool to design with chalk, right?

Lexi: That is quite a snazzy logo you have there. You're right, I bet it would look good in chalk!

Me: How long does a typical piece take to make?

Devon: Our pieces vary greatly in size, from 4 sq. ft to 96 sq ft. Overall though an average amount of time to create each piece is about 25-30 hours.

Me: What has been the biggest piece you ever did?

Devon: The largest piece we ever did was at a street painting festival in Sarasota, Florida. It was 9ft x 12ft and spanned the entire width of the right lane of a road. We did a recreation of Madame Raymond de Verninac by Jacques-Louis David.

Me: I have a picture of you two with that one.

Me: Wow. It does look big. Alright, so, on the Phile I ask random questions thanks to Tabletopics. Here's yours... What's your dream job?

Devon: We are incredibly blessed to actually be doing our dream job right by creating and sharing our art with the world. In the future, we hope to be able to travel around the world with our art and passion.

Me: Pretty cool. Thanks so much for being on the Phile, girls. Go ahead and mention your websites and please come back again soon. You do good work, I love it.

Lexi: Thanks so much for having us! You can check out our work at chalktwins.com or on facebook.com/chalktwins.

Me: Excellent. Keep up the good work.

There, that does it for this entry of the Phile. Chalk it up for another week. LOL. Thanks to Devon and Lexi, I hope to see them again soon. The Phile will be back next Saturday with singer songwriter Ed Pettersen, on Sunday it's the kids from the band Daemon Familiar and Monday Phile Alum Pete Donnelly. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!

Pheaturing Phile Alum Shanna Delaney From Bethesda

Aaron Hernandez upon hearing the not guilty verdict... "Thank God I never killed a dog." Casey Anthony not guilty for killing her daughter, George Zimmerman not guilty for killing Trayvon Martin, Mike Vick guilty for killing a dog. Just saying.  Hello, kids, and welcome to the Phile. This just in, Zimmerman is arranging a party with Johannes Mehserle as we speak. Paula Dean is catering.  It's summer, kids. You can sure tell it's summer. The temperature is warmer, days are longer, and George Clooney's girlfriend is gone. George Clooney and his girlfriend split up. We know how that works. The crown will be passed to the new girlfriend and she will reign for a year. Clooney's old girlfriend was granted asylum in Venezuela.  It turns out the Pakistani police pulled Osama bin Laden over for speeding. Pulled him over and wrote the guy a ticket. So listen. I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense about Pakistan being lenient on Osama bin Laden, okay?  A new report from sociologists has discovered the number one cause of prison overcrowding... the NFL. It's now 32 NFL players that have been arrested since the Super Bowl. To give you an idea of how bad it's gotten, now when a team says they've hired a new defensive coordinator, they're talking about a lawyer. The latest NFL player to get arrested is New York Giants linebacker Dan Connor. He was arrested at the Philadelphia airport for carrying a switchblade. Experts say it’s the first time anyone in Philly has been able to stop a New York Giant in three years. I can say that, I'm a Giants fan.  Speaking of football fans, a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, a man 55 years old, recently passed away and for his last request he wanted six Cleveland Browns as pallbearers so the Browns can let him down one last time. That’s what he said. The bad news? They fumbled the coffin five yards from the grave.  A new report found that Mexico has passed the U.S. as the most obese country in the world. It doesn't mean you got skinnier. It just means they're fatter than you. But don't worry... Twinkies are back, so we should be fine.  Political experts are saying Joe Biden needs to start doing more fundraising if he wants to run for president in 2016. A lot of people are saying they'd definitely donate to a Biden campaign. Most of them are Republicans, but still. President Obama is getting a new limousine that will have advanced night-vision capabilities. The technology even has a cool name... it’s called headlights. Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch just announced that he is stepping down after three years. When asked if he's looking for a new job, he was like, "Nah, just browsing."  Well, I started off this entry mentioning the Zimmerman trial and the not guilty verdict. Man, people are so pissed off about that. I have an exclusive in what happened a few hours ago. Check it out.

That's it in a nutshell.  Have you heard people talking about the Zombie Apocalypse? I didn't think it was true until I saw this...

The sad thing is they're all communicating with each other.  Last week I showed you a picture of the Minions from Despicable Me dressed up as the Avengers. Well, they are so popular, those Minions, they will be in the next Hobbit movie.

I have to show you this, a reader of the Phile sent this to me...

Wonder what song they were thinking about when they came up with that.  So, when I'm bored one of the things I like to do is to get on Twitter and see what people are saying about certain subjects. One of those subjects I look up is Foghat. This is one I recently found.

Thanks, Kenzie.  So, it's summer, and one things I love to do in the summer is swim even though I have not had time to do that yet this summer. There's a lot of cool pools put there, so for the last few weeks I have been showing you the most phascinating ones. Check this one out.

The Nemo 33 diving pool in Belgium is, oddly enough, over 33 meters deep. It is filled with 2,500,000 liters of non-chlorinated, highly filtered spring water maintained at 30 °C (86 °F) and contains several simulated underwater caves at the 10 m depth level. There are numerous underwater windows that allow outside visitors to look into the pools at various depths. I don't know if I want to swim in that pool or not. And now for some sad news.

Cory Monteith
May 11, 1982 - July 13, 2013
Not being gay, I have no idea who this person is...

If you see the Mind Phuck email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is today's...

Top Phive Ways Edward Snowden Has Passed The Time In A Moscow Airport

5. Bumming rubles so he can get the high score on that old Centipede machine.

4. Missing the irony that complaining about a lack of privacy has led him taking sink baths in a very public bathroom. 

3. Chatting up travelers by saying, "Flight delayed, huh? You think you have it bad! Have I got a story for you, friend..."

2. Hitting on Svetlana, the mustachioed widow who works the late shift at the Sunglass Hut.

And the number one thing Snowden to pass the time in a Moscow airport is...

1. Secretly kind of wishing he'd kept his freedom-fighting mouth shut.

From a marketing perspective, you want the sequel to Despicable Me to at least have the word "despicable" in its title. I get it. It helps the inattentive to remember they liked you once before. But if truth still has any value in this world, directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud might have considered calling this one Despicable Me 2: Except He's Super Nice Now.  Gru (the voice of Steve Carrell) has evolved. He's no longer hatching plots to steal the moon; instead he's a caring adoptive father to three adorable daughters and an artisanal jams and jellies entrepreneur. He's good at the parenting but bad at the jams, so when the Anti-Villain League sends agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to kidnap him and press him into service battling a new villain, he's not exactly unhappy with the idea of using his bad-guy skill set. It'll require that he use his powers for good, but you can't have everything when you're a recovering evildoer.  The mystery villain has a serum that transforms living beings into monsters. Injected into the Minions it turns them fanged, purple and hungry. Gru, Lucy and the remaining Minions leap into action... pausing frequently for a variety of Minion set pieces and dance numbers in an effort to catch whomever's responsible. They will catch the miscreant, of course, but the antics involved in getting there rest squarely on the Minions' shoulders (okay, yes, they don't have shoulders, but you get me).  The Minions are, in fact, the answer to the question the film never explicitly asks but spends its running time addressing: what to do with your main character after you've un-despicable-ized him? And given him a love interest who's sweet instead of strange? And calmed down his idiosyncratic children? (fond memories of "FLUFFY!" gleefully shrieked will remain fond memories). You give him the starring role but effectively sideline him in favor of the bouncy supporting cast, that's what. The little yellow creatures speaking in French-inflected gibberish are getting their own film in 2014 but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was already here... and it doesn't feel that bad at all.  It's as bright and colorful, as crisp and clean as the first go-round. These movies are visually inventive treats, employing 3D to kid-pleasing effect (aka lots of stuff thrown at your face). But if it's lost some of its edge, vitality and blackened wit, just think of it as analogous to your own life: unless you're involved in organized crime or keeping it French... Serge Gainsbourg, then becoming a parent ruins your edge. You'll never really be the cool dad you hoped you'd be. If it can happen to Gru it can happen to you. From one to ten, this movie gets an 8.

The 32nd and 33rd artists to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Art Gallery are known as The Chalk Twins. This is one of their pieces...

The Chalk Twins will be on the Phile tomorrow.

Today's pheatured guest is a Phile Alum and lead singer for the band Bethesda who has a new CD available on iTunes called "The Reunion". They will next be appearing tonight at Bunbury Music Fest in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please welcome back to the Phile, the lovely... Shanna Delaney.

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

Shanna: I’m doing well. Thanks!

Me: You're from Ohio if I remember correctly, right? Are you guys still based there?

Shanna: Yes, we are from Kent, Ohio home of Kent State University, and we’re still based here.

Me: It's been a few years since you were on the Phile, Shanna. Does Bethesda have the same line-up?

Shanna: I don’t believe so. The current line-up is vocals (Shanna Delaney), rhythm guitar (Eric Ling), bass (Dan Corby), drums (Justin Rife), and two newer members since we last spoke, lead guitar (Jesse Scaggs) and violin/keys (Chris Black).

Me: Your husband is in the band with you, right? Was it a coincidence you are both musicians?

Shanna: Yes, we (Eric and myself) are married. It is sort of a coincidence we are both musicians. I have always been in music, but when I met Eric he was teaching himself to play guitar and had just started writing songs. He’s pretty talented to have learned so quickly.

Me: I interview so many musicians who are in bands with their spouses. That would never work with my wife and I. Do you and your husband get sick of each other?

Shanna: Honestly, no! He’s my best friend. You’d actually be surprised how much time we don’t get to spend together. Up until recently, we had a SUPER loud tour van, so none of us could really talk because we couldn’t hear each other! Also, we’re usually buzzing around loading into the venue, setting up, talking to the staff, etc. so we don’t get to spend as much time with one another as one might think.

Me: You have a very powerful operatic type voice. Did you ever sing opera?

Shanna: I did! I studied voice in high school and college. I was a musical theater major in college for a little bit as well but decided to change majors. Opera wasn’t my thing, but I do appreciate it and how rigorous it is.

Me: What do you do to keep your voice so strong, Shanna?

Shanna: I’m always surprised at how many musicians just jump on stage and sing without any warming-up. I have to warm-up. As a routine, I warm-up using a vocal drill on my iPod and drink organic ginger tea and honey before every show. Lots of water is key too!

Me: Okay, let's talk about your new album "The Reunion" which I downloaded off from iTunes. Where did the band name come from, you guys didn't break up, right?

Shanna: Thanks so much for supporting us! Yep, we are still Bethesda. We have a few new members since last we spoke. “The Reunion” title comes from the title track of the album. This track is about Eric’s grandfather. A few years back, Eric’s grandfather asked him to write a song to commemorate his life after he was diagnosed with cancer. He wrote many songs trying to capture what his grandfather meant to him and his family and to the world he was leaving behind, but none seemed to quite do him justice. It wasn’t until his funeral that it clicked. He saw all of the people from the different walks of his grandfather’s life coming together with their unique stories of his grandfather’s impact. This final reunion was his grandfather’s legacy. Without even meaning to, so many of the stories from the album tie to the idea of reunion and to family.

Me: I watched the video for "Go", the single from the album and it's a lot simpler then your past videos. I have a screen shot of it here.

Me: Where did those dancers come from?

Shanna: We were actually going for a simpler concept. Our director wanted to do more of a performance video this time. The dancers were from an Irish Dance Troupe. Eric taught one of the girls at the school he works at, and she got her dance troupe on board.

Me: I thought that was Irish dancing. Like "Riverdance,” right?

Shanna: Yep, you are correct! They are so fun!

Me: Do those performers perform at your shows as well?

Shanna: We had them perform for a fun addition to our album release show in March. It was a surprise for our fans and audience members.

Me: Speaking of shows, you are going on a summer tour, but are not playing in Florida. Any plans to come down here?

Shanna: We are going South but not that far unfortunately! We’d love to play Florida sometime though. We will be starting in New York, NY then to Richmond, VA, Athens, Ga, Columbus, GA, Atlanta, GA, Knoxville, TN and then Asheville, NC. Then we have several other summer dates as well.

Me: We mentioned last time how you guys are influenced and like The Decemberists. Since you were on the Phile last, a lot of groups have come out similar to yours. Mumford and Sons is one band that comes to mind. I don't know what to call that type of music. What do you call it?

Bethesda: We usually refer to it as folk rock.

Me: Are you fans of Mumford and Sons, Shanna?

Shanna: Oh yes! Big fans!

Me: What other bands are you into?

Shanna: I think every person in our band has different bands he or she is into. I love a lot of bands, so this is a hard question. Some of my favorites include: The Decemberists (of course), Laura Veirs, Feist, of Monsters and Men, Sufjan Stevens, and Mumford.

Me: What bands did you listen to growing up?

Shanna: I know this is different for all of us, but I when I was younger I grew up listening to bluegrass (Allison Krauss) and old country (Patty Loveless, Martina Mcbride, etc.) Into middle school, I got into bands like No Doubt and Garbage. I’ve always had a love to 80s female-led bands though, such as Pat Benatar.

Me: Another band that comes from your neck of the woods, who I am a fan of is Black Keys. Do you guys know those guys?

Shanna: They were here in Kent a little bit before our time, so we do not know them, but I remember being a student at KSU and people mentioning they were playing here or there, but I didn’t really listen to them at the time.

Me: I have to ask you about the artwork on the new cover, is that the same artist that did the artwork for your other releases?

Shanna: Yes, the artwork is by Morgan Mzik. She was the artist for our last three covers.

Me: You explained last time what the name Bethesda means, Shanna. Did you come up with the band name?

Shanna: Actually, no. It was the product of a group brainstorm. We were on the way to our very first show when we finalized the name. It just seemed to fit what we were all about!

Me: Have you met anybody who thinks your name is Beth Esda?

Shanna: Hahaha, not that they have admitted! But the band name does seem to throw people for a loop. The most common mispronunciation is “Bethseda”. Not sure why, but we figure it’s close enough.

Me: There's a town in Maryland named Bethesda, did you know that?

Shanna: Yes, we know that now. Would you believe that we didn’t know it before we named the band that though? I guess a quick Google search on the name would have been a good idea... haha. Looking forward to playing our first show in that town though. Bethesda in Bethesda! That’ll be something.

Me: Your band name has something to do with religion though, like the pool of Bethesda, right?

Shanna: Yes. In Jewish tradition, the Pool of Bethesda was believed to have healing powers. People would travel for many miles and through great hardship to bring their ill and crippled loved ones to this place. We loved that image, and feel it fits with what we aim for as a band.

Me: Okay, Shanna, on the Phile this year I am asking random questions thanks to Tabletopics... here's yours. If possible would you live year round in your favorite season? I would live round year in fall, but in Florida that doesn't mean a whole lot.

Shanna: Well, living in Ohio, we really get to bask in all of the seasons, which I like about Ohio. It changes things up quite a bit. However, if I had to choose, I’d go with fall for sure. It’s my favorite season.

Me: I have to ask about the promo picture of you guys bowling. Who came up with that concept? Are you guys bowlers?

Shanna: It was sort of a collective decision. It was shot at a local bowling alley that we love called Mahall’s 20 Lanes. It is a retro-refurbished alley, and we loved the feel of it. None of us are bowlers, but we do think it is great fun! We thought it had all of the elements of a quick and fun photo shoot.

Me: Shanna, thanks for being back on the Phile. Go ahead and mention your websites and I wish you guys continued success, and please come back soon. All the best.

Shanna: Thanks so much, Jason, for taking the time to interview us! For more information on Bethesda, your readers can visit wearebethesda.com, facebook.com/bethesdaband, twitter.com/bethesdaband, Instagram @bethesdabamoments, and more on our website.

Me: Thanks, Shanna.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Shanna for a great interview. The Phile will be back tomorrow with The Chalk Twins, then next Saturday with singer songwriter Ed Pettersen, on Sunday with the kids from the Chicago band Daemon Familiar and on Monday with Phile Alum Pete Donnelly. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.