Pheaturing Dave Coulier

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you? Winter break is over, kids. A video of a California police officer punching a K-9 dog in the head has stirred widespread outrage. The official Facebook page for the police, however, defended the officer’s actions as a routine training exercise. But their explanation is leaving very few people satisfied. The incident was filmed by a bystander in Vacaville, California. Robert Palomino, a floor installer who filmed the video, witnessed the incident near his warehouse in Vacaville. He told local news outlet KTVU he witnessed the officer punching the dog at least 10 times before he began filming. “I was wondering myself, what the dog could have done to deserve that kind of punishment?” Palomino reported the officer involved frequently looked around the premises, seemingly checking for anyone who might be witnessing the incident. He eventually stopped punching the dog when he spotted Palomino. Palomino did not intervene at the time because he was afraid of how the officer might retaliate against him, but felt he had to speak out after the fact to prevent future incidents. But Vacaville police Captain Matt Lydon had a different take on the video. While he acknowledged the video could be “alarming to a lay person” not familiar with the process of training police dogs, he described the incident as a routine exercise resulting from a moment of aggression the dog showed toward the officer. As Lydon told KTVU, “It’s important in K-9 training that the handler take swift action to correct the dog’s behavior.” But Palomino was not at all convinced. He felt what he witnessed didn’t accord with a simple dog-training exercise. “I feel very sorry for the dog, I’m not going to lie to you… I don’t think nobody can be trained, even if it was that, like that. That was way too much abuse.” And as the story has unfolded, Captain Lydon seems to have reached a similar conclusion as well. A previous Vacaville Police Department Facebook post on the matter was updated to report the dog had been removed to a third party outside the department and an investigation into the incident had been launched. People on Twitter were outraged by the incident and the Vacaville Police Department’s response. While the dog has been removed from the police department pending an investigation, Captain Lydon has not spoken about whether there will be any reassignment or repercussions for the officer in the video. 

For The Proud Boys, an extremist hate group formed four years ago in New York City, 2020 was quite the year. The group, which has amassed nationwide membership with chapters cropping up in municipalities across the country, has appeared in several headlines since protests calling for social justice began across the U.S. back in June. The mostly white and male organization has been at the center of violent clashes with protesters in Seattle, Kenosha, and D.C. this year. And yet, the Proud Boys were also famously told to “stand back and stand by” by President Trump during a nationally televised debate. But most recently the group has grabbed headlines because they simply cannot accept that a group of women online want to spread hate and intolerance too. As the Daily Dot has reported, the Proud Boys got into a tizzy when multiple women took to social media and began to identify themselves as “The Proud Girls.” It all went down on Parler, a Twitter-esque social media site that has become the haven for conservative thinkers. The Daily Dot explained that users like “ProudGirls2020” and “TheProudGirlsFlorida” have been using Parler to peddle their own hateful ideas for months now. That growing movement apparently bothered the Proud Boys so much that one of the group’s members tore into an on-brand, misogynistic rant. The tirade began with the equivalent of someone on a playground sticking their tongue out. “Dear ‘Proud Girls.’ Stop.” “Hijacking our fraternity because you can’t stand men having their own club is exactly why we created this club in the first place.” “You aren’t supporting us. You’re hurting us. You’re ruining what we hold dear.” Then, right on cue, the cartoonish gender stereotypes came out. “Want to know how to ACTUALLY support us? Get married, have children, cultivate wonderful communities in which we can live in.” “To save the west we need WOMEN BEING WOMEN. Not women trying to be men.” “We beg of you, with sincere love from the bottom of our hearts, get pregnant and get the fuck back in the kitchen.” Needless to say, the rant was never more than that: an angry post on social media that doesn’t impact the deep attitudes of anyone. The Proud Girls continue to grow on Parler. Not that that’s a win. After all, this is far-right hate we’re talking about here. 

A new video showing a woman accusing a black child of stealing her phone in a New York City hotel over the holiday weekend has left many on the Internet furious. According to eyewitnesses, the white woman attacked a black man and his 14-year-old son shortly after they exited the elevator of the upscale hotel where the father and son were paying guests on Saturday. The woman had previously stayed at the hotel, but was not a guest at the time of the assault. The video shows Grammy-winning jazz musician Keyon Harrold being yelled and lunged at by the woman while the hotel’s manager, a white man, defends her. The incident happened at the Arlo SoHo hotel in Manhattan. In his Instagram caption, Harrold summed up the altercation. “This person quote on quote ‘lost’ her iPhone, and apparently, my son magically acquired it…” In the video, the woman told the hotel’s manager the 14-year-old stole her phone. Harrold’s son calmly told them the phone in his hand is his own, but his father quickly told him he owes her no explanation. The woman then angrily commanded the child to prove it is not her phone in his hand. She said, “Take the case off. That’s mine.” “Give it back to me.” Harrold then pointed out the obvious... there are millions of iPhones out there that all look alike. “Are you kidding me? You feel like there’s only one iPhone made in the world?” He then suggested the woman use the iPhone’s Find My iPhone feature. The hotel’s manager then stepped in to intervene and fully taking the side of the white woman... who was not a guest of the hotel... as she yelled, “Show me the proof,” repeatedly. When Harrold refused to cooperate with her demands, she lunged at him several times, physically attacking him. In the end, it turned out the woman left her phone in an Uber. Harrold said she never offered an apology. “Then… her phone was magically returned by an Uber driver a few minutes after this incident. No apology from her after this traumatic situation to my son, not me.” On social media, people were outraged by the incident, citing the woman’s sense of entitlement, her racial profiling and the hotel manager’s racial bias in immediately siding with and supporting the woman instead of his hotel guests. Arlo Hotels eventually apologized in the comments of Harrold’s post and called the incident “inexcusable” in a statement to The Daily Dot. Any disciplinary action for the manager was not disclosed. Crazy ass people.

There is little doubt that the possibilities for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four are endless now that both franchises belong to Disney. However, it has been revealed that Fox was planning an epic crossover film. Amazingly, it almost had the mutants facing off against Marvel's First Family. The revelation comes from Paul Greengrass, who has previously worked on the Bourne films starring Matt Damon. When Greengrass was a guest on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, he admitted that he was in talks to helm the X-Men vs Fantastic Four crossover film. “They did talk to me about it,” Greengrass said. “I wouldn’t say I was attached. [We] talked, and I thought about it, and in the end…” At this point, Greengrass trails off since we already know what happened. The plans didn't push through until Disney eventually acquired Fox and the project was somehow lost. But what could have happened in the X-Men vs Fantastic Four crossover? Zack Stenz had previously confirmed that he was working on the screenplay with Ashley Edward Miller and that they would borrow the premise of Marvel's Civil War comic. In this case, the heroes would be split into two sides after Johnny Storm uses his nova blast to decimate Manhattan while trying to catch Molecule Man. It's disappointing to know that the project didn't push through. On the other hand, there's still a chance this could happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe instead now that the Fantastic Four are getting their own movie. 

It's no secret that people are somehow disappointed that "The Mandalorian" Season 3 will not premiere this year. But why has Disney and Lucasfilm decided to delay the release of the Star Wars show's next season? As it turns out, it has a lot to do with the busy schedule of one particular actor. Back in December, fans were delighted when it was revealed that "The Book of Boba Fett" that was teased in the final episode of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 will be a new spin-off series that will focus on Temeura Morrison's character. However, some were dismayed when it was confirmed that the new show will air at around the same time that "The Mandalorian" Season 3 is expected to premiere. Sadly, it would be later confirmed that the Pedro Pascal series will not air in 2021. So why has Disney and Lucasfilm chosen to focus on The "Book of Boba Fett" first? As it turns out, the studios are working around safety precautions amidst COVID-19. "The boring truth for production of 'The Mandalorian' being slated for later this year instead of now is simply due to scheduling and COVID-19 protocols." LRM Online reports. Interestingly, it was also revealed that Morrison's hectic schedule is a major factor considering that the Aquaman star is set to appear in three different shows. "The actor’s schedule that has been the toughest to work out is Temuera Morrison’s since he will be a part of three upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+. Temuera has come back to star as Boba Fett which will see his own series this December and will be back for some role in the third season of 'The Mandalorian.' On top of filming for both of those series Temuera will be reprising his role as Commander Cody in the upcoming Kenobi series," the report continues. Although I'm loving the idea of Morrison being booked and busy in THREE different Star Wars shows this year, it is important to point out that Disney and Lucasfilm have not yet confirmed his casting in "Star Wars: Kenobi." Nevertheless, we are all waiting for an official announcement in the next few weeks. 

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

It might not be a bad album actually. This season NFL teams have changed their logos for some reason, like this one...

Are you a fan of the RoboCop movie? Well, you might be glad to know there's a new one coming out...

That is really dumb. Hahahaha. If I had a TARDIS I would probably end up at the Memphis Zoo...

But end up there on Negro Day, which was Thursday, the only day of the week that African Americans were allowed to visit in the 50s. Okay, so, you might remember today's guest Dave Coulier from playing Joey on "Full House," then later on Netflix's "Fuller House." But did you know I was supposed to play the part of Joey? No? Check this out...

Hahahahahaha. "Cut. It. Out." Kids have a really hard time accepting new relationships sometimes, especially when the relationship involves a new mother or father figure. But surely, mistreating a new family member can’t be the way to go, right? A father questioned this in an email to the Phile when his son mistreated his stepmother at Christmas dinner. He found himself reacting by taking his son’s very special present back as a punishment.  

"Am I wrong for taking my son’s gift back after he made his stepmom cry in front of her family? My son  is in college. He currently lives with me and his stepmom. He doesn’t work and so he can’t move out. I [have] been doing well financially and I was able to purchase an apartment (I work in construction) and I got lucky because I didn’t spend a lot of money on it I kept it a secret until Christmas so that I could surprise my son and tell him that the apartment is his and he can move out soon as his name is on the title. He got excited and was very happy. He already started packing getting ready to move in January. He doesn’t usually sit with his stepmom at the same table but I requested that on Christmas dinner he should act like a civil adult and be respectful towards his stepmom. He mumbled that he can’t promise me when I asked him to let us all gather at the dinner table and be civil adults. Since both my family and his stepmom’s family were coming. He came downstairs 10 minutes late for dinner. Didn’t greet my wife’s mom and sister. Casually criticized the food and said that he should’ve ordered pizza and asked if he could still do that because he said my wife’s food ‘sucks’ in front of the whole family. I let it go and asked him to please sit down and eat his dinner. He didn’t stop staring rudely at his stepmom and her family. My wife’s plate was still full it was obvious she wasn’t comfortable enough to eat. He then started telling her to go get him an empty glass and reheat the sauce and bring more tissues. Basically treated her like a maid in her house. I had to tell him to stop it. Then he lashed out at me telling me to give him a break and that he was glad this will be the last Christmas he’ll spend with this ‘witch.' He called his stepmom a witch in front of her family. The room went quiet. I was livid. My wife left the table crying and her family left our home shortly after. I got into an argument with him. My mother started defending him and he said he thought ‘he wasn’t loud enough for her to hear the word ‘witch.' I yelled at him and told him he was an asshole. All I asked was for him to be civil and respectful but he offended my wife and her family and ruined the entire dinner. I told him since he couldn’t even bother to do that, then I will be taking back his gift and will not be letting him move into the new apartment nor put his name on the title. He lost it and started crying saying that I can’t do that over something stupid like that. I refused to discuss it especially since my family kept telling me to drop it and that I can’t be serious. He’s in his room most of the time and has no intentions to apologize to his stepmom. Who worked hard and prepared him meals and even bought him a watch as a gift. We got married when he was 15. He wanted me to marry my ex-fiancee instead of his stepmom. He always favored and compared my ex-fiancee to my wife. My ex left the country and we couldn’t go with her because of my job.” Clearly he’s treated her like crap for years and you just bought him an apartment. Why would he suspect that treating her like crap for one more meal and you would take it away? He may be perfectly capable of pretending to be civil for thousands of free dollars. But he didn’t know those were on the line and with no greed to motivate him he decided to be a giant asshole to his step-mom and his dad (who asked for one polite meal for Christmas) in front of all their family. Just want to add something here... how is he supposed to financially support this new apartment you bought him if he doesn’t work? Looks like you are basically rewarding his shitty behavior by giving him a place to live and paying for everything. In truth, setting the son up for the future would likely be not buying him an apartment. It would be helping him find a job, get an apartment, maybe partially subsidize the rent (while the son is in college) if his grades stay above a C, but teaching him what real life responsibility is about. When I see another person treat someone this badly, this immaturely, the first thought that goes through my mind is asking myself whether they were raised to take responsibility for their actions. If not, you end up with someone who acts however they want and doesn’t look to the consequences... much like the son seems to be doing now. There’s no way on earth he just started acting like this. Even in your own email, you knew him making a scene was easily within the realm of possibility. So knowing he’s got these serious behavioral issues, why did you offer the apartment to him in the first place? I feel conflicted because continuing to give him this gift would be enabling (knowing he was moving out soon probably gave him the courage to act so badly). Yet, being that this didn’t come out of nowhere, it was setting him up for failure by offering it in the first place. Should you continue to give him the apartment, his behavior will only get worse. Rewarding bad behavior and expecting positive outcomes is magical thinking. However, not giving it to him now can have catastrophic consequences of resentment, and make the tension in the home even worse. It’s clear something is going on in the family that the son isn’t coping with well. That being said, mistreating someone surely isn’t going to solve anything. If you have a problem you'd like my opinion on then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

Hahaha. If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. I want that. Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is...

Top Phive Things Said About Kids With No Filter

5. My 3-year-old calls Flonase "mommy's special nose medicine" and now my neighbor thinks I do cocaine.

4. My niece done told her school we put weed in her food at home that's why she be sleepy. Ya'll, it's parsley! My sister is going to jail.

3. When I told my 3-year-old we couldn't go to again she asked if it was because of the corona pirates. I said yes.

2. My son asked me, "Where does poo come from?" I was a little uncomfortable but gave him an honest explanation. He looked a little perplexed, and stared at me in stunned silence for  a few seconds and asked, "And Tigger?" 

And the number one thing said about a kid having no filter is...

1. Every time I gell my daughter I love her, she responds with, "I love daddy," which is toddler speak for go fuck yourself, mama. 

As if losing the United States election to Democrat Joe Biden wasn’t already enough, President Donald Trump has once again criticized yet another industry for the way it handles its press. President Trump called out American lifestyle magazines on Christmas Day for not a single one of them gracing their magazine covers with his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. Known for his incredibly blunt words on social media, President Trump took to Twitter to express his unwarranted opinions. A Breitbart post was already criticizing the fashion press in calling them “elitist snobs,” said, “The elitist snobs in the fashion press have kept the most elegant First Lady in American history off the covers of their magazines for 4 consecutive years.” Trump promptly ignored the support in correcting them, calling it “Fake News!” and explaining that she is, “The greatest of all time.” Trump supporters have also noticed that the Republican First Lady has not been on the front covers of fashion magazines, pointing out magazines such as Vogue have clearly taken their stand and expressed their bias. Their claims are evidently supported by former President Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama’s, 12 magazine covers within her two terms as First Lady, appearing on the cover of Vogue three of those times. Actor and Trump supporter James Wood tweeted, “If you need any further proof of the shameless bias of the liberal mainstream media, the most stunning First Lady in American history has never graced our nation’s major style magazine covers.” However, Vogue has had no issue expressing where the magazine stands. Editor Anna Wintour told CNN in an interview back in April 2019, “You have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view.” Nevertheless, Melania Trump drew criticisms from Vogue readers and magazine publishers in February last year, when a private phone call back in July 2018 about Wintour’s decision to let singer Beyoncé guest-edit one of the magazine’s issues was leaked to NBC. She had said, “Anna gave the September issue of Vogue cover... complete, complete, complete, everything... to Beyoncé.” Look, there are more important things to worry about okay? Can we please not forget that we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and that the COVID-19 vaccine and stimulus check relief bill are more important to worry about than the press?

The 143rd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is... 

Matthew will be on the Phile next Monday. Alright, alright, alright. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, New York, shall we?

Man, it looks like a beautiful day there.

There was a fly buzzing around a barn one day when she happened upon a pile of fresh cow manure. Due to the fact that it had been hours since she had had her last meal, she flew down and began to eat. She ate and ate. Finally, she decided she had eaten enough and tried to fly away. She had eaten too much though, and could not get off the ground. As she looked around wondering what to do, she spotted a pitchfork leaning up against the wall. She climbed to the top of the handle and jumped off, thinking that once she got airborne, she would be able to take flight. Unfortunately she was wrong and she dropped like a rock, and smashed when she hit the floor. Dead! ARE YOU READY FOR THE MORAL OF THE STORY? Never fly off the handle when you know you're full of shit. 

Today's guest is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, impressionist, television host and private pilot. He is well known for playing Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom "Full House" and for voicing Peter Venkman on "The Real Ghostbusters," the cartoon adaptation of Ghostbusters and the infant incarnations of Animal and Bunsen on Muppet Babies. Please welcome to the Phile... Dave Coulier.

Me: Hello, Dave, welcome to the Phile. It's great to have you here. How are you? 

Dave: I'm good. You work for Disney? 

Me: Yeah, Walt Disney World actually. I have been there since February 20th, 1988. That's 33 years if you can believe it. 

Dave: That's cool. What a fun place to work I'm sure. 

Me: Most of the time, yeah. I actually met you in the 90s there when you were filming "Full House" at Epcot. I did crowd control for a few scenes. 

Dave: That's cool, Jason. So, where at Disney World do you work? 

Me: Currently I'm an attractions coordinator at Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

Dave: Oh, cool. 

Me: Yeah, enough about me... for now. Haha. So, did you watch cartoons as a kid? 

Dave: Yeah, I loved Popeye, I loved the Bullwinkle cartoons, I loved Felix the Cat, I loved "Fractured Fairy Tales" and Sherman and Peabody, I loved Yogi Bear, I loved all the Warner Bros. stuff. But I also liked the Jetsons and also liked Johnny Quest. I was a Saturday morning cartoon freak. So I would just imitate the voices on the show. I had to get up at 7 a.m. and that's when the cartoons would start, at 7 when I was a kid. 

Me: I miss those days of Saturday morning cartoons. I bet you do as well, right? 

Dave: Yeah, it was so fun. It's so different now. I look back at those cartoons, which I have over the years, and they are so politically incorrect that they can't even run them now. There are so many stereotypes, political incorrectness, they were all written in a different time and so America was at a much different place when those shows were being written and produced. It's kind of a shame because the artwork is tremendous, the comedy and the timing of those animated shows was incredible. I guess I forgot Scooby-Doo. I loved watching Scooby and later would work on Scooby as my first job really when I got to Los Angeles. He was my first job. 

Me: What? Really? How did you land that role? 

Dave: I just got a check for 6 cents for the episode I did. What I did was I put together a voice-over audition tape just showing my range and the voices I could do at the time. I dropped it off at Hanna-Barbera Studios. Back then Hanna-Barbera was producing a LOT of animation. I dropped it off and that was on a Friday and I swear to you by Monday I got a call that said they love for me to come in and work on Scooby-Doo. It was that simple, then years later I befriended Andrea Romano who was my agent and now she's become this iconic cartoon director. Andrea was my agent and we just became great friends. She told me one day, "You know, for years at Hanna-Barbera we used your voice-over tape as a template that we would show people this is how you put together a voice-over tape." I was just really kinda blindsided when she said that because there are so many incredible voice-over people and the fact they used my tape was beyond flattering. 

Me: That's cool. What was it like working on that show? 

Dave: It was incredible. I couldn't believe I was working on a show that I grew up watching. The name of the episode I did was called "Muscle Trouble" and it's this big guy named Muscles who chases Scooby and Shaggy around a deserted island. It was just so surreal. I think I was probably 20, or 21-years-old. 

Me: Was it fun being a voice-over actor? 

Dave: Back then the voice for animation was a very small group, it was a bunch of specialists who could really do a bunch of different voices. So I got into this little fold and it was amazing because back then there was no limit, we would do 5, 6, 7 voices on a show. Then years later the Union came in and said we could only do up to three voices but I would just sit there and work on shows like the Jetsons where I worked with the original cast. They brought the show back for syndication. They brought back Mel Blanc and Daws Butler, Frank Welker was there, Gordon Hunt was the director. Janet Waldo, Jean Vander Ply who earlier did Wilma's voice on the Flintstones. It was an incredible feeling to be in a room, especially, not just with all those iconic people that I listened to, but Mel Blanc... I couldn't stop staring at him. He caught me staring at him a couple of times and I thought, wow, I'm sitting in a room with a hundred characters that I love. It was quite an experience. 

Me: I am trying to get Frank Welker on the Phile. So, I never knew you were on the Muppet Babies, the original one. How did you get involved in Muppet Babies? 

Dave: I actually replaced Howie Mandel. He went onto other things and got very busy and they needed a soundalike so I went in and auditioned for Hanna-Barbera. They said, "Okay." And I said, "Okay." And they said, "No, okay, we want you to do the voices." I said, "That's it?" They said, "That's it. We're done. You're hired." Wow, okay, sounds cool. That's pretty much what it was, they wanted a soundalike character. I remember going in the first day and Katie Leigh who played Rowlf on Muppet Babies looked at me and said, "That's incredible, that's dead on." I said, "Thanks. I think it's supposed to be, right?" She said, "Yeah, but that's weird. It's weird hearing that come out of your mouth right now." 

Me: That's funny. Didn't you take over Lorenzo Music's character in the "Real Ghostbusters" cartoon? 

Dave: Yeah. Lorenzo was a powerful voice-over actor, he was Garfield all these great characters so I knew I had very big shoes to fill. I didn't want to alienate the cast because Lorenzo was loved by everybody. 

Me: What was it like taken over that role though? 

Dave: I was a little afraid because they were actually going a little bit more on Bill Murray's voice and so I really wanted to do a great job. Here I was replacing someone and I felt like I was taken this guys job. That just happens in show business all the time. The producers wanted it to go a different way, they wanted it to sound more like Bill Murray. 

Me: So, who did you play on Muppet Babies? 

Dave: Animal, who was a great character, but Waldorf and Statler, the two old men in the balcony, I did those too. It was so much fun because I just got to deliver zingers. Like... "Do you know what the best part of this show is?" "No, what's that?" "It ends." It was great, just being able to come in and say a couple of zingers. It was really fun writing. I think what people don't remember is that Muppet Babies was just an innovative show at the time. 

Me: Really? Why is that? 

Dave: We were cutting in a lot of live footage, doing songs, live music. We actually won the Best Animated Emmy award four years in a row. It was such a fun ride doing these Jim Henson characters as babies. It was really, really fun. The memories come fonder and fonder as I get older. 

Me: You were a stand-up comedian as well, right? When did you start doing that? 

Dave: It was around 1984. That year, 1984 was a big year for me. It was the year I did my first stand-up appearance on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson," I started the series "Out of Control" on Nickelodeon, and I started on the Muppet Babies soon after. 

Me: What was it like doing stand-up back then? 

Dave: A lot of comedians back in the day, a lot of them were dope fiends. They would smoke pot and snort coke and be drunk all the time. It was 22 or 23-years-old and here I was around all these older guys who were just hammered all the time. I remember these comedians at the Comedy Store on Sunset Strip one night cornering me. They're out there smoking pot and they say, "Hey, you do all these kind of voice-overs and stuff. You got your own show now..." This one comedian who shall remain nameless goes, "What do I have to do to do all these voice-over stuff?" I go, "Well, do you have a voice-over tape?" "No." "Do you do a lot of different voices?" "No." I'm like, "That could be a problem." But I remember these guys cornering me thinking I had this kind of magic formula. I'm doing all this work and I wanted to say, "I'm not smoking pot and doing coke and getting hammered in the parking lot of the Comedy Store. Maybe that's the one thing that's holding you back." 

Me: Hahaha. Maybe. Okay, so, I have to mention "Full House," which I think you are the most famous for. I have to say I could count on one hand the episodes I ever saw of that show. What was it like being on that show? 

Dave: Jason, we did a 192 episodes and over the years people ave watched those 192 episodes umpteen times, we've been syndicated in a hundred counties around the world. "Full House" has never been off the air since 1987, when it premiered on ABC. And you only saw about four episodes. That's funny. 

Me: Now I feel bad. Hahaha. Okay, so, what's your favorite memory on that show? 

Dave: You have to remember for every 192 episodes I have five days of memories when we were in production. And so it's really hard for me to pick one great memory from "Full House." A lot of it we all became good friends, we really did become a dysfunctional family in real life. John Stamos and I would go to Hawaii when we were single, I've known Bob Saget since I was 18-years-old. There's all this interconnectivity, there's so many memories along the way. A lot of funny stuff happened on the show when the girls were little. John, Bob and I were always in trouble by their moms because we would pull our pants down to make each other laugh and say stupid things. The moms would walk out with their arms crossed. "Gentlemen, our monitors are on back in our dressing room. We hear you and we see you." I'm like, "Then just turn them off." "No, we want to see what's going on so we can prepare." The girls were all studying, doing school work doing the show. The moms would sit there and watch what's going on out on the set so they could get the kids ready. So we were always doing something stupid where we got in trouble. 

Me: That's funny. So, you did "Fuller House." What was it like coming back with that show? 

Dave: Yeah, it's amazing it came back and we didn't want to screw it up. We didn't want to tarnish the nice iconic image that "Full House" has become. We're all aware of how the show is revered by a couple of generations now. We have always been very weary about bringing it back. I think it was very hard to bring something back that was 25 years ago because it's a different time. Audiences have changed, sensibilities have changed, clothes have changed, styles have changed. When we were plugged in in all the same roles there was high expectations that it's going to be just as funny. It's hard to recreate nostalgia and we were very contingent of that so we tried to be delicate with the "Full House" legacy. We didn't want to ruin it because we could botch it up very quickly. 

Me: Dave, thanks for being on the Phile. I hope it as fun and I hope you'll come back again soon. 

Dave: Thanks, Jason. Great job.

That's about it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Dave Coulier for a fun interview. I wanted to ask him about the Lori Loughlin college admission scam deal but I was asked not to. The Phile will be back on Friday with The Peverett Phile 15th Anniversary Special Pheaturing The Black Keys. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain.

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

Pheaturing Burt Bacharach And Daniel Tashian

 

Rabbit. Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Friday and the start of a brand new year... 2021. This month aliens will probably invade earth. Not only is it now 2021 but this is the 15th year of the Phile and the final year of the Phile. Don't all get upset at once. It'll be okay. Let's just enjoy it until it lasts, shall we? I think its cute we're all pretending shit will be back to normal today. I love that for us. Man, 2020 was clearly not over yet, as people were still wreaking havoc all over the United States. A viral video surfaced of a group of young bicyclists attacking BMW in New York, terrorizing a man and woman in their 50s. And no one knows why yet. The cyclists surrounded the vehicle at Fifth Avenue and 21st Street in Manhattan, around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, pounding on the luxury car with their fists in broad daylight for everyone to see. The video of the animalistic attack was caught on a cellphone and posted to social media, where it went viral. In the video, you can see one biker get a running start and jump up onto the BMW’s hood, jumping on the windshield and causing it to cave in. NYPD called for a change bigger than the situation at hand, saying, “This was an animalistic attack in broad daylight. It shows how far the city has deteriorated and the politicians better get their heads out of the sand and start to deal with these problems before there is nothing left.” Apparently, this isn’t the first time this group has attacked a vehicle around NYC. According to the New York Post, the group had also attacked a taxi cab just a short time later. Right now, no one is sure as to why and how this group started coming after seemingly random vehicles, and it’s also still unclear if any arrests have been made. Nevertheless, police officers are calling for action because the situation seems to be escalating. At one point, one assailant was seen lifting his two-wheeler up and slamming it down on the BMW, as reported by the Daily News. The police department is asking that if anyone knows anything, that they call into Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. 

We all know to really and truly be careful about what you ask for because you just might actually get it. And in this case, this guy definitely deserved it. It is never okay to use the n-word, in any situation by anyone, and this guy was not only asking to get his butt whooped by his actions but he stupidly, literally asked to get beat up. This viral video shows a white man, seemingly wasted (and if not, then causing an unnecessary disturbance and ruckus) at a Circle K gas station in Elyria, Ohio, hurling profane words at the customer behind him, who is a black man. The video reveals the white man making obscene sexual remarks about the black man’s mother and hurling racial slurs, using the n-word freely. The black man at first does his best to ignore this guy in front of him, because anyone with decent common sense wouldn’t waste their time on an idiot making racist slurs at a convenience store. But then the white customer just takes it too far. As the victim of the racial slurs grabs a can of Twisted Tea, which I assume he came to the Ohio gas station intending to grab a quick drink and go home to relax, the aggressor taunts his victim, literally asking him to smack him in the face. The patient, but obviously irritated customer loads up into a cautioning stance, giving this idiot one more chance to actually shut up. But of course, the dumb-dumb keeps popping off, and so the tired customer goes at him with the spiked iced tea. The white man is totally thrown off, and as the fight continues on the floor, the black man is clearly stronger and in more control of the situation. “I asked you not to call me a nigger,” he says, as he holds the perpetrator on the floor. He picks him up and whisks him off towards the exit, not entertaining the situation any longer. I have no idea what makes it okay for this guy to do this in the city of Elyria, but this isn’t okay anywhere, ever. According to the Chronicle-telegram, a local newspaper, the incident was not reported to the police, but the video went viral on social media. I won’t fail to mention that the reasonable guy was wearing a face mask, while his oppressor wasn’t. Let’s not forget that COVID is still haunting our country, but even a pandemic isn’t going to stop just because of a brawl. Nevertheless, this was handled with as much class as possible, and I have to hand it to the victim for keeping his cool and not wasting any more time than he needed to on someone like that.

The Trump Administration and the United States Department of Justice filed a civil complaint against Walmart for allegedly unlawfully filling thousands of invalid prescriptions, as well as failing to report suspicious orders of opioids and other drugs that were placed through its pharmacies. The Justice Department is seeking billions of dollars in penalties in claiming that the massive department store has contributed heavily to the rising opioid crisis. Authorities from the federal government have alleged “hundreds of thousands of violations” of the Controlled Substances Act, with Jeffrey Bossert Clark, the acting chief of Justice’s Civil Division, saying, “As one of the largest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country, Walmart had the responsibility and the means to help prevent the diversion of prescription opioids. Instead, for years, it did the opposite … This unlawful conduct contributed to the epidemic of opioid abuse throughout the United States.” The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Timothy Shea, also explained that the retailer’s pharmacies have been filling illegitimate prescriptions, saying, “Too many lives have been lost because of oversight failures and those entrusted with responsibility turning a blind eye.” This civil complaint is a result of a years-long Justice Department’s investigation by the Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force of how the retail giant has been filling opioid prescriptions, ignoring warnings from even its very own doctors and pharmacists, according to the Wall Street Journal. Federal officials said, “As the operator of its pharmacies, Walmart knowingly filled thousands of controlled substance prescriptions that were not issued for legitimate medical purposes or in the usual course of medical practice, and that it filled prescriptions outside the ordinary course of pharmacy practice.” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel J. Feith of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch commented on Walmart’s distribution centers saying, “For years, Walmart failed to meet its obligations in distributing and dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs. We look forward to advancing this case with our DOJ partners,” and U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss also said, “The misuse of prescription painkillers is a public health crisis. DEA registrants must understand that licensure is a privilege, not a right. Whenever that privilege is abused, whether by the smallest local provider or the largest national chain, our office and the Department of Justice will take all necessary steps to enforce the law and keep the public safe.” So what does this mean for one of America’s biggest department stores? Well, according to the civil complaint, if Walmart is found liable, the company could face, “up to $67,627 for each unlawful prescription filled and $15,691 for each suspicious order not reported. The court may also award injunctive relief to prevent Walmart from committing further CSA violations.” 

Many Wonder Woman fans were surprised that Steve Trevor returned in Wonder Woman 1984. After all, the character was believed to be dead after his plane was blown out of the sky at the end of the first Wonder Woman movie. It turns, those events still took place, and Steve didn’t miraculously survive the explosion. Steve was brought back to live in the body of another person in Wonder Woman 1984 thanks to the power of the Dreamstone. The Dreamstone gives the bearer any wish they desire, no matter how small or large. But there is a catch. It will take away something from you of value. Diana wishing for Tevor's return from the Dreamstone ended up wishing for Steve to return to life when she held the Dreamstone, although she did not realize that the stone actually had that kind of power at the end. Although her wish did end up making Steve return to life, the Dreamstone took away much of her power, which resulted in her being significantly weaker throughout the movie. Though the movie thoroughly explained how the Dreamstone worked, it doesn’t explain what happened to Steve Trevor in the end. It became clear in the movie that in order to restore the world to balance, everyone must rescind their wishes. That includes Diana's wish for Steve Trevor to be in her life. Steve realizes this and forces Diana to realize the error of her ways and that she must undo the wish that granted him a second chance at life. In Steve’s final moments he tells Diana, “I had a great life. And you only made it better. But you know what you need to do. The world needs you” Diana then shakes her head and cries and tells Steve, “I’ll never love again.” To which Steve responds, “I pray that isn’t true. There’s a wonderful, big world out there. This crazy new world. And I am so happy I got to see it… but it deserves you… I’m already gone. I’ll always love you, Diana, no matter where I am. I love you.” Wonder Woman then renounces her wish as she walks away from Steve. That’s the last we ever see of Steve Trevor in the movie. So what happened to Steve after this scene? Whenever a character renounces their wish, the gift of the Dreamstone is revoked and whatever was taken was given back. Diana got back her powers after renouncing the wish, so we must believe that Steve returns to wherever he was before the movie began. For this reason, we assume Steve is back in DC’s version of Heaven, or wherever souls reside when they die. Steve briefly described this earlier in the film, “ I remember taking the plane up and then nothing, really. Nothing. But somehow, I know I’ve been someplace since then. Someplace that’s, uh… I can’t really put words to it. But it’s... It’s good. And then I… woke up here.” Director Patty Jenkins left a lot to our imaginations. It’s always been a trick of studios to leave the ending ambiguous so that they can mysteriously return the character back in a pinch. For instance, Darth Maul ended up returning to Star Wars canon, despite what looked like his clear demise at the end of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Now he could even return in the new Obi-Wan series. Other burning questions fans had after watching Wonder Woman 1984 include what did the kid wish for? And what happened to Barbara Minerva? And who is Asteria in Greek Mythology? 

The Armed Forces Bowl Thursday in Forth Worth, Texas could have perhaps used some armed forces to break up what went down on the field. After a pregame skirmish, a few extra-curricular hits went down on the final play of the game, an onside kick. When the clocks struck zero, all hell broke loose, both Mississippi State and Tulsa getting into a massive brawl that covered the span of 40-yards with countless punches and kicks exchanged between players. What a fitting ending to 2020. The Bulldogs ended up taking the game 28-26.

Speaking of football some NFL teams have changed their logos this season. Here's another one that was changed...

If I had a TARDIS I would probably end up at the ppening ceremony of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. 

The U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which was met with a similar boycott of the 1984 games in Los Angeles. So, is this year gonna be better?

Probably not. Does a Christmas present have the potential to cause tension in a family? This one did. One Phile reader who is a 28-year-old with a 30-year-old half-sister named Amanda. When the response to their 50-year-old father’s gift for Amanda got family backlash, she turned to the Phile and asked, “Am I wrong for yelling at my dad and calling him a monster for what he gave my sister as a Christmas ‘gift?'” 

“My sister Amanda never met her bio-mom. My dad raised her alone until she was barely one, my dad and my mom got married in 1992. Amanda knew that my mom wasn’t her bio-mother, she started pressuring my dad for information on her mom when she was around 17. My dad always gave her vague answers and refused to talk about her bio mom, which put a strain on their relationship. Enter our uncle who revealed the ‘family secret.' Apparently Amanda’s mom wanted an abortion (she was 19), but my dad and his parents were able to ‘bribe’ her. They offered her money if she followed up with the pregnancy and she accepted. My grandparents sold one of their houses and gave half of that money to Amanda’s mom when the pregnancy was viable, and the other half she received when she waived her parental rights over Amanda to let my mom adopt her when she was 4. My uncle wasn’t supposed to tell her that and my grandparents were furious. Amanda stopped her crusade to meet her bio-mom and her relationship with my dad went back to normal. Amanda never mentioned her bio-mom again. A month ago, Amanda found out that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was an accident when she switched birth controls. The problem being, Amanda is about to start her surgical residency and her hours are insane. It is basically impossible to raise a baby while working in that rhythm, so she wanted an abortion. The problem is that Mark her fiancé wanted her to keep the baby. It caused a big fight. In a dick move to convince Amanda to keep the baby, Mark told dad about this (until that point no one in our family knew about this). Dad talked with her and they got into an enormous fight. Amanda got the abortion 10 days ago. Mark ended up breaking up with her. She is obviously really sad. My dad was acting like a jerk. He was pretending that Amanda didn’t exist. He didn’t want to talk to or see her. So on Christmas day, we were exchanging gifts. When everyone had already finished giving each other gifts dad got up and gave Amanda her ‘present.' He gave her an envelope in front of everyone and told her to open it. It was 3 pictures with something written on the back, a name, an address and a phone number. Dad told her that he was tired of ‘babying’ her, that this is a photo of her bio-mom and her two sons. That was her bio-mom’s address, and that he contacted her bio-mom and she is willing to speak with Amanda. Dad thinks that they will have ‘a great relationship since they are so similar.' Amanda broke down crying. I ended up in a fight with dad, called him a monster for doing that to her. He just said he ‘was just tired’ and left. We ended up leaving and she spent the rest of Christmas crying on my shoulder. She is a mess since that. My younger brothers called me a grinch for making a scene and ruining Christmas. My mom was silent during the whole thing. My parents have been giving me the cold shoulder since Christmas. Jason, am I wrong here? I don’t know why he acted like this, I swear normally he is very calm and easygoing. I mean this without any jealously, but Amanda always was my dad’s favorite as well. She was always a daddy’s girl (I was too, but she was WAY more) and she was basically his shadow growing up. They were really close. My mom also always favorited her a bit more, I really don’t know why they are doing this. I’m actually really confused." You are not wrong. Daaamn what your dad did is messed up. I get that abortion might be a sore topic for some people but one on, that was just a plain and simple dick move to do. He deliberately preyed on Amanda’s fears and insecurities and is subjecting her to mental abuse. It could’ve hit on some sore points he had about Amanda’s bio-mom. He might have kinda thought what would’ve happened if Amanda's bio mom had done this, so whiplash effect… understandable motive but still a dick move for what he did. Your dad is mature enough to know that what he had quite obviously planned for the night would have some consequences and backlash, and if your family thinks making your daughter cry on Christmas isn’t enough to ruin dinner then maybe they should reevaluate their priorities. I'm so sorry for you and your sister. Your sister’s bio mom did nothing wrong. Your sister probably can understand where her bio mom was coming from. Just be there for your sister. Maybe encourage her to reach out to bio mom when she is feeling up to it, it could help her a lot. Your reaction to your father’s deliberately cruel and callous gift for Amanda was warranted. If you have a problem you wintry opinion on then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

If you spot the Mindphuck then let me know. Okay, now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is...

Top Phive Things Said About How Low People's Standards Are For 2021 New Year's Resolutions

5. New Years resolutions for 2021 are gonna be like travel to the other side of the room, wear a different shirt, cut screen time from 12 hours a day to 11, eat a vegetable, bathe. 

4. My 2021 resolutions are drink more water, try to be less of a bitch.

3. My New Years resolutions is to get ready more and do my make-up but I already know that shit ain't gonna happen. 

2. I just remembered my New Years resolution was "be more social" and "get out more." Rest assured, I'm not doing that this year. 

And the number one thing said about how low people's standards are for 2021 New Years's resolutions is...

1. For my New Years resolution I'm giving up. 

Drama, drama, drama. Will American politics ever be more about the good of the people instead of the technicalities of drama ensuing between politicians? President Donald Trump has used his presidential pardon power to its fullest in granting clemency to over 90 people, sparking controversy all over the United States. A few of his recent controversial, but unsurprising full pardons included former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, political ally Roger Stone, and wealthy real estate developer Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner’s father. Jared Kushner is President Trump’s son-in-law, married to his daughter Ivanka Trump, and the senior adviser to the president. And former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had a few things to say about this. Charles Kushner served a 14-month prison sentence of a two-year sentence in federal prison for tax evasion, false statements, illegal campaign contributions, lying to the Federal Election Commission, and witness tampering. This included paying a prostitute $25,000 to seduce his brother-in-law so that he could tape the encounter with a hidden camera and send to his own sister, after finding out his brother-in-law was aiding federal authorities who were investigating him. Christie, Trump’s longtime friend and ally, was the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case back in 2004 explained that the case highlighted the “extraordinary” work of his office, telling ABC News, “What it doesn’t overshadow is the extraordinary work that my office did 16 years ago. Let’s remember, the case was not tried. Mr. Kushner pled guilty. So we’ll stand on the record of our prosecution at that time and of the conduct that was engaged in the case.” He also called the charges against Kushner, “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes.” The White House, in announcing the pardoning, said, “his “record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner’s conviction and a two-year sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements.” But Christie had told PBS last year, “Mr. Kushner pled guilty, he admitted the crimes. So what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor? If a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and videotapes it, and then sends the videotape to his sister in an attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that?” Christie has also had his tiffs with Trump recently. After contracting the coronavirus, he admitted to being “wrong” for not wearing a mask during White House events and has criticized the Republican president for not accepting his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. And as of recently, Christie claimed that he would not rule out running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, even if Trump runs also. 

Dawn Wells 

October 18th, 1938 — December 30th, 2020 

Okay, we can finally put this one to rest: Mary Anne was the hot one. 

Pierre Cardin 

July 2nd, 1922 — December 29th, 2020 

Say what you want... dude made some WEIRD ass clothes.

The 143rd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Matthew will be on the Phile in a few weeks. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, New York, shall we?

Looks like a rainy day there. 

This is pretty cool to start the year off... one of today's guests is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who has composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, his songs have been recorded by more than 1,000 different artists. He is considered one of the most important composers of 20th-century popular music. The other guest is an American songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. They both have a new EP out called "Blue Umbrella" which is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Burt Bacharach and Daniel Tashian.

Me: Wow! Welcome to the Phile, gentlemen. It's so cool to have you both on the Phile for the first entry of the 15th year and last year of the Phile. How are you both? 

Burt: Pleasure to be here. 

Daniel: Thank you, Jason, I'm good. 

Me: You have a new EP out called "Blue Umbrella." It's a good record, I like it. You two mist be proud of it, am I right?

Burt: I like to hear that. It's music to your ears, Daniel, right? 

Daniel: Yeah, we're off to a good start. This interview has the right tone. 

Me: Good! I think you should have released it as "Tasharach" instead of Burt Bacharach and Daniel Tashian. What do you think? 

Daniel: Sounds like a great liquor someone would have after dinner. 

Me: Ha! So, Burt, sir, what was it like working with Daniel? 

Burt: Flawless. It got easier by the day, by the month, by the time spent. He is a special guy and a good friend. I never know what I'm going to get into something like this. I come in with reservations, I come in with insecurities, I don't come in with it's my way or no way. So it was not pre-planned, not pre-set up, our paths crossed when they crossed. 

Daniel: That's true, Burt, I feel very lucky when they did. Thank you for saying that, I'm very find of you too. 

Me: So, Daniel, how was it like working with such a legend as Burt? 

Daniel: We do have to go through a little phase to learn how to work with someone but it was remarkably brief with Burt. It almost seemed like it was seamless, as soon as we started mixing some of the words I things that I had and some of the musical things he had going there wasn't like any real great mountain to climb or anything, We just kind of caught fire and it was just we were off and running. 

Me: You have a song on the EP called "Bells of St. Augustine," and I'm not sure if you're singing about the St. Augustine here in Florida. Anyway, it has some different kind of singing on it I think. What was it like singing that song, Daniel? 

Daniel: This may make me sound like sort of a lecturey kind of uncle or something but it's almost the kind of thing that I wished more long people would focus themselves on a specific melody as opposed to singing licks. There's a great joy of singing something specific and to try to really detail and outline that melody with my voice it's just one of the best things about life and I have to think of myself as sort of an instrument and really kind of focus myself that way. It's a good challenge and a challenge I want to have more in my life and that I want to share with other artists in my life that I work with. 

Me: So, Burt, I heard or read that you are very particular about melody, am I right? 

Burt: Yes, and how syllables might land on particular notes. You are right, Jason. 

Me: Ha! Can you give me an example of that? 

Burt: Yes. With the song "That's What Friends Are For" Carole Bayer Sager had to start the song with "And I," she was not going to get away with just "I." 

Me: Why is that? 

Burt: Living with her and fighting with her until, she finally said "surrender" meant to me a big world of difference because it became a bit more conversational than just saying "I never thought I'd feel this way..." than just "I." Letting the audience into the story. 

Daniel: It's also sometimes we hear a story like that and we think we don't want to be on the wrong side of history, so the best thing to do is trust this man when he has an instinct about a melody. Hahahaha. 

Me: So, what that the same process, making sure the lyric fits on a fixed melody? 

Burt: We work a lot with lyrics first. Daniel would send me something, I'd send him something back. Listen, having a start like we had which was best of all worlds for Daniel in a sense that he just won a Grammy for producer of the year the night before and we didn't know each other. We've spoken on the phone but A) he was in a celebratory mood, he just won a Grammy. That's a big thing. He brought his guitar, came over, who knew what we were going to get. But I liked the guy so much. 

Daniel: I like you too, Burt, very much. I like you. 

Burt: That was the real help because working with somebody and creating something and I like that person. I remember when I used to write with Hal David, Hal would go leave the Brill Building by 5 o'clock and I'd go back over to my apartment and that was about it, then we'd meet again. So there are different ways of going about it. I wouldn't say it was easy being married to Carole Bayer Sager and we wrote some really good songs but imagine being married and that's what you do. I get up, then worry about whether there was too much of a tight end of the vocals and then I came home and had dinner and went to bed and then get up the next day and do it all over again. 

Me: Daniel, what was the process like for you working with Burt? 

Daniel: It was a process of growth for me and a process of joy really because I realized he's not any different from anybody, or me, in the sense that our best guide of navigating through something is by feel and by instinct. That's Burt's way of navigating through music too. He likes to close his eyes and really feel what his instinct is telling him about it. So when I work with somebody like Burt that heighten that aspect within myself. I realize hey, I'm going to trust my gut on this and this is what my gut is telling me. That's not even mentioning the friendship side of Burt and I. We talk on the phone, we tell each other the struggles that we each having in our own fears and families and trying to manage life during a pandemic. And the life of working songwriters that are trying to get things accomplished, trying to get songs recorded, trying to get recordings, trying to get vocals finished, there's a lot to do. Burt said this before and I agree, music is a lifesaver in these times. 

Burt: Sure has been for me. Absolutely for me. I try to get exercise, I try to get fresh air, try to stay away from people, not go outside. These are very difficult times. But as there thing evolved and the more Daniel and I started to finish these songs it just kind of grew. And the possibilities grew. The fact the EP is done and now out we're still writing. 

Daniel: Yeah, man, we've got some bangers in the works. Ha ha ha ha. 

Me: So, you're working in two different places now? 

Daniel: Yeah, me in Nashville and Burt in the Pacific Palisades in L.A. 

Burt: It's just a different way of doing it. I have never done that but it can be done. With these two new songs we are working on my reservation was "how is it gong to sound?" Is it the same sound we get in the studio with drums? So I got a couple of rough mixes from Daniel and it was a great relief for me to hear yeah, it certainly sounds like studio quality. 

Daniel: Also I'm noticing is this time it's given that feeling like I got something to prove a little bit for me. I really want to show that it's possible to do it this way and have great results. I think it's a good place to come from when I'm making something to have it come from having something to prove kind of place. Ha ha ha. 

Burt: It makes a lot of sense to me. 

Me: Why is that, sir? 

Burt: Because maybe Daniel knew it was really going to sound okay studio wise. 

Daniel: I hoped but I don't think I did know for sure. Its just something that is unfolding as we go but it is encouraging because it is sounding good. 

Burt: Absolutely. 

Me: So, is the song "Midnight Watch" about what is happening now? It sounds very timely. 

Daniel: It's a song about vigilance, man, and you're absolutely right, Jason. Vigilance can be hard to maintain for long periods of time, and it can be very tiresome. That's why we need the relief of good old fashion humming and strumming. 

Me: So, Burt, do you add any lyrics to the songs? 

Burt: Absolutely. Daniel: 

Daniel: He's very gracious about that but he does contribute lyrical thoughts. He just sent me a chorus basically there other day of a song we are working on called "Quiet Place" that is exactly what the song needed to lift it and I can't wait for you and your readers to hear the song. And another song called "21st Century Man" that we're in the process of recording now and they're going to be coming out soon. The question was does he contribute lyrics and he totally does. 

Me: Daniel, did you study Hal David's writing style on how he wrote lyrics for Burt? 

Daniel: Man, if you're me and you're trying to get something done you'd look for help anywhere. I mean if it's a milkshake that someone is bringing me, somebody's passing me a joint, or anything. A breath of fresh air, a walk. phone call, I need anything I can get for inspiration. Of course I want someone to look over my shoulder, I want to learn from the past but I also don't want to be hemmed in by it. I want to feel free to take it to a place that is unique to me and things that are tugging at my own sleeve rather than imitation. 

Me: So, you must be happy to still be writing songs after all this time, right, Burt? 

Burt: That's a very interesting thing. We are not in the same city, we are in different places, we both have families, we are both worried, we are both scared, It's just terrible how out of control things are. It's just great to have written these songs and be writing with Daniel and to get my mind of the heaviness of the day and the fear of the day. Daniel's got young kids, they went back to school and how that was handled. We have butchered our response in this country. Trump should go to jail for how he jeopardized this country like this. 

Daniel: It's a catastrophe wrapped in a disaster. 

Me: So, Burt, do you play the piano every day? 

Burt: It is a good premise. I used to believe that if I went to the piano every day, but I'd be duping myself because there'll be some days I didn't go to the piano. But it sounds good in press releases having doing an interview like this. Yes, I get to the piano every day even if nothing happens I get to the piano every day. Maybe something will come about it, if it doesn't it's okay too. But that's bullshit. I don't get to the piano every day. I like the premise if I play the piano every day I never know what I'm going to come up with. 

Daniel: He doesn't need to get to the piano, the music goes on. It's like what John Cage said, "sleep if you want to, your work will go on." I remember there was a big debate whether if we could close our eyes and play "The Star Spangled Banner" in our mind then we didn't need to go to the piano every day. 

Burt: You mentioned John Cage, wow, out of left field comes John Cage. 

Daniel: Well, he had a lot of great saying about stuff. 

Me: So, Burt, when you write music how do you remember it? 

Burt: I notate ideas. 

Me: Okay, so your songs are so well known and they have been covered so many times, is there any version you think is better than the original version? 

Burt: Yes, for example Dionne Warwick singing "Say a Little Prayer" in the studio but four months later Aretha got it and made the song a hundred percent better. It's seamless. 

Me: Okay, so I have to mention Cilla Black singing "Alfie." What did you think of that performance? 

Burt: That was an endurance test. It's kind of like no prisoners, I'm a nice guy but when I walk into the studio I want everybody to give me a hundred percent. It's hard to get them all to do it at the same time. I did maybe 38 or 40 takes with her in the big studio. She was saying "you're joking." Yeah, then I would go into the studio control room where a guy was who I haven't met named George Martin who said to me, "She had it on take number four." 

Me: Hahaha. Well, thanks, gentlemen, for being on the Phile. I hope it was fun for you. 

Daniel: Jason, thank you. 

Burt: Thanks, Jason, stay safe and stay well. 

Daniel: It's that time where we should lay low. 

Burt: We don't have that kind of time. We don't have the time to lay low. These are days we'll never get back. I don't want to hear from anybody that I know say "I'm bored." "Please give me a break." Enjoy the last year doing your blog. Have a good day. 

Me: You too. Take care.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to both Burt and Daniel for a fun interview. The Phile will be back on Monday with actor Dave Coulier. You know, Joey from "Full House." Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain.

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