Pheaturing Kirby

Hey there, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. Senator Ted Cruz, who apparently has nothing to do on Sunday evenings, has spent the night in a Twitter battle with Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker. The force awakened when Hamill directed some Twitter shade at Ajit Pai, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and architect of the ruling on net neutrality.

Cruz responded to Hamill's tweet... accidentally tagging the wrong Twitter account in the process... partly to defend his position on net neutrality and partly to attempt to correct Hamill's Star Wars knowledge.

Cruz, it seems, is trying to explain to the man who played Luke Skywalker what does and does not belong on the dark side. Big mistake.

Hamill responded, dissing Cruz for getting the name wrong, and citing perhaps the worst moment on Cruz's long list: When he was caught watching porn at his office.

As we all know you don't start a conversation with a Star Wars fan that you can't finish. Maybe someone can get Ted a ticket to The Last Jedi, and he can put down his phone for a few.
In a burst of surprisingly good news, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jason Priestley shared that he once punched Harvey Weinstein in the face at a party back in 1995. Violence certainly isn't the answer (usually), but after weeks of hearing about over 50 allegations against Weinstein, it's hard to shed a tear for the disgraced producer. The Canadian actor revealed the story on Friday, after Mira Sorvino shared how Weinstein derailed her career for decades. After reading how Weinstein ran an active smear campaign against Sorvino, the actress Tara Strong tweeted...

Naturally, Strong's revelation prompted questions from other Twitter users. Who among us DOESN'T want to be regaled with a story of Weinstein getting his due?! At this point, Priestley swooped in with the full story of Weinstein's well deserved punch in the face. Apparently, it all started at a Miramax party in 1995 when Weinstein, unprompted, asked Priestley to leave the soiree. "Harvey told me I had to leave… I was leaving when he grabbed me by the arm and said 'what are you doing?' I said 'you told me leave, I'm leaving. I didn't say you had to leave' he replied. 'You just told me to leave... right over there' I tell him once again. Getting heated now. He then grabs me tighter and says 'why don't we go outside and talk about this.' That was all I needed to hear. ‘I’m not going anywhere with you’ I said as I pushed him back and punched [Weinstein] with a right hand to his face,” Priestley wrote. “Suddenly, there were security guards pulling us apart and I was escorted out of the party." A lot of people on Twitter were feeling the story. For obvious reasons. Again, violence isn't (technically) the answer. But I doubt the world is worse for this punch.
Uh-oh, it's on. Omarosa Manigault Newman was on "Good Morning, America" on Thursday, doing a segment about her exit from the White House. But things turned nasty when, after the segment, co-host Robin Roberts said, "She says she has a story to tell and I’m sure she will be selling that story. Yeah. Bye, Felicia." (For those not in the know, "Bye, Felicia" is a reference to the movie Friday, and it's most definitely a diss.) Those were the original shots fired, but now Omarosa is shooting back. When "Inside Edition" asked her about Roberts' remark, the former "Apprentice" contestant said, "That was petty," and added, "It’s a black woman civil war.” The circumstances of Omarosa leaving her position as White House aide are not completely clear. There are reports that she had to be dragged out of the building after being fired by chief of staff John Kelly. Omarosa, however, says that she was the one who decided to leave, after she saw things that made her "very uncomfortable." She told "GMA," “I resigned, and I didn’t do that in the residence as reported." So now the civil war's in Roberts' court, so to speak. Will there be more (musket) shots fired?
The latest racist white person to go viral on Facebook comes courtesy of a Bay Area Starbucks, where an international Korean student, Annie An, and a tutor named Sean Lee made the incredibly offensive decision... according to this woman below... to speak to each other in Korean. How dare they.

"Oriental," the woman can be heard saying at the very beginning of the video. "I hate it." She later generously concedes, as the baristas try to remove her from the premises, that the duo can stay as long as they don't speak. What a gem. Sean Lee provided an update to the infuriating video, in which he explains that as his student "was heading to get her coffee, this lady screamed at her, 'don't you dare say that again.' She was berating my student for talking in Korean, and proceeded to demand that all immigrants speak English." Why do racist outbursts always happen in Starbucks? At one point, the woman appears to continue working on the computer, to which one of the baristas calls her out, "You're pressing numbers over and over again." After Annie stopped recording, apparently, is when the cops showed up and removed the woman from the establishment. And while Lee wrote that "there are hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans who would cheer on this racist lady," and he's certainly not wrong... the comments on his video were refreshingly unanimous.
On Thursday night, Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to complain about people complaining about the vote to repeal net neutrality. In a tweet, Don Jr. calls out 'Obama's FCC chairman,' and randomly suggests that most people didn't know what net neutrality was before this week.

Just one problem: the current FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, was appointed by his father, President Trump... not former president Obama.And no, "Net Neutality" is not some delicious, new chocolate-hazelnut spread... it is just a typo. On Thursday, The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, voted to dismantle Obama-era rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the Internet, giving more power to broadband companies. Rolling back the 2015 regulations to ensure an open and free Internet could potentially drastically change the way Americans experience the web. Tweeters were not shy about calling the junior Trump out for spreading #fakenews. Enjoy Don Jr.'s incredibly uninformed tweets while you still can, folks!
Last night on NBC they aired "A Christmas Story Live." It was really good, but I was surprised who was in it...

So, they other day I Googled "cpucake" instead of "cupcake" and this is what came up...

Hahaha. So, when I die I want to be taken to the cemetery in this...

Hey, so, one thing about the Internet is that you can look at porn easily and for free. The problem is you might go look at porn if you get bored reading this blog. So, I thought why not show a porn pic here... but then I thought what about if you were at work or school. I don't want you to get in trouble. So, I came up with a solution...

You are welcome. So, I have been telling you that this seasons biggest trend is women making their breasts look like reindeer. Don't believe me?

See? So, every time there's a new Star Wars movie comes out there's new merchandise and this time there are Star Wars themed vibrators.

Crazy, right? So, I saw this pic the other day and it reminded me of something...

Then it hit me.

Ha! So, did you see The Last Jedi? I was surprised that after Rey said, "I need someone to show me my place in all this" the next scene was this...

Kinda crazy, right? Hahaha. Man, those Porgs are popular... they are getting their own movie.

That's stupid. That's as stupid as...

Okay, now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is...

Top Phive Reasons Why Omarosa Left The White House
5. Trump decided that the White House was only big enough for ONE abrasive, dangerously unqualified reality-TV hack.
4. She decided to move on to other made-up positions that don't actually exist.
3. Trump will need her office for lawyers once impeachment hearings start.
2. With the holidays approaching, she needed to focus on her duties as Krampus.
And the number one reason why Omarosa left the White House was...
1. There was simply nothing left fir her to achieve.

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. So, not long ago I told you about this perfect family that I thought nothing bad happens to. Well, I thought I'd invite them back on again and have one of the family members tell me something that makes them so special. So, once again, here is...

Me: Hello, Jane, you were the one that was here before, right?

Jane: Yes, that was me. Hi, Jason, happy holiday's, everyone!

Me: So, what have you been up to, Jane?

Jane: I let my little sister and her friends see me naked on Saturday for fifteen dollars.

Me: Ummm... you did what?! Why?

Jane: They said they didn't have a computer so seeing the other gender nude wasn't a mouse click away. They wondered about things.

Me: But why charge them fifteen dollars?

Jane: Jason, you could get stuff done for $15.00. That was a couple packs of baseball cards, a slice of pizza with a soda and several games of "Donkey Kong" or "Asteroids Deluxe" at the pizza place down the street from my house.

Me: Sheesh. Well, as long as you got something for fifteen dollars, Jane.

Jane: Yep. I was happy. They only see me completely naked for an hour...

Me: That's enough. Have a good Christmas, Jane. Jane from the Joules family, everybody.

Many animals probably need glasses, but nobody knows it.

If there's any adage we gain from 2017, it's that Trump has an old tweet for every topic (unfortunately), and somehow they always come back around to haunt us. Whether it's an old tweet about the Yankees, a political cartoon that predicted his election, or a prophecy about the potential for World War III, Trump's Twitter has a backlog of commentary for all of 2017's hot topics. And now, the most recent tweet making the rounds addresses the FCC's vote to repeal net neutrality, or more accurately, Trump's ironic past fears about Obama attacking Internet freedom. Here is the juicy and bittersweet tweet of lore...

In typical fashion, the president's old tweet expressed a fear that Obama would take away the very same freedoms Trump's administration is threatening. Or maybe, since the wording is a bit confusing, he was expressing distaste for net neutrality in the first place?! That is all for this installment of "Trump's old tweet that has eerie relevance." I have faith there will be more episodes in coming weeks.

Phact 1. More than 1,000,000 Euros are thrown into the Trevi fountain every year. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for the needy.

Phact 2. London and NYC have “buildings” which are actually facades hiding subway ventilation/maintenance systems.

Phact 3. When she was the First Lady, Barbara Bush called "The Simpsons" “the dumbest thing I had ever seen." She received a letter from Marge Simpson which moved her so much, she wrote back apologizing.

Phact 4. When Britain changed the packaging for Tylenol to blister packs instead of bottles, suicide deaths from Tylenol overdoses declined by 43 percent. Anyone who wanted 50 pills would have to push out the pills one by one but pills in bottles can be easily dumped out and swallowed.

Phact 5. A 9000 member indigenous tribe in Guyana is fighting illegal logging of their land by filming the activity with a drone they built by watching DIY videos on YouTube and taking the footage to the Guyanese government.

Today's guest is a singer-songwriter from Canada whose latest CD  "Into the Dark" is available on Bandcamp. Please welcome to the Phile... Kirby.

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

Kirby: Not too bad, just at home since getting back from tour in September. Still feels strange to be back for this long and not be playing every night.

Me: So, where did the name "Kitby" come from? Is that what most people call you?

Kirby: Most people just end up calling me Kirby, when I started playing solo it just seemed Kirby would be more memorable than plain old John. When someone calls me John... I feel like I'm about to get in trouble for something.

Me: Where are you from, Kirby?

Kirby: Originally I'm from Burlington, Ontario but I moved to Hamilton (and back to Burlington, then Toronto then back to Burlington, then back to Hamilton) about nine years ago. Though at the moment I'm back with my folks in Burlington. Didn't need an apartment when I was touring so... I'm back here, planning my next moves. Drums fingers together sinisterly.

Me: Isn't Kirby a video game? I have to ask my son.

Kirby: Oh, it sure is! I actually want to make a t-shirt that has a silhouette of the Kirby character with a beard... always thought that would be funny.

Me: Haha. I ask all my guests who are from Canada if they are fans of one of my favorite bands who are from Canada... are you a fan of the Barenaked Ladies?

Kirby: I'm not like a huge "OH MY GOD!" BNL fan but I think they and their music is fun. A buddy of mine toured with them for a while and had some funny stories about their hijinks on the road. They seem like stellar dudes to play with.

Me: Okay, let's talk about your music. In your bio you said you asked yourself why am I doing this after a bad gig. Did you mean touring and recording?

Kirby: I think I meant the whole thing, yeah. More so touring but at the time the whole thing seemed catastrophic. It all stemmed from this like three day span I had while driving from Grande Prairie to Ft. St. John to Wells BC. I was pretty much broke and the shows weren't at least from my perspective that great up to that point. But I was more just mad at myself for not making more of the tour; promoting properly, contacting people, networking. I wasn’t making sure I enjoyed myself. So in my own head, I'm condemning myself for essentially just screwing up prior to tour and maybe not promoting enough, or spreading the word enough. It happens, but the last thing you need when you are alone is the isolated negativity beating you down. It was actually playing those shows that made up for it. The shows are the best part, even if there are only 5 or 50 people. Its the before and after, that time between that was killing me and how I perceived it. The shows... weren’t actually bad, maybe slow, but fun.

Me: How bad was the gig, Kirby?

Kirby: All musicians no matter how successful had a bad gig now and then. It wasn't really the one gig right, like it was a culmination of everything at that point and me over zealously summarizing my career on a valley or low point. Which is as bad as doing it on a peak. At the end of the day, everyone has a bad day or week or whatever at work, no matter what you do. I was lucky enough though, I had posted on Facebook that I was, albeit jokingly, thinking I should quit music and become a lawyer or something. I got a bunch of messages from people, a lot of whom I don't talk to that often that thought I was serious or at least more serious then I was thinking. It was this weird form of support I didn't think exsisted, but its as if this handful of people knew I was just that pissed off and needed a kick in the but. Things like "your lucky to be doing it" and "suck it up, you could be in an office right now," it was really cool to see that. Even thinking of it now warms me.

Me: I listened to your latest release called "Into the Dark" and really loved it. For some reason I was expecting it to be an acoustic album with just you and a guitar? Why was that I wonder. Who plays on the album with you, Kirby?

Kirby: Thanks! Stoked you enjoyed it. My first few records were all acoustic. Simply because I didn't have at the musicians on board to work with or really the clarity on the project to see how full arrangements would work on the songs. Call it lack of focus or laziness. But for this last release I was able to get some great musicians interested on working on it; Mike Scime on drums, Ken Corke on bass, Graham Peacefull on guitar with some other friends Max Wray and Sara Garcia to do some guitar work and vocal work respectively. They all did great work, I was so lucky to have them able to do it.

Me: Where did the name Leominster come from? What is a leominster?

Kirby: Leominster was the name I was going to switch to from Kirby. I had even begun to transition from Kirby to Kirby of Leominster but it stopped short of the full change. The name itself is the street I grew up on as a kid. I liked it. And I was tired of always hearing about the Kirby Nintendo character, or the vacuum company or someone’s dog or what have you. It was also a bitch to Google me if say, you came to a show but didn’t get any music. You go home cause you wanna check it out online, fire up the company, type in Kirby and you get 20 pages of nothing but Nintendo. So all of this for some reason bugged me. I wanted to have a name more unique, at least from a Google and image standpoint. But, much like what Coke did in the 80s with New Coke. The problem was my own, not everyone else’s. No one who likes what I do or listens really gives a shit that my name is similar to that of a cream puff or vacuum. No one ISN’T listening to me because of that. If anything it adds to the recollection of the name. So with all of that and many of my friends saying, “WTF is LEO… INSTER, Lemonster? Leominster? Why are you changing it?” I put it to a vote. I went on Facebook and asked my fans if I should go through with the change. It was a unanimous NO. Since then I’ve dropped the Leominster thing, save updating a few sources on my social networks, and I'm continuing on with Kirby.

Me: I have a feeling the album title and song name "Into the Dark" came first before the song was written, am I right?

Kirby: Actually it was totally the other way around. This record (EP) took so long to complete for a 7 songs disc. By the time it came to go to mastering and encoding the songs, I more or less panicked at the title. I hadn’t titled the record at that point. I figured, since everything was taking so long… I’d just get to it, but for now it was fine being unnamed. I picked "Into The Dark," because of what that name represents to me, an unknown step, a new direction, the uncertainty of what will be. It somewhat contradicts what the song "Into The Dark" is about, standing firm, seeing it through, being there in the present and now… it's almost an interesting dichotomy between the two. With all of that, I went with "Into The Dark" as the title.

Me: What is that song about? I know it has a good story behind it.

Kirby: When I sing it live I always say its about real love. Not TV love or that young love when you think you know what its about but realize its totally not something you know. Its about ultimate commitment to someone because of love. Now it doesn’t mean it has to be about lovers, love can exists between friends… family, anyone. But real love, real love latches on to you, real love won’t be so petty as to lead you away, quietly and defeated… into the dark. See what I did there?

Me: Another song from the album I really like is "I Want to Live in New York." Is that true? Why do you want to live in New York? You can move there, y'know, it's not that far from you.

Kirby: Hahahhaha, its true. And a funny story. I wrote this about someone completely different than what it became. I had a girlfriend who I derived a slight passion/obsession with New York from. I want to go… and I still haven’t. There was something in my head so Hollywood romantic about living there with a girl, being a musician and just existing there. It was sexy to me to have that thought. But really nothing more of a fantasy… have you seen the rent prices in New York? YOWZA! Now that being said, I was at an after party while on tour and began talking to this girl. This was no ordinary girl. It was this instant attraction and we were discussing all of theses just various things about life and people and she even sang and played guitar. She killed me with these B side Counting Crows songs she new and right then and there I was in love. It was crazy, intense for me. The kicker… was she grew up in New York… right downtown. So it was this almost serendipitous moment for me where I had written this song about that city, and intense real love and being there with this person and to my eyes, there she was, right in front of me. I was silenced, I couldn’t even tell her about the song. It right away seemed so hokey and silly to even mention it. I let it lay there, just sitting in my head until the end of the night and just wanted to share this with her… I was so sure this was it for me, in this post show, semi intoxicated awesome I was swimming in…when her friend poked her head around the corner and said my new lady friend should probably call her boyfriend as he was most likely wondering where she was. I… was crushed… but it happens. My life sometimes feels like an unfortunate string of circumstance and bad timing. However we’re still friends and still chat once in a while. But man, what a cool experience to have.

Me: This is your second album, right? What was your first one called?

Kirby: I have actually released five different things under the Kirby moniker. Six if you include this demo I did in 2006. This is the first album I’ve done with a band since recording with First Time Fallen. I played with them and still do from time to time. But it's more of a hobby band than a serious touring band at this point. Though hopefully we can record a new record, love playing with those boys.

Me: How do you compare the releases, Kirby?

Kirby: My first demos of Kirby stuff, my first solo material outside of my band… was… terrible. Just meandering half thoughts of songs that I was either too scared to finish or lazy to complete. Not see them through. I always equate song writing to essay writing in high school. Many disagree with me but hear me out, cause its true for me. I love the feeling of finishing a song. Truly. Much like I loved when my homework was completed when I was in school. Now its not to say I did it all the time, on time, but when I knew I had something to write, say an essay for English, I would put it off, occupy myself with other things… but when I got into it, I loved it. I loved conveying whatever it is I wanted to say in to something compelling. I loved story writing too. But, man… what an arduous task. First drafts, second drafts, edits, crafting it and honing it for the most impact and imagery you could conjure. Song writing for me… is the exact same thing. With the slight difference, that I enjoy it slightly more. But its not to say the struggles to complete both aren’t on the same parallel. I want to finish the songs… much like the essays… but I always think I’ll have time later or sometimes its good enough. It’s a struggle for me to complete things, and complete them well.

Me: I have to ask you about C & B Records, that's your own record label you own, right? Do you release just your music under it or did you sign other bands?

Kirby: C&B Records is a label I use to release my material under… I don’t know why really. I started it for a release I did after the first incarnation of First Time Fallen, in between myself and drummer Randy Telo and guitarist John Nunes did this 4 song demo as Minus-1. The joke being it was our old band, minus one member. A friend of ours asked if he could release it under his label and for some reason we thought we should just have one as well. We were like 17… we didn’t know shit, it just seemed cool. Since then though, I revived it with my friend Jon Clement to release these compilations under the C&B Mixtape Record Series and the C&B Records Acoustic Side Stage we ran during the Sound Of Music Festival in Burlington. We haven’t done much in the ways of comps since 2009 when our fundraising side stage was shut down by the police… for being noisy… even though the main festival, only mere meters away was going on louder… (this is a whole diatribe of another story) and because I’ve been touring we’ve just let it sit and I still continue to release anything by myself or First Time Fallen under C&B.

Me: What does C & B stand for?

Kirby: C&B stands for Careen and Barrage. Get in my Delorean with me would you? Back to 2001 or 2002, can’t remember. 16-17-year-old kids, in a band together hanging out down by Lake Ontario. Our guitar player Sean was walking on the sea wall (lake wall?) lost balance and nearly fell into the lake on top of a bunch of ducks. Catching himself he said, “Jesus… I nearly careened into a barrage of ducks.” I laugh… and think Careen and Barrage sounds like it could be used as something, some sort of name. Yada yada yada, a few years later its my record label. Its silly, but I still like it.

Me: Not only are you into music, but you produced a trailer for a film called Sons of  the Sunshine. How did that happen, and is that something you're gonna do in the future, Kirby, work on film stuff?

Kirby: Son of the Sunshine came to me through a friend of mine. I actually co-produced the trailer with my good friend and producer Matt Montour and asked if I would write with him on it. We’ve since done some other small film work pitches as well as wrote for this fun short called "A Dragged Out Affair" and I’ve done some other pitches for commercial work and small indie films. It’s a tough uber competitive world. There are what seems like an infinite amount of talented people out there, so landing something is great. But as Matt says, it’s the exception not the rule. I love doing it though. It's always fun to compose within the framework of something. I find it challenging and a blast.

Me: What is Son of the Sunshine about? Where can a Phile reader find out more info on this film? 

Kirby: Son of the Sunshine (sonofthesunshine.com) is a great film by writer/actor/director, Ryan Ward, star of the "Evil Dead Musical" and also the star of Son of the Sunshine. It’s a story about a young man stricken with Tourette’s struggling to understand his his past, love and coping with self discovery. It's a great film and has been winning a bunch of awards internationally. I was so happy to be a part of it, even a small part.

Me: Kirby, thanks so much for being here, I hope it was fun. Is there a website you'd like to plug? 

Kirby: Thanks a ton for having me! If you wanna check out more of my stuff, head over to kirbysings.com.

Me: Cool. Take care and I hope to have you back on the Phile again soon.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Kirby for a great interview. The Phile will be back on Thursday with A Peverett Phile Christmas 9 Pheaturing Sparks. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let alligators and snakes bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker

Pheaturing Kiki Dee

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Saturday. How are you? Happy fourth day of Hanukkah. May your Hanukkah prayers not be drowned out by incessant Christmas music.

Well, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality rules, which prohibited Internet service providers for blocking certain websites and apps or charging to access particular services. Once (if!) this takes effect, Verizon or whichever friendly corporation that gets your money can charge you extra to stream Netflix or check in on social media. Thanks, guys! All hope is not lost just yet... states are stepping up to sue the FCC, and Congress can still butt in.
James Alex Fields Jr., the neo-nazi who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters, injured 35 people and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been charged with first degree murder. Fields drove his Dodge Charger directly into a crowd of counter-protesters at the white supremacist Unite the Right rally back in August, leaving dozens of people injured and Heyer dead, after which he quickly fled the scene. The Unite the Right rally was thrown to protest the removal of a Confederate Robert E. Lee statue and Fields reportedly drove all the way out from Ohio to attend. Authorities quickly caught him after the rally and charged him with second degree murder, but now, his charges have been changed to first degree. If convicted, this charge would put Fields in jail for life, whereas a second-degree charges would have put him away for 30-40 years. Fields has been in jail the past four months, and will face a grand jury for the murder of Heyer on December 18th. Many are hoping Fields will face conviction and serve as a cautionary tale for other white supremacists. His hearing is on Monday, godspeed, and let's get this man convicted for life.
Yesterday morning, actress Mira Sorvino woke up to the terrible confirmation that Harvey Weinstein, in her own words, "derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure [of]. Thank you Peter Jackson for being honest. I'm just heartsick." Ashley Judd commented on the same story. The day before, a New Zealand site called Stuff spoke to Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings director was opening up about his experience with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who's been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct. Specifically, he named the two above actresses as women who lost opportunities to star in LOTR based on a "smear campaign" by Weinstein and his studio, Miramax. Sorvino and Judd were two of the first actresses to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment. Judd's account led the "New York Times" expose that broke the news wide open in October. And in Ronan Farrow's "New Yorker" piece on Weinstein, he wrote this of Sorvino, "Four actresses, including Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette, told me they suspected that, after they rejected Weinstein's advances or complained about them to company representatives, Weinstein had them removed from projects or dissuaded people from hiring them." Sorvino's suspicious were confirmed when Peter Jackson spoke to Stuff, "Weinstein and Jackson crossed paths in the late 1990s when Jackson was pitching his early plans for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films to the Weinstein-led studio Miramax. "I recall Miramax telling us [Judd and Sorvino] were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson said. "At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us... but in hindsight, I realise that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing. I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women," concluded Jackson. "And as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list." Jackson reflected further on Weinstein, saying he "and his brother [behaved] like second-rate Mafia bullies" and that "movie making is much more fun when you work with nice people." In the comments to Sorvino's tweet, people from all walks of life commiserated with and supported the actresses. Apparently, the truth about Weinstein was extremely well-known in Hollywood.
The online culture of instant gratification and viral fame is harmless and fun in many cases, but there are situations in which the desire for internet affection can become dangerous. The 22-year-old YouTube prankster Jay Swingler learned that lesson the hard way when he cemented his head in a microwave and his friends were forced to call the fire department to save him. If you read that last sentence and felt like you were transported into the twilight zone: welcome to hell. Basically, Swingler had the brilliant idea to make a YouTube video of himself cementing his head in a microwave and then escaping like some sort of radioactive Houdini. Unfortunately for everyone involved, that's not how microwaves, cement, YouTube, or anything works. Swingler placed his head in a plastic bag, placed his covered head in a microwave (WHY), and then his friends filled the microwave with seven bags of Polyfilla (often used for spackling). After an hour and a half of attempting to get free (with the help of his friends) Swingler and the crew realized they had a potentially fatal emergency on their hands. No shit. At first they called an ambulance. However, since it's not a standard medical procedure, paramedics were unable to pry his head out of the microwave. Eventually, the West Midlands Fire Service was called, and five firefighters were forced to perform a rescue operation for an hour, the total cost was £650. However, since Swingler's life was in danger, the fire department was forced to foot the bill. No one at the fire department was too impressed by the stunt, especially since it tied up five of their emergency workers for an hour. This prank diverted resources from fighting actual fires. A lot of people online expressed annoyance at Swingler's thoughtless prank, and think he should pay the fire department back. YouTube placed an age restriction on the nearly fatal video, so it won't be making any profit. Hopefully, everyone here has learned their lesson: never cement your head into a microwave, even for viral fame.
Ringaskiddy, Ireland might as well rename itself Boner Town. This tiny Irish village also happens to be home of the Pfizer factory that manufactures Viagra. According to the "Irish Post," wafting fumes from the plant... which the town locals have nicknamed "love fumes"... have men and dogs walking around with unexpected hard-ons. It sounds like a dystopian nightmare, but according to locals, unplanned excitement has become part of day to day life in Ringaskiddy. Bartender Debbie O’Grady explains, "One whiff and you’re stiff. We’ve been getting the love fumes for years now for free." Is there anything the world needs less than more boners? Local nurse Fiona Toomey claims that Viagra is such a part of the town's ecosystem that it "must have gotten into the water supply." Pfizer claims that "love fumes are nothing but an 'amusing' myth." "Our manufacturing processes have always been highly sophisticated as well as highly regulated," they said. I look forward to seeing this story line on the next season of "Black Mirror."
If there's one thing you may know about me is I like to follow rules, but some people take it just a little bit too far...

If I had a TARDIS I would like to go back in time to the 1920s and have lunch with some really cool. Knowing my luck I'll end up having lunch with these two fuckers...

Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Ugh. Ever go into a public restroom and see something you didn't wanna see? Like this?

Poor dog. So, the other day I went to Google "prince" and instead I Googled "printh" and this is what I got...

What the hell? I have been telling you that one of the biggest trends this season is women making their breasts look like reindeer. I love it! Check it out!

Hey, with the new Star Wars movie out there's some weird new merchandise out as well. Check it out...

Yup. So, I saw this pic the other day...

It looked familiar... and then it hit me.

Ha! So, I mentioned net neutrality... well, let me give you a glimpse of the future...

Since net neutrality is gone I guess it's back to where most of your childhood started...

I love what Wikipedia editors did...

Haha. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is...

Top Phive Kinds Of People Who Went To See Star Wars: The Last Jedi
5. George Lucas, muttering,"Pffft! Chewbacca would never do that!" every five minutes.
4. Wookiees, who get a 15% Wookiee discount at all participating AMC theaters.
3. The last active chapter of the Lando Calrissian fan club.
2. Kevin Spacey, amazed that Christopher Plummer was able to replace him so quickly as Stormtrooper #42.
And the number one kind of people who went to see The Last Jedi are...
1. AT-AT aficionados.

Haha. If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Okay, so, recently I had a visit on the Phile from a magician who doesn't seem to have the best luck. Well, he wanted to come back on and give us an update how he's doing. So, once again, here is...

Me: Hello, David, so, how's it going?

David: Well, I did a show last night and I did the Web...

Me: The Web? What's that?

David: Ummm... look at this video... youtube.com/watch?v=spxUZ0Yi1AI.

Me: I will later, I don't have time now. So, you did this trick called the Web? So, what happened?

David: Turns out someone had severe arachnophobia. I always ask if they're scared of spiders before starting, they said only a little bit. After the trick they were literally in the fetal position for several minutes.

Me: Ummm... I don't know what to say.

David: It was horrible.

Me: I bet. Well, good luck in the future, David, keep us posted. David Coppafeel, the world's worst magician, everyone.

And now for the pheature simply called...

Phact 1. MST SGT Benavidez suffered 7 gunshots, 28 shrapnel wounds, 2 bayonet slashes, a destroyed lung, and a clubbing while saving 8 lives. Ronald Reagan said of him, “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it”.

Phact 2. Faking the moon landing in 1969 would have been harder than actually going to the moon.

Phact 3. In 1980, Nauru, an island nation was considered the wealthiest nation on the planet. In 2017, BusinessTech listed it as one of the five poorest countries in the world.

Phact 4. Guam’s jungles have as many as 40 times the amount of spiders as nearby islands due to a lack of forest birds.

Phact 5. The entire U.S./Canada border is defined by a 20 foot deforested area called The Slash.

Out of all the guests I ever had on the Phile I wish my mum was alive to see this one. Today's pheatured guest is an is an English who is best known for her 1974 hit "I've Got the Music in Me" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", her 1976 duet with Elton John, which went to Number 1 both in the U.K. Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. During her career, she has released 40 singles, three EPs and 12 albums. Her latest album "A Place Where I Can Go" is available on iTunes and Amazon. Please welcome to the Phile... Kiki Dee!

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

Kiki: Hello, Jason, you have an interesting blog here.

Me: Thanks. So, everyone knows you from one of the most famous duets in the history of duets... "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Elton John. I am sure you have answered sooo many questions about that song over the years. Did you sing at an early age, Kiki? 

Kiki: I left school when I was 15-years-old in England, and I already singing with a dance band locally with a dance band and somebody heard me and I got a phone call asking me would I like to do an audition for a record company and I go signed at 16. It was pretty crazy. My dad took me down to London in the early 60s and the Beatles and Stones were just happening, it was around '63 when I signed. It was a ridiculous time to go to London, it was outrageous. I was from the north of England and at that time it used to take five hours on the train so it was like going to another planet. It was very liberating actually.

Me: Did you know you were gonna be a popular singer for awhile beforehand, Kiki?

Kiki: I had that thing when I was young that I was very open and stuff happened. I wasn't overwhelmed too much but I was very excited to be in the big city. I think I've always had this what I call my inner belief, I think it's got to be so inside you that I was going to make it in someway or another. It was just a kind of force I couldn't really explain. I think it's the same with actors and painters. It's not a kind of arrogance, it's a kind of knowledge. I thought I was going to do it but it took me ten years to get a hit record, so I slogged away for ten years.

Me: Didn't you ding backing vocals for Dusty Springfield? How the hell did that happen?

Kiki: The record company I got signed to found a manager for me and two weeks after he signed me when I was sixteen or seventeen he signed Dusty who was already quite a star over here in England, she's been in a group called Springfield's. I was quite star struck when I met her. That was an amazing beginning. We did a lovely version of a Carole King song called "Some Of Your Lovin'." I didn't know how big she was in America, Jason.

Me: What was she like to work with? Did you two get along good?

Kiki: The thing about Dusty is she had that thing where as soon as you hear the voice you know who it is. All the stars are like that if you think about it. You only have to hear one line of a song and you know exactly who it is. She had that unique quality beautiful voice. She was a little bit older than me, I was so young, I was really star struck. I was happy to get the experience singing and working with her because she was one of the first female singers who knew what she wanted. She stood up for it and she was a vey sensitive woman and had problems later on in her life, but I'd call her a diva in a good way. She had a real star quality in that sense.

Me: When your first single "Early Night" came out what did you think? Was it a big deal for you? 

Kiki: When I first got there I thought this was it, this has got to be it, I'm gong to be a star now, I'm going to have a singing career. Little did I know that'll be ten years before I got that record. The validation of a hit record which nowadays it's not important to me, but then starting out in the music business in the early 60s everybody in this kind of pop area wanted to get a hit record. I was a bit disappointed when it didn't happen straight away. When you're young you have nothing to lose, have you?

Me: That's true. Okay, so you recorded for Motown, which is kinda crazy, as that's a label in the states and had mostly black artists back then I think. How did that happen?

Kiki: Well, I've been singing and working in the U.K. and doing cabaret and all sort of things in the 60s. I met Robert Plant a couple of years ago, he came to one of my acoustic gigs, and he said, "You sang on one of my records in 1965." I said, "Really?" It was called "You Better Run" if anyone's out there and want to check it out. I did a lot of amazing things, but kind of behind the scenes. Then one day in '69 my manager got a phone call saying Motown was looking for someone from Europe to sign and do some recording and somebodies son in the admin side said they were interested in me and would like to bring me over and do some recording. I thought it was a wind up. Anyway, I went over there in '69 and I had an album out on Motown.

Me: How long were you there, how much did you record and was that a good experience? I imagine it was.

Kiki: I was only there for twelve weeks, and I only did four recordings. Two of the tracks were actually tracks that other people on Motown had recorded and they put my vocals on those tracks. It was a little bit mish-mashy. Of course with Motown they had a lot of great artists but it was a single's label in the 60s and you had to get a hit sing, no matter if you were Martha Reeves or Diana Ross, you had to be in a place where after 12 weeks I didn't have a hit song, if that makes sense. I don't feel any bitterness about it, it was just an amazing experience going over.

Me: Okay, so, now for the big question... hahahaha. Elton John. How and when did you first meet him? Wait, you were on his label Rocket Records, am I right?

Kiki: Yeah, Rocket. What happened was when the Motown thing didn't materialise the way I imagined it might some good came out of it because I met a young man named John Reed who in London was label manager for Motown and was 19-years-old. He was at EMI Records because Motown was going through them at the time. After the Motown thing didn't really fly I rang John a couple of years later asking what he was up to. I wasn't quite sure how to move forward, where to take it now as it was the early 70s. He said, "I just signed an artist to management called Elton John and we are going to start a record label. Are you interested?" It's interesting, if I never made that record I might've never met them. My career could of gone in a different direction.

Me: So, I am guessing meeting Elton changed your life quite a bit? Am I right?

Kiki: I never made me the big bucks. Ironically I'm more financially stable now than I was then. The Stones were like that, they never made any money until the 70s, everybody was ripping everybody off in those days in the music business. What I got from Elton was we were born the same year... I two weeks older than him actually, we had this sort of connection, but I don't know what it was but he knew of my career before he made it really. He was the person who said, "Look, you should try writing." He introduced me to people like Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, the people in the L.A. 70s music scene. Thanks, Elton, for getting me to write. It's been quite a bit part of my life writing actually.

Me: Do you still write, Kiki? Do you still enjoy it?

Kiki: I do still write but I haven't been very creative writing in awhile. I love it, it's a real puzzle, to try and write something intelligent that rings a bell. I'm a bit of a performer actually. I like a connection and if you've written a lyric and it connects people in a room when you're playing it live I find it very magical.

Me: Are there any songs that you wrote that you really like and are proud of?

Kiki: There's a few songs I am proud of. We have a program in the U.K. called "Desert Island Discs" where celebrities pick tracks and Keith Richards did it about a year ago and picked one of my songs. LOL. It was a song sang by Etta James, and I was really chuffed. The song was called "Sugar on the Floor." It became one of Etta's biggest songs so I was proud of that.

Me: You didn't just write pop songs, as people might think. You wrote for a bunch of different genres, right?

Kiki: I think looking back I am sort of envious of people that got one identity as a singer and as a writer. If you're a folk singer, or you're a jazz singer, if you're a rock singer, whatever it is, if you're in one area I kind of envy that in a certain extent. Someone once said to me, "If you've been born in the northwest of Ireland and you didn't leave the island til you were twenty you might've been a folk singer." I think that's a very nice thing in  someways but but I sort of dipped my feet in different cups of water if you like. I tried so many things and so I've come to terms with that now.

Me: Okay, before you had the hit with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" you had huge hit with "I've Got the Music In Me," which was actually used at the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Did that song change your life a lot, or was your life at that time the same?

Kiki: I really enjoyed the success. In 1973 Elton produced a song called "Amoureuse" which is French for "in love" and I had a big hit in England with that, then I had the hit with "I've Got the Music In Me." So, I had two hits before "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" really. I think I was just enjoying the fruits of all my labour, and the recognition that I was getting. The fact that I toured America supporting Elton a couple of times I think that's why "I've Got the Music In Me" charted because I did a ten week tour in America. We got a lot of exposure with that song.

Me: In America you weren't as known as in England, is that right? Were you okay with that? Why was that, Kiki?

Kiki: I was always okay with it. After "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was such a big record unexpectedly, I guess in a way there was a point where I questioned where I was going musically. Every hit I've had was so different fro each other. It was a big record, wasn't it?

Me: It sure was. My mum loved that song. Okay, let's talk about the video. I have to show a screen shot of it here...

Me: Did you think that all these years later over forty years ago people were going to be watching that thing? What was it like doing that video?

Kiki: It's crazy. We did that video in like a half an hour for a TV show over here in the U.K. It was before videos... no one was spending hundred of thousands of dollars on videos in those days. It became a promotional tool, didn't it? But it was just done for telly and it's probably just as well I didn't realise or I'd probably wouldn't of worn those dungarees. LOL. It had a certain thing about it, it wasn't cool, was it? It was sweet, it was nice.

Me: Yeah. I remember vaguely hearing once that Dusty Springfield was supposed to do the duet and turned it down and you stepped in. Is that how it happened?

Kiki: No. There's been some funny press about Dusty and I at the moment. There's a musical coming out in London about Dusty's life and apparently I'm one of the characters in it, I have no idea what it's like. There's some controversy about whether she wanted to "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" but to be honest with you it's all for the promotion, I don't know where it comes from. There's no truth in it at all. Elton was a big fan of Dusty, but by the time we did that single I've been working with Elton for three years and he produced an album for me. I would've known if Dusty wanted to do it. I got a phone call about this the other day and I said, "There is no comment to this, thanks very much for inquiring." LOL.

Me: Okay. So, what happened after you had this giant hit? Where did you career go after that?

Kiki: Elton produced the album that came out after that then I did an album in L.A. and I did things like "Stay With Me Baby." I worked with a lot of top L.A. musicians on that album but I didn't have a huge, huge success with them. They always did okay my albums but I think those two albums that came out after "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" were great to make but hen you had a big single like that on a pop charts... again it was the identity of the albums that you have to come out with stuff that people expect you to do after it. I was doing off the wall things, making different type of albums.

Me: So, when you do a show now what era do of your music do you do now?

Kiki: My semi-acoustic show's I do are packed with everything. We do a slow down version of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," an acoustic version of "How Sweet it is to Be Loved By You," Joni Mitchell songs, Kate Bush songs, Frank Sinatra songs. It's just covers everything. The great thing about acoustic shows is you can bet away with more of a line up because everything comes under the acoustic umbrella so the tune doesn't sound ridiculous if that makes sense. If you had a four piece pop band and you tried to do such an eclectic material it'll sound a little bit strange.

Me: In the 80s you did some West End theatre. At that point you have done so many things where do you prefer to be? Do you like to be the one up front, doing theatre, doing backing vocals for someone else?

Kiki: That's a very good thing actually. The thing was, this is gonna sound very basic, but I've always been what I call a working artist... and I always needed to work, like people do, to live a decent lifestyle. I've never married so I never married a rich man or something like that. LOL. When theatre came along I knew it would be good to me after touring a lot and to do something ensemble. I did two shows in the 80s... I did an American show called "Pump Boys and Dinettes" in the West End and then later in the 80s I did a show called "Blood Brothers" which was very, very popular in the U.K. I don't know how it did in America but I know it went to Broadway and Carole King did my role. Musical theatre was such a different journey. It wasn't about getting a hit record, it was a different kind of pressure. I enjoyed working with different actors... I love actors, they're so clever. I've never done any real acting, or camera acting, which I kind of liked to have done, but it never happened that way. They do detective shows over here and sometimes I get asked will I play a suffering rock star and I say no. LOL. It takes experience to film as an actor I think and if you don't have camera acting experience I didn't want to make an idiot of myself. I loved doing it, especially "Blood Brothers." I did almost a thousand performances and I got to sleep in my own bed in London. 

Me: Where do you live now, Kiki? I want to say L.A., am I right?

Kiki: I live in a village full of thatched cottages about an hour and a half north of London. There's about 2000 in this village and I don't get bothered.

Me: Okay, so, you released an album called "A Place Where I Can Go" a couple of years ago with a musician named Carmelo Luggeri. Who is Carmelo, where did you meet him? How long have you been working together?

Kiki: Well, we met in '94. The guy who discovered Elton John, a guy named Steve Brown, who had been a life long friend of mine, he put us together and said we should go out on the road and do some acoustic shows and start writing together. We did and we stuck with it ever since. I've kind of got to that point where I thought I'm not going to chase rainbows anymore. I'm just going to make a living, do what I want to do, have the freedom creatively to do what I wanted to do. I've done one particularly unusual album in the late 90s called "Where Rivers Meet." It's very east west, it has a lot of Indian influences.

Me: So, this new CD has new songs and some covers, am I right? I really enjoyed the album by the way. What do you think of your new songs?

Kiki: They are quite spiritual, and some of our lyrics are quote philosophical. Sometimes when you have a big hit like "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," it's difficult for people to jump in thirty or forty years later. You got to move on haven't you, as an artist. You don't have to but it's about developing and like I say I feel nothing's perfect. There's a lots of things I'd like to happen but I'm very happy not chasing that rainbow like I just said. I'm trying to be authentic as I can. That's a good word isn't it? Authentic.

Me: Yeah, that is. How often do you perform?

Kiki: Well, we do a major tour every two years and we do odd gigs that come in. I was 70 this year so I sort of taken it a little bit easier and enjoying my day to day life and finding a balance.

Me: Good. Okay, so, I just read that Kiki Dee is not your real name. Where did the name "Kiki Dee" come from?

Kiki: Well, that was when I got first signed when I was 16. It was '63 and everything was either kooky or sunshine, "Sunset Strip," kinky boots, swinging London and they didn't think Pauline Matthews was appropriate for me. LOL. So they came up with this idea to call me Kiki Dee. Well, they wanted to call me "Kinky" actually and I said to my dad there was no way they were going to call me Kinky. I said I wanted to be singing in five years time and no way that was going to happen if I was Kinky Dee. So, they shortened it to Kiki and I sort of liked Kiki. It is a bit catchy. I grew into it to put it that way. I come from the industrial north and when I first told people they were going to call me Kiki Dee they were like "what kind of a name is that?" The good thing about it there's no one with a name like that.

Me: It is a pretty perfect stage name. Okay, did your parents ever see you in concert? They must of been proud of your success.

Kiki: When "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was number eight on the charts going up to number one I rang my mum and dad in Bradford, Yorkshire, they never traveled really or been out of the U.K., I said to my mum on the phone, "Why don't you and dad fly first class to New York to see me at Madison Square Garden to see me open for Elton John, stay at the Waldorf Astoria for seven nights and then go home on the QE2?" There was a bit of a pause and my mum said, "Oh, love, we would, but we just booked our caravan holiday for that week." Anyway, we changed the plans all around, they came over. At that time I was going out with Davey Johnstone, Elton's guitar player, and Davey flew his parents out too. His dad was in wheelchair and was from Edinburgh, Scotland, and they call came on the plane together so it was a really magical time.

Me: I read somewhere that you met John Lennon. What was that like?

Kiki: What happened was in '74 I was in New York again playing at Madison Square Garden with Elton. It was at the time Elton played on a track of John's and Elton said, "If this gets to number one you have to come and play a song with me at Madison Square Garden." John said, "Alright, I will." It went to number one and he had to play. He hadn't played live for awhile and he did the performance. After the gig, which was great, John and his then girlfriend May Pang, went to visit Davey and I at the hotel and stayed the whole night. We just chatted and talked. John and I talked about the north of England, we talked about fish and chip shops in the north. It was just so lovely and it was just a normal conversation. In hindsight I think I could of asked him so many amazing questions. There was something nice not asking John Lennon about John Lennon.

Me: That's so cool. Okay, so, I have to ask what was the highlight of your career?

Kiki: I could pluck a lot of things out of the hat. I mean, and this is just from the top of my head, but when I first wrote "Loving & Free" in 1973, and I went to Elton's house to see if it could be on the album he was producing. I was so nervous, I could hardly play the guitar, and he loved the song and we went into the studio and I heard all these amazing musicians playing the song and it sounded amazing. I'll never forget that.

Me: I saw you were on a TV show in England called "MasterChef" a few years ago. What was that like? Do you cook?

Kiki: I don't cook. I have a frjend who is a really good cook said, "What are you doing?" And I said, "I don't know. I just got talked into it by an agent." It was so embarrassing.

Me: Haha. Kiki, one of the worse things about doing this blog is when I get to interview someone that my parents were a fan of. Both of my parents passed away in 2000 from cancer, and they would of loved to have known I interviewed you... especially my mum. Thanks so much for being here. I hope this was lots of fun for you.

Kiki: It was lovely, and I am sorry to hear about your parents, Jason.

Me: Go ahead and plug your website and I wish you well. Take care. 

Kiki: Kikiandcarmelo.com/kiki-dee/. Thank you, Jason.

That was so good. That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Kiki for a great interview. The Phile will be back on Monday with Canadian musician Kirby. Then on Thursday it's A Peverett Phile Christmas pheaturing Sparks. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker