Pheaturing Toby Hadoke

Hello, welcome to another entry of the Phile, I cannot believe it's the last entry of March already. President Obama returned home from Latin America but the door to the Oval Office was locked when he arrived. Now the U.S. is at war with a door. Being locked out of the Oval Office, that’s like the eight years of the Bush administration. The fighting in Libya has already cost the U.S. a billion dollars. That’s Mrs. Tiger Woods money. Did you see the President's speech the other night? He wanted to update the American people on Libya but unless Snooki is going to Libya, the American people don’t care. There are reports coming out that Moammar Gadhafi got hair plugs and face injections 16 years ago. So that’s why he looks so good. Hey, movie fans, a movie is in the works about the NFL’s oldest cheerleader. You can tell she's old because her favorite cheer is, “Gimme a quilt!” “Days of Our Lives” is adding a gay storyline for the first time in 45 years. It’s about a guy who watches “Days of Our Lives.” I heard that Bravo is canceling “The Real Housewives of D.C.” after just one season. That’s when you know unemployment’s bad — when people who don’t even have jobs are losing their jobs.

All over Libya Gadhafi has posted these cool posters of him. Have you seen them? Check it out.

Okay, enough about him and Libya... for now. Toby Hadoke, today's guest on the Phile is a huge "Doctor Who" fan, maybe more of a fan than I am. I wonder if he ever saw this "Doctor Who" inspirational poster.

And now for sad news...

Farley Granger
July 1, 1925 - March 27, 2011
He once had a steamy romance with Shelley Winters. No wonder he was bisexual.
Geraldine Ferraro
August 26, 1935 - March 26, 2011
She had a good run.

Today's guest is the author of "Running Through Corridors: Rob and Toby's Marathon Watch of Doctor Who", which the 14th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club, and is an English actor, writer and stand-up comedian, who is known for his one man show

"Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf", was a critical and popular success at The 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Please welcome to the Phile, the one and only... Toby Hadoke.

Me: Hello, Toby, welcome to the Phile. It's a pleasure to have you here, sir.

Toby: Thanks for asking me!

Me: Your book "Running Through Corridors" is the 14th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club. It will be in 3 volumes, right?

Toby: Well, that was the plan, but it may now be in four. If the volumes come out annually it may make sense to split the 80's and the New Series (originally planned for the same volume) which means we'd also have to set aside time to do Matt Smith's first three years, which now seems sensible as the final volume would be published at a juncture where it'd seem a bit dated to finish where we currently have ("End Of Time Part Two").

Me: You wrote it with Robert Shearman who actually wrote for the show. How did you two get together to write a book?

Toby: We became friends when he came to see "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf". We started meeting for drinks and he suggested the idea to me. I jumped at it but never thought it'd actually happen.

Me: It's a cool concept and I wish I would of been there with you two guys. Was it fun to do?

Toby: It was, but it did get arduous on occasion. I have a life and work all the time, so was fitting in my viewing and writing at the oddest times and locations (back stage at gigs, on a plane to New Zealand, on the way to my wedding, that sort of thing).

Me: Whose idea was it to write the book?

Toby: Rob now says I had a hand in it because I'd mentioned expanding "Moths" into a novel and building it up using childhood memories of watching the episodes. He says that inspired him to think of tying those in with a marathon rewatch, but I have to say I credit him with the idea entirely - and without him I doubt the publisher would have been interested.

Me: You're from England, I know that, but what part? I am from Balem in London myself.

Toby: I'm from a small village just outside the town of Ludlow in Shropshire. Middle if nowhere, but pretty and cold and rural. It's nice to excape back to sometimes; my Mum and sister still live there.

Me: I didn't realize that you run a comedy club. XS Malarky is a great name. Did you come up with that yourself?

Toby: It started at a pub called Scruffy Murphy's, so the (Irish) landlord suggested the name Murphy's Malarkey, combining alliteration and blarney to (in my view) rather underwhelming effect. It stuck though, and when we moved venues to Bar XS (so named because its post code ended in XS) we kept Malarkey so people knew it was the same night, and added XS. We've moved again recently, but the night's so well known the name will remain for good now.

Me: Peter Kay, the comedian has performed there, and was in "Doctor Who". You have lots of "Doctor Who" connections which we'll talk about in a bit. Any chance you will make an appearance in "Doctor Who"? Have you ever been asked?

Toby: It would fulfill a lifelone ambition, but haven't been asked.

Me: How do you like the new series?

Toby: I love it, more than I could ever have anticipated. I've enjoyed all the new Doctors and I think the reinvention of the show - making something perceived as a bit of a joke work for the modern audience whilst appealing to old timers like me - has been nothing short of miraculous.

Me: Congratulations on winning the inaugural Les Dawson Award For Services To Comedy award. I bet that was a huge thrill, and you beat Ken Dodd, who also was once in "Doctor Who" as well. Did you win anything cool, like a trophy?

Toby: I won a trophy that was a mini statue of Les Dawson. I have it still.

Me: You know, there's fans, and then there's Whovians, which I like to think I am, and then there's you, sir. You have top be the ultimate Whovian. How long have you been watching the show?

Toby: Well, that's kind, but I'm not, nor do I aspire to be. Anyone who wants to to be top dog in fandom circles must be perfectly horrendous. I love the series, same as everyone else with any taste, but anyone who believes themselves to be in the upper echelons of a hierarchy amongst admirers of the "Doctor Who" would be insufferable, frankly. Fortunately for me "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf" has opened up all sorts of professional opportunities (this wasn't the plan) to combine my work with my pleasure. I'm very lucky. I've been watching the show as long as I can remember, all my life.

Me: There's a shit load of connections between you and "Doctor Who", Toby, which we won't name all here, but there's one I have to ask you about. You had your initials marked in a "Doctor Who" novel? What the hell? Explain that.

Toby: A friend of mine, Andy Holding, knew Alistair Pearson (with whom I share a birthday, as it happens) and kindly got him to etch our initials into the ice on the cover of "Dragonfire". That was rather fun, but I had no hand in facilitating it.

Me: Who was your first Doctor?

Toby: Tom Baker - "Invisible Enemy" part one is my earliest memory.

Me: You do a lot of different things, Toby. Your one man show "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf", your weekly comedy shows, acting and a BBC radio show. What do you do that you like best?

Toby: What I like best is the sheer variety of what I do, and I wouldn't want to give any of it up. I love doing the DVD commentaries : I work hard on those and the people I've done them with have been very kind and complimentary - praise from your childhood heroes is as good as it gets. Hand on heart though, deep down acting is my first love and I would like to be able to do a bit more of that than I have recently.

Me: What do you talk about on your BBC show?

Toby: Do you mean on BBC 7? I hosted "The 7th Dimension", introducing sci-fi plays, readings and series, with the odd genre infused comedy of horror offering along the way. I was only ever a temporary host - Nick Briggs is the rightful owner and I filled in for the couple of months he was touring "Doctor Who Live". I really enjoyed the gig, indulging in my penchant for arcane trivia and getting hooked in "Journey Into Space" - I was also able to squeeze in things like a tribute to Barry Letts and the odd Who-related gag which thrilled me no end. Or maybe you mean "Now I Know My BBC"; my newest one-man show which went to Edinburgh last year. That's another trawl through childhood memories but is a bit tougher than "Moths" - it's something of a clarion call to defend the licence fee from its attackers. It's still a comedy and has plenty of whimsy and fun, but the ending has quite a lot of biting, forceful comedy aimed at the Murdoch empire and its baleful acolytes.

Me: I was going to ask you if you met anybody to do with "Doctor Who" apart from Robert, and because of the "Moths" show, and then I saw your website. You pretty much met everybody, and worked with some cool people. Who haven't you met that you would love to?

Toby: I would have loved to have met Troughton, my favourite Doctor. I've not met Elisabeth Sladen either, but that's probably a good thing as I wanted to marry her when I was nine.

Me: You know, here on the Phile, I have interviewed a few "Doctor Who" people myself. Frazer Hines, Louise Jameson, Terry Molly and Paul Parsons who wrote a book on "Doctor Who". So, do you think you can hook me up with more?

Toby: I'll have a bash. I'll see if I can hawk your e-mail address about, but to be honest, much as I've met many a Who celeb, it's not like we hang out! Ironically, it's two you mention, Frazer and Louise, that I probably know best.

Me: Okay, let's talk about your one man show, "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf". I know what it is, but some readers probably don't. So, explain the concept. It's very funny.

Toby: It's a one man stand-up comedy show about growing up loving "Doctor Who", the show being cancelled, and it returning triumphant. It's interspersed with personal, autobiographical things and stuff that should chime with many a fan even though it's written to appeal even to people who've never seen "Doctor Who" before. Deep down though, it's about finding your way in the world and the little things that make life special even though it can be tough. But in a funny way!

Me: When did you first perform it and where? You have performed it many times since, right?

Toby: I performed the first, very different, version in October 2005 (just to see if I could) before the refined show premiered in Edinburgh 2006 after some months previewing. I've since toured it internationally.

Me: Have you changed it up any?

Toby: I always keep it fresh - it's not like a script set in stone, and some bits have fallen by the wayside as they've become less relevant or I've got bored with them, whilst new jokes come to me all the time (up there, on stage, in the thick of it, is when you write your best stuff, frankly).

Me: There's also a recording of it available to buy which is a little different and stars some folks from "Doctor Who" like Colin Baker. Was that hard to put together?

Toby: Well, I didn't really put it together, I just rewrote the script under the guidance of BBC producer Paul Hardy who got it commissioned for BBC 7. I made casting suggestions but the production team got everything together. The rewrites were a learning curve - some bits got chopped out due to time, which I rather miss, and I wish I'd taken on board some of Paul's suggestions a bit more, but as the first radio thing I wrote I'm pretty pleased.

Me: Did you ever think of writing a sequel? It would make a really good movie, you know that? By the way, a long time ago I downloaded it from iTunes, Toby. Is there a book version of it?

Toby: That's lots of questions. The BBC show was a sort of sequel, but I'm wary of doing another entirely "Who" related show as "Doctor Who" is my passion but comedy is my living - I shouldn't be a one trick pony. Never say never though. I'd be interested in adapting it for television, definitely, but these things take forever. I'd love to do a novel too, but I find writing very difficult to commit to: I have to be strapped to my chair and held at gunpoint to churn stuff out. I also work quite a hefty amount, so fitting it in, in a disciplined way, will take every ounce of my perseverence.

Me: Did I read somewhere that you are going to stop performing the show?

Toby: I did have a vague plan to wrap it up but I keep being asked to do it. If people still want it, so long as I'm doing new things elsewhere and the show itself doesn't atrophy and grow stale, I'll do it.

Me: You took it to America, which is cool, and I saw you did it in Florida where I live. Shit, I missed it! Where did you perform here?

Toby: I performed at the Hurricane Who convention in Orlando, which was lovely.

Me: Any chance you'll come back to Florida to do the show again?

Toby: If they ask me, I will come.

Me: So, Toby, what's next for you? You are so busy with everything you do I really thank you for taking time out to do this interview, sir.

Toby: My pleasure - they're good questions. What's next, well, we're editing the second volume of my "Running Through Corridors". I've many live comedy gigs in the diary, plus some DVD commentaries, and I've got a regular column in Doctor Who Magazine where I argue about all things Whovian with fellow comic and fan Johnny Candon.

Me: Go ahead and plug your website and anything else you want to. Please come back when your next volume comes out, I have so much to ask you. Tell Robert he should be on the Phile.

Toby: I'll drop him your e-mail address. He's very nice. My website is tobyhadoke.com; there's a blog there (which I keep up only when I have something interesting to say, which is usually about twice a month).

Me: I think you are funny, love everything you do, and I am a big fan, sir. Thanks again and like I said, please come back. Deal?

Toby: Deal!

Well, that about does it for another entry. Thanks to Toby for a great interview. You can see his new show "Now I Know My BBC" on April 6th at Carriageworks, Leeds and "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf" on 5th June in Loughborough. The Phile will be back next Wednesday with American music legend Danny Nova. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Chuck Silver From Sci-Fried

Hello there, welcome to the Phile, I am your host, star of the new movie Battlefield Groveland. Did you guys see the Super Moon a few days ago? As I was leaving work I saw it and the first thing I thought of was did the Earth move closer to the moon? I was so confused. Then driving home I was watching it to see if it would get bigger. I thought this was it, the Mayans got it wrong, the Earth is gonna end in 2011 not next year. I wondered if I would need a silver bullet. I am like, man, there's gonna be a lot of werewolves out now. Did you kids have a safe St. Patricks's Day? Did you know the day after St. Patrick’s Day is called National Too-Sick-to-Go-to-Work Day. Between St. Patrick’s Day, the start of the NCAA tournament, and a new episode of “Jersey Shore,” America is officially out of alcohol. Donald Trump said no one in Hawaii seems to remember President Obama growing up there, but everyone in Trump’s neighborhood remembers him growing up. Who wouldn’t remember a 12-year-old with a comb-over? An Ethiopian man won the marathon and broke all the records. He had never run in a race and he had a bad stomach going into it. In fact, he didn’t even know he was in a marathon. Anyway, back to the moon, I was surprised there is a Star Wars poster tied into it. Today's guest Chuck Silver will like this.

So, today we went back to St. Augustine, and when we were there I realized something... everything in that town is haunted. The lighthouse: haunted, the forts: haunted. The graveyard: haunted. Flagler College: haunted. Hell, even Chick Fil-A there is haunted.

Liz Taylor
February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011
8 weddings and a funeral,

Pinetop Perkins
July 7, 1913 - March 21, 2011
Pine on top of Pinetop.
Warren Christopher
October 27, 1925 - March 18, 2011
Warren, peace.
Ferlin Husky
December 3, 1925 - March 17, 2011
Gone on the wings of a dove.

This is the 14th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club...

One of the authors, Toby Hadoke, will be a guest on the Phile next week.

Today's guest is the lead guitarist for the Florida band Sci-Fried whose new album "Future Tense" drops this Friday and will be available on iTunes. They will be appearing at MegaCon here in Orlando this weekend and they're going to be at A Comic Shop in Winter Park, Florida from 7pm to Midnight after MegaCon at their CD release party. Please welcome to the Phile... Chuck Silver.

Me: Hi there, Chuck, welcome to the Phile. So, how are you?

Chuck: Great, thanks. We're always glad to meet new fans from the Orlando area.

Me: Sci-Fried is based here in Central Florida, is that right? So is the Phile. What part of Central Florida are guys from?

Chuck: Well its kinda crazy... I live in Ovideo by UCF, Sunni or bass player lives in Orlando near A Comic Shop, Dr. Vern and KSV live in the Lakeland area and our drummer Jim lives in Miami... but we make it work because everyone loves what we are doing so much that the travel and getting together is all worth it.

Me: I seem to recognize you all... either from Star Wars Weekends at Disney or MegaCon or something. Do you get out and go to those places? That's a no shit question I guess.

Chuck: Oh yes, I have been to all the Star Wars Weekends since they started... LOL. 2008 I missed almost all of it while we were recording our original album "Geeks Unite". We also attend Megacon, FX show, Spooky Empire, the old Vulkons that were in Longwood and just about all the other local conventions. We played last year at the Wolfpack Elite MegaCon party at the Backstage nightclub at the Rosen. We've also done a few shows with some of the other local nerd music artists in Orlando.

Me: I first heard about Sci-Fried from my friends Stu and Todd from Heroes Landing... a shout out to them. How long have you guys been together in a band?

Chuck: We started in 2006 doing parodies for fun, and that lead to writing original songs in with the same themes... but 2007 was when we formed Sci-Fried and started as a full band.

Me: Whose idea originally was to go covers to songs with a sci-fi spin? It's very Weird Al-ish.

Chuck: Well, Jim, Vern, KSV and I all played with parodies even before we all met. Vern is a MC at several local nightclubs and over the years he as taken karaoke versions of popular songs and wrote sci-fi themed or geek themed lyrics to them. KSV was well known for doing crazy parodies during Verns shows, as wierd al is a major inspiration to him. "Star Wars Idiot" from our "Ramming Speed" album is a song that KSV wrote long ago and was recorded by Sci-Fried as a band years later. Jim was first to say, hey lets record our own parodies and see what happens... LOL. That day we became a band.

Me: I noticed you didn't use a Foghat song yet. Yo-da... easy take it. Yo-da... easy take it. What do you think? Can I write a song for your next album?

Chuck: LOL... since we started Sci-Fried we have all sorts of requests for parodies and originals... see thats the great thing about this project, with in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy geek world there are so many franchises and genres that we can write about.. .the themes are endless within the world of all that is Geek... we actually have done a few parodies that were written by other people and Sci-Fried them up. Send me what you got... LOL. We do have a section on our web site for FREE downloads... most of them are parodies... these were all done after "Ramming Speed". We're still writing parodies and love doing them. We actually have a few that we are working on now. But with the release of "Future Tense" we're going to wait till later on in the year to release more free parodies on our web site.

Me: I noticed a lot of your songs have Star Wars themes. Is that because you are all are Star Wars fans, or is there so much material?

Chuck: Yeah, we all love Star Wars, but it just seemed to work out like that when we were doing our first recording of parodies. On "Ramming Speed" we actually have 5 Star Wars songs and 5 "Star Trek" songs, all parodies. Each with its own original intro to each section of songs. On "Geeks Unite" we only have 1 original Star Wars song and 3 original "Star Trek" songs, and on "Future Tense" we only have 1 Star Wars themed song it's called "Embrace The Dark Side"
and the one on "Geeks Unite" is called "Rebel Cry". We actually have a video for it that we shot at Star Wars Celebration V, and the 501st party we played at. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWttIofWiFE

Me: Who does the song writing mostly?

Chuck: Jim does alot of composing, as do I. KSV and Vern write lots of the lyrics and composed some music as well. We all have an active part in the song writing process. Jim and I do most of the initial recording process and then Sunni, Vern and KSV add their input and style. Nothing ever finishes as it starts, everyone adds some flavor to each song.

Me: Lets talk about the band name, it's a great play on word name. Who came up with that? Was there any other names that were rejected?

Chuck: Funny, I was just telling this story the other night over some Crown Royal with friends... LOL. We started with a sort of joking working title of "Ramming Speed". Which we ended up naming our all parody album. We were really into doing the first group of songs
and every time we would get together we would throw out band names and all would get shot down. We did not want the name to be something from a show or movie, cuz then people would think thats all we sung about... ie: if we called our selves Jedi Knights
people would think we sing all Star Wars songs... see Warp 11 was a great inspiration to us, but they DO sing all "Star Trek" songs so it works. So this went on for months and literally I was just standing there and said, "I want it to be a play of Sci-Fi, something like Sci-Fried...
wait Sci-Fried, thats it!" I called everyone that second and they were all down... it hit me like the Force... LOL.

Me: I downloaded your albums from from iTunes and got a kick out of them. My favorite song is "Star Wars Idiot"that you mentioned. What can we expect to hear from "Future Tense"?

Chuck: Cool, KSV will be pleased that is your favorite. On "Future Tense" we take what we did on "Geeks Unite" and take it to the next level. We've learned a lot since we wrote "Geeks Unite", we've also grown as musicians and I think it will show in the sound of this album.
We're showing everyone the definition of Geek Rock with this album. Our lead song "Geek Rock" makes a statement of the world of the geek age and how we are here and it's our time. Other themes include, Aliens, video games, "Super Friends", Ghostbusters, Star Wars, "Star Trek", "Monty Python", "Firefly", Evil Dead, "War of the Worlds" and "Stargate". We also have songs about geek love, vampires, Area 51 and a song about the future we were promised. We are all very excited for everyone to hear it.

Me: I read you guys did a Star Wars Christmas song. Will that be on the album?

Chuck: We wrote "A Star Wars Christmas" and got to work with another great Orlando artist Marc with a C. We invited him to sing with Vern and KSV and he was in the video with us.
We talked about putting it on this album, but we decided to give it as a free Christmas present to everyone... so its a FREE download on our website. We also made a great video for it, we did 24,000 hits and we only had it up 1 or 2 weeks before Christmas. We are already talking about doing another original Christmas song next yet, not sure if it will be Star Wars or not... maybe "Star Trek".

Me: Every Christmas since it came out I always listened to the Star Wars Christmas album Meco put out in the 70's. Do you remember it? You're probably way too young.

Chuck: I think you mean "Christmas in the Stars"? I know Meco did "Galaxy Funk" or something like that. His version of the Star Wars theme is epic... but there was an official Star Wars Christmas album called "Christmas in the Stars" It's not that good, really geared for kids.. Lots of the comments on Youtube were like, "Wow, that's much better then the "Christmas in the Stars".

Me: Any "Doctor Who" songs planned?

Chuck: We ran out of time for the "Doctor Who" song, but it was on our radar. I've been watching more on BBC America, but did not have time to do anything for "Future Tense". Like I said that's the great thing, there are so many cool themes we can use for songs it's hard to get to them all but we will! After our 50th CD I bet someone will still say, "Hey, you sould do a song about "Space 1999", you don't have a "Space 1999" song... that's my favorite show..." LOL.

Me: After "Future Tense" do you have any other releases planned? How about a live CD?

Chuck: We have plans to start working on a DVD for maybe a Christmas release, we also have a few parodies we may do and put up on our free downloads section. We will be doing a few music videos for songs from "Future Tense" throughout the year. We have not had a chance to make a proper live recording of our audio, but we do have plans on recording a live set and possible including it on the DVD.

Me: Chuck, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Come back again in the future, and bring the other guys as well. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else you wanna.

Chuck: All our music videos and free downloads can be found at www.SciFriedBand.com. News Pictures, tour info and more all on our web site. Lots of great specials at A Comic Shop during the party! For the release night Sci-Fried will be selling Future Tense for $5 at the party. This will only be available during the party March 25th at A Comic Shop. We're even going to throw in one of our new stickers (while supplies last). Music available from the performers too, so come out and show your support for your local artists!
We also have several live shows coming up too. Find all the dates on our web site.

Me: Continued success, you guys. Very original and clever.

Chuck: Thanks, I'll look for you at the party Friday night!

There you go, another entry of the Phile. If you are going to MegaCon, stop by and see Chuck and the Sci-Fried guys and tell them I said hello. I have to work, so don't think I will be able to make it this year. The Phile will be back next Wednesday with Peverett Phile Book Club author Toby Hadoke and the week after that it's American music legend Danny Nova. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Ava Aston

Hello, welcome back to another entry of the Phile. Here's some good news, I guess, Forbes... or as I like to call it Phorbes, just came out with its list of the world’s richest people. And no, I'm not in it. Bill Gates is no longer the richest person. He would still be No. 1 if he hadn’t wasted all that money on charity. Carlos Slim is the world’s richest man. It’s an ironic name because he’s actually not so slim at all. Did daylight-saving time screw you over last Sunday? It almost did me. With it we lost an hour of our lives. It’s like nature’s version of Facebook. Why couldn’t they spring forward an hour during the Oscars? I hate daylight saving time. I hate springing forward a lot more than I like falling back, which is the story of my life. “Spider-Man the Musical” has been delayed for the sixth time. They’re working to address the main problem, which is the fact that they made a musical about Spider-Man. Charlie Sheen is going to do live stage shows in Detroit and Chicago. Charlie says a dollar from every ticket will go to the Red Cross for the Japanese earthquake. Every other dollar will go to hookers. President Obama said he was always getting in trouble when he was in middle school. In fact, Obama said he talked so much during class, the teacher had to take away his teleprompter. A new study found that stress and hard work can actually lead to a longer life. Or as the Kardashians are reporting it, “Please pray for us.” So, are any of you reading this on the new iPad 2? It’s estimated that more than 600,000 iPad 2s were sold this past weekend. The lines were so long that by the time I got to the front they were selling the iPad 7. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day everyone. In Irish lore, leprechauns hide their pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. But here in Florida, things are a little different — at the end of the rainbow, there’s just a gay bar. A lot of people are gonna be drinking, which is weird, because I had no idea the Irish were such big drinkers. Did you see the final flypast of the Harrier Jump jet on TV last week? After the announcement of the withdrawal of its funding, the jets flew over England and when I looked at the picture on an angle and squinted I noticed something. Sometimes I love being British.

From the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...

Top Ten Charlie Sheen Tweets
10. Sun's coming up. SHOTS!!
9. Did anyone TiVo "1984"? I missed it. Not the movie, the year.
8. Just lost another tooth, no cavity... winning.
7. Come on; give a guy a 27th chance!
6. Can't talk now... Sheening.
5. Hit rock bottom -- going on the Peverett Phile.

4. I'm waiting for my 15 minutes of anonymity.

3. Never call out "Goddess One" when you're in bed with Goddess Two. Am I right, fellas?

2. Tiger Blood, Adonis DNA, Warlock... Seriously, why are you following this?

And the number one Sheen Tweet is...

1. Duh, Tweeting.

Nate Dogg
August 19, 1969 - March 15, 2011
Sit. Stay.
David Broder
September 11, 1929 - March 9, 2011
So this was the guy who pioneered getting people to knock on your door at 7am to ask who you were going to vote for? What a dick.

This is the 14th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club.

Toby Hadoke, one of the authors will be a guest on the Phile in two weeks.

Today's guest is a singer, actress and model whose album "Gone" and her latest single "We the People" are available on iTunes right now. Please welcome to the Phile... Ava Aston.

Me: Hello, Ava, welcome to the Phile. We have to thank my friend James for introducing me to you. So, how are you?

Ava: Thanks Jay, it's great to be here and thank you for asking me. Let me tell you up front, I'm Greek and I love to talk... so this isn't going to be your shortest interview by a long shot- just sayin'. Grab a cup of coffee, buckle your seat belt, make sure your helmet is strapped tight - we’re in for a long bumpy ride.

Me: Ava, you are from Upstate New York, right? Do you still live there?

Ava: Yes, I am from Upstate N.Y., born & raised, but I have not lived there in a few years. I currently live just outside NYC.

Me: Ava, I purchased your CD "Gone" from iTunes as well as the single "We The People". Was the single recorded after the album came out?

Ava: Oh, you're the one... thank you for buying my music. You saved me from selling my CD's out of the trunk of my car on the Palisades Parkway! No just kidding, but seriously, Jay, thanks! The biggest honor to me is when someone buys my music. As you know the single, "We The People" is not on the "Gone" CD. "We the People" is one of those rare songs that came into my Greek noggin from out of the blue. I just knew I had to record it and get it out there because of the timelines of the message. It was recorded after the “Gone” CD.

Me: It's a very patriotic song, Ava, something I could imagine Toby Keith singing. What influenced you to write and record it?

Ava: I was watching everything around me that was going on in politics and felt helpless and that no one understood what I was feeling. The story about how the song came to be is on my Facebook page under the “notes” section. It’s a little long. The short of it is, I was still working my “pay the bills” job at the time – which like all aspiring musician/actors in NYC is bartender/cater waiter. Almost everyone I worked with was under the “trance” if you will – and one day at an event during fashion week I was very frustrated and the chords popped into my head and I started to write it down on a cocktail napkin. By the time I left work I had the first verse and chorus done… stayed up til 4am, and the rest is as they say is history. :D

Me: Did you write all the other songs on "Gone"?

Ava: I wrote or co-wrote most of them, yes. On the actual CD – it notes which ones I wrote. Which I might add, can be purchased only through my website (which for anyone who order’s will be sent direct with love to you from me) :D or of course it can be downloaded on iTunes.

Me: You must be working on a new album, is that right?

Ava: I am not in the studio per se, but I'm always working on my music when I am not out performing.

Me: I read that you performed at the White House. Were you nervous? How on Earth did you get invited?

Ava: I have been invited twice. Once for the lighting of the Christmas tree celebration and most recently as part of the Election Day rallies for the mid-term elections in November 2010. The second performance was actually on the Capital lawn and not the White House, but close enough. Actually both times have been word of mouth and recommended me to the producers of the events. As far as being nervous, not really. I love to be singing on a stage, any stage. It is my absolute favorite place to be in the whole world.

Me: Did they have a band set up for you or did you have to bring your own band?

Ava: The first time I sang to a track due to the nature of the situation. The second time was A capella.

Me: Was that for Bush? Did you meet him?

Ava: No, it was not unfortunately :D, and I wish it was. It is actually one of my goals to meet him. I have a tremendous respect for him.

Me: And you have sung the National Anthem at most sporting events. How many times have you sang it? I bet you know it by heart now.

Ava: I have sung the National Anthem way too many times to count. And yes, I have the words memorized. They frown on holding sheet music while you are singing on National TV in front of a bazillion people. ;D

Me: You're a supporter of Sarah Palin, is that right? Have you met her?

Ava: Yes, I think she is an incredibly strong woman who is a lot smarter than the main stream media gives her credit for. She is a force of nature that speaks for the values of so many Americans today who feel that many of our politicians are not speaking for the will of the people.

Me: Do you think she will ever run for President?

Ana: I don’t know, one can only hope.

Me: A while ago I asked my readers on the Phile if they can post on her Facebook page she should be interviewed for the Phile. Can you help with that? That's not a joke, my goal really is to interview her.

Ava: Well, I don’t have her number on speed dial. :D However if the situation ever comes up where I can help with that, I’m all on it. I love helping friends whenever I can.

Me: I love interviewing people who not only do one thing, but many. You also act, right? Have you done many tv shows that I would of seen? Or any movies?

Ava: So far I have done some commercials, a little TV and some independent films. Probably the one you’re most likely to see is a commercial for “Cystex Cranberry” it is running nationally on cable and is in my actor demo reel which is on my website acting page.

Me: I know you have done commercials. And I have to hand it to you, I never though I would interview somebody who has done a Hydroxycut Advanced commercial. What made you sign on to do that?

Ava: I did a transformation for them in the fall of 09’. I have always worked out and been healthy, however it was a personal goal of mine. I went from a sz. 6 to a 0-2. After my transformation which was a lot of hard work, I did p90x, Insanity, and a lot of other hard training programs, I was invited to participate in two commercials and photoshoots.

Me: By the way, I have to thank the folks at Hydroxycut Advanced. I bet that was a fun photoshoot.

Ava: Yes it was, I had the pleasure to be photographed by a world-renowned fitness photographer Paul Bucetta.

Me: Ava, you seem so busy with the modeling, acting and singing. Do you ever get a chance and go on tour?

Ava: I would love to. The opportunity hasn't presented itself yet. I'll be the opening act for the Goo Goo Dolls, Heart or whoever wants a Greek Blonde girl to open their show.

Me: Ever played down here in Florida?

Ava: I've built sand castles on Daytona Beach. Does that count as playing in Florida?

Me: Only if you're five. LOL. You've been singing most of your life I am guessing. What do you prefer most? Acting or singing?

Ava: Do I really have to choose? I don’t want to… Well ok, if I have to pick one, it would be singing no question. Because I have been singing since I could talk. As a singer in a sense I am acting the part of the song’s content while I am on stage singing. So it's like I can do both of my favorite things at the same time. Singing just makes my heart happy.

Me: I saw you have your own blogspot. It's pretty cool, but when I first looked at it I almost shit my pants, excuse my language. The first thing I see is a headline that said "Facebook Closing Down". That's not funny, Ava. I would be sad. How would you feel if Facebook closed down?

Ava: It's like if they were filming a reality series about my life, that is what my blog is all about. I love my blog. It's a chance where I can just be me and be a little silly. If Facebook closed down, I would be sad as well as it is a great way for me to expose my music to more fans. As well as stay in contact with them.

Me: Speaking of, you are one of the smart artists who are using social networks such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter your music. Tell the Phile readers how many hits your music on Myspace got.

Ava: Not to brag or anything, Jay, but I know it is over a million - But since you asked, 1,166,044 to be exact - just sayin'.

Me: And you have a certain Facebook goal, right?

Ava: Well, how high can you count? Actually my next goal is 10,000 and I am almost there. Then I will raise my goal to 25,000.

Me: I like to ask my guests about different charities they support. You support Juvenile Diabetes Research and something called the Progeria Research Foundation. Can you explain what that is. How did you come to support both those charities? The Phile is a proud supporter of Generation Rescue by the way. You should check them out.

Ava: I will check them out. Progeria is a heartbreaking very rare terminal aging disease. I became aware of it because a fan of mine has it. It’s amazing the strength and courage these kids show under such difficult circumstances. I want to do whatever I can to raise awareness to help raise money to find a cure for this heartbreaking disease. The JDRF is important to me as I have a family member who is a type one diabetic. I find it insane that we can put a man on the moon yet we can not come up with a way for a type one diabetic to live without needles. The JDRF is working to find a cure, so I want to again do what I can to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure. I also support the Heroes at the ASPCA. Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely adore animals, and will do whatever I can to stop animal neglect and abuse everywhere. The ASPCA does amazing work and they need funds in order to do it. If I can help, I want to do everything within my power.

Me: So, what's next for you, Ava? Anything exciting coming up?

Ava: Who knows what my manager is going to come up with, but I want to get back in the studio and do a new album and tour to support the new CD.

Me: I really like your music and I know my friend James will be happy you are finally here on the Phile. Go ahead and plug your websites and anything else you want to plug.

Ava: Tell James thanks. First and foremost I would like to tell everyone where they can buy my music: My CD can be purchased at my website store: www.avaaston.com/store.html, or at iTunes. And if they want to follow me, here are the links: Ava Aston website is: www.avaaston.com, Ava Aston Twitter is: twitter.com/#!/Avaaston, Ava Aston Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Ava-Aston/47473096068, Ava Aston Myspace Page is: myspace.com/avaaston, Ava Aston blog is: avaaston.blogspot.com/ and Ava Aston YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/avaaston.

Me: I wish you a lot of luck, and you are welcomed back to the Phile any time you have a new project out. Continued success, Ava.

Ava: God Bless you, Jay. I appreciate you having me at the Phile. Hey, WTH, is that a lava lamp you have over there??

Well, that about does it for another entry of the Phile. Before I go and wrap this entry up, director Ari Gold who I interviewed on the Phile a while ago wanted to tell you guys something. So, here he is...

Ari: Hey, Jason it's Ari, just wanted to remind you that today (Wednesday) is the last day to bid on the instruments, backstage passes, lunches, lessons, and more from all different artists coming together to save kids' music education. The awesome Wilco is matching the winning donation on their item. Please spread the word, thanks! Bid at: PowerSavesTheMusic.com. Thanks.

You heard the man, phans, bid. I will bid on something as well. Okay, thanks to Ava Aston for a fantastic interview and to James Linder, phriend and Phile reader for suggesting I interview her. The Phile will be back next week with Chuck Silver, guitarist for the crazy band Sci-Fried. And then the week after that it's Peverett Phile Book Author Toby Hadoke. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Michael Banks

I'm underpaid right now, sure. I'm tired of pretending like I'm not special. I'm tired of pretending like I'm not bitching, a total frickin' rock star from Mars. People can't figure me out, they can't process me. I don't expect them to. You can't process me with a normal brain. Oh, sorry, I was just rambling. Welcome to the Phile, I am your host, Jason Peverett, who is on a drug called Jason Peverett. Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Don't you guys dare to give up the Phile for a month or however long this Lent business takes. Have you guys been watching "American Idol"? Randy Jackson is now the mean judge. He’s telling some contestants that they sound like they’re doing karaoke. He’s right. Some of the karaoke singers do sound like they’re doing karaoke. The only difference between “American Idol” and karaoke is that on “Idol,” they don’t have the words in front of them and most of them aren’t drunk while they’re singing. Some of Justin Bieber’s hair was auctioned online for $40,000. The winning bidder wasn’t identified — because I didn’t want to be identified. Lindsay Lohan’s brother is dropping his last name because he feels like it has become an albatross around his neck — which means Lindsay’s going to steal it. I have to tell you something real right now, my right eye is swollen and is freaking hurting like hell, so this might be a short entry of the Phile. I went to the doctor yesterday and was told it could be a virus infection, or a bacterial infection but it definitely is swollen. No shit. Logan and I were supposed to go see the new movie Rango today but that's not gonna happen. I have been wanting to see this movie for a long time. In Rango a chameleon beats the bad guys by using the element of surprise. It’s the same way I used to approach dating. Chameleons aren’t the only animals that change their skin color. So does a fish, an octopus, and Snooki. Jim Morrison from The Doors used to call himself “the lizard king.” But the real lizard king is Larry King. Anyway, at the doctor's they did give me a prescription for eye drops. This is what I got.

And speaking of eyes, check out this inspirational poster.

This is the 14th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club.

The book is available from Amazon and one of the author's Toby Hadoke will be on the Phile soon.

Today's guest is a very talented artist whose style I think is very freakin' cool. He'll be appearing at MegaCon here in Orlando from March 26th to the 28th, so stop by his table and tell him I said hello. You might see me there as well. Anyway, please welcome to the Phile... Michael Banks.

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

Michael: Thanks for having me. I am doing amazing... never better, everything is perfect here in Imaginationland.

Me: Isn't Michael Banks a character from Mary Poppins?

Michael: Why yes he is and what a great movie too have been a part of... alright, that wasn't me though I do consume spoon fulls of sugar any chance I get.

Me: So, I didn't know if I should call you Coallus, or Michael. What is Coallus?

Michael: You can call me Michael. Coallus is just my alias I go by in the art world.

Me: Where did that word come from? Did you make it up?

Michael: I made the word Coallus so no one will get me confused with any other artists, there are too many Michaels in the world. Coallus is the words coalesce and illustrate mushed together and to me means to bring together my stories and ideas for people to enjoy and understand in the form of art.

Me: And what's with the star and lightning bolt symbol that is in a lot of your work?

Michael: Haha... everyone thinks the same thing when they see the symbol, it is actually a broken star. I got the idea for it after many years of using the star as a symbol for dreams and needed something to represent when dreams don't come true. I just added a crack to a star like the traditional broken heart symbol. Over the years it has become my trademark, signature and symbol for perseverance. I use it a lot as a reminder to keep moving forward even if I never reach my goals or dreams... at least I'm trying.

Me: I love having artists on the Phile, because I always wanted to be one. Now I just doodle. Did you start out just as a doodler?

Michael: Of course, I think all artist have to start out as doodlers, no one is born making perfect art. I started before I can even remember and just kept at it.

Me: Did you always want to be an artist? You used to be a musician, is that right?

Michael: Yes, I grew up watching a lot of Disney, cartoons and Bob Ross painting every morning. I knew at a very young age that was what I wanted to do with my life no matter what it took. I also played guitar and had a few bands over the years, hardcore and noise. I wasn't very good and didn't make a lot of money with it so art became my main priority.

Me: Your art is very original and there are a lot of big eyes in your work, Michael. Is that because of your big glasses?

Michael: Thanks! no, I have always loved big eyes in art from all the cartoons growing up and the big eye movement of the 60's and 70's that I discovered and have collected over the years from junk shopping at thrift stores. I wear the big glasses to see my work, I can't stand things to be in my view when I work. When I needed to get glasses I looked everywhere I tried on hundreds and nothing worked, I needed big! so I asked my dad for his military issued birth control glasses from the 80's. They always made me laugh and I love to entertain so they where perfect.

Me: You're a fan of who is Margaret Keane, right? Who is she anyway anyway?

Michael: Margaret is one of my favorite artists, she and an artist named gig are my favorites of the thrift store finds. We are friends, talked and exchanged art... which I am still in shock about. She is, I believe to be the mother of the big eye art movement. Super talented, sweet amazing lady with awesome big eye art and an even more amazing story behind it.

Me: I like it that you put your art work in several catergories, which have all lower case lettering for some reason. When did you start to do that?

Michael: I have always separated my art into sections, shows or time periods. Like everyone, my life is always changing which causes my work to look different or maybe it is a whole different story I am trying to tell and it needs to be grouped together. As for the the lower case thing, I am not a very good writer thats why I tell my stories through my art. When I first started using computers I would write e-mails in all capitals because I hadn't typed before and was lazy with my capitalization and people where saying I was yelling at them... so ever since, as a joke I only use lower case letter. I am a pretty happy, easy going laid back guy and never want people to think I am mad. haha...

Me: Yeah, no shit. It took me hours to fix your lower case i's. LOL. Anyway, I like your "pop" collection with the drawings of celebrities. How did you do those?

Michael: Thanks again! The pop collection was just a fast easy way to make money as I was concentrating on my oil painting and getting out of the tattoo industry. Obviously it worked for Warhol and at the time street art was starting to become very popular. Through my travels I watched artist such as Shepard Fairey, Banksy and robots will kill and thought I could do that while I travel city to city selling art. I sold a ton on ebay, made thousands of stickers and stencils to hit the road and covered the U.S. in art for years to get people interested in my main love of oils. The pop art was made with stencils and spray paint. Making stencils came very easy to me since I had been working in the screen printing business for quit a few years and they are very similar techniques.

Me: I was trying to figure out what medium you use... oils, spray paint, crayons. I am guessing you use it all, right?

Michael: Yes, I have use it all except crayons, thats been a while. I use pen and prisma colors for my tattoo flash, prisma markers for fast projects, spray paint for my stencils and oils are my main medium.

Me: Okay, I noticed you have lots of tats, my friend. How many, and when did you first get them? I have four myself, but they are not as detailed as you.

Michael: Yeah, you might say that, I really only have one though. It just happens to cover my entire body.

Me: Do you still like being a tattoo artist?

Michael: I am no longer a tattoo artist, I tattooed for the last 12 years and just felt like that chapter in my life was over and I wanted to really pursue my dreams of being a oil painter and artist for Disney.

Me: You did something which is called tattoo flash. What in the world is that?

Michael: Tattoo flash is the art you see on the walls when you enter almost any tattoo shop, just reference art for people to look at to get ideas for what they may want.

Me: MegaCon is coming up, Michael, which I am planning to go to, and you'll be there tis year. have you ever done a convention like that before?

Michael: I know, I am excited! I'm sure we will bump into each other there. It is gonna be my first convention other than Nerdapalooza that is not tattoo related. Curious to see how this works. I have some good stuff in the works for this show. Fingers crossed.

Me: Are you into comics?

Michael: Yes, not into reading them but I really enjoy the art. When it comes to reading, I am into fantasy, art and biographies like Theodor Geisel, Charlie Chaplin, Houdini and most of all Walt and the history of Disney.

Me: What about galleries and art shows? I bet you sell a lot of art there.

Michael: I do put on and take part in a lot of art shows. Solo and group shows. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. Conventions are the best way to sell and get your name and art out there.

Me: Hey, you should draw something for the Phile. A picture of me that says The Peverett Phile somewhere. I wanna see what I look like with big eyes. LOL.

Me: Sounds like a plan buddy, I'll get on that as soon as I get up to date on all my shows. It will be a fun one.

Me: Michael, thanks so much for being on the Phile, man. I wish you continued success. Why don't you go and plug your website?

Michael: What a swell idea... please check out my work at Coallus.com. All my links to stores and everything else is there as too. If you like what you see, please let me know and be my pal on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter as well.

Me: Thanks again, and come back to ther Phile soon, okay?

Michael: You know it, thank you for taking the time to check out my work and talk with me. Have a magical day! Haha...

That about wraps it up for another entry of the Phile. Thanks to Michael Banks for a great interview. The Phile will be back next Wednesday with singer. actress and model Ana Aston unless I go almost blind in my other eye. In the meantime check out my friend Jeff's blog at entertainmentgurunews.blogspot.com. Spread the word, not the turd, don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Art by Coallus.

Pheaturing jsin

Hello, and welcome to another entry of the peverett phile, I am your host jason peverett. Today's guest jsin writes his name with lower case letters so I thought I would do the same thing. Well, today we spent the day in St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. Man, there's a lot of Spanish stuff there. Everything has a Spanish sounding name. In St. Augustine there's no bikes allowed, no roller skating and no frowning. They ever have earning signs against that. Take a look at this picture I took.

Told ya. Okay, did anybody see the Oscars Sunday night? It was so long, it took me two days to watch it. Is it me or did it look like James Franco was going to cut his arm off to get out of hosting the Oscars? What I've learned from watching the Oscars: I need to buy nicer envelopes.
Did you notice there was no black nominees? Unless you count a swan. I thought the Oscars were supposed to be young and hip and I only saw all these old people. Then I realized I was watching “60 Minutes.” They brought Billy Crystal out for three minutes in the middle of the Oscars. That’s like bringing Michael Jordan out in the middle of a kids’ basketball game. In other news, a town in Arkansas has had three earthquakes in under 24 hours. They think it could be due to removing waste water which is known as “fracking.” I don’t know what fracking is, but I sure enjoy saying it. Fracking, or as I like to call it phracking. Charlie Sheen has officially gone crazy, and not just a little crazy. Even Gary Busey thinks he’s nuts. He wants an addition $1 million per episode for “Two and a Half Men.” That’s a bold move — after being fired, to ask for a million-dollar raise. Christina Aguilera was arrested for public intoxication. Is that really a crime? Apparently Aguilera was stumbling and incoherent, which makes her perfect to host next year’s Oscars. Well, today is Read Across America. If you read this blog, that counts. Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday, kids. I wish Dr. Seuss was my doctor. back to Charlie Sheen... that guy is everywhere nowadays. he even has his own inspirational poster out.

Okay, recently in the news there's been talk about Obama, Unions and teachers in Wisconsin. All is too much for me to understand. I am just a simple blogger and a theme park host after all, so I thought I would go to an expert to clear things up for me. So, please welcome a new pheature to the Phile. It's time to...

So, please welcome to the Phile, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus.

Me: Mr. Chairman, can you explain what on Earth is going on?

Reince: Over the past week, Democrats and their Big Labor Union Bosses have been subverting the democratic process, intimidating taxpayers and walking out on the job in order to secure generous taxpayer-funded benefits for themselves at a time when everyone else is cutting back.

Me: But what does that have to do with teachers?

Reince: Classrooms have been left empty and Democrat lawmakers in Wisconsin and Indiana are literally running away from their responsibilities -- fleeing their states instead of making the tough choices required to move our country forward.

Me: And you are blaming Obama I take it?

Reince: Enough is enough. Now is the time to stop Barack Obama's Union Bosses and to show your support for Republicans who are standing up for the taxpayers and middle class families. Friend, I'm counting on GOP grassroots leaders like you to help us win this fight. The Republican National Committee has a new ad campaign that is taking the fight to the Obama Democrats and their Big Labor Union Bosses. But we need your help to spread our commonsense, conservative message of fiscal discipline to voters in every corner of the country.

Me: So, you think the Union's are buying off the President?

Reince: Friend, it's no secret Barack Obama and his Democrat allies are in the pocket of the Union Bosses who work to secure special benefits at the expense of taxpayers.

Me: Do you have facts?

Reince: In 2008, Unions spent over $400 million to elect Obama and other Democrats. In 2010, Unions spent $280 million to elect Democrats nationwide. In 2010, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) alone spent $87.5 million to help elect Democrats. The head of AFSCME's political operations, Larry Scanlon, said at the time, "We're the big dog." These Union Bosses have sent thousands of out-of-state union jack booted thugs into Wisconsin and Indiana to try and intimidate lawmakers and thwart the will of the people. Right now, Barack Obama is busy readying the nation's first billion dollar presidential campaign. The left-wing Union leadership will once again be right behind him -- lining his pockets every step of the way.

Me: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

There you go, I hope that clears it up for you. I don't think he likes the President too much. By the way, I am British so I am neither Democrat or Republican. And now for sad news...

Jane Russell
June 21, 1921 - February 28, 2011
Twice as famous as anyone was back then.
Eddie Kirkland
August 16, 1923 – February 27, 2011
He played with Foghat for years, and till the day he died, still called them "Froghat." More on Eddie later in the blog.
Duke Snider
September 19, 1926 - February 27, 2011
The only thing more impressive than his baseball record was the fact that he made it out of Compton High School alive.
Frank Buckles
January 2, 1901 - February 27, 2011
You would too, if you were 110.

This is the 14th book in the P.P.B.C...

One of the authors, Toby Hadoke, will be on the Phile soon. And now, from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...

Top Ten New Award Categories at the 2011 Academy Awards
10. Best Natalie Portman Film.
9. Best Re-vamped, Re-tooled, Re-imagined, Re-envisioned Remake...of a Sequel.
8. Best Unintentional Comedy.
7. Best Performance By An Actor Too Close To The Grave To Be Considered In Any Future Awards.
6. Best Actress In A Surveillance Video.
5. Best Performance By A Losing Nominee While Clapping For The Winner In Their Category. 4. Best Brooklyn Decker Movie -- Or Any Excuse To Get Her On Stage To Accept An Award.

3. Best Over-The-Top Boston Accent In A Motion Picture.

2. Who cares, as long as they don't let Letterman host again.

And the number one new award category at the 2011 Academy Awards...

1. Truest Grit.

Today's guest is a progressive rock singer from Canada whose album "Born" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile, the lower case named... jsin.

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

jsin: I'm good, Jason. Thanks for having me on the Peverett Phile!

Me: Okay, I have to ask you about your name. First, it's spelt in all lower case letters, right? How do you pronounce it? Does it rhyme with my name Jason?

jsin: It's pronounced the same way 'Jason'' is. People tend to put a dash in between the 'j' and 'sin' because they are very uncomfortable with those two consonants side by side. The lower case thing... well it's just one of those things - no real background to it - I just don't like the way it looks otherwise.

Me: I like your look, sir, you look like a scary tough guy who can kick my ass. Is that the look you are going for?

jsin: No... I wasn't but thanks...? Ok but seriously I'm not a big tough guy - I'm just a guy with lots of hair who has an obsession with the Crow and the Joker.

Me: I bet you have some killer tats. Am I right?

jsin: I don't have a lot - just a couple. The best one is that of 'jsin' in the original Colonna MT font but the letters are all intertwined, so you can't really tell what it says until you really examine it.

Me: You live in Canada, right? What part, sir?

jsin: I grew up in Montreal but have been in Toronto for a few years now. I live on my own in the city.

Me: Are you originally from there?

jsin: I grew up in Montreal but my family is East Indian.

Me: I ask all my guests that are from Canada, and there's been a lot, the same question so I thought, what the hell, I will ask you as well, even though for some reason I am betting you'll say no. One of my favorite bands is from Canada... The Barenaked Ladies. Are you a fan of theirs?

jsin: Ahhhh, The Barenaked Ladies. I don't have their songs in my library, but I do like that they keep it real. They do what they do and they have a good time and have had major success so they have my respect for sure.

Me: Let's talk about the band you are a fan of for a minute: Guns n' Roses. You are a huge fan of that band, right, and it is because of them you are a musician, is that true?

jsin: It's true, but even moreso I'd say I'm a fan of Axl Rose. The music, the style, the lyrics, the live performance - to this day it still can't be topped.

Me: And you're a fan of Axl Rose. Are you still a fan, or do you just like the skinny cooler version?

jsin: Hahahaha. Well... it was weird seeing him back in 2001 with the first edition of the "New" Guns n' Roses. He had the dreads and was wearing a Maple Leafs jersey (I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs with a passion) with baggy track pants. I didn't really understand, but the last show I went to (last year) he had his old style back and seemed more like the Axl we're used to.

Me: Have you ever met him?

jsin: No. I want to, but who knows what he'll think about my versions of his songs (I've played "Patience" a million times). I wonder what he thought of Fergie's rendition of "Sweet Child O' Mine"!

Me: What other bands are you into? What about Foghat?

jsin: Foghat! Wow, I haven't even heard that name in a very long time; I will always love "Slow Ride" because of this commercial I used to see as a kid - you know those rock compilations that they'd sell on TV! My #2 band is Radiohead - they intrigue so much and make some really cool music. There haven't been too many days that one of a Radiohead or Guns song hasn't been played. I also dig Muse, NIN, Incubus, and U2 as far as bands go. I've always been a Prince/George Michael fan as well.

Me: Let's talk about your own music, jsin. Your album "Born", which I purchased off from iTunes is very good. I noticed there is a lot of different styles on it. Did you do that on purpose?

jsin: Thanks for listening - I'm happy to hear you think it's good. This album took a while, only because I was extremely fickle throughout the process. I wanted everything but nothing at the same time. I took a break and went back to the songs to really figure out what each song was about and then tried to make it sound the way I felt it 'should' - meaning, figuring out the best sounds to support the lyrics. The songs vary quite a bit lyrically so it just turned out that so did the music.

Me: It sounds like you have a great band on it, and was produced very well. Who produced it and did you hand choose the players?

jsin: Vikas Kohli (Fatlabs) produced and co-wrote the songs. He chose the players for a few songs, and then from there I decided which ones I wanted to use for other songs. All the players we used were awesome though - Jeremy Kleynhans (Rebel Emergency) played the drums on "Inside" and "Something to Say", James MacGregor played lead guitar on "Inside", "You Never Know", and "Vulgar Hypocrisy", and Ben Payne played lead guitar on "Something to Say".

Me: You named the album "Born" after one of your songs. Did you know that was gonna be the title from the get go?

jsin: Yeah pretty much - with me most things have a specific purpose and meaning, and "Born"referred to my entry into the songwriting world (officially). It is kind of separate from the song, but it worked out nicely, though the song was originally titled "Born to be Alive".

Me: My favorite song on the album is "Vulgar Hyprocrisy", which sounds like a great name for a band. Where did the idea for that song come from?

jsin: That's my favorite title - it's so intense. The song is really my frustration with much of the way things work today; instant gratification and people saying things 'just for the sake of saying them'. I feel like whenever one is fixated on a specific objective, they'll encounter this kind of feeling - people pretending like they want to help but in the end are pretty useless.

Me: And I liked "Minions of the Moon". They should of put that song in the movie Despicable Me. Has any of your songs ever been on a soundtrack?

jsin: That song is one of my favourites, because it's pretty unexpected yet pretty real - it wasn't a gimmick song or anything. It's going to be in a short film here that is not yet been titled. "Something to Say'" was featured in a 4x Relay report.

Me: Jsin, are you planning on working on a follow up album?

jsin: I've been writing for a while, but am not yet ready to take it to the studio - I think it will be pretty intense and definitely can't rush it. I think the style(s) will be similar, but the best part of the process is the experimentation so we'll see what comes out of it. In the mean time I plan on putting out an EP of covers this summer - taking some of my favourite songs and playing with the format and genre to see what comes out of it...

Me: So it is gonna be similar in style?

jsin: I do want to lessen the industrial sound and use various instruments. I've been working on indian classical vocal training so I hope the next album will be a bit more complex, musically.

Me: Thanks, man, for being on the Phile. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else you wanna. I wish you continued success and when your next album come out, please come back to the Phile. Take care, okay?

jsin: Thanks for having me, and these were some of the best questions I've yet to answer! I'd love for the readers to join to my facebook page www.facebook.com/jsinisrockmusic.

Well, that about does it for a long entry of the Phile. I wanted to give you guys a lot to read for Read Across America. Anyway, I mentioned Eddie Kirkland earlier and wanted to tell you guys something. I never met the man, but I was supposed to interview him for the Phile. It was during the mid 1970's that Kirkland befriended my dad and Foghat. I was told it was my dad who got him on the Blues Benefit Show in 1977. Eddie's manager asked if Eddie could be on the show, and my dad said yeah, as he was a fan. I heard a lot of stories about Eddie and wish I had the chance to interview him. Okay, now I said that, thanks to jsin for a great interview and special thanks to Wesley-Anne Bock-Nelson from Ariel Publicity for hooking it up. And also thanks to Republican Chairman Reince Priebus. The Phile will be back next week with artist Michael Banks. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.