Pheaturing Alumni Toots From Toots & the Maytals

Hey, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile, how is it going?  Some people still can't believe Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan as his running mate. Forty-three percent of Americans have never heard of Ryan and the others thought he was the private that Tom Hanks brought home from Normandy. Romney and Ryan kind of look like a father and son in an ad for Super Cuts. They say this could be a big boost for the Republican ticket and I was thinking, "Well, Joe Biden could be a big boost for the Republican ticket, you know?" Biden has made too many mistakes for Obama and he's fed up. So yesterday President Obama called Mitt Romney and asked Mitt if he would fire Biden. Republicans like Paul Ryan because they say he's a fiscal conservative, and that's a perfect balance for Romney who's a guy that has an elevator for his Cadillacs.  A government survey has found that for the first time, 12 states have what they described as very high obesity rates. The survey was conducted by telephone. It just as easily could have been conducted by mirror. It's a good thing people don't lie about their weight because otherwise we might be even fatter than we thought. Something very odd is going on in Saudi Arabia. Apparently they're planning to build a new city that will be reserved exclusively for women to work. We have a woman-only city here in America, too. It's called "The View" and it's terrifying. Just to make sure men don't sneak in, everyone entering the Saudi Arabian city will be forced to sit through the director's cut of Sex and the City 2.  Here's another joke about Romney... Mitt Romney said he wants to cut funding for things like Amtrak and PBS, both of which are subsidized by the government. I don't like the idea of cutting funds for PBS. Things are bad enough already. One of the Muppets is living in a garbage can.  A new Gallup poll shows that only 1 in 10 Americans approve of the job they're doing. A 10 percent approval rating is about the same approval rating that rabies has.  Are you kids Facebook fans? I think everybody is on Facebook, even of you don't have an account. Anyway, when Facebook stock went on the market, it was priced at $38 a share. Now, a share is worth $18.99. Market analysts have said we're not posting enough pictures of our cats on Facebook. Some investors are suing Facebook saying they were misled. Their CEO is a kid in a hoodie. That's how much we have been misled.  For the first time ever the U.S. men's soccer team beat Mexico in Mexico. And Americans reacted by not caring whatsoever.  I mentioned the Romney and Ryan ticket, did you see their new ad poster?

Well, here in Florida a lot of kids are going back to school already, and a certain store I won't name but it starts off with a wall and ends with something green is stocking up ready. Take a look at this, people.
 

So, true story... the other day my poor PT Cruiser wasn't starting and broke down. Luckily I wasn't on the road, but still in the parking lot at work. I was so happy the car didn't break down by this...

I have to show you this, kids. This is not a joke but something real. I found this photo on the internet and wanted to get to share it with you. I thought my guest today, Toots would get a kick out of it.

I need to find out who made this so I can get him or she on the Phile.  Okay, so last week I was going to show you a photo of a joke race between Taco Bell and McDonald's but changed my mind at the last minute as it was a sick disgusting joke, and I was worried I would be waaaayyyy crossing the line. So, I asked you readers, Facebook friends and close friends if I should show it and 60% of you said yes while 40% said no. The people that said no had good reasons for me not to show it, while the rest of you are just sick bastards. LOL. Anyway, I have made a decision. I will show the picture... but not the photo version. I will show you a drawing of it. And I will set the whole joke up. So, kids, here we go. Did you know Taco Bell and McDonald's are having their own competition to tie in to the Olympics? I am not sure who is winning, take a look.

It looks like it could be a tie. There. I am so glad that's over. Now we all can move on. Lets see who checked out last week.

Ron Palillo
Apr 2, 1949 - Aug 14, 2012
Horshack? Arnold Horshack was famous? How the fuck did that happen?

Johnny Pesky
Sept 27, 1919 - Aug 13, 2012
He was nicknamed "The Needle", and had a pole at Fenway named after him. You figure it out.

Helen Gurley Brown
Feb 18, 1922 - Aug 13, 2012
Brown is the new black.


Well, those Mayans were pretty smart, full of useful proverbs like the world is gonna end. I thought I would invite a friend back to the Phile to give us some Mayan proverb advice to help you get through the week. So, please welcome back to the Phile, everyone's favorite Mayan...

Me: Hello, Marvin, what advice do you have for us today?

Marvin: Nya b’a’n tu’n tnicy’in yol mo tu’n t-xi tewin jun ti’la cywutz ttijila, ku’n nokx ti’la c-ocila k’o’niy.

Me: Marvin, once again I don't know what you are saying, and I don't think the Phile readers will know as well. Can you translate?

Marvin: It is not good to lie or hide anything from your parents because you don’t know what they will change into.

Me: That's good advice, Marvin. I don't have to worry about anything as both of my parents have passed, but I will pass that onto my son. He knows what I will change into. Marvin the Modern Day Mayan, everybody.

Well, with Romney picking Paul Ryan as his running mate I am sure that is getting everybody in the Democratic party talking. Last week I had David Axelrod on the Phile to get his perspective, so today I thought I would invite another friend of the Phile to get her perspective. So, please welcome to the Phile once again, Chair for the Democratic National Committee... Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Me: Hello, Debbie, welcome back to the Phile. So, what is your opinion of Paul Ryan?

Debbie: Hello, Jason. As a member of the House Budget Committee, I've seen firsthand just how extreme Paul Ryan is.

Me: Extreme? How so?

Debbie: I'm not going to mince words: Paul Ryan in the White House would be a nightmare.

Me: Wow, that is extreme. Go ahead and explain why, Debbie.

Debbie: Over the last two years, we've seen an unprecedented number of attacks on a woman's right to make her own health care decisions and Congressman Ryan has been at the forefront of all of them.

Me: He wants to end Medicare, right?

Debbie: Yes, he wants to end Medicare as we know it.

Me: What else?

Debbie: He co-sponsored a radical "personhood" bill that could have banned the birth control pill, in vitro fertilization, and all abortions... even in cases of rape or incest.

Me: What's more?

Debbie: He wants to allow states to criminally prosecute women who choose to have abortions and the doctors who perform them. We cannot afford to let this man be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Me: So, what can we do? Romney does have a good chance to win.

Debbie: It's up to us to do everything we can to give Democrats the resources to defeat the Romney-Ryan campaign and Republicans across the board in November.

Me: I know you are busy, Debbie, so I will let you go. Is there anything else you wanna say?

Debbie: Stand up for the right of women to make their own decisions... and to keep Paul Ryan and other Republicans from taking that right away.

Me: Thanks, Debbie. I will talk to you soon.

Debbie: Thanks, Jason.

The 22nd artist to be pheatured in the P.P.A.G. is someone who calls himself RobotrobotROBOT and this is one of his pieces.

I like Feargal the Shark better. LOL. Anyway, RobotrobotROBOT will be a guest on the Phile tomorrow.

Okay, kids, today's Alumni pheatured guest was last on the Phile on the 200th entry just last year on July 4th. I cannot believe he is back on the Phile already. He is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals who have a new album out called "Unplugged on Strawberry Hill" and a DVD documentary called "Reggae Got Soul". They will next be appearing tomorrow at Castle Festival in Turku, Finland. Please welcome back to the Phile... Toots Hibbert.

Me: Hello, Toots, welcome back to the Phile, sir. How have you been?

Toots: Good, busy in my studio.

Me: Last time you were here you said your friends call you Nyah. What does that mean?

Toots: It is my spiritual name... man of God.

Me: It's been about one year since you were here. I didn't think I'd ever have you back on the Phile so thank you. Since you were here last you have released a new live CD "Unplugged At Strawberry Hill" and a documentary "Reggae Got Soul", sir. Is that the same documentary that you mentioned last year that was on TV in England?

Toots: Yes, came out July 2 along with our acoustic DVD and CD.

Me: Is there anything on the documentary that wasn't covered that you wish could be covered?

Toots: Well, it's hard to put 50 years in 1 hour but it is great.

Me: Good point. Where is Strawberry Hill? I have heard of Strawberry Fields, but not Strawberry Hill. I am guessing it's in Jamaica, am I right?

Toots: In the mountains outside of Kingston.

Me: While I have The Beatles on my mind I have to say I love your version of "Hey Jude" you did for a reggae Beatles compilation album. Did you guys choose that song yourself?

Toots: Yes.

Me: My dad used to say there are Stones people and they are Beatles people. Which band do you like best, sir? I am guessing the Stones, am I right?

Toots: Love both but we are friends with the Stones and have toured with them.

Me: Yeah, I like this picture with you and Keith Richards.

Me: Okay, back to your new CD, what made you decide to do an acoustic live album, sir? Is unplugged something you wanted to do for awhile?

Toots: Yes always wanted to and people have been asking for it.

Me: When you recorded that album, it was filmed for the documentary as well, right?

Toots: Yes, and it came out so good we wanted to put it out.

Me: Your daughters sing back up with you on the album, Toots, which is very cool. Have they been singing with you for long? You and your wife must be very proud.

Toots: Many years... of course.

Me: When you started out as a performer, The Maytals were a ska band. Do you consider The Maytals more ska then reggae? How would you compare the two?

Toots: We love all types of music.

Me: What is your favorite ska band, sir? Did you see Madness play on the roof of Buckingham Palace at the Queens Jubilee this year?

Toots: Missed it... probably the Skatalites... like Madness too.

Me: I have to mention something, sir, you've been known to smoke marijuana once or twice... or ganja, it's the same thing, right? Anyway, what do you think about marijuana being legal in California? Is it legal in Jamaica?

Toots: It's not legal in Jamaica... just medical in California.

Me: You explained before what a Maytal is, sir, but who named the band? When you started performing with them the band had a different name, am I right?

Toots: Me and Raleigh & Jerry... not really.

Me: You toured with The Who in '75 and '76, which was a big year for rock. Foghat was big then as well... anyway, how did that tour go? Was that the first big tour you guys did?

Toots: That was big and different.

Me: Were you a fan of rock bands such as Kiss, Foghat, Aerosmith and The Who back then?

Toots: Yeh, I like rock.

Me: You must have a favorite gig you ever played, am I right?

Toots: Not really.

Me: Oh. Anyway, Toots, before I let you go, I have to ask you about The Toots Foundation. When did you set it up? Explain to the readers what it is for.

Toots: We set it up 8 years ago to help the poor and the sick especially youths in Jamaica we hope to open a school or youth center one day.

Me: Thanks so much for being here, please plug your website and please come back when your next project comes out. Take care, my friend.

Toots: Tootsandthemaytals.com. Blessings to all my fans and family.

Well, that about does it for today's entry. Thanks to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and of course Toots. He is a man of few words, but it is such an honor to have him here on the Phile... twice. I hope he does come back again. The Phile will be back tomorrow with artist RobotrobotROBOT and then next Sunday it's Alumni Adam Bentley from The Rest and on Monday Alumni Christine Leakey. It's also the last weekend of summer on the Phile. Spread the word, not the turd, don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Anna Estrada

Hello, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile. And no, this is not me.

Or is it? LOL. His teeth look better then mine.  And then there's Congressman Paul Ryan. On the plus side, he has piercing blue bedroom eyes. On the minus side, he's a heartless smirking bastard, and the only people who can stand him are heartless smirking bastards. And Mitt, you already have that vote locked up. When Romney and Ryan call themselves "America's Comeback Team," they mean they want America to come back to 1860. Paul Ryan made all his interns read Ayn Rand. So I guess we know where he stands on torture. Ryan seems like the kind of guy you could have a beer with, just before he takes your Medicare away. Ryan has strong, unbreakable beliefs: Like the poor have it too good and billionaires just need a break.  So, did you hear Randy Travis was accused of driving while intoxicated and threatening to kill state troopers after the country singer crashed his car and was found naked and combative at the scene? Do you know how long those DUIs will stay on his record? Forever and ever, Amen.  That Mars rover sent out another message back to NASA. It said, "I wish George Lucas was alive to see to see this... LOL... sorry, I meant I wish his artistic integrity was alive to see this." The rover sent back a new photo from Mars, and here at the Phile, I was lucky to get a copy of it.

That's nice, no wonder Mars needs women.  Did you watch the Olympic closing ceremony? It was like a group of high people sat down in a room and came up with ideas for this closing ceremony and no idea was turned down. It's funny, we sent a rover to Mars and Mars sent a rover to us.

Watching the closing ceremony, I was thinking, why is it only featuring music from "Now! That's What I Call Music volume 3?" And kids, don't worry. The Brits at the stadium were forced to watch "Animal Practice" before The Who & the closing of the Olympics ceremony too.  Okay, so yesterday I was gonna show you this picture of a Taco Bell and McDonald's having their own competition but thought I might be crossing the line with the context of the picture. I asked you to let me know if I should show it and it's literally 50/50. So, as soon as the tie is broken I will either show it to you or not. I do have to say though, it's pretty gross. But some people like that kinda thing. Yesterday I showed you just a small part of the pic and with it you might be able to figure it out. Here it is again...

I will show you this though. A Phile reader went to Sturgis and sent me this photo.

How come she was never at a Foghat show I went to? Alright, and now for some sad news.

Joe Kubert
Sept 18, 1926 - August 12, 2012
Drawn to the grave.


Well, on the Discovery Channel as you probably know, it is Shark Week. And coincidentally, the Phile has its own shark. I introduced him yesterday and thought what the hell, might as well invite him back. So, please welcome back to the Phile...

Me: Hello, Feargal, welcome back to the Phile. So, how it it in the ocean?

Feargal: Okay. Did you know the ocean gets its saltiness from the tears of misunderstood sharks who just want to cuddle?

Me: No, I did not know that.

Feargal: It's true. So, do you want to hear some jokes?

Me: Not really... but go ahead.

Feargal: Why do sharks wear shoes?

Me: I don't know.

Feargal: Sharks have feet.

Me: Well, you do, but I don't know any others that do.

Feargal: Why do sharks live in the ocean and not the sky?

Me: Um... not sure.

Feargal: The sky is Jet territory.

Me: I don't get it. Oh, wait, it's a "West Side Story" reference.

Feargal: Did you hear about the aquarium owner? His shark was worse than his pike. LOL.

Me: That was horrible.

Feargal: I will leave you with the a knock knock joke. Knock knock.

Me: Who's there?

Feargal: A shark.

Me: A shark who?

Feargal: A shark who just ate your family and now I'm going to eat you. Bye, everybody, until next year! Dah-dum, dah-dum.

Me: Feargal the Shark, everybody, the Phile's lamest character yet.

Exploding heads, cheesy one-liners, bulging eyes, Johnny Cabs, nose excavations, and mystical conjoined twins. There was a lot to like about the original Total Recall. This version gets rid of all of that "personality" and seems to be representative of what studio films seem to think we want... a story that used to have something unique and intriguing about it, changed enough to seem worthy of redoing, but lacking any real oomph of its own past special effects and cool stunts. There's plenty of bright, shiny stuff to look at and impressive punches and kicks, but the movie never gets fun.  Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a factory worker longing for something that's just outside his understanding. He has a home, and a nice wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale), but whatever is hovering on the edges of his thoughts, beckoning to him, is just too quiet and elusive for him to put a finger on. Like all wanderers do, he seeks excitement in a questionable way by visiting the Rekall center, which sends you on a virtual vacation. When the poor Rekall workers start attaching electrode thingies to his head, it all starts to go horribly wrong, and all of a sudden Douglas realizes he knows how to kill people and do parkour. It doesn't go unnoticed by the bad guys in town (how could it, when Colin Farrell kills about a hundred of their men in a matter of minutes?). Douglas realizes his whole life is a lie constructed by the bad guys to make him forget all the dangerous things he knows that could throw them out of power.  If you have to remove yourself from the confines of your sweltering home for some air conditioned relief, this movie will suffice. There are fantastic, seamless effects of a Blade Runner-type world that looks completely different than our own. People have cell phones implanted in their hands (with the only problem being what do you talk on to ignore your manicurist?). You can also exhale, because one of the few things that carries over from the original is the chick with three breasts. Whew. The cops and cars look vaguely borrowed from I, Robot but that's fine, because they all looked cool back in 2004 too. But the only thing that nabbed me about this movie were the visual effects.  The changes they made to the story weakened everything outside of the visual elements, though. With exception of Beckinsale playing the hired-wife role and doing some spectacular fighting (as usual), I knew very little about anyone else in the film. As is usually the case these days, I didn't care about any of it. Melina (Jessica Biel) was some kind of badass with some kind of history with Douglas, but other than that, she just looked good in cargo pants. That's all I got. Douglas seemed to fight for whatever his instincts told him, but when it came to the climax of the film, I didn't really get the sense that the masses were in danger (he had no reason to scream "Give da people de air!"). The rhythm was just action, bad guys mumble something vaguely threatening, running, action, good guys try to get a plan together, running, more action, etc. Nobody's eyes bulged out, but Colin Farrell did take a knife to his own hand and ride in a flying car. This is just the usual soulless update to a slightly stupid but memorable film. From 1 to 10, it gets a 6 so I will not be buying it. Here's some trivia for you kids, though. My dad wrote the theme song for the original film but someone screwed up and never got it to the studio in time or soemthing, so it wasn't used.

The 22nd artist to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Art Gallery is someone named RobotrobotROBOT. Here is one of his pieces...

RobotrobotROBOT will be a guest on the Phile a week from today.

Today's guest is a talented singer whose latest CD "Volando" is now available on iTunes. She'll be next appearing at Panama Hotel in San Rafael, California on August 17th. Please welcome to the Phile... Anna Estrada.

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

Anna: I’m doing wel1, but I must apologize. I promised to get back to you a while ago and I’ve made you wait. 

Me: That's okay, I make a lot of people wait. Okay, first things first, what's this you were on "America's Most Wanted"? Is this true? 

Anna: Not only is it true, I actually appeared in TWO episodes! In the first I played a social worker arranging an adoption, and in the second I was a cannery worker on the job when a crazed shooter came through firing a gun. 

Me: How long have you been acting, Anna? Do you do a lot of TV work? 

Anna: I haven’t done any acting since the late 90s. I was at a point in my life where balancing work, motherhood and art (acting) was very challenging. I met someone and making that relationship work seemed very important, so I took a full time job and stopped acting. Still miss it at times. 

Me: You're also an anaesthesiologist... did I spell it right? I have no idea what that is... what is it? 

Anna: It’s spelled “”. What I do is make sure that a patient having surgery can have that surgery in a pain free environment. 

Me: Oh, that anesthesiologist. I should of known, I've been in the hospital for a number of procedures many of times. Did you go to school to do that, Anna? 

Anna: Oh yes! I went to college for four years, and then I went to medical school for four years. After that I did three years of training, one year as an intern and two years as a resident. 

Me: No, Jason, I just walked in and started to put people to sleep. I am an idiot, of course you went to school. So, apart from being a blogger I am a Space Port Agent, that's cool, right? 

Anna: It sounds cool!!! What does a Space Port Agent do? 

Me: Different jobs, like making sure people get on their Starspeeders in time. Okay, let's talk about your new CD "Volando", which I got a copy of and really like, but I have to admit, I like the English sang songs better, as I know what you're singing. LOL. Were your other albums done half and half as well? 

Anna: Yes they were. Don’t know if it was exactly 50/50, but it was a combination of English, Spanish, & Portuguese. 

Me: Anna, what is your first language? 

Anna: That’s an excellent question, one that I’ve given a lot of thought. When I think about the first exposure we have to language, it must be the first words you hear from your mother. In my house that was Spanish... So that must be my first language. BUT… I had a sister that was six years older than I was, and we had a television set, so I think I had a heavy exposure to both languages and probably started out speaking them both at the same time. 

Me: And what do you like better, singing in English or Spanish? 

Anna: That’s an impossible decision! All the songs I sing demand to be sung. Wouldn’t sing them if I didn’t love them. 

Me: Where are you from, Anna? 

Anna: I was born in San Diego. At around age eight my family moved to Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, just across the border from San Diego. We lived on that side of the border for about three years before moving back to San Diego. Except for two years in Mexico City and four years in Minneapolis, I lived in Southern California until moving to the Bay Area in 1986. 

Me: On the new CD you do one song twice, in Portuguese and Spanish. Why in both languages? 

Anna: It’s a song initially recorded by one of my favorite Brazilian artists, Lenine, and first started singing it in Portuguese. When we got ready to go into the studio I decided to translate the words into Spanish. The lyrics are beautiful and I was hoping they would reach a wider audience with the Spanish lyric. 

Me: The song is "Paciencia". What does that mean? 

Anna: Patience. The lyrics talk about everything needing for more calm, and the body more soul, but life doesn’t stop; time seems to accelerate, the world spinning faster every day, people expecting so much from the world, and the world would like to see us to show more patience. It’s about living in the moment because life is so rare, so precious. It’s a beautiful song. 

Me: What do all your Spanish songs mean in English? 

Anna: Many things, Phile, many things. “Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado” means “when I return to your side”; “Al Empezar El Beguín” is a translation of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” (very accurate one btw); “Mais Que Nada” means “more than anything”; “E Preciso Perdoar” means “it’s necessary to forgive”; “Dueño De Mi Corazón” means “owner of my heart”. 

Me: On the album cover there's a bird, so is "Volando" Spanish for bird? Feather? Wing? Fly? 

Anna: “Volando” means flying. 

Me: Where did the name of the album come from? 

Anna: My first CD was called "Soñando Vuelos", which means “dreaming flights”. Because it’s my third CD, and I’m no longer “dreaming” of taking flight with my music, but now I’m starting to fly. It fit with the photo on the cover. A fencing teammate of mine was doing an internship in Kenya last summer and took photos of the wildlife there, including that bird. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s a “lilac breasted roller”. 

Me: Now, what got me really wanting to interview you, Anna, is I am a huge Beatles fan and on the album you do a Beatles medley of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun/She's So Heavy". What made you decide to record those two songs? 

Anna: I’ve always loved “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” and when I first approached Ray about doing a medley the song I had in mind was “For No One” . I thought the power shift would be interesting. In "Happiness..." there is a sense of powerlessness in the girl who’s “well acquainted with the touch of a velvet hand”, while in "For No One" “she no longer needs you”. But from the beginning Ray wanted to use “I Want You”. When he said he wanted to use bass, marimba, and accordion, it was hard to imagine, but once he mocked it up it sounded incredible and it took on a whole different feeling. It began to feel compelling, like an addiction. Q: Is this the first Beatles tracks you ever recorded? Yes it is. 

Me: Were you a Beatles fan growing up, or have you been into jazz pretty much all your life? 

Anna: I actually started out listening to classical music, got really intrigued by folk music, didn’t really get interested in jazz until my late teens. Plus, the whole time I was exposed to a lot of popular music from Mexico. 

Me: You also do one of my mum's favorite songs... I wish she was alive to hear it. How did you go about and choose to do "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson? 

Anna: The song had been in my radar because of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but my arranger and guitarist, Ray Scott, gets credit for this choice. He had seen a documentary called Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talking About Him) and he just got obsessed with doing it. He suggested we do it as a samba, and I knew the first time we performed it live that we needed to record it. All our audiences love this song! 

Me: Are you aware a lot about Nilsson's songs? 

Anna: I had vaguely been aware of him for years. The Beatles had mentioned him several times and I remember when John Lennon had gotten into that fight at the Troubadour in L.A. that he had been with Nilsson. But after Ray told me about the documentary. I had to watch in on Netflix, and it was amazing! Amazing to see how much music he created, how respected he was among his fellow songwriters, and how ironic that the song he is so remembered by is one that he didn’t even write. 

Me: Oh, I also have top ask you about "Pure Imagination", the song from the original Willy Wonka movie. I am guessing you are a big fan of that movie, am I right? 

Anna: I never saw the movie until the 1990s. My daughter was a big fan of Roald Dahl’s books and that’s how I ended up seeing the movie. That’s a great moment in the film. 

Me: Okay, I just read that you are also into fencing. That's not putting up a fence, but the fencing you do with a sword. Do you do it professionally? I think I have a picture of you in your fencing garb.

Anna: I am definitely an amateur, but very devoted to the sport. 

Me: Do you do fencing in the Olympics? 

Anna: LOL. No, but I watched our Olympic fencers, and one of my teammates is hoping to represent the USA in Rio.

Me: How long have you been fencing and what made you get into it, Anna? 

Anna: My daughter took it up and she suggested I try it. It’s a difficult sport to watch, because the actions are fairly quick, so it’s easier to grasp what is happening if you do some fencing yourself. 

Me: Did you ever get hurt doing it? 

Anna: I fell and broke my wrist once. I’ve had knee issues (partial meniscal tear) at different times, but it’s not clear if it’s the fencing or aging knees, and never bad enough I had to stop. Had very bad plantar fasciitis one season. Sometimes “tennis elbow” flares up but it gets better with rest. 

Me: My son wants to do it and he's 12, is that a good idea? 

Anna: I think it’s a great sport. It’s very physical and mental at the same time. It’s a combination of technical skill, tactics and mental toughness. If he wants to do it you should definitely let him try it. It is so much fun! 

Me: What does your daughter think of your singing and fencing? And is she your only child?

Anna: I have one daughter. She’s the one who introduced me to fencing, so she understands why my love for fencing. She’s acted herself in the past (her first time on stage was in a show I did when she was five) and probably understands that my singing is in many ways closely related to my acting. 

Me: Anna, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Please come back on again and be safe. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else. All the best, and like I said, be safe. 

Anna: People can visit my website to listen to music sample and for news about upcoming shows, annaestrada.net or they are welcome to contact me with questions at anna@annaestrada.net. The CD is available on iTunes, CD Baby, or Amazon. Thanks for your time, and again, please forgive me for the delay in getting back to you.

Me: No, problemo, Anna. Take care.

Okay, there you go, another entry of the Phile done. Thanks to Anna Estrada for a great interview. The Phile will be back next Sunday where we continue Alumni Month with Alumni Toots from Toots and the Maytals. Then on Monday it's artist RobotrobotROBOT. The week after that is two Alumni... Adam Bentley from The Rest and Christine Leakey. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Alumni Shirli McAllen From Leftover Cuties

Hello, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile. How are you? I am kinda sad, today is the last day of the Olympics. Are you sad as well? But at least the Spice Girls are gonna perform during the closing ceremonies. They'll all be named Sporty Spice tonight.  I can't believe it's the last day. Wow, it  just whizzed by, this Olympics. Seems like it was only yesterday that it was a month before the Olympics. I am gonna miss watching beach volleyball. But I kept wondering is London really the right venue for it? Nothing says beach volleyball more than a cold, rainy day in east London.  Why don't they allow professional wrestling at the Olympics? They allow pro basketball players and hockey players. Olympic pro wrestling would be awesome. The team from Mexico could wear those Mr. X masks. The French wrestler could hit his opponent with a baguette. Or perhaps just surrender.  Mayor Bloomberg is saying now that he has banned large sodas in New York City, his next target is going to be alcohol. Once that's out of the way he'll start his crusade against fun.  One of my favorite movies of the year came out on DVD and Blu-ray this week.... The Lorax. If you didn't see it Danny DeVito is the title character. It's an oddly shaped hairy creature that resembles a small walrus. So is the Lorax.  The other day was the one-year anniversary of those riots in London. If you watch the news today, it seems like the riots are still going on over there. But it's just drunk Australians at the Olympics.  I would like to congratulate the team at NASA’s jet propulsion lab. You deserve every missed high five of your celebration. NASA says it received a signal from the Curiosity rover after a plunge through the Martian atmosphere described as "seven minutes of terror." That's funny, that's what my wife called our wedding. When the Mars rover got to Mars it sent back a message to NASA. "Finally ready to start the day! Looking forward to staring at fucking dirt for the next two years."  So, people are still talking about this whole Chick-fil-A controversy. This crisis has pitted brother against lower cholesterol brother. It's like the Civil War, if you replace slavery with waffle fries. Well, as I said the Olympics is over today. And once again, what about that Michael Phelps guy. Don't smoke weed, they said. You'll never be the most decorated Olympian of all time they said. Anyway, here's a pic of Phelps with his favorite gold of them all.

Well, as I said, the Mars rover is on Mars, which makes sense. If the Mars rover was on Venus it be called the Venue rover. Anyway, it sent back it's first photo of Mars. And I have the exclusive picture here on the Phile.

So, this week is one of the biggest weeks on TV. It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and I am so glad they released an inspirational poster, but it's not exactly what I had in mind.

Okay, so did you hear that in honor of all the competition on the Olympics McDonald's and Taco Bell joined together for a new ad that has both chains competing against each other? No, well, I have a pic... actually, hold on. Now that I second guess myself this may be crossing the line. I don't know if I should post the pic or not. What shall I do? Okay, if you want me to post the pic and show you this horrible joke email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com or Jaypea68@gmail.com. Or leave a comment. If I get enough readers to say they wanna see it I will post it tomorrow. I will show you a piece of it to help you decide.

Okay, so, let me know. In the meantime lets see who checked out.

Judith Crist
May 22, 1922 - August 7, 2012
Two thumbs down.

Marvin Hamlisch
June 2, 1944 - August 7, 2012
The way he is.

Okay, there's someone else who passed away this past week that I have to mention. Mary Tamm, the first actress to play the Time Lady Romana on the long-running British TV show "Doctor Who," has died of cancer at 62.  I always thought she was way hotter than Lalla Ward, who replaced her. Anyway, she's the first Phile Alumni to pass away. You can read that entry she was interviewed in at thepeverettphile.blogspot.com/2009/10/pheaturing-mary-tamm.html.  I am glad I got to interview her here on the Phile and pheature her book "First Generation" which was the second book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club. Anyway, she will always be remembered here. See, I am not always an ass when it comes to people dying.

Well, like I said earlier it's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel which is all fine and good, but did you know the Phile has a shark as well? Me neither until a few days ago. So, in honor of Shark Week week, please welcome out own shark...

Me: This is so dumb. Hello, Feargal, welcome to the Phile, how are you?

Feargal: I bit a tourists leg off.

Me: I can see that.

Feargal: I'm endangered.

Me: I can see that as well.

Feargal: So, you wanna hear some shark jokes?

Me: Umn, not really, but go ahead I guess.

Feargal: What kind of shark is always gambling?

Me: A Cardshark.

Feargal: Very good. What is the average sharks favorite movie?

Me: Um... Jaws?

Feargal: Nope, The Shaw-Shark Redemption.

Me: That's stupid, that's not even a real movie. Give us one more then go back to the ocean.

Feargal: What is a sharks favorite sci-fi show?

Me: "Shark Tank"?

Feargal: No, "Shark Trek".

Me: Get outta here. Feargal the Shark, kids. One of the dumbest Phile characters yet.

Well, football pre-season has started and Dwight Howard is leaving the Orlando Magic. So, I thought I would invite back to the Phile a good friend to talk about these events. Please welcome back to the Phile, my good friend Jeff Trelewicz in a pheature I call...

Me: Jeff! Welcome back to the Phile! How has your summer been?

Jeff: It's always great to be a guest here on the Phile. My summer has been very good. I got to spend some time with the family back home, so it's always a good time to get away. How about your summer?

Me: Okay, just working and blogging. We'll probably take our vacation in October or November. Have you been watching the Olympics?

Jeff: Yes, I have been watching my share of the Olympics. How about you?

Me: Yep, a few hours every day and at work as well. I love the Oympics, especially this year with it being in London. Makes me wanna go back there so bad. What do you like about the Olympics, Jeff?

Jeff: It's always interesting to see the countries compete and see which country is good at which sport.

Me: Okey doke, there's a few sports stories going on I wanna talk about. Did you hear Dwight Howard is going to LA? What is your take? Are you surprised?

Jeff: Don't get me started on the Dwight Howard thing. The team did everything they could to make him feel welcome this off season. He didn't like the coach or the GM and they fired them both to make Dwight Howard happy. Instead of being a superstar on his own team, he now becomes just another guy on a superstar team. They might as well just set the finals to be Lakers vs Heat for next year. I'm not surprised he was traded to the Lakers. It was one of his requested teams, including the Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks.

Me: Doesn't it make the Magic look like a farm team?

Jeff: Without a doubt, this trade makes the Magic look like a farm team. Of the four teams involved in the trade, Orlando got the worst part of the trade. Orlando lost a superstar and should have gotten a superstar in return. They didn't. If they win .500 % of their games next season, I will be surprised.

Me: Jeff, football pre season starts soon. The Giants' first game is with the Cowboys. How do you think both teams look?

Jeff: The Giants lost a lot of players in the off season. Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham are now in San Fransisco. The Giants proved last season you don't need to have a great regular season to win it all. So if they can put it all together like they did last season. I think they have a good chance of doing well again this year, like they did last year. No one cares about the Cowboys. Hehehehe.

Me: What about any other team, how are they doing? Any big changes?

Jeff: The biggest changes in the NFL involve Peyton Manning going to Denver. It should be interesting to see how he does on a new team for the first time in his

career. Other then Tebow to the Jets and Chad Johnson (No Longer Ocho-Cinco) to Miami, it has been a very quiet off season. Hines Ward is no longer on the Steelers, which is sad for me. But he retired instead of playing for another team. Of course we are going to play another season.

Me: When does the real season start? We're still gonna do our pick competition, right? And remind the readers who won last time. LOL.

Jeff: For the record, Phile fans he beat me last year. But it won't happen again! The Regular Season kicks off September 5th.

Me: Jeff, thanks for being here and I will talk to you soon before September 5th when we'll do our picks and start over again. Jeff Trelewicz, everybody. You rock, Jeff.

   

Well, yesterday was a big day, political wise. We found out that Paul Ryan is Mitt Romney's pick for VP. So I thought I would invite someone to the Phile to get his perspective and teach us somethign we might not know about Ryan. So, please welcome back to the Phile, the Axe... David Axelrod.

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

David: Hello, Jason. Good morning.

Me: So, tell the readers of the Phile in case they don't know, what happened and what we are talking about.

David: Well, yesterday morning, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan stood on a platform in Norfolk, Virginia, and introduced themselves to the country as "America's Comeback Team."

Me: "America's Comeback Team"? I didn't know anybody left. What do you think of their slogan?

David: "Go Back Team" would be more appropriate...

Me: That's funny, why do you say that, David?

David: Because a Romney-Ryan administration is the definition of a fast track back to the failed, top-down economic policies of the past.

Me: So, the million dollar question is why do you think Romney picked Ryan?

David: In Ryan, Romney has selected a running mate best known for designing the extreme GOP budget that would end Medicare as we know it, and just like Romney's plan, actually raise taxes on middle-class Americans to pay for an additional $250,000 tax break for millionaires and billionaires.

Me: What about Ryan? What do you think, David?

David: As a leader of the House Republicans and a Tea Party favorite, Congressman Ryan has led the relentless, intensely ideological battle for these kinds of budget-busting policies that punish seniors and the middle class.

Me: And with Romney's pick yestersay...?

David: Romney doubled down on those policies.

Me: David, most Americans don't know Paul Ryan. What will the Democrats do about this?

David: In the coming days, the other side will spend a lot of time trying to define Romney's choice and what it says about his candidacy

Me: Personally, what do you think of the running team of Romney and Ryan?

David: If their records are any indication of how they'd govern, it's not looking good (unless you're a right-wing conservative in the top 5 percent of income-earners and NOT a woman or a worker counting on Medicare in your future).

Me: Is this just a matter of opinion?

David: No, this isn't a matter of opinion. As an architect of the extreme GOP budget, Ryan will be Romney's biggest advocate for his plan to give more tax breaks to millionaires, paid for by $2,000 in higher taxes on middle-class families with kids.

Me: The Ryan plan, which Romney said is "an excellent piece of work, and very much needed," calls for what exactly, David?

David: For deep cuts in education... from college scholarships to Head Start, critical scientific research, and clean energy investments, all to help pay for those tax cuts.

Me: And Ryan has something to do with Medicare, am I right?

David: Ryan authored the original plan to convert Medicare into a voucher program, costing seniors an additional $6,000 or more each year.

Me: Well, he talks about balancing the budget.

David: Ryan talks tough on balancing the budget, but his own plan would fail to do that for a generation. The burden of balancing any Ryan budget falls squarely on the backs of seniors and middle-class families while no one at the top is asked to pay even a dollar more.

Me: Any other info you can shed the light on him?

David: Both Romney and Ryan are severely conservative, threatening to take us backward on women's issues and civil rights. Ryan cosponsored a bill that would ban common forms of birth control, in vitro fertilization, and abortions even in cases of rape or incest. He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, voted against the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and sponsored a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality. On so many issues, Paul Ryan, like Mitt Romney, has taken extreme positions that are out of touch with the values most Americans share. It's our job, especially in these first few days and weeks, to make sure voters get the facts on his record, and a clear picture as to what a Romney-Ryan administration would look like for regular people, when the slogans fade away and the real policy decisions they'd face as president and vice president are on the table.

Me: Well, David, thanks for educating me and my readers, and thanks for being on the Phile.

David: Thanks for everything. Big day yesterday.

Me: Is there anything else you wanna say, David?

David: Election Day is closer than you think.

The 22nd artist to be pheatured in the P.P.A.G. is somebody named RobotrobotROBOT, and this is one of his pieces. A very cool piece of art if I don't say so myself.

RobotrobotROBOT will be a guest on the Phile next Monday.

Okay, kids, today's Alumni guest was last on the Phile on May 22nd 2011. Since then they have a new EP out called "Departures" and a new single called "Big Smile" that Samsung chose for their Galaxy S III Olympics commercial. They'll be next appearing at Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles on August 17th. Please welcome back to the Phile the singer for one of my favorite bands Leftover Cuties... Shirli McAllen.

Me: Hello, Shirli, welcome back to the Phile. How have you been?

Shirli: Thanks for having me, I've been well.

Me: I downloaded the new EP "Departures" off from iTunes and really liked it. You already did a few covers you released, "You Are My Sunshine" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"... what made you kids decide to record a few more covers and release the EP?

Shirli: Glad to hear you liked it. We thought it would be fun to take a few of a our favorite covers and mix them up with some new ones for an EP release. One of our favorite things to do is to take songs by other artists and put our own spin them. It's fun and people get a kick out of it.

Me: Did you all choose which other covers to do?

Shirli: For the most part, yes. There's one song that our Facebook fans helped us choose. We asked our fans to suggest songs to us, we narrowed them down to three we liked best and had them vote on it. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor was the winner.

Me: I know you're a big Dylan fan, so was it easy to choose the Dylan song?

Shirli: It's never easy to choose a Dylan song cause there are so many great ones. But this one I've been playing around with for a little while, so that's why it came to mind when it was time to pick out songs.

Me: Why did you choose the Dylan song "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"? I am glad you did, it's one of my favorites.

Shirli: Because it's so beautiful and easy to relate and connect with, like many Dylan songs. This song really moves me, we actually all got quite emotional when we recorded it. It was one of those moments you hope would happen when you're recording.

Me: "Places To Go", your last release was produced by Tony Berg who also produced Dylan. Who produced the EP?

Shirli: Our very talented friend Jake Sinclair, who actually produced "Sunnyside" on "Places To Go" as well. We've worked with him many times and we keep coming back for more. He's just a pleasure to work with and he really gets what we're trying to do.

Me: Your last release was "Places To Go" this release is "Departures". What is it with the leaving terms?

Shirli: I see "Places To Go" as more of an arrival theme, the idea that each song takes you to a new place, or that all the songs collectively transport you elsewhere. "Departures" stands for leaving the original version of the songs behind and doing something innovative with them. So it's all positive stuff really.

Me: How did "Departures" get to be the name of the EP?

Shirli: Well, we were trying to find a title that would describe what this EP of covers means to us. We also liked the idea of continuing the theme of travel that we set forth with our "Places To Go" LP. "Departures" seemed like the perfect fit.

Q: You're from Israel, right, Shirli? How long have you been in the States now?

Shirli: Yes, I was born and raised in Israel, and I've been in the states for about 11 years now.

Me: What made you decide to settle in California? Florida is nice as well.

Shirli: Florida is nice, but California reminds me of home. I live in Venice near the beach, and I love the creative energy and the feeling of community here. Plus , as a musician, LA is a good place to be. 

Me: How long did it take you to settle in the States and form the band, Shirli?

Shirli: It took me a few months to start writing in a second language. After about a year, once I had enough songs, I met some musicians at the guitar shop and I started collaborating with people. Leftover Cuties came much much later though.

Me: Once you were here what was the first thing you did?

Shirli: I looked for a bar tending job.

Me: Have you been back to Israel since?

Shirli: Yes, I go ones or twice a year to visit my family.

Me: Your family back home must be proud of your success, what do they think of your music?

Shirli: They are very proud, and they're pretty much my biggest supporters. My father shows our videos to anyone who'll watch, and my mom does the same with the CD's. They are so cute about it! 

Me: Have you heard of the singer Meaghan Smith? I interviewed her a few years ago, she's from Canada. Her music and yours are very similar. You two could make some amazing music together. 

Shirli: Yes, Meaghan is incredible. We're big fans of each other and she was actually kind enough to sings some harmonies with me on "Places To Go". She sounds like an angel.

Me: See, I know what I am talking about. Shirli, I watched the video of the Cuties singing at a baseball game... it was The Padres I think. What was that experience like? I have a picture of you guys singing there.

Shirli: One that I'll never forget! It was my first baseball game ever and I got to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in front of thousands of people. It was nerve-wracking and so thrilling at the same time. We all had a blast that day. Go Padres!

Me: Are you a baseball fan?

Shirli: Not really. I find it a bit slow, but I have liked some baseball movies. The game seems much more exciting on film.

Me: Was that the largest crowd you sang in front of?

Shirli: Definitely yes.

Me: This year you guys played SXSW... was that the first time you were there? What was that experience like?

Shirli: We were all there in previous years, but never together as Leftover Cuties. We had a great time! We played many shows and even busked on the street for a bit, and the response was very warm. Austin is a great city and we'll be happy to go back again and again.

Me: Shirli, I forgot to ask you about this the last time you were on the Phile. On the cover of "Places To Go", and the new EP you are holding a suitcase, which has a speaker in it, am I right? What's the story behind that case?

Shirli: Austin, our uke/Bass player had started making speakers out of old suitcases. When we came up with the idea of having me hold a suitcase for the cover of "Places To Go", we had Austin make a speaker from the suit case we got for it. We though it to be much more interesting and symbolic then just a plain suitcase.

Me: Apart from "The Big C", which you guys sing the theme song, didn't I hear one of your songs in the TV show "Justified"?

Shirli: Yes, you have. Our song "Through It All " from our "Game Called Life" EP was featured on an episode of "Justified". it was fun to watch.

Me: Is there a TV show you would love to have your music featured in?

Shirli: "Mad Men". But they only use original songs from the era, so it most likely will never happen. 

Me: So, what's next for the Cuties? Are you kids working on a new album?

Shirli: Yes we are. We are going to record this summer and release it either in the fall or early next year. We are very eager to get into the studio and start laying down the songs we've been working on. It's very exciting for us.

Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile again, Shirli. I am a big fan. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else you want. And please come back again. All the best.

Shirli: Thanks so much for having me, Jason, and I'll be glad to be back. For more fun stuff about the Cuties you can always visit leftovercuties.com and see what we're up to. Thanks again, Jason, and the Peverett Phile.

Well, that about does it for a pretty long entry of the Phile. That's what happens that I only post twice a week. Thanks to my guests Jeff Trelewicz, David Axelrod and of course Shirli McAllen. The Phile will be back tomorrow with jazz singer Anna Estrada. And remember, if you want to see the full joke of the Taco Bell, McDonald's competition ad then email me. Next week on the Phile it's another Alumni... Toots from Toots and the Maytals and then on Monday it's artist RobotrobotROBOT. I think that about does it. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. I will leave you with a photo I took of Phile Alumni the late Mary Tamm back in the 80's I my first ever convention.