Monday, August 3, 2015

Pheaturing Spinrad


Hey there, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. Man, who in Florida is sick of this bloody rain? I know I am. I can't wait for whatever season it isn't right now.  Last Friday, Slyva Stoel was about to complete her two-week anniversary working at JCPenney when her (male) supervisor told her that her shorts violated the dress code. Stoel was shocked when she heard the news. She was wearing a basic pair of shorts that were about as provocative as the summer version of pants suit bottoms. She also bought them from the career section of a little store called JCPenney. Still, her supervisor asked her how long it would take her to go home, change, and come back, to which Stoel responded "probably the whole day." Zing! She then drove home and posted about the incident on Twitter, with a great double-take...


The post got a lot of attention, and thanks to the cogs in the vast machine we call the Internet, Stoel opened up a great discussion about sexism in the workplace and problematic dress codes. Seriously, how are dress codes still a thing? Unless you're the type of person who would go to work naked with a python covering up your private parts, you should be able to wear whatever the hell you want. JCPenney has yet to respond. I'm assuming they'll either let it blow over or release a very stout PR apology. Whatever happens, Stole shed light on some important issues by bringing her story to the public. She also shed light on the dangers of dressing like Popeye.  The Internet is furious with a (different) American huntress and not just because the word "huntress" is dumb. Have you gotten tired of unleashing your righteous rage on Dr. Walter Palmer? Well, here's some good news. A new villain has emerged on the Internet, killing endangered African animals left and right just for your amusement. And don't worry about upsetting her with your vitriol... she loves it. Sabrina Corgatelli is a university accountant believed to be from Boise, Idaho. In her spare time, she is also a big game hunter, and is currently in South Africa on one hell of a safari trip. She's been posting pictures where she poses with her kills for days, attracting thousands of angry comments and threats. Meanwhile, she's soaking it up... she hasn't taken down a Facebook page dedicated to her hunting photos, and a few days before the trip, she posted a meme of Leonardo DiCaprio saying, “To all the haters. Stay tuned, you're gonna have so much more to be pissed off about." Commenters on Corgatelli's page have been calling her "human garbage" and a "serial killer," and expressing wishes that one of the animal kills her, but it hasn't slowed her down. She has largely refrained from responding, except to one commenter who asked whether what she was doing was legal. She wrote back, “There is parts of Africa you can't, but where I'm at it completely legal." I didn't edit the typos out of her comment because it's fun to judge her for that too. Corgatelli was particularly proud to take down a kudu, writing, "Yesterday was day 1 an amazing day!!! Got my beautiful beautiful Kudu!! It was my #1 want on my list and I got him on the first day!!! Loving it there!!" If you want to let Sabrina Corgatelli know exactly what you think of her, head on over to her Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sabrina-Corgatelli/970549649631494. But be aware that's exactly what she wants. Because after you've killed every animal in Africa, there's only one prey left that interests you... trolls. And this lady's on the troll hunt of a lifetime.  Teen heroes uses their special teen powers to thwart some lame old guy's robbery. Nobody likes it when surly adolescents pretend you don't exist, but that's what happened to a robber in Coventry, Rhode Island, who entered a Subway sandwich shop staffed by two teens and demanded all the money in the register. Not only did he not get any cash, he didn't even get as much as an "Ew, gross," as the teens simply stood there and ignored him. The lead robber was a heavyset man in his 40s and 50s, i.e. exactly the type of human these teens have probably had long years of experience ignoring at home and in school. After a minute or two of being neglected by these kids, the man "became agitated and mumbled something under his breath as he walked out of the business," said police. About half an hour later, the man robbed a nearby liquor store. I guess he figured teens aren't allowed to work in liquor stores, so at least he'd get some proper respect. I want to know more about how they ignored him. Was this a classic "dead-stare-back-in-your-eyes" teen standoff? Or were the two teens talking to each other about how Jessica is totally into Tommy but Tommy is too dorky to realize it? Or were they on their phones, not even aware of the outside world at all? Good job, teens! It's nice to know that you're out there, defending the... hey, I'm talking to you. Hello? I'm trying to pay you a compliment, you know. Your Snapchat will still be there in a second! Well, okay, I guess it won't, but you're still being rude. I'm only 46, you know! No, that's not creepy. Whatever, I'm leaving. You kids suck.  A 19 year old student who shot porn in her college library could be shooting porn in jail soon. Oregon State University student Kendra Sutherland just went viral on the filthy web after shooting some solo porn in her school's library. The 31-minute... how empty is that library?... video shows Sutherland undressing and fondling herself for her camera in OSU's Valley Library. The video was uploaded to porn sites and received over 250,000 views in just a few days, with students sharing it campus-wide. Now police have cited her for public indecency, a misdemeanor that can carry a $6250 fine and up to a year in jail. Sutherland reportedly had not registered for any courses this semester... Yay, college ID's that don't expire, and the school has been vocal about how this incident does not represent the University. So rest easy, parents. When your kids make porn in the library, it wasn't on the syllabus. While Sutherland likely won't be invited back to OSU should she try to reenroll next semester, the popularity of the video means she probably has a career in porn waiting if she wants it, ironically making her one of the few college students who might actually find a job after leaving campus.  So, they are making a new Captain America movie to be out next year but for some reason they are going for  awhile new look...


I love Sam the Eagle.  Did you grow up reading those Hardy Boys books? You know, I loved them but there's a few of the books I didn't know existed.


Yeah, I don't remember that one.  So, yesterday I went to the mall, and I noticed something. Ever see an inanimate object you swear had a face? No? Well, look at this.


And I thought I looked angry. Haha.  Well, it's summer, even though you would never know it by looking out the window here in Florida. Anyway, all through summer I am showing you some bikinis or bathing suits you might see at the beach. Check it out...


If CDs weren't already dead, this would be the point at which they commit suicide.  As you know, I live in Florida, and there's some strange things that happen in Florida that don't happen anywhere else. That's why I have a pheature called...




I couldn't be more proud of Tavish Smith if she were my own mom who slipped out of handcuffs in the back of a police car so that she could eat the sandwich bag full of weed that had been found in the truck she had crashed twice while drunk-driving the wrong way down US-1. As evidenced by the WPLG report, Florida local Smith was in great spirits for a woman who had been drinking great spirits. Despite facing some serious consequences for the numerous crimes she'd been caught doing, she was laughing and joking with her arresting officer the whole time, even as he catches her out of her cuffs. "I'm sorry, I'm staying in them!" she laughs. She wasn't just trying to scratch her nose, though she did that, too. She made a snap decision to destroy some of the evidence, so when the officer stepped away, Smith grabbed what had been referred (reeferred?) to as the "good ol' mary-ja-wanna" from the front seat of the squad car and gobbled it up like it was her first case of the munchies. You gotta hand it to her for making the attempt... no body, no crime... but, unfortunately for her, the whole thing was caught on videotape. "Bags of weed just don't go missing inside a police car," said the trooper. That's right. They usually stay in place until the cops can get a chance to smoke it themselves. She was only going to be charged with misdemeanor crimes of minor hit-and-run, DUI, and marijuana possession, but tampering with the evidence bumped things up to the felony level. Smith posted bond and has been released from jail, though it's doubtful any facility could hold her anyway.


Snack time. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...


Top Phive Dr. Seuss Books For The Digital Age
5. "How the Grinch Stole Santa's Identity."
4. "Horton Pirates a Movie!"
3. "Oh, The Places You'll Google!"
2. "The Cat in the Chat."
And the number one Dr. Seuss book for the digital age is...
1. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Bluetooth."




If I had a bike that's what it'll like... only blue. If you spot the Mindphuck let me know.



Okay, today's guests are the guys that make up the band Spinrad whose latest EP "Chase the Sun" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile David Styer, Jeff Repo and Sean King from Spinrad.


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

Sean: Thank you very much, we are doing well.

Me: I was thinking you guys were from New Orleans or New York, being a jazz band, but you are based in Arkansas, is that right?

Sean: We are currently based in Northwest Arkansas, but we are actually in the middle of moving to Springfield, Missouri. That is where we've been spending most of our time, and met so many amazing people who are part of that scene that it just makes sense for us right now. We aren't really what most people might think of when they think of a jazz band. We definitely have jazz influence and roots, but we feel that we are actually a rock/jam band that uses heavy jazz overtones. I guess as far as jazz is concerned, we are probably more on the fusion side of that genre.

Me: I can't imagine there are a lot of jazz bands from there. Am I right or wrong?

David: Hahaha. Absolutely right. There are none. Which is a big reason behind our move to Springfield. Arkansas doesn't really seem to know what to make of us. Missouri State University, where our saxaphonist, Austin, is attending is a big part of why there is more of a jazz friendly scene there. There are some super amazing jazz musicians there, Austin and a number of musician friends of ours, get to study under true masters there.

Me: Jeff, you're from Canada, and yesterday I said you all were from Canada. Anyway, I always ask my Canadian guests if they are a fan of one of my favorite bands ever... The Barenaked Ladies. So, are you a fan of them?

Jeff: I attended a festival they played at in Toronto, and they had a great show. I can't really say that I have ever been a fan, or drawn any influence from them.

Me: Let's talk about your band, guys. I spelt it Spinrad, but you guys spell it like SpiNRad, Should've I spelt it with the lower case i and a?

Sean: Actually, it's SPiNRaD. Only the vowels are lowercase. But we're not militant about it, however people wanna write it is cool with us.

Me: Who came up with the spelling like that? There has to be a meaning behind it.

David: It seems to work well as a logo with the capitalization. But there isn't any meaning behind it. We think it looks cool. Haha.

Me: What about the name itself? Where did that come from?

David: I hate beating my head against the wall looking for a good band name. When Jeff and I started this band it was the first word that jumped off the wall at me.

Me: Have you heard of the author Norman Spinrad?

David: I have the book "The Druid King" by Norman. The word Spinrad kind of stood out to me one night when I was pondering what to call this band.

Me: Where did you guys meet? You all were in different bands before Spinrad, right?

David: Jeff and I were in a band together for about 6 years before we started Spinrad. Austin was in a band from Mountain Home and Sean was in 3 or 4 bands when we met him.

Me: Your first album was called "Long Sleep the King," which I looked for on iTunes but couldn't find it. Will it be up there?

David: It will find it's way on iTunes eventually.

Me: When did that album come out?

David: We finished "Long Sleep the King" in 2008.

Me: I downloaded the latest EP "Chase the Sun." How does that EP compare to the album?

David: "Long Sleep the King" was our first recording project. We hadn't found Austin and Sean yet so Jeff and I recorded the album just the two of us. There are a couple guest musicians on there too. 

Me: Did you guys write all the songs on the EP, which I enjoyed by the way.

Sean: Ya. All the material is original. It's awesome to hear that you like the music!!

Me: You guys are big fans of The Dave Matthews Band... have you ever seen him in concert, or met Dave?

Sean: We all went up to Saint Louis last year to see them, but we haven't met Dave yet. We did get to hang out with Jeff Coffin, Dave Matthews sax player.

Me: What is your favorite DMB song, and who else do you listen to?

David: Any song from "Crash." I've been listening to Herbie Hancock, Coldplay, Ryan Adams, and Adele is really growing on me.

Jeff: Rapunzel and Where Are You Going. Steely Dan, Victor Wooten, Esperanza Spalding. As far as drummers; Kieth Carlock, Steve Gadd, Teddy Campbell and Aaron Spears.

Sean: Rapunzel. I also listen to a lot of Victor Wooten, Primus, Parliment, Stanley Clarke, as well as metal and alt rock bands.

Me: So, are you guys working on any new music? What is next for you guys?

Sean: Always. Most songs start around a nucleus of Dave's songwriting, then we all just start building on it. We are certainly talking and thinking about the next album. Next up for us is probably settling into our new town, which seems to have really taken us in. Beyond that, we are looking to start putting together some nice tours and start building our behind the scenes team.

Me: Thanks so much for being here on the Phile, and I hope you all can come back again when your new album comes out. Do you guys want to plug your website?

David: Thank you for having us. People interested in finding out more about us can check out these sites: spinradmusic.com,  facebook.com/spinradmusic, youtube.com/spinradtv, and reverbnation.com/spinradmusic.

Me: Thanks again, and take care.

David: Thank you, you do the same.




That about does it foe this entry. Thanks to the guys from Spinrad for a great interview. Okay, the Phile will be back next Sunday with the guys from Marillion. Yeah, that Marillion. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
































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

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