"Deja Vu Blogfest"
Hosted by: DL Hammons
"Cruising Altitude 2.0"
December 16th all of those taking part will re-post their favorite blog offering, or one that never received the exposure it should have. Then as the day unfolds and everyone hops from one blog to another, what they will be reading is the best of the best (as determined by you). That day the blogosphere will be chock full of past writing brilliance! Encouragement, enlightenment, knowledge, bared souls, stimulation, hilarity, insecurities, success stories! All on display…the very same day…like no other time before. Some of them will no doubt be familiar, well-deserving a second read, but a good many will be the first time you’ve seen them. And it couldn't be any easier to take part...no writing necessary!
Thank you,
Jeremy
HERE IS MY RE-POST WITH THE SUPER CROONERS "THE BLANKS" AND THE INTERVIEW I HAD WITH THEM... [also if you would like to read both parts, please follow the buttons on the right side to The Blanks: Bio, Videos and More]
Set the scene: I walk down to my office as I hear the some voices, and one screams, "hey man don't eat all those chips"... My pace picks up because the door to my office is locked, and it's like 3am in the morning. I shuffle the doorknob to warn the intruders I am a force to be dealt with... the door swings open [dramatic music]. You ever seen raccoons in your backyard that you flicker light into their eyes, well that is what I saw... four guys scarfing down the last crumbs of the bag of chips. A little jolt as we got our focus to the situation as I came to realize it was my good friends "The Blanks", I can call them friends... cause I can. As I greet... George, Paul, Sam, and Philip... welcoming them to my little internet office... It went something like this:
[2vs8]: Please tell us a little more about you, that is not on the website, the real you?
We are George [George Miserlis], Paul [Paul F. Perry], Sam [Sam Lloyd], and Philip [Philip McNiven], just four average small-town kids who had a dream to sing acapella on a medical sitcom. But once success hit, like so many pop idols in mega-star boy bands, we each got pigeonholed, given labels like The Cute One, the Bad Boy, the Good-Looking Idiot and the Shy Loner with the Large Doll Collection. But we’re more than that. For example we all enjoy scrap-booking, and are avid falconers.
[2vs8]: Careers outside of the band, any telemarketers or snake oil salesman?
Paul F. Perry: I once worked in a factory putting glue onto flypaper, but I didn’t stick to it.
Sam Lloyd: I used to be trainer for a dog, but it didn’t sit well.
Philip McNiven: I wanted to be a tennis instructor, but I lacked the follow-through.
George Miserlis: I teach English as a Second language to foreigners, but it’s hard to make them talk good.
[2vs8]: If you could have a dinner party with famous dead people, who would you invite?
Philip McNiven: Everyone picks Jesus, Mohammed, Leonardo da Vinci, and Hitler. But if I’m having a dinner party, I want guests to bring a nice dish. And Da Vinci’s risotto, to be honest, is mediocre at best.
Paul F. Perry: Mother Theresa does a surprisingly good tiramisu. She does anything well that you don’t need all your teeth to eat.
George Miserlis: I hear Hitler makes a nice blintz. His blintz-kreig, he calls it.
Sam Lloyd: I’d invite Coco Chanel. She makes all the dead people smell real nice.
Philip McNiven: And here’s a tip, never serve brains. Once those dead get into that, the party’s over.
[2vs8]: What scares you more puppets with strings or without?
It’s funny how often we get this question.
Sam Lloyd: Puppets are scary when move by themselves without an operator.
Paul F. Perry: Chucky.
George Miserlis: Oh, I know, I can never set foot in a Chucky Cheese. Just the thought of that puppet making those pizzas.
Philip McNiven: The scariest puppet was Roberto Benigni in that Pinocchio movie.
Paul F. Perry: Puppets with strings are soothing. Puppets with a Dixieland brass section are terrifying.
[2vs8]: When did you know what you wanted to do, that led you to here "The Blanks"?
When did we know we wanted to tour the world as members of an acappella group? We started small, with a silly song at a party, trying to impress a girl. That led to another party, and then to a tv show, which happened to run for nine years before expanding into syndication. Then we started getting fan mail from places like Platteville, WI. So we went there and did a show. Now we are heading to play a sold-out hall in Vienna, the city of Mozart and Liszt. All of this, and we’re still trying to impress that girl.
[2vs8]: If you could be a super hero or super villain, which one and what would be your powers and why?
Sam Lloyd: I’d be Super Interview-Answer-Man, and my power would be to answer all questions in a witty and informative way.
Paul F. Perry: Dude, go for a power you don’t already have.
Sam Lloyd: Thanks, man.
George Miserlis: Can I say my Mom? The way she raised me was super.
Sam Lloyd: Dude, you can’t be your mom, that’s a little psycho.
Philip McNiven: I’d like to be Captain BlowMyself. I’d have the ability to – well, you get the idea.
[2vs8]: Something your mother caught you doing, that you said was something else... only want to know the "something else"?
Sam Lloyd: I was embarrassed to be caught reading the New York Review of Books in bed, so I told my mom that I was masturbating.
Paul F. Perry: I often tell people I’m saving the world. But I’m usually just being Captain Blowmyself, bent over under a desk, trying to – well, you get the idea.
[2vs8]: People say this is my best feature and why… nothing to do with the last question?
Paul F. Perry: Our best feature is the film we made of “Guy Love”. You can find it on YouTube.
Sam Lloyd: My best feature is my ability not to repeat myself. Not to repeat myself, that’s my best feature.
George Miserlis: My best feature is my thick, glossy mane of luxurious hair.
Philip McNiven: Me too. It’s just mine grows on my back.
[2vs8]: If you could tell someone something about anything, what would that be and why?
We’d say that if you like the Blue Man group, or Cirque de Soleil, but are tired of toilet paper on your head and French Canadians on trapezes and want something fresh, come see the Blanks. It’s a show for all ages, from 6 to 96. Even at 97, you’ll enjoy the show, because frankly, it’s nice to get out.
A few hours has passed...
I heard a whistle blow and the guys had to be on the next plane to Germany and another sold out show. I wanted to thank them all for the time and a shout out to Adam Sloat for making this all happen, he is the man making it all happen behind the scenes. So best of luck to all the guys... maybe a xxl new logo shirt, signed autograph and backstage passes when they are in Chicago... wink!
