Today I’m talking with the hilarious Taffy Bennington. She makes quirky sing-along YouTube videos that the whole family can enjoy. Follow her on Twitter @singwithTaffy.
M: Are you a singer/musician in your day-to-day life, or are the music videos just a hobby?
T: I founded and operate a rescue/shelter for Capybaras and Pekingese hidden deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s called ALIEN LIFEFORMS MASQUERADING AS EARTH MAMMALS or ALMAEM.
M: I worked for one of those shelters; we were only able to rescue a Platypus and Gary Busey though.
M: What kind of musical training have you had?
T: My first gig was performing Ethel Merman show tunes, with my serpent V.20 at Carnivale in Chronic Grime Sector. You could say it was a rough crowd.
M: I think show tunes are the number one reason for gang violence.
M: Where do you get the ideas to make your music videos?
T: The day before we shoot, I receive a map to hidden locations containing lyrics, costumes and a shot list for the video.
M: Where do you get all of your costumes and how many wigs do you own?
T: I make 63% of my costumes. Not sure what a wig is.
M: Hang on and I’ll look it up. It says they were pasty white dudes during the early 19th century.
M: How long does it take you to make one of your videos?
T: 2:27-3:38 standard earth minutes.
M: In your song, “Dry Mangina,” I recognize a lot of Twitter friends. How did you incorporate them into your video?
T: I traveled to each of their houses, mixed up some Dry Manginas and pushed the record button.
Team Mangina:
@AGreaterMonster, @DarkerWillow, @GOMCcases, @Henry_3k
@Hobo_Splendido, @iinkedZombie, @KentWGraham, @MableGertrude,
@MurrayOverboard, @PFitzpa, @sdarancette, @Super_Cynthia,
@TattleTSister, @tsm560, @tWoTcast and @TySmithdrums
M: Can I borrow your mermaid costume?
T: It’s on your front porch.
M: I see it! The UPS man is trying it on right now.
M: Do you think James Bond should change his signature drink to a dry mangina?
T: It’s a complicated recipe; I believe a man of action like 007 might be attacked while waiting for the concoction.
M: Your video, “You See What I’m Sayin’?” is my favorite of all the songs; it’s like a Tarantino short. Where did you get the idea for it?
T: That’s very kind of you, thank you. It’s a documentary of my typical Tuesday. Gollum insists on a weekly bike ride at Zuma Beach. He can be quite demanding.
M: You say, “Susan” a lot in the song. Is she a person you know, or are you saying that deep down, we are all Susan?
T: I’m not really saying Susan, it’s a common misconception. Here’s what’s actually happening:
You see what I’m sayin’?
Seewhadimsayn?
Saynsayn?
SnSn?
M: Ah, I see what you did there. I think you learned that trick from Eddie Vedder.
M: I love your video, “Butterflies Taste Like Butter and Flies;” it’s very psychedelic. Who won the Connect Four game?
T: I WAS VICTORIOUS. The black haired broad got all boiling mad when I won and blasted her face with a lazer.
M: I noticed you incorporated a couple of different movies into the video; do films play a part in all of your work?
T: Are you referring to your historical documents? Yes, they have influenced my assimilation into your culture.
M: Is the part where you are in a monkey suit, breaking the Connect Four game to Strauss, in the director’s cut of 2001 Space Odyssey?
T: Yes and I was unaware of this until @Henry_3k brought it to light. He’s been filling in for my geriatric manager Sid Jewison who did too much blow with his 80’s musician clients. If you see him cruising the Sunset Strip in his red Porsche, tell him to call me.
M: I know a Catholic priest named Sid Jewison; he does a lot of blow too.
M: Thank you by the way, for teaching us the correct pronunciation of butter. A lot of people don’t know it’s pronounced, “buttah.”
T: It’s my pleasure darling but my female spawn Laffy should be credited with edification of the widely misused butter elocution.
M: In your song, “You’ve Got Hair and You’ve Got Eyes,” I feel like you are singing directly to me, because I meet both criteria. Where did you learn to roller skate like that?
T: You do indeed, and might I say they are quite lovely! My Twitter sister @buhsbaby_baby is a roller derby coach. She uses a shrill whistle and runs me through drills until my spleen hurts.
M: Out of all your music videos, which one was your favorite to make and why?
T: I enjoyed the making of Dry Mangina. It allowed me to experiment with my Calamity Beam Platform technology and I now have places to crash across America and some parts of Canada.
M: Tell the alcoholics and homeless people where they can find you on the interwebs.
https://m.youtube.com/user/theAnARcHy101channel
THE MORDANT SCRIBE 