Gramma and Ginga recount their experience on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
CLARKSBURG — Two Clarksburg residents, Arlene Cody Bashnett and Genevieve Musci, are enjoying their internet stardom as “Gramma and Ginga” after videos of their conversations and arguments were posted on Facebook.
Genevieve (Gramma) and Arlene (Ginga) are sisters born to Italian immigrants and grew up in Clarksburg.
Gramma and Ginga, now 102 and 97, respectively, were pleasantly surprised to learn that the videos their grandson had taken to entertain the rest of the family had become so successful.
“We didn’t know what to think,” Ginga said. “They told us the videos had been seen by thousands and thousands of people, from all over the world. We get mail from London, New Orleans, all over the place. I just can’t understand how it all happened. Now everybody knows us.”
The two recently appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to talk with Kimmel and share their thoughts on “Game of Thrones.”
“That was all right,” Gramma said. “We had fun and laughed a lot.”
“We had a nice time,” Ginga said. “I tried to talk him into coming home with me so I could introduce him to all my friends.”
“Jimmy Kimmel sent us a great big vase of flowers,” Gramma said.
“I’m going to tell him not to send us flowers anymore,” Ginga said, jokingly. “I like candy and money. I can’t eat flowers.”
For their appearance on the show, Kimmel asked the pair to watch an episode of the HBO series “Game of Thrones” and to share their thoughts about it.
“We didn’t like it. He asked me if I wanted another one to watch, and I said no,” Ginga said.
Ginga volunteers at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center and at United Hospital Center, delivering mail and get-well cards.
“It used to be people would just ask if they could take a picture with me. Now they want my autograph,” Ginga said. “I didn’t think that would ever happen. I didn’t think I was that important. Even in the elevator sometimes people will look at me and say, ‘Are you Ginga?’ Sometimes I’ll think, ‘Well, I’m not that famous.’ Then I’ll think, ‘OK, I am famous. I’m just not rich.’”
“Nobody’s asked for my autograph,” Gramma said. “But that’s fine. I can’t write very well anyway.”
“When someone asks for a picture, I always tell them to count to three,” Ginga said. “So they’ll say, ‘One, two, three,’ and I’ll say, ‘Sex!’”
The sisters are happy that their videos have brought such joy to so many people.
“I’ve had people tell me that when they’re sad and down in the dumps, they’ll get onto Facebook and watch our videos to cheer up,” Ginga said. “I think that’s really something.”
The sisters aren’t sure what the future holds for them, but they did recently hire an agent to help handle their website and to make sure no one starts selling merchandise with their names and likenesses without permission.
“People have asked us from the beginning, ‘When are you going to go on ‘Ellen’?” Ginga said. “I wouldn’t mind going on to talk to her at all.”