tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post3407178458824939121..comments2024-01-04T21:21:02.068-06:00Comments on The Muppet Mindset: Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: GonzoRyan Dosierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18128434357825986817noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post-80039322185979413872014-04-08T07:04:53.352-05:002014-04-08T07:04:53.352-05:00It's difficult to find the words to describe h...It's difficult to find the words to describe how much I adore this Weirdo. I am 25 (working and living on my own), have loved the Muppets for probably all 25 of those years. And Gonzo was always my favorite.<br /><br />Usually, if there's a character in a children's show who's meant to be "insaaaine!," that insanity gets less impressive as you get older. You re-watch "Looney Tunes" or "Aladdin" and say, "Oh, Bugs Bunny is just doing what all cartoon characters do" or "Ah, the Genie is Robin Williams playing himself." But Gonzo only gets *weirder* as you get older. As a child, I just loved his crazy stunts and excitement in the face of death. As I got older, I picked up other peculiarities, like his attraction to poultry, his masochism, and his love of mixing high culture with things like chickens. <br /><br />I suspect Gonzo appeals to a lot of adult Muppet fans, for a few reasons. Mainly, because he represents the weirdo that we all wish we could let out in ourselves. We all have ideas and hobbies that seem crazy to everyone else. We've all felt like we didn't fit in. We're all forced to act like Kermit or Scooter on the outside, but we all feel like Gonzo on the inside. <br /><br />But at the same time, Gonzo is so three-dimensional, something you have to be older to appreciate. He's a half-crazed adrenaline junkie, but he's also extremely literate and educated. Despite his odd tastes, he's still capable of such intelligence and compassion. Then, the fact that he can put a lid on his weirdness when the spotlight isn't on him, and blend into the Muppet crowd, or act professional during an interview: this makes it all the more hilarious when the crazy comes out without warning, and it also proves that his weirdness is genuine (as opposed to someone who rushed to the microphone to say something weird, for attention). <br /><br />Things that used to bug me about Gonzo as a child make me love him even more as an adult. As a kid, I thought Gonzo was out of character when he got sad, or acted professional and serious; now it makes him seem all the more real. No genuine Weirdo can be weird 24/7. <br /><br />He's a damn complex character for a blue fuzzy puppet. <br /><br />With luck, future Muppet movies will go back to showing these different sides of Gonzo. Oh, and please give him his rodent sidekick back! I'm glad Gonzo and Camilla are back together, but his sidekick should really be Rizzo. He's incomplete without him. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post-43180781178337777332012-03-29T14:17:08.013-05:002012-03-29T14:17:08.013-05:00Gonzo has been my favorite Muppet ever since I got...Gonzo has been my favorite Muppet ever since I got to see The Muppet Show. More than any of the Muppets, he reminds me of me. No, I'm not a daredevil or a risktaker, but Gonzo and I share something besides the obvious; we both strive to be and do what we want, and to heck with the rest of the world! We're ARTISTS!!MuppetMollynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post-64969088357714649892011-09-15T23:23:10.627-05:002011-09-15T23:23:10.627-05:00There is one Gonzo musical number you forgot to me...There is one Gonzo musical number you forgot to mention: "Memory Lane" from Episode 219 of The Muppet Show.<br /><br />And on the "Gonzo's Stunts, Acts and Wild Ideas" list, I think you should've included the Muppets.com bit where he tap-dances in vanilla tapioca and nickel-plated thumb-tacks barefoot--it's one of my favorite pieces from the site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post-34009768077590251762011-09-14T18:55:50.663-05:002011-09-14T18:55:50.663-05:00My favorite of all the Muppets (save perhaps Grove...My favorite of all the Muppets (save perhaps Grover on Sesame Street).<br /><br />When I did my Muppets RPG month back in March, I purposely used him only sparingly as the propensity to overuse him was difficult to resist.Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5388731228923289276.post-78455813707184450262011-09-14T13:45:16.906-05:002011-09-14T13:45:16.906-05:00> the geek who fell to Earth <> the geek who fell to Earth <anakindnoreply@blogger.com