Punk Rock Merit Badges: The Muppets and Alt-Rock

Dan V. - The Muppets and alternative music are two of my greatest passions. What I admire most about both is how adventurous they are. Think about it; the Muppets can pull off surrealism and sadness equally well. Meanwhile, “alternative” can mean anything from synthesizers to sitars. All caution about being “too weird” is thrown to the wind. Their unique styles speak more to me (and millions of other fans) than more traditional art ever could. And it’s also way cooler. You can’t forget that.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the Muppets and alternative collide quite often. Below are five of my favorite examples.

Debbie Harry on The Muppet Show
The dance-punk queen herself hosted a classic season 5 episode! She’s absolutely electric during her performances of Blondie hits “Call Me” and “One Way or Another”. However, it’s when she croons “Rainbow Connection” with Kermit that this episode shines. Debbie trades in her typical smirk for a charmingly sincere smile.

In my favorite scene, she teaches the Frog Scouts how to pogo and attain their “punk merit badges”. The Frog Scouts are so eager to become “punk” that it’s oddly heartwarming.  Their enthusiasm perfectly captures the thrill of discovering a new passion. When art connects with you (Muppets/Punk/etc.), it shapes your personality and views. I see a little of my own fandom in how excitedly they thrash on electric guitar. It’s the power of art encapsulated in just one scene! Besides, hearing Jerry Nelson shout “we think she’s real PUNK!” is pretty hilarious.

Debbie Harry as guest star was an inspired choice, but it wasn’t Jim Henson’s idea. It was actually his son Brian’s! As recounted in Brian Jay Jones’ “Jim Henson: The Biography”, Jim would ask his kids “Who excites you?” when looking for potential guest stars. 16-year-old Brian suggested the alt-rock pioneer and a classic episode was born!

Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) in Labyrinth
No list of Alt-Muppet moments could be complete without this iconic Labyrinth performance. Bowie’s had as many styles as the Muppet Wiki has articles, but his look here is amazing. That hair! Those high-waist pants! So beautifully 80s! Although Bowie’s songs here veer towards standard dance-pop, they’re still pretty fun. Not much else to say beyond that. As much as I love Bowie, Jareth has already been written about to death. Next!

“Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads on Muppets Tonight
Here’s something a little more obscure! “Once in a Lifetime” is already one of my favorite songs, so a Muppet rendition was a match made in nerd heaven. I’m just surprised this crossover didn’t happen earlier. Talking Heads blended existential lyrics with irresistibly catchy melodies. In other words, it’s perfect Muppet music!

Kermit struts his stuff to this new-wave classic while wearing David Byrne’s iconic “big suit.” More Talking Heads homages abound; everything from the lighting to Kermit’s movements references the classic concert film “Stop Making Sense.” You know how cool tMuppets Tonight’s existence, that’s how cool it is.
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“Keep Fishin” with Weezer and the Muppets
The early 2000s weren’t a great time for either Alt Rock (Linkin Park?) or the Muppets (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz?). The “Keep Fishin” video bucked the trend; it’s still hilarious today! It takes place during a typical Muppet Show episode, with all the hijinks that that entails. Miss Piggy totally steals the show when she kidnaps drummer Patrick Wilson. At least Weezer has Animal to fill in while Pat’s tied up (literally). The video plays like a classic episode but with a modern spirit; I would so watch a new Muppet Show that looked like this.

Anyway, it’s undeniably fun to watch the Muppets head-bang to this track. “Keep Fishin” is fun, upbeat, and loud; sounds like the Muppets to me! I also buy Kermit as a Weezer fan (both are as far from “hip” as you can get).

“Do It Anyway” Ben Folds Five with the Fraggles
This video serves as a perfect intro to either the band or the Fraggles in general. The song’s message of plucky perseverance would fit perfectly in a Fraggle Rock episode. It’s also upbeat enough to “dance your cares away” to. In the video, Gobo and the gang travel through a Fraggle hole and ambush a Ben Folds Five recording session. The band’s oddly eager to let them jam out; not exactly a typical response to breaking-and-entering. Like in the Weezer video, it’s so much fun to see these characters interact with the band.

Appearances by other famous Muppet fans (Chris Hardwick! Anna Kendrick! Rob Corddry!) make this a must-see. Hearing Dave Goelz reprise his role as Uncle Travelling Matt is just icing on the cake.

There are way more alt moments in Muppets history (R.E.M. on Sesame Street, Creature Shop work in music videos), but these are just my personal favorites. You can add more in the comments – unless you’re not as PUNK as Debbie Harry.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: The Fireys

Written by Dan V.

THE FIREYS

Performed by...
Kevin Clash, David Barclay, Toby Philpott (Firey 1)
Karen Prell, Ron Mueck, Ian Thom, Charles Augins (Firey 2)
Dave Goelz, Rob Mills, Sherry Amott, Danny John-Jules (Firey 3)
Steve Whitmire, Cheryl Henson, Kevin Bradshaw, Danny John-Jules (Firey 4)
Anthony Asbury, Alistair Fullarton, Rollie Krewson, Richard Bodkin (Firey 5)

First appearance...
Labyrinth (1986)

Most recent print appearance...
Return to Labyrinth graphic novel (2006)

Best known role...
Scarlet party animals

WHO ARE THE FIREYS?
The Fireys combine a carefree, no worries philosophy with wild-eyed, expressive designs. All these furry gargoyle-esque creatures care about is having fun--and their own specific definition of fun, at that. Fireys are creatures who live deep within the Labyrinth of Jareth the Goblin King. In the film Labyrinth, they were seen having "fun" with Sarah as she tried to get through the maze. Sarah gets stuck with the Fireys as they try to get her to "Chilly Down" with a rollicking song and dance routine.

For the Fireys, it’s about the bare necessities - life’s better with “no clothes to worry about”. It’s all fun and games until one of the Fireys pops his eyeballs out and uses them as dice. While other creatures prefer tame pursuits, the Fireys’ main form of entertainment is detaching their limbs and body parts and using them for their weird games. From dribbling each other’s heads to fusing together into weird animals, the Fireys take their play very seriously.

Eventually, the Fireys attempt to remove Sarah's head along with their own. Sarah escapes by detaching the heads of the Fireys and throwing them far away. Thankfully the Fireys aren't too upset, they just think Sarah is a buzzkill, yelling "Hey, you can't quit! The game's not over!" as Sarah escapes. These aren’t malicious creatures; they just want a friend to chilly down with the fire gang.

It’s a testament to the performers’ skills and Jim Henson’s vision that the Fireys sequence looks as impressive and immense as it does. One can only imagine the hours it took to choreograph such bizarre motion from so many puppets. This is truly one of the stand-out scenes throughout all of Labyrinth, and one of Jim Henson's finest feats.

WHY DOES LABYRINTH NEED THE FIREYS?
The manic energy of the Fireys leaves an indelible mark on the world of Labyrinth. The Fireys manage to be both threatening and charming at the same time; quite a feat for three minutes of screen time. Beyond that, they play to the strengths of Jim Henson, co-writer Terry Jones (of Monty Python), and David Bowie incredibly well. Fantastical puppets, an anarchic sense of humor, and a maddeningly catchy song? What more could you ask from Henson characters?

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Weekly Human Wednesdays: Jareth

Written by Kyle Mahoney.

JARETH

Performed by...
David Bowie (1986)

First appearance...
Labyrinth (1986)

Most recent appearance...
Jim Henson's Return to Labyrinth (TOKYOPOP Manga) (2010)

Best known role...
King of the Goblins; Master of the Labyrinth; granter of wishes

Enemies...
Sarah Williams, Sir Didymus, Ludo, Hoggle

WHO IS JARETH?
Jareth is the ruler of Goblin City and the Labyrinth that surrounds it. He, along with his goblin army, overheard Sarah's wish to have her half-brother, Toby taken away forever. He is endowed with many magical abilities aided by crystals. He is able to teleport himself at will, transform into a white owl, turn humans into goblins (his plan for Toby) and cause hallucinations.

Although Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus are all his subjects who betray him, Jareth only cares about Hoggle's betrayal. Constantly sneaking up on him and questioning his actions. Jareth threatens to throw him into the Bog of Eternal Stench as punishment for treason.

He also performs in the film's musical numbers: "Magic Dance," "As the World Falls Down," and "Within You." These musical numbers all revolve around Sarah and were all written by Jareth's performer, David Bowie.

JARETH AND SARAH
At first Jareth just seems to be helping Sarah out by fulfilling her wish, but he later becomes enamored with her. He offers him one of his crystals in order for him to not only control her but to turn Toby into a Goblin. During the musical number, "As the World Falls Down," Jareth causes Sarah to fall into a hallucination in which the two are at a masquerade ball and dance together.

He sings to her again with "Within You" where he states his unrequited love as she searches for her brother in a maze not unlike M.C. Esher's famous painting, "Relativity." He sings of everything he is offering her and he becomes devastated when she refuses.

RETURN TO LABYRINTH
In the 4-Part Manga Series Return to Labyrinth we learn that even after Sarah and Toby come home to their parents, Jareth hasn’t given up all hope on Toby. He and his Goblins have been protecting Toby for the last 15 years and making sure he gets everything his heart desires until the day when he would return to Labyrinth (hence the name) and become the heir to the Goblin Kingdom.

JARETH, JIM HENSON, AND DAVID BOWIE
Jim Henson knew that one of the reasons The Dark Crystal didn't do as well as he hoped was because people might have been off put by its lack of "Henson-ness" that people were accustomed to. So when he began working on Labyrinth he knew he wanted musical numbers written by a major musician who would also perform the character of Jareth. Jim was drawn to Bowie's "other-worldliness and energy" which made him a perfect casting choice.

WHY DOES LABYRINTH NEED JARETH?
The Labyrinth needs Jareth because without him there would be no Labyrinth. He is charmingly evil and classy. He is also needed because I bet his crystals were the inspiration for the children's toy "Fushigi."

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

News Update: May 24, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: May 24, 2012

We in the Muppet fan community know all about Paul Williams, scribe of songs in The Muppet Movie, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, and more. However, the general public is vastly unaware of Williams' incredible contribution to the world of music. That is what filmmaker Steven Kessler is setting out to remedy in his new documentary Paul Williams Still Alive. The film follows Williams in present day and chronicles his storied career as well. The trailer is below and features plenty of Muppets. Paul Williams Still Alive premieres in New York on June 8th and goes wide soon after.



The fine folks at Destination Vinylmation have snagged pictures of three new Star Wars Muppet action figures to be released at Disney Parks later this year. Last year they released action figure sized versions of Kermit as Luke Skywalker, Link Hogthrob as Han Solo, etc. The new figures feature Animal as Boba Fett, Link Hogthrob as Han Solo in Carbonite, and Scooter as Lando Calrissian. They are set to be released in August and will be priced at $18.95.

One of my favorite things is watching people who adore and understand Muppeteers get to interact with them. That is what we get to see in the latest video on The Nerdist Channel from Harry Knowles. In the video below, Knowles and his puppet doppelganger get the chance to meet and talk with Caroll Spinney. There's not much more I can add about this beautiful thing, so watch it for yourself!



In the weirdest news of the week category we have a brand new product from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Perfumes. Why does this matter, you ask? Because the perfumes are scents based on Jim Henson's Labyrinth. Take that in for a minute... okay, yeah, that's a weird thing. Scents include 13 Hours, Fairy Bites, Goblin Cider, Hoggle, and Jareth. These are things you can actually buy and then smell like. Why anyone would want to smell like Hoggle (who apparently smells of fermented pumpkin, brown leather, dust, tobacco leaf, and dark woods) is beyond me, but to each their own!

In other weird news, the Muppets have teamed up with BAND-AID Brand bandages for a brand new iPhone/iPad application called Band-Aid Magic Vision Starring Disney's The Muppets (catchy). I can't even begin to explain what the app does, so here's an official statement sent to us from BAND-AID Brand people plus a video that shows how surprisingly cool this app is: Your favorite Muppet characters are being featured in a brand new, first of its kind, mobile application launched by BAND-AID® Brand! The app— BAND-AID® Magic Vision—uses augmented reality (AR) technology to provide parents with an unprecedented ability to help their kids forget about boo-boos, and transform moments of hurt into moments of healing and virtual fun like never before!



Finally, enjoy this awesomely amazing behind the scenes video from roughly 1977 featuring Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and a bunch of awesome people performing and building Muppets and just being amazing. (Video found by our friends at ToughPigs.)









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com