If there’s someone to whom we could truly and nearly universally apply the descriptor “beloved,” it would have to be the late, great Jim Henson. His creative puppetry and voice acting charmed several generations, influenced thousands of other artists, educated millions of children, and entertained the hell out of everybody. In his personal life, he was by all accounts kind, caring, generous, down-to-earth, and an all around good guy.
So of course, I can’t resist bringing up the dark side. Unless you’re of a certain age and grew up in the Baltimore-DC area, where Henson went to school and got his start on local TV, you’re likely unfamiliar with his early work. Which was… interesting.
I’ll start with something bright, charming, and quasi-hallucinogenic, the commercial for Cloverland Dairy. Ask any elderly Baltimorean what the phone number was, and they’ll sing it to you. The puppetry is crude, fun, and creative. But note the lighting, with its suggestion of ominousness. It presages what is to come.
The real breakthrough was Wilkins Coffee… You can clearly see something like The Muppets take shape here. But Muppets gone terribly wrong. These short commercials were the violentest things on TV, even outdoing the Itchy and Scratchy shows. Every one had the same story arc: puppet doesn’t like Wilkins coffee. Other puppet kills him.
The coffee sucked, but the commercials were great. Trigger Warning: Puppet mayhem.
Oh hey, let’s just get the guy who sings about necrophilia onto our kids’ puppet show.
Do you know what year this was?
1978. Welcome to My Nightmare album was 1975/76 I think? Which also included songs about domestic abuse, Satan and a mentally retarded insane serial killer.
I know why AC would agree to perform. Why would Sesame Street want a man who was then considered dangerous?
Agile Cyborg on Sesame Street….
Heaven forbid. That would be permanent damage to some otherwise fine young minds.
That was the Muppet Show, not SS
Fuck the Pain Away, Sung by Miss Piggy (and yes, I know it’s a fan video).
I like pig butts
I saw AC 81ish. Peter Chriss was opening act. Fun show. The outfits the chicks were wearing to that concert were outrageous. Very hot.
Peter Criss opened as a solo act?
It was either Criss or Frehley but yeah was a solo opening act for Cooper. I’m pretty sure it was Criss but a long time ago. None of my freinds were Kiss fan so I don’t think we were even paying attention. It could have been Frehley.
In fact I don’t think we we even in the arena for the opening act. Too busy horndogging.
Who knew that Henson was essentially Don Hertzfeldt in his early career (the Rejected commercials).
During WWII Dr Seuss also did a bunch of work that is likewise forgotten. Such as this series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqz1VzqrXLo
I think a bunch of the SNAFU vids are actually included as intros on either the gold or platinum Looney Tunes collections (restored too).
Extras, not intros.
I never saw those Wilkins ads. You weren’t kidding. That is Itchy and Scratchy level violence. And yet somehow America didn’t become Thunderdome. I wonder why that is?
I have a sudden urge for Wilkins coffee now (looks over shoulder for murder puppet)
Not drinking Wilkins Coffee would explain quite a bit about my life.
“Drink our coffee or we’ll murder you.” That is awesome.
Or tar and feather you, or bomb your house or guillotine you…
Watched more of the Wilkens stuff, actually pretty damn funny, but no damn way that they would fly today.
Don’t forget season 1 of Saturday Night Live? Henson’s Land of Gorch skits were…weird. And not that funny. In fact the whole show was finding its legs that season.
And here we are 32 years later, and nothing’s changed.
At least in those days it was written for adults. Now it is written for 14 year olds. And millenial journalists who fawn over the lame political satire.
What the fuck are you guys talking about? Didn’t Saturday Night Live go off the air like over a decade ago after sucking for the previous 10 years?
I don’t think I’ve watched an episode this century.
I used to love the Mr. Bill claymation bits. As a wee tyke. Super violent. OH NO MR HAND!
I wonder if Henson did those.
No, some guy named Walter williams.
https://youtu.be/b3E_WARspaU
one of my good friends growing up was an actor who drifted into doing lots of puppet-work, and then ended up working for the Jim Hensen Co. for a few years. He has a lot of great stories, but the best ones are about these 2 main sources of internal drama =
1) the emergence of “Elmo”, and subsequent fall of Elmo when it came out that the Elmo-actor had some questionable relationships with underage men
2) the Big Bird Succession Crisis. They hired a guy to replace the ageing big-bird puppeteer, who then clung to the job for another 20 years. and they didn’t really get along. at all. basically the guy devoted his life to taking over the reins of the Star of the show, but the old man would never let go.
Q: What’s the last thing they do with Elmo dolls at the factory?
A: Give him two test tickles.
http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/wiki/episodes/season-17/1707/1707_LiveTweet_Pic12_tickled-inside.JPG
e.g.
I blame Elmo for the emasculation of America’s youths.
When I read this article and look at the byline, I feel like there’s an old man breathing over my shoulder whispering that I should put my hand in his pocket for a jolly rancher.
Jews don’t give away candy.
I was feeling a bit nostalgic myself. I started watching bands from my youth and I was struck by how very different things were then. Bands played onstage inches from audiences and no one molested them. I remember one summer my brother and I were visiting my father in LA. We went to see a movie and Burt Reynolds was there. He went in and watched the movie. Some people said hello to him but when the movie started they left the man alone so he could watch the movie.
Was it just me being a naive kid or were people really more respectful then?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6eE3ydPdDc <—- I saw them…I am not sure but it might have been this very performance. Cal Tech summer '76.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ntFSFw2Quo <—met these knuckleheads
What happened to us?
I used to sing that first one to ex wife number two when I was feeling, well, you know. She would roll her eyes, hit me and tell me what a dork I was. Good times. Worked every time though.
And then at night you’d sing this to yourself.
Jerry Seinfeld talks about loving the Midwest because people there are polite but basically leave you alone. He talks about walking down a street in Indiana and people passing by are like “Hey Jerry” like he lives there but that’s it.
For the death metal fans.
That was cruel.
Thanks, OMWC. Interesting Sunday fare
Good evening again from London. I must say the mammals here are quite motivated. It is challenging trying to avoid getting my tail stepped on
Better sleep in. Pretty sure there’s room on the plate of a Full English for fried lizard.
OT: You can file this under “Why don’t you FARGING LOVE SCIENCE?!?!”
“Medical studies are almost always bogus”
http://nypost.com/2017/05/06/medical-studies-are-almost-always-bogus/
“…about two-thirds of the “sexiest” cutting-edge reports, including the discovery of new genes linked to obesity or mental illness, are later “disconfirmed.” Though erring is a key part of the scientific process, this level of failure slows scientific progress, wastes time and resources and costs taxpayers excesses of $28 billion a year, writes NPR science correspondent Richard Harris…”
Hmmm. That sounds bad. Wonder what’s up?
“For one, science is hard.”
Duh. That’s why so many LUV it, yet so few DO it.
“Then there is the funding issue. During the heyday of the late ’90s and early aughts, research funding increased until Congress decided to hold funding flat for the next decade, creating an atmosphere of intense, some would say unhealthy, competition among research scientists. ”
Yes, competition is great for markets, but unhealthy for scientists, who’d rather not deal with it. Oh, I am so shocked. Go on:
“‘Promotions and tenure depend on making splashy discoveries. There are big rewards for being first, even if the work ultimately fails the test of time.’
This will only get worse if funding is cut further — something that seems inevitable under proposed federal tax cuts. “It only exacerbates the problems. With so many scientists fighting for a shrinking pool of money, cuts will only make all of these issues worse,” Harris says.”
Oh, I get it: if you make scientists “compete” for limited federal dollars, they can’t help but cut corners and bullshit to get ahead, producing bad science. We should really just pay them all tons of money to just be smart and never wrong. That way, we can have good science.
In other words: we don’t pay enough taxes for good science.
I thought the whole point of socialist science was the utopian avoidance of cost-cutting bullshit, and the pure pursuit of truth, without been hampered and corrupted by materialistic concerns.
Whatevs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Where can I donate?
Scientists are in fact humans and susceptible to the same failings. FIlm at 11.
If we pay them more money, they promise to stop.
This sounds way more like it has less to do with funding and more to due with a shitty, self-absorbed culture within the scientific community itself. I know nothing of the field however and if anyone has experience it in I’d like to hear their thoughts.
Suppose I stopped a man on the street and described him a quality control system. In this system, people write reports about their scientific findings. They don’t allow anyone to have access to the actual data behind the findings, to say check it over or validate that it was handled properly. No, they simply write reports, in which we take their word for it as to what they found. The papers are reviewed for whether the descriptions of what they did seem technically correct by a handful of people, once, and generally never revisited. Further, people’s careers success depends entirely on what they claim in these papers.
I think any non-idiot on the street would see that this is a recipe for unethical people to rise to the top by cheating and making fudged or false claims about their data, and that is what many scientists do. Some do it brazenly, others do it because they feel they have to to keep up. Others maybe the most never really admit to themselves that they are doing it.
similarly, “publish or perish” in academia is probably responsible for a great deal of the shoddy “academic” thinking we have now. It’s not only that POV and critical theory encourages crap, the system is designed for it in general. I remember when I was in grad school for history in the early 90s adn even then it was a joke in the field that dissertations were generally garbage and everyone knew it, because trying to research something ‘unique’ is really really hard when there are thousands of grad students all clawing at the same sources, so everyone just kinda winks at the “A New Look at Whatever” dissertation, which is mostly the same stuff some german wrote in 1927, but with more arglebargle in it. So it’s a self-perpetuating garbage machine.
Much like Congressmen and all government workers, all research scientist are always altruistic angels they have the inante power to hold negative traits like greed, fame, power, and lying at bay.
Obama Wins “Profile in Courage” Award
whatever the fuck that is. it appears on the face of it to be “democrats blowing sunshine up each others asses”
my surface read here is, “we crony-democrats need a leader. clinton has failed us, oh brown one. we need your magic once again. let us grant each other awards and jobs to acknowledge our shared destiny. together we will rebuild our shattered political core”
Barf.
Exactly what kind of example has Obama provided? What courage has that shitstain ever shown?
it quite literally is just a prize that politically connected people give to other politically connected people. it has no real basis in anything other than, “here’s an opportunity to tell each other how important we are”
So, it’s like an Oscar?
let us grant each other awards and jobs to acknowledge our shared destiny.
Yep, she is angling for a position in the Obama Foundation/Resistance Center. Not that there is a Kennedy alive who actually needs a job.
I like the Obama love slipped into the “news” story. If one discounts medicaid/medicare (which is not insurance), has not the 20 million number been debunked? I like how only some facts are alternative facts.
Sean Penn hardest hit
http://hotair.com/archives/2017/05/07/venezuelan-protesters-tear-statue-hugo-chavez/
Darn, I was hoping he was crushed under the statue.
Venezuela: proving once again that, yes, socialists would rather force you kill them than actually admit failure and give it up. Because…people…or something.
While taking out as many of the “opposition” as possible
/pol/ trolls convince media the “OK” sign is a white power symbol.
These trolls are way too good at what they do. 🙂
Compared to the HWNDU capture the flag game this is relatively minor. It’s not hard to convince the normie partisan morons or the media of anything as long as it confirms their bias.
i find it odd that the term “normie” is considered derogatory, even tho its meaning seems to be =
“The vast majority of the population who doesn’t give a shit about fleeting internet-nonsense”
which is, if anything, a complement.
if you broke the population down into the categories,
– people who mistakenly think Pepe is racist and problematic because Hillary said so
– people who gleefully use pepe memes everywhere and consider themselves part of the Kekistani liberation movement
– people who have no idea what any of this is about and still don’t care when you explain it to them
which of them do you think has their head screwed on straight?
‘Normie’ is more a term for ‘mark’ than anything else. It’s about the people you can fuck with and get a reaction out of, not the people who don’t care.
fair enough.
I resent the Pepes stealing my term for people without personality disorders and/or normal political leanings.
Also, my friend Norman Chang
I believe the new term for that is ‘unicorn’.
The ones who think Pepe is racist and a symbol of white supremacy?
I always assumed the term ‘normie’ meant basically the same thing as ‘square’ did.
The left are morons, how hard can it be to trick them? It’s like stealing candy from a baby.
It’s not stealing candy from a baby. It’s giving “smart, college educated, critical thinking, professionals” cubes of Ex-Lax and telling them it’s really chocolate. They gobble it up, and then shit their pants.
It’s hilarious. They’re real dumb bitches. They’re Sick Little Girls https://youtu.be/aqj67I5-dFg
BTW. It’s a travesty that season 4 and 5 of the original muppet show still isn’t available on DVD/BR….given that Disney now owns lucasarts, etc – they should have no issue shelling out a few extra bucks for some music rights. We didn’t even get all the original UK skits for Seasons 1-3.
Disney is completely terrible at putting any of their TV shows out on DVD, even if they don’t have to finagle music rights for them. I think their only animated series that got released in its entirety was Gargoyles, and there was a loooooooong wait between Season 2: Part One and Part Two. (Like, 5-6 years I think.) The only reason the rest of the series came out at all (in POD format) is because Gargoyles fans are very vocal. Muppets fans might be able to do it, but it’ll be a battle since Disney are irrationally stingy about putting stuff out on DVD or streaming.
I’m guessing it might be a holdover or response to the ‘Disney Vault’ marketing and release schedule that resulted in a lot of piracy.
Eff Disney. They’re injecting politics into everything they’re producing. It’s annoying when you’re enjoying a show and all of a sudden references to “alternative facts” start showing up.
Twenty years down the road a lot of this random cultural freakout is going to look odd and hyperbolic. Reagan and Thatcher had their own mini-versions of it in their respective countries in the 80s, but nothing to this level of stupid.
Wife is at a birthday party. Kids are watching TV. Baby is asleep.
So of course I’m cooking corn on the cob with a blowtorch.
Happy Siete de Mayo!
I’m cooking corn on the cob also. But not with a torch.
It’s not too late.
I’ve never cooked it that way but I’m assuming it gets all crispy on the outside? I love the way that tastes.
BTW, why is corn considered a ‘vegetable’ like broccoli or asparagus? It’s loaded with sugar. It really should be considered a starch, but many folks think it’s their super-healthy side for the day. (This is not to disparage the joys of corn on the cob in any way, but I think it should be thought of as a treat rather than a veggie.)
Corn is magic. C4 carbon fixing.
I roast it in the husk at 400 for 20 minutes, and then char the tips of the kernels with the torch. If you over torch, the kernels start bursting.
I think of corn as a half vegetable. You digest half of it immediately. The other half…. not at all. I’ll check for uh… evidence… tomorrow.
When it’s done, I rub it with mayonasa (mayonnaise made with lime juice instead of lemon), cotija, cilantro, and ancho chile powder. It’s almost as satisfying as meat, which won’t be ready for another 3 hours.
Yeah buddy. That’s how you orepare som corn. Totally doing that nex weekend.
The other half…. not at all. I’ll check for uh… evidence… tomorrow.
Ahh, the elusive well coiled corn back rattler.
He strikes when you least expect it.
They grow what many consider the best sweet corn here. I have never tried a smear on it. I have cooked it on the grill but it is easy to over cook it. No more than three minutes in boiling water or it loses the crunch. We are at least two months away from corn season though.
I like the torch idea.
That’s very close to my recipe!
I’m making boneless skinless chicken thighs, sauteed in butter, bacon grease, and olive oil. Chopped onion, garlic and a bit of tomato paste deglazed with vodka. Stewed roma tomatoes chopped and thrown into the skillet. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add chopped green olives, capers, chopped roasted red peppers, and chopped bacon. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve over linguini with a mountain of shredded parmesan.
Smirnoff and grapefruit juice; topped off with Perrier lemon.
Just the butter, bacon grease, and olive oil? Where are you getting your flavor?
BTW, we’re in the same market segment. Ralphs has chicken on sale for .77 /lb; today is the last day. That includes whole chickens, leg packs, thigh packs, and split breasts. I bought about 15 lbs yesterday. Can’t let those poor chickens die for nothing….
For flavor, add herbs snd spices. Maybe some white wine, maybe lemon.
I get everything from Amazon Fresh. About every 3 weeks we go up to Marconda’s at 3rd & Fairfax and buy all of our meat. But thanx for the heads up on cheap chicken. May hit ralphs and pick some up.
*looks at rice-a-roni taco mix dinner*
*shakes head in shame*
Well, but do you at least drink Wilkins Coffee?
*cocks gun*
Uhhhhhh
Yes of course! With Cloverland Dairy milk too
*sweat drips down brow*
Carry on then, citizen!
*flies off in hot air balloon, looking for air currents amenable to a bombing run on Moscow*
Where’s Mathias Rust when we need him?
In our hearts and under the radar.
Dad and I had hot dogs on the grill.
Hot dogs in a frying pan with a tablespoon of water.
You’re just pretending to grill.
Well, I did buy Weißwurst for Dad on his birthday. It’s about the most exotic thing I’ve done in a while. (Dad likes his food plain.)
Going Polish today for dinner.
I just made haluski with egg noodle, cabbage, caramelized onions, with a sage brown butter sauce. Steamed some green beans and grilled some smoked cheddar and jalapeño kielbasa.
.
Nice.
That sounds great (though I’ll skip the kielbasa).
You know who else had Poland in mind?
I just got sucked into 30 mins of Muppet youtube while looking for best clips of these guys. Statler and Waldorf were the best. Grumpy old bastards.
Perhaps we should’ve gone with them to be our mascot’s.
Our mascot’s what?
Ted needs some Wilikins coffee to ease his mind of apostrophe fouls. You do drink Wilkins don’t you? *reaches for stick*
Apostrophe abuse is a violation of the NAP.
Sorry, my iPad has a very weird autocorrect.
Don’t apologize to him. He is one of those apostrophe Nazi’s.
It’s more that apostrophe abuse is one of those things that drives me up a wall, far more than any other spelling error.
My wife and I watched those Wilkins Coffee spots. She was howling. She’s got a strange sense of humor.
LOL. Those coffee spots are the progenitors of the “don’t say no to the Panda” campaign from ~10 years ago. (Egyptian cheese)
My Henson story is that I was at the 25th anniversary of the Muppet Show presentation some years back and for the presentation they had several of the puppeteers on stage in tall canvas chairs, with their puppets on their hands, and the case for the puppet on the floor. It’s amazing how when they perform, you can’t HELP but look at the puppet and react to it as if it’s the one talking, even if the performer is right there. But anyway, so the guy performing Cookie Monster (IIRC) thought it was over, so he put the puppet in the case. Brian Henson notices this, gets up from his chair, and you can’t hear from the audience what he says but it’s clearly something like “Put the fucking puppet back on your hand right now, it looks dead”. He was not pleased by the fourth wall break, it looked like.
This video has “Trump” in the title.
And slaves are mentioned!
Wow, a whopping 11 views.
I was number 10!
I’m a pioneer.
You pee on people’s ears!
It’s a tradition in Urine Nation!
But seriously, can robotic warehouse automation ever be as awesome as this.
Unfortunately, a search for “Brainstorm factory” doesn’t turn up any useful links.
I was trying to think if there was an appropriate scene from I’m All Right Jack on the topic.
Rufus used to do coffee commercials, who would’ve known.
Rufus is pretty violent for a Canadian. I thought hockey games were the only place for Canadian violence
So, this just popped across my financial news feed. It’s a good thing I wasn’t holding my glass of alcohol at the time, otherwise I’d be getting glass shards removed from my hand.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/charlie-munger-says-single-payer-healthcare-solution-225404021.html
He’ll never be subjected to it so why the hell not? *shrug*
That makes it worse, especially since I’m in my 20s, and I’ll have to live with it. Admittedly, not very long considering the quality of said healthcare.
“extending death so people can make more money”
What?
It means we need to stop prolonging patient lives, and just let them die as government intended.