Pheaturing Sink Swim

Hey, everybody, how's it going? Welcome to the Phile. I woke up with "The Great Space Coaster" theme stuck in my head. What goes on in there while I sleep? My shoulder is hurting pretty bad, so I had to take some pain medicine before I started to do this thing. I'm still waiting to find out when the hell I'm gonna have my surgery. Anyway, at this point I could be driving the great space coaster itself and I wouldn't know.  Let's start off with some good news though, enough about me. It's now Spring! The first day of spring is known as the "vernal equinox." The equinox is special. It only happens twice a year, like a good night with no pain in my shoulder. Spring also means March Madness. I love the name March Madness. I'm glad the PC police haven't made us change March Madness to "early spring psychosis." The president filled out his NCAA bracket. He picked Indiana, Louisville, Florida, and Ohio State to reach the Final Four. He had Indiana to win, but Republicans in the House blocked that. Do I have any spring breakers reading this? You have the week off. You know, the kids in China get only six MINUTES off for spring break. How does spring break work for people who get their degrees online? Do they go to websites about the beach?  There’s talk that “Today” show host Matt Lauer is the top choice to replace Alex Trebek when he leaves “Jeopardy.” Or as Alex Trebek put it, "Who is Matt Lauer?" Trebek  said he's too old and just doesn't have the energy to be the host anymore. And I said, "Great, another conclave. Here we go."  A woman in New York gave birth to a healthy baby girl inside a Walmart. Obviously it's a little embarrassing to give birth in a Walmart, which is why she plans on telling her daughter she was born in a Target.  U.S. officials have revealed that America is ready to launch cyber attacks of its own. We have a program that can totally crash someone's computer. It's called "Microsoft Windows."  Lindsay Lohan was back in court this week for a probation violation hearing. She was 48 minutes late to court. What she really needs to steal is a watch.  Tiger Woods announced he is dating Lindsey Vonn. So just when you thought Lohan had a lock on the title of Lindsay with the worst judgment, along comes Lindsey Vonn. Tiger said, "We have become close and are now dating. We thank you for your support and respecting our privacy." And the best way to keep it private is to post about it on Facebook. It's nice to see Tiger with a woman not holding a subpoena for a change.  Have you been watching that TV show "The Bible". It's based on a book. Anyway, the guy who plays Satan on the History Channel's "The Bible" looks like President Obama. Even Rush Limbaugh was outraged. He was like, "How can you do that to Satan?"  A few entries ago I showed you a picture that a Phile reader sent to me of a Gary Gnu stuffed animal he had in his office. He had this doll since he was a kid, and now it's sitting in his office. I think I still have the picture if you didn't see it.

Well, I thought it'll be great to have one, so I looked around the internet and found one on eBay. Here is what I found.

Over two hundred dollars for a used stuff animal... excuse me, a plush. My wife would KILL me if I bidded and won that. But then again, it comes with the box. LOL. No, I'm not bidding on it, but any of you readers would like to, you can send it to me if you win the auction. Next week I'll have the real Gary Gnu on the Phile, not a stuffed animal.  Last weekend I was at MegaCon, which was fantastic as always. They were selling this poster which I almost did buy, but something was wrong with it.

That's a mind phuck, right?  My son is addicted to the game "Halo". Have any of you played that? Anyway, I bet he's playing it right now. I don't know to much about it, but I saw a screen shot of it, and wonder if that's a game that he should be playing. Take a look to see what I'm talking about.

 
I thought the game was about angel's.  I was watching the Cartoon Network yesterday, and I couldn't help but notice cartoon's seem a lot more violent then they were when I was a kid. Take a look...

That's gross! I never did like Tom and Jerry though. That mouse had it coming.  So, one of the thing's I like to do in my spare time is to go on Twitter and look up certain words. One of those words is Foghat, as you never know what people are gonna say. Take this one for instance.

 
Next time I interview someone from Denver I'm gonna ask them if they ate at La Fogata. As it's "The Great Space Coaster" Month on the Phile I have been showing you pictures of actual people on actual roller coasters. So, here we go.

Baxter would be scared shitless if that guy with the hood hopped into the space coaster. Yikes. Okay, and now for some sad news, kids.

Rise Stevens
June 11, 1913 - March 20, 2013
Did you see her portrayal of Marfa in Moussorgsky's Khovanshchina? She kicked ass in that.

Harry Reems
August 27, 1947 - March 20, 2013
Rest in penis.

 
Right, I know, the trailer is barf. They're selling it to people who loved Alice in Wonderland, like me, and bought it on Blu-ray, like me, hoping against all post-Alice evidence that lightning will strike twice in Overblown War-Themed Fantasyland. So set that aside if you can.  You'll also have to set aside your annoyance at the parent company's obvious endgame of merch and theme park rides. If they could make money off whatever trending baby names result from this thing they'd do that, too.  But mostly you'll have to set aside whatever fatigue you've earned after being assaulted by effects-and-green-screen-heavy movie products. Most of them are giant boxes of nothing, terrible blasts of empty-hearted, digital cartooning.  You're right to be wary, obviously, it's just that this time around you don't have to be. Sam Raimi may have traded in the wilder elements of his personality to helm this giant family film spectacle, but what he gives you in return is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz that comes closer to being worthy of the association than any other movie attempt at expanding that beloved fantasy universe. Yeah, a prequel. Okay, set that fear aside, too. It's the story of how Oz the man (short for Oscar) became the smoke-and-mirrors wizard of Oz the land and it nods many times in the direction of the classic 1939 musical... you can experience references for yourself without any advance clues from me, minus too much shouting and jokey intrusion. James Franco, as the sepia-toned, Kansas flim-flam man, crash lands in Oz's eye-popping CGI world, meets a handful of good, bad and eventually badder witches (Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis) a talking monkey in a bellboy costume (Zach Braff) and a broken porcelain doll (Joey King). And much like Dorothy's eventual journey, the future wizard has to find the brains, the heart and "da noive" to rescue the land from evil forces.  Raimi's not afraid to go big here, taking pages directly from the most old-fashioned of Disney sentimentality textbooks, nor is he concerned about frightening the littlest audience members with one witch's eventual transformation into a terrifying green monstress and some hideously scary flying monkeys (if you, as a very small child, weren't equally freaked out by Margaret Hamilton then you're a liar). His Oz isn't a hard, sophisticated place for wisecracking adults, it's a land of clever, inventive goodness and heartsick, sad-eyed dolls, grumpy munchkins and con artists learning how to use their dubious skill sets to turn wrongs to right, relying on cliches here, yet trading in warm-hearted joy much more frequently. I'll take it over a disco-dancing Johnny Depp in a Mad Hatter costume any day. It's not a perfect place, but it's closer to home than we've been given in a while. From 1 to 10, I give it a 9, and yeah, I'll buy it when it comes out.

Okay, so, one of the regular Phile phamily members I have on the Phile is always introduced as a surfer, singer and renaissance man. Well, that's gonna change. SO, I invited him back to the Phile to explain. You know what time it is. Please welcome back to the Phile Laird Jim in a pheature called...

 
I really miss my morning surf runs... usually, right about now I'd be grabbing my board and heading out to watch the sun come up. But my doctor told me that I should make a choice between walking without a cane and surfing. I feel a part of my soul has been torn from my body. This was my life... my release... my church. It's been months since I've surfed... sold all but one of my boards. This blows.

Man, that's a bright blue. Sorry to hear you can't surf, Laird. I never surfed, unless you count the computer. Okay, so, you heard about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, right? Well, with the help of a group called UnHOF I have started the Peverett Phile Hall of Phame. So far inducted into this Hall is Savoy Brown, The J. Geils Band, Status Quo, Sparks, Mick Ronson, ELO, Rockpile, and Dr. Feelgood. And my dad is the patron saint of the Hall of Phame. Today a new band will be inducted. So, please welcome back to the Phile, Raconteur, entreprenour, Jah Paul Jo in a past life and co-owner of Berdan Records... Joseph J. Ramsey.

In London in the Summer of 1977, I had a little flat on Ladbroke Grove. I had bought a cheap portable stereo at the Portobello Road Market and I was on a hunt for cool albums and mainly, any of the new punk singles. I was reading Melody Maker, Sounds, NME voraciously, trying to understand the scene, who was releasing what and when and where the bands were playing live.  The one that everyone was talking about, of course, was "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. If you walked into any regular shop, they would not advertise that they had the record in the shop. If you looked at the sales chart, it would show up blank. The day I bought it, it was #2... so #2 was blank. You had to ask for it by name and get a concerned eye from the shopkeeper when doing so. The other singles I remember having at the time were, "Remote Control" by The Clash, "All Around The World" by The Jam, "I Wanna Be Free" By The Rings, "Pogo Dancing" by Chris Spedding and The Vibrators, "The Bowi E.P." by Nick Lowe and something that I liked very much, a single by The Stranglers called "Go Buddy Go."
Today's Induction: The Stranglers.
In a sea of new and exciting punk bands, The Stranglers stood out. They looked older (they were!) than most of the other groups. Their instrumentation was far different as they had an amazing organist... leading to not-very-apt comparisons to The Doors. The spoken line by The Great Bela Lugosi in the movie The Raven (apropos) pops into my mind: "Ugly people do ugly things." The Stranglers reveled in their ugliness. They wrote songs about it and, apparently, lived it.  Perversely, the one pretty boy in the band, who was the most prototypically looking punk, bassist/vocalist Jean Jacque Burnell, was the most dangerous. A martial arts enthusiast, Burnell was known for looking up journalists who wrote bad early reviews of the band and having little "talks" with them. There was some nasty business about him actually kidnapping a music journalist once... don't know if it's rumor or not.  Hugh Cornwell was the singer/ guitarist and probably considered the front man of the group. Cornwell had a kind of dangerous air himself... The Stranglers were dark and seemed very serious; Cornwell and Burnell absolutely projected a kind of menacing presence. Keyboard player/vocalist Dave Greenwell gave the band an even stranger look as his hair (and mustache... on a punk? In 1977???) were just plain odd back then. His organ and keyboard work was excellent and gave the band a third dimension few others had. Drummer, Jet Black (real name: Jethro Black!) was way older and looked like a transient.  Although dismissed by some who didn't consider them real punks or missed the humor and found their music too dark or, even worse, misogynistic, their early singles, in my opinion, were sublime. "Peaches," "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself), "Straighten Out" and "Something Better Change" were absolute classics. Cornwell says that the concept of "The Men In Black," or alien invaders that control day to day life, runs throughout their entire career and points out that two of the shadowy characters are even on their very first album cover.  By their fourth LP, the amazing "Black And White", The Stranglers had moved beyond punk and maybe were actually the first group that could be labeled post-punk. Their sound was clanky, atonal and the singers delivered deep, gruff, alienated vocals that sang of things far beyond most punk fare. Never shying from controversial subjects, the single from the album was a song about the life of Jesus Christ called "Nice 'n' Sleazy."  The apex of The Stranglers Mach 1 was their groundbreaking album, "The Raven". Originally released with one of the most beautiful album covers ever, a 3D image of Poe's black bird, the album is a non-stop thrill ride of dark and eerie things. One of my absolute favorites from that era. Says Wikipedia of "The Raven": "The songs are multi-layered and musically complicated, and deal with such subjects as a Viking's lonely voyage, heroin addiction, genetic engineering, contemporary political events in Iran and Australia and extraterrestrial visitors, 'The Meninblack'." The Stranglers continued to change and mutate... every version seemed to have a signature song and sound and they always retained their star status in the UK and Europe, having hit songs all along the way. Typically, with great, challenging bands like this, they stayed relatively obscure in the USA.  Hugh Cornwell bowed out of the group in 1990 but The Stranglers persevered. They originally replaced Hugh with a singer, Paul Roberts, and guitarist John Ellis, formerly of The Vibrators. That version of the group made three albums and then jettisoned both Roberts and Ellis for guitarist/vocalist Baz Warne, who is still with them today along with the remaining original three.  Now, with 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning four decades, they are considered the longest surviving and continuously successful of all the punk bands class of 1977.

Thanks, Joseph. Great job as always.

Alright, the 24th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club is...

 
Noel is gonna be a guest on the Phile tomorrow. It's gonna be great!

Today's pheatured guest are the three guys that make up the cool new band Sink Swim, who have a new EP out called "Heights". Please welcome to the Phile... Dane Petersen, Jake Lopez, and Corey Backer from... Sink Swim.

Me: Hey, fellas, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

Dane: What's up, Phile! We're doing great!

Me: You kids are from California, right? What part?

Dane: We live in Thousand Oaks, CA. It's about 45 minutes north of LA.

Me: I interviewed a lot of kids in bands, who weren't even in bands when I started this blog. You are just teenagers, right?

Jake: Dane just turned 20 the other day so we are no longer teens! Corey's oldest and he's 21.

Me: Are you in college, you three?

Dane: We are each doing the band full time!

Me: Great. So, introduce yourselves. What do you play?

Dane: Dane Petersen, vocals and guitar.

Jake: Jake Lopez: Lead guitar.

Corey: Corey Backer: drums.

Me: Who started the band and who came up with the band name Sink Swim?

Jake: The idea behind the band and its name was originally thought up by Dane.

Me: Where did the band name come from?

Dane: Jake and I were in a band previously that we cared a lot for and when it eventually disbanded, we knew that we couldn't let life's obstacles hinder our dream so we decided to push on for something bigger and better. We were either going to "sink" or "swim". We then proceeded to take out the "or"...  haha.

Me: Okay, so, I downloaded the two EP's off from iTunes... the latest "Heights" and the prior one "Elements". Both have photos of mountains on the cover. Do you guys like mountains?

Dane: We love the mountains! We want to write a future record up in Tahoe for sure. Other than a little reminder of home, there wasn't a particular reason for having mountains on the covers.

Me: So, how would you compare both EP's?

Dane: Our first EP "Elements" really tells the story of what was going on in our lives at the time and is a real representation of who Sink Swim is and what we set out to do with our music. As a debut EP, we feel it definitely showcased our songwriting abilities and unique sound. As for our 2nd EP "Heights", the story of our band and lives continues with a true maturation in sound. The "Heights" EP is who were are right now in our lives, the dreams we set out to accomplish and how we want to touch lives in the process. We're getting louder and clearer.

Me: Who does the songwriting for the band, Corey?

Corey: Jake and Dane are the ones behind all the guitar work and song structuring mainly but we're a team and I'm always there with his input as well! When it comes to the vocal melody and lyrics, Dane writes it all.

Me: On "Heights" you guys do a song with a girl singer named Alexa San Roman. Is she from another band?

Dane: Yes! Alexa sings in an amazing band called Love, Robot. They reside in Long Island, New York.

Me: Long Island! I grew up on L.I. Where did you meet her?

Dane: When Sink Swim put out it's first material, I was introduced to her and her music through Facebook by a mutual friend. From there, Alexa and I kept in contact and planned to get our bands together to do something in the near future since we both really were into each others' music. As we were writing the "Heights" EP, I finished our song "Pull Together" and knew she had to sing on it. We got the track done and decided to fly out to New York to do the video. Now our bands are real close. There will be more collaborations for sure.

Me: You have to tell Alexa to be on the Phile as well, you guys. Whatcha think?

Dane: Absolutely! We're always trying to hook each other's bands up with cool things so this would fall under that category!

Me: Is she gonna become a permanent member of Sink Swim?

Dane: No, she will not be. We are both extremely invested in our own bands right now but there will surely be collabs of all kinds! I can't give it all away yet though!

Me: Dane, it says in the bio you are a music junkie. What kinda music do you listen to, and who are your influences?

Dane: The bio doesn't lie! I'm big into loud music so anything rock is where my passion lies but I love to listen to everything. Anything that makes me feel something! I'd say I pull a lot of influence vocally from bands like Underoath, Mayday Parade, Paramore etc. But the people in my life are my biggest inspirations.

Me: Do all three of you share the same influences?

Jake: We actually do mainly. We're best buds!

Me: Dane, I have to ask you about your giant tattoo... what is it and how long have you had it?

Dane: I guess you could call it one big tattoo at this point! My right hand contains the inside of a music box in a picture frame, cranking out music notes along the sleeve and around the other picture frames, which are portraits of my grandparents. Then the music notes turn to constellations and sky containing a moon man and a hot air balloon made of an elephant holding feathers to propel the fire. The basket has a little mouse explorer in it... haha. Then my knuckles say "Destined". I've been getting tattooed since I was 18 and have one or 2 more. So about 2 years now!

Me: And Corey, what the fuck did you do with your ears? You have giant holes in them, or am I seeing things?

Corey: Haha, I get that a lot, and yes I do have giant holes in my ears. An inch and a half in diameter to be exact. I dig the idea of body mods though, tattoos, piercings, stretching, it’s all a sort of style thing. I may not go quite as far as others, but it definitely takes a certain type of person to do what I have done. My life is all about art, and I believe that our body is a work of art as well. It’s a form of physical expression of the artistic aspects of my personality. I'm currently wearing organic plugs with the universal symbol of OM, believed to be the source of creation of the universe through sound.

Me: Alright, so, how long has the band been together? Have you played many shows?

Dane: We've been together for about a year and are coming up on our 9th show. The best 9 shows we've ever played... haha. The crowds are growing and the people are singing it's a real trip! We've played at multiple LA venues and a couple local spots as well. There's a handful more lined up right now then we plan to hit the road.

Me: Corey, you went to Berklee, right? Do you bring your expertise to the band?

Corey: I took a few audio production courses from them online, mainly having to do with various DAWs like Reason, Sonar, and obviously Pro Tools. I mainly did it because I dabble in electronic music production on the side because I dig the technical aspects of music. Our producer Bob mostly did the production on "Heights", but I think the future could hold some interesting new additions to our sound and I definitely would like to incorporate some of my other musical knowledge in the progression of our overall vibe as band.

Me: Okay, so, on the Phile I like to ask random questions, and this is for all three of you... Would you rather meet your great-great grandparents or your great-great grandchildren?

Dane: I say great-great grandchildren.

Jake: Great-great grandchildren.

Corey: Great-great grandchildren.

Me: I'll say the same. Thanks so much for being on the Phile. Please come back again when your next release comes out. Go ahead and mention your website.

Dane: Thank you guys for having us! We'd love to come back. For anyone interested in our music here are our sites: Facebook.com/sinkswimmusic, music.lafamos.com/sinkswim, sinkswim.bandcamp.com, Twitter.com/TheSinkSwimboyz, sinkswimofficial.tumblr.com.

Me: Thanks again, and I hope this was fun, you guys. Keep it up.

Dane: One of our favorite interviews so far! Thanks for the love, you guys!

Well, that about does it for another entry. Thanks to my guests Laird Jim, Joseph J. Ramsey and the kids from Sink Swim. The Phile will be back tomorrow with author and puppeteer Noel MacNeal, then on Monday it's parody songwriter The Fresh Topping. Next Saturday... Gary Gnu! Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!

Pheaturing John Lovelady From "The Great Space Coaster"

Hey, get on board, and welcome to another entry of the Phile, kids. Guess what? I am kidney stone free. How are you? Yesterday there was no Phile as I went to MegaCon and had a great time. I have to thank Christine Alger who was here on the Phile last week, and her mom for putting on a fantastic show. It was St. Patrick's Day yesterday, which I don't celebrate, but instead I celebrated Sir Patrick Day. I got to see Patrick Stewart's panel which was fantastic, and funny. Anyway, from now on, every March 17th on the Phile will be known as Sir Patrick Day. That is until I forget next year. If you didn't go to MegaCon you missed out. There were so many people in costumes, and I think every other costume was a "Doctor Who" costume. These kids weren't even born when the show first came on. I'm not talking about the classic series, I'm talking about the new series. Some kid asked me who my first Doctor was and I said Jon Pertwee. They had no idea who that was! I asked them who there first one was and they said... David Tennant. Aggghhhh. I also saw a Halo costume made entirely of balloons, anime characters I never heard of, quite a few Supermen, some kid on stilts, a zombie My Little Pony, a dead ringer for James Doohan, a walking TARDIS, midget wrestling, people getting tattoo's, a few artists that are Phile Alum and a few that soon will be. And then there was this guy...

Anyway, I can't wait til MegaCon next year.  It's still "The Great Space Coaster" Month on the Phile, and I looked all over the convention for anything to do with that show and found nothing. Nothing! You would think I would of found a Goriddle lunch box or something.  What else is going on? The latest rumor, according to the Italian press, is that Pope Benedict did not retire. They say he was forced out by NBC.  A judge overturned Mayor Bloomberg's ban on large sugary drinks. The judge made his decision after testimony from a prominent physician. I believe it was a Dr. Pepper, if I'm not mistaken. I think Mayor Bloomberg should spend his time trying to improve stuff like education. New York needs a better education system if kids didn't figure out they could get around the 16-ounce soda ban by simply purchasing two 12-ounce sodas. How would the government try to enforce something like that? It's not like Obama's got a secret fleet of robotic aircraft circling over, watching everything people do with little cameras.  McDonald's announced they are dropping its fruit and walnut salad from the menu. The two people who go to McDonald's for fruit and walnuts are really upset about this.  According to reports, Saudi Arabia is considering dropping public beheadings because of a shortage of government swordsmen. You don't want amateurs to cut people's heads off because that could be barbaric.  So, Catholics, it's been your week. You have a new Pope and it was St. Patrick's Day. If you wonder how they picked the new Pope, the cardinals each wrote down their choice on a small slip of paper and put them in a silver chalice and then they mixed all the names up and they were drawn out. It's the same thing they do for the Vatican's Secret Santa. The Pope has more than one designation. He's also the bishop of Rome. He's also known as the pontiff. And here's what I didn't know. He's also known as Diddy.  The nation of Iran is threatening to sue the makers of the movie Argo. They say the movie was an unrealistic portrayal of their country. You can't do that! That would be like Scotland suing over the movie Shrek.  There are reports that Joe Biden will handle more foreign policy matters during President Obama's second term. Though you know it's bad when world leaders are like, "Can you just send Dennis Rodman instead?"  A 106-year-old woman in Ohio just received her high school diploma after 88 years. She may even go to college, but only if she gets that volleyball scholarship.  I mentioned the new Pope... Pope Francis is his name, but he is really Pope Jorge. I'm confused. Anyway, looking at his picture I think I saw him somewhere before. He looks very familiar. Take a look.

Where have I seen him before?  At MegaCon zombies were a big deal. Zombies are a big deal everywhere. Did you hear about the new "Peanuts" special? I think it's called "You're a Zombie, Charlie Brown". Here is a screen shot never before seen from the new special.

I like the way Woodstock looks. LOL.  I mentioned last week Dosney has made Jennifer Lawrence into a Disney Princess. She seems to fit in perfectly. Here is a picture of Jennifer...

And here is a picture of a Disney Princess.

 

See what I mean? Alright, now from the home office in Coasterville, here is this week's...

Top Phive Rejected Changes To The New Batman Origin Story
5. Bruce Wayne got into the crime fighting lifestyle through an ad on Craigslist.
4. The Bat Cave began as a simple bathroom renovation that just snowballed way out of control.
3. Bruce Wayne decided to get into crime fighting in order to battle Gotham City's controversial 16 oz. soda ban.
2. Bruce Wayne amassed much of his fortune by saving 15% on Batmobile insurance after switching to Geico.
And the number one rejected change to the new Batman origin story is...
1. Bruce Wayne's parents were shot in Gotham City's first "Stand Your Ground" incident.

As I mentioned, I was at MegaCon and I love buying comics. Another friend of mine also loves comics and even works at a comic book shop... Coliseum of Comics in Orlando. Anyway, I like to invite him on the Phile so he can give us some ideas on what comics to read. So, please welcome back, my friend Jim Mello in a pheature called...

Hello all, I'm Jim. I'm 25, a Libra, and I enjoy reading comics unless it is a "Grimm Fairy Tales" book.  Age of Ultron #2 
Still moving extremely slow, which is to be expected with a high issue amount. Moon Knight and Black Widow hideout in San Francisco killing Ultrons and evil humans alike as they try to survive. Peter gives us a cryptic monologue as to what was going on when Ultron took over, and Cap stops crying and promises us a plan to take down Ultron. Hopefully, this plan comes to fruition sooner than later. The pundits for the "Anti-Decompressed Comics" will be having a field day with this book if it continues at this pace.
Batman #18
Batman was about Batman being angry and Harper Row beginning her journey as some sort of Bat sidekick. She's been training for a few months, which in the superhero world, qualifies you to take on low-level thugs and vault across rooftops in such a way that would make expert parkour-ers and master martial artists very jealous. Overall, small tie in to the whole Requiem thing going on right now. Batman and Robin #18 
A very poignant silent issue that carries the reverence that most silent issues tend to carry, and what Bats #18 lacked. Definitely recommend this to anyone whose picking up any of the Bat titles this week and is looking for a great entry into the "Requiem" tie in.
Ultimate Comics Wolverine #1 
Jimmy Hudson finds a hidden message in a hologram recording of his dad, Wolverine. It sends him on a mission to find out about a program called Mothervine that was tied to one of Wolverine's own past missions. This was ho-hum. I'm still waiting for that resurgence of Ultimate Universe awesome. Wolverine #1 
A father son duo murder hostages in a bank, except one who just can't seem to die in a timely manner... You guessed it! Wolverine! I really don't have much to say other than that. It wasn't for me, that's for sure. Alright, well that concludes our misadventures. Have a great day!

I have to get "Wolverine"... my favorite writer and artist are working on it. Thanks, Jim.

The 24th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

The author, Noel MacNeal will be a guest on the Phile next Sunday.

Today's pheatured guest is a puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on "Sesame Street". He stopped working with the Muppets when "The Muppet Show" Season 1 ended. He later joined the syndicated children's series "The Great Space Coaster" as Knock Knock and also performed in a serialisation of "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland". It's an honor to have him here, please welcome to the Phile... John Lovelady!

Me: Hello, John, welcome to the Phile, and more importantly welcome to "TGSC' Month on the Phile. How are you?

John: Fine. Thank you for inviting me, Jason.

Me: So, I interviewed Emily Bindiger and Jim Martin, John. When did you first meet Jim?

John: When we began "The Great Space Coaster".

Me: What was it like to work with Kermit Love? I am guess you knew him from the old Muppet days.

John: Kermit was always inspirational and supportive, with a great acerbic sense of humor and a vast knowledge of the theatre in all its forms. He was a brilliant conceptualist and we worked closely together on many projects at the Muppets. He and Caroly Wilcox taught me everything I needed to know.

Me: Let's talk about the other Jim... Jim Henson. You worked on the first series of "The Muppet Show" and before that "The Muppets: Sex and Violence". What was it like working with Henson back then?

John: I began working with the Muppets as a performer and builder on “The Great Santa Claus Switch,” which was an Ed Sullivan special, and stayed with the company until we had completed The Muppet Movie, working on all our projects in between. Jim’s contribution to the world of puppetry, television and film is well known. He was great to work with. Wonderful sense of humor. He always made one feel what one had to offer was important and appreciated. The group was small when I began and large when I left. I missed the intimacy that of necessity evolved as the company expanded.

Me: When you worked with the Muppets, did you know or ever think the Muppets would be such a big deal?

John: Anyone who saw the early Muppet television appearances knew they were already a big deal as far as puppets were concerned. I don’t think any of us realized how important Jim’s influence was going to be in the world of entertainment in practically all areas. He was approachable and funny and appreciative. A buddy. One doesn’t expect a buddy to become a worldwide influence.

Me: You left after season one, John, did you just decide you wanted to do your own thing?

John: After performing and building for season one of “The Muppet Show” in London, I remained as a builder and performer in the New York shop until completing The Muppet Movie in Hollywood as the shop coordinator a couple of years later.

Me: Tell the readers which characters you played on the Muppets.

John: Most of the Muppet performers did everything, background and lead characters. Many also were talented builders. It was a great creative atmosphere. We taped “The Muppet Show” at Elstree outside London, which is a great film studio with a wonderful history and a fantastic prop shop that our designers had access to. I created and danced the full body Apache puppet with Rita Moreno, innumerable anything’s, and became Crazy Harry, the wild-eyed guy who lugged around a dynamite plunger, laughing hysterically and blowing up stuff. Great fun.

Me: I have a great photo of you and the cast of "The Muppet Show", John.

Me: Did you see the latest Muppets film? What did you think? 

John: It’s great that Jason Segal almost single-handedly dragged it into being, and it was terrific seeing the old gang resurrected by many new performers. The world now knows the Muppet characters can continue forever. That’s a great legacy for Jim and the Hensons. And Amy Adams can do no wrong. That didn’t hurt. There was a lot of love and caring in that film and I think that would have pleased Jim.

Me: Okay, let's get back to "TGSC", John. You played Knock Knock and Edison the Elephant. Which character did you like to perform better?

John: I loved ‘em both. They’re terrific characters. I got a chance to use all the best parts of me, dear and dopey and utterly hysterical. You can’t beat that. Knock Knock was physically easier to perform, so she would probably insist that I preferred her. The show where Edison lost a beloved flower was one of my favorites.

Me: Do you have a favorite knock knock joke Knock Knock told?

John: No. My favorite was always her reaction to how clever she was.

Me: Are you a fan of knock knock jokes?

John: Isn’t everyone? At least, those of us who loved "The Great Space Coaster".

Me: When was the last time you saw "TGSC" gang, John?

John: The gang? The last time we taped the show. I’ve seen Kermit, Frank and Jim and Pam and Noel since then on various occasions, and I pitched a show idea to Chris some years ago. Most of us went on to do well in the business. That’s enormously gratifying.

Me: "TGSC" had quite a few guest stars on the show. Is there any of them that stuck out that you really enjoyed working with?

John: Not really. It’s always nice to meet famous people, but the most fun comes in working with your talented buddies day in and day out.

Me: That goes with "The Muppet Show" as well, John. Is there anybody you wish you could of worked with?

John: I would have loved to have been around when Nureyev danced with Miss Piggy, but I was in New York building a carrot costume for Gilda Radnor, I think. Darn.

Me: Alright, so, when you first heard about the concept of "TGSC", what did you think?

John: It is a very far out idea on paper. By that time I had been in kid’s TV a number of years. It didn’t seem that far out to many of us. However, Griffin/Bacal was a new company and a lot of people involved thought another kid’s show would be a piece of cake. They had to learn differently.

Me: The characters you did on that shop, did you help with the creation of them?

John: They were mostly already built, but Kermit and crew were as accommodating as they could be. 

Me: The show lasted for 5 years, which was pretty impressive. What was the feeling like on the last day on the set? Did you know that would be the last episode?

John: I wasn’t around. I was in LA taping an NBC show, “Mr. Smith.” Or the Disney show, “Dumbo’s Circus.” Sorry, I forget which. But Jim used to keep me in touch and there were occasional reminders that I had been around.

Me: Do you miss playing those characters?

John: One always misses characters that one has had fun creating.

Me: Okay, I have worked for the Walt Disney Company for 25 years this year, and one of the things I did was work in Innoventions at Epcot. There used to be an AT&T lab there which had TV's... I have no idea what they were showing off, but I would put on the Disney Channel, back when it was good, and would watch "Adventures In Wonderland". What was that experience like working on that show?

John: What a great job for you! I was at Disney World last fall. Epcot was the greatest concept. Would really be interesting to see how it might have evolved if Walt had lived. We taped I think the second season of “Adventures” at what was then the MGM Hollywood Studios park. Great fun to be stared at by the guests while we performed. I loved being at Disney World. Talk about evolving.

 Me: You played the Dormouse, was that a hard character to play? He was so small.

John: He was great. Loved the Dormouse. Wasn’t fond of getting into many of the positions I had to crawl into to perform him, but it was better than being packed into the Caterpillar to play one of the sets of hands.

Me: That show lasted only 5 episodes? What happened?

John: The show lasted five SEASONS. There are dozens of episodes. IMDb has been grievously misinformed. You’re on the inside track. Check with Disney Archives and find out what happened. Many of us and many viewers expected it to be replayed forever. It was a terrific show.

Me: I'll try and find out. On that show you worked with actress Teri Garr. What was she like to work with? I saw her at my local Publix once here in Central Florida, I said hello, and she seemed rather nice.

John: Teri Garr had a foot problem at the time and seemed a little out of it, as I recall. But then that was Teri’s bit, wasn’t it? She was charming.

Me: You also worked with actress Elisabeth Harnois who played Alice. She was just a kid then. Have you seen her recently? She was on the show "Dirt". She came a long way.

John: Elisabeth wasn’t the only one. Practically everyone on the show continued to work in the industry. Our director, Gary Halvorson, is one of the top directors in the biz. I saw John on Broadway. Richard, Armelia and Wesley are still making movies and TV. Reese is a big deal in musical theatre. Mark Mothersbaugh, who did the music for us and “PeeWee’s Playhouse” is still huge in the music industry.

Me: John, Jim Martin has started a campaign to preserve "TGSC". What do you think about this effort, and when you found out what he was doing, what did you think?

John: I was astonished at his dedication and determination. Which I shouldn’t have been. Jim has always been able to focus on getting stuff done.

Me: If he or someone approached you and said we want to make new "TGSC" episodes, what would you think and say?

John: Go for it. It’s a terrific show.

Me: It needs to be revived, John, right?

John: An adorable singing group of teenagers, a bunch of fun puppets, weird European cartoons, all teaching basic social values in the guise of great fun. Yes.

Me: John, I appreciate you being on the Phile. It means a lot. I hope it was fun. I have just a few more questions. One: you worked on "Alf"? That's cool. What did you do on that show?

John: I was one of the producers. Paul and I had done a series of puppet specials for Showtime several years before.

Me: What projects are you working on now?

John: I write. I volunteer and docent at the New York City Ballet. Occasionally I perform at play readings at the New York Society for Ethical Culture and for the SAG-AFTRA Old Time Radio Players.

Me: Hey, did you see "TGSC" spoof "The Family Guy" did? I thought it was funny.

John: I gotta look that up!

Me: John, on the Phile I ask random questions that have to do with nothing. So, in what era would you most like to have grown up?

John: Maybe a few decades from now. I’d like to see where we’re going.

Me: Thanks for taking your time out to do this interview. Take care, and please come back one day.

John: Thank you, Jason. I’d be glad to. And a huge flutter of Knock Knock’s fan to all the viewers of "The Great Space Coaster" out there who remember us fondly.

Well, that's about it. Thanks to John Lovelady for a great interview. And also thanks to Jim Mello as always. The Phile will be back next Saturday with the kids from the LA band Sink Swim, then on Sunday it's Noal MacNeal and Monday it's musician The Fresh Topping. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!

Pheaturing Jim Martin from "The Great Space Coaster"

Hey, there, welcome to the Peverett Phile where we'll explore. A comet ride of fantasy. To a place where dreams are fast and free. Man, that's one catchy tune "The Great Space Coaster" theme song. Speaking of comet's, I still feel mine. Yep, I have that kidney stone still. It's like my own little Coasterville in there. If you are new to the Phile and wondering, what's all these references, well, it's "The Great Space Coaster" Month on the Phile. What is the "The Great Space Coaster" you ask? It was a kid's fantasy/variety show about three friends who leave Earth each day in their 'Space Coaster'. Lucky kids. You know, the Phile is kinda like "TGSC", it fall of empty promises. How many of you got that joke?  Alright, let's see what's in the gnews, shall we? Gnews.  Justin Bieber made a lot of fans angry in London the other night. He had a concert that was supposed to start at 8:30 but Justin didn't get out there until 10:30. Half the audience was kids on a school night, which means they were late getting home and had to go straight to bed without brushing their teeth, and the British really can't afford to miss a night of teeth brushing. I can say that, I'm British. How can you ever be late for anything in London? They have a huge clock right in the middle of the town.  We have a lot of fat dogs in this country, which makes sense. We give them treats if they sit and stay; it's the worst thing you can do. We're enablers.  As I mentioned in yesterday's Phile, former president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, died. Sean Penn actually went down to Venezuela and met Chavez a few times. He's a polarizing figure that a lot of Americans really don't like. Chavez was, too. Chavez is being mourned all over South America. If he were here today, I'm sure he'd say, "Don't cry for me, Argentina." The people of Venezuela aren't sure who'll replace Hugo Chavez. CBS suggested Ashton Kutcher. South America was the birthplace of the Incan civilization. The Incans were sort of like the Mayans, except they didn't go around falsely predicting the end of the world.  They just passed something in Hawaii called the Steven Tyler Act. It's a sweeping piece of legislation that says you must wear a scarf at all times. Actually it's designed to protect celebrities from paparazzi by making it illegal to take unwanted pictures or video of them in private to sell for profit. No offense, but isn't every photo of Steven Tyler an unwanted photo? Doesn't the Steven Tyler Act sound like something we would create to protect ourselves from Steven Tyler?  The world's cardinals are still meeting to prepare for the conclave that will choose the new Pope. The rumor is they already have a candidate selected and they're just waiting on the results of the urine test to come back.  All tours of the White House have been canceled due to budget concerns. Don't worry, there's another way get into the White House if you don't belong. Fake your birth certificate.  I mentioned a comet just now, but did you see the comet the other night? A comet making the closest approach ever to earth. Now is it really a comet? Or is it one of President Obama's drones? They say the comet is visible to the naked eye. The naked eye? My eyes are always naked. Do people wear eye clothes now? There are a lot of people watching the comet tonight. I'm surprised that advertisers aren't sponsoring it.  Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a new Facebook news feed. It promises to revolutionize the way we see pictures of our friends' feet on vacation. Zuckerberg said that with this improved news feed Facebook hopes to give the world "the best personalized newspaper that we can." He's playing it a little bit loose with the word "newspaper." A newspaper tells us that North Korea is threatening to attack us, not that your friend went to Panera Bread this afternoon.  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a new crusade. He wants people to stop listening to loud music in their headphones. Wasn't that the plot of Footloose? Mayor Bloomberg must throw the worst parties ever. How long before he just starts showing up on street corners and whacking the hot dogs out of people's hands?   Well, as I said, I am not well, so if any of you want to buy me this, I would be most appreciative...

Look at me, trying to get free stuff from my readers. LOL.  I have to show you this, a Phile reader sent me this picture, and I want it.

My wife would really think I went to far if I got this. I did get "The Great Space Coaster" album from eBay though. Anyway, there were a lot of guest stars on "TGSC", and Gary Gnu got close with some of them. Take a look at this picture...

What's going on here?  Alright, so did any of you readers get the new "Sim City" game? I don't know about it, when I saw this ad at the video game store...

I guess they've been having problems. I told you guys yesterday that Disney is gonna make Jennifer Lawrence into a Disney Princess. I think she'll fit in perfect. This is Jennifer...

 
And this is an actual Disney Princess...

See, she'll fit in perfectly. Told you. Alright, now from the home office on Coasterville, here is...

 
Noteworthy Similarities Between The Harlem Shake And The Shamrock Shake
5. Wildly popular as we approach St. Patrick's Day.
4. Only idiots get excited about it.
3. Could prove fatal to Gov. Chris Christie.
2. Will be a distant memory by April.
And the number one thing similar between the Harlem Shake and the Shamrock Shake is...
1. Ultimately an insult to the culture it "celebrates".

Who likes comics? Well, part from me. I like to invite my friend Jim Mello who works at Coliseum of Comics in Orlando to give us some reviews of recent comics that came out. So, please welcome to the Phile once again, Jim Mello in a pheature we call...

Hello all, this week, it's... "The Age of Ultron"! Dun nun nahh nah! Dun nun nah nah nah! (Think of the tune to "The Final Countdown") There will be spoilers and make sure you add on anything you think is important. Now... to the comics!
A+X #5
I would just like to say that, even though I had no understanding of what really happened in the story, that this issue featured an Iron Fist and Doop story. This made me extremely happy.
Age of Ultron #1
New York City. Today The book starts in medias res... the city now looks like the Ultimates' Triskelion gave a little somethin' somethin' to the Skynet base featured in the Terminator ride at Universal and their baby was the most dystopian looking thing imaginable. Holed up in the most derelict looking building in town and peddling the Mutant Hormone Drug to the few human survivors remaining -- Hammerhead and The Owl continue running what remnants of organized crime they can. That is, until Hawkeye (one very much unlike Fraction's Hawkeye, which will throw off recent Hawkeye readers) decides to break in with a mind to free his friend... Spider-Man. The two escape and find the remaining superheroes hiding out in central park with a emotionally broken Captain America leading them and the paranoia of an Ultron controlled world corrupting their morality. Overall this was a solid beginning to this many issued story arc and Bendis takes a lot of time setting the world up, and I guess he has the pages to do it. Hitch's widescreen panels shine here, but otherwise he still suffers the problem of everyone having the same facial features. I'm glad he was given time to get his pages done early and hopefully the book benefits from that. I'll be definitely interested in seeing how this plays out.
Detective Comics #18 
I'm including this because of its cover treatment as a tie in to the death of Damian. What ties in do you ask? About three panels of him crying at Damian's grave. That's it. Lammmmmeeeee. I was hoping for a masculine screaming at the sky panel.
Helheim #1 
So, I don't know about you, but I read the black and white preview issue a few months back that was included randomly in one of our diamond shipments and I absolutely dug this book. It mostly had to do with Jones' thick, black lines cutting into the page in such a distinctive and exciting manner that it didn't really matter what the story was. Upon rereading, I still really enjoy the book, but I'm sad to say that I think it has lost a little something with color. The images seem less striking, and some of the anatomy work seems weird, i.e... body types seem all over the place. Anyways... Rikard, son of a Viking chief and awesome warrior, leads the fight to defend his lady friend Bera from the evil Harryhausen viking skeletons. After he is killed in battle, Rikard is resurrected the Dr. Frankenstein way as part of evil Bera's plan to fight back against her enemies. The story is fun and pretty much any regular indie reading sub you know should give it a shot. I know Cullen Bunn isn't everyone's favorite, but his indie stuff is always a little inventive and worth a glance at least. I super dug it, save for my earlier complaints, and will be suggesting it to everyone.
Sex #1 
Simon Cooke is the heir to a large company in a neon colored world of rival gangs and sex. Yep, the Sex of the title isn't tongue in cheek... it actually describes the feel of the entire world. Cooke is a retired superhero trying to learn how to enjoy life after the death of his mentor and years of monk like discipline and obedience, and he can't quite seem to do it until he meets an acquaintance from his past crime-fighting life. Overall... yes, this is a book with mature moments, but I could definitely see certain crowds falling in love the visual style and it's innate raw nature. Alright, well that is it for me for this week. Have a great... day!

"Sex"... I might have to pick this one up. Thanks, Jim, good job as always.

The 24th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club is...

 
Noel will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.

Today's pheatured guest is a puppeteer, best known for his roles on "Sesame Street". But "The Great Space Coaster" fans will know him as one of the main puppet characters as Gary Gnu and as the villain M.T. Promises. This is a huge thrill for me, please welcome to the Phile, the great... Jim Martin!

Me: Hello, Jim, I have to tell you, it's a great honor to have you here on the Phile for "The Great Space Coaster Month". How are you doing?

Jim: Thanks for having me, Jason! And thanks for remembering "The Great Space Coaster"! I'm doing well, thank you.

Me: Jim, when did you start being a puppeteer? Did you do that since you were a kid?

Jim: When I went to elementary school, it seemed like everyone made a puppet sometime around the second grade. My theory is that when you make your first puppet (usually at the same age that I did... second grade), that is when you fall in love with puppets and are, as I like to say, "bitten by the puppeteering bug" (though there are a few notable exceptions! I'm looking at you, John Lovelady!). Well, I was one of those kids that was bitten by the puppeteering bug at an early age. My parents and grandparents were very supportive of my interest in puppets. They would take me to the library and help me find books on puppetry and theater. They would read the books with me and help me figure out how to make my own puppets. My mother even taught me how to sew so I could make costumes for my characters. I put all of this to use by staging puppet shows in my backyard for the neighborhood kids, and I guess it just evolved from there.

Me: How often did you practice with your hand in the mirror?

Jim: All the time!

Me: You worked with Jim Henson, Jim. When was the first project you worked on for Henson?

Jim: Let me share with you my journey of how I got to work with Jim Henson. It started here in my hometown of Pittsburgh where I was working for the City Parks Department putting on puppet shows in the community parks, recreation centers, and schools. I also performed puppets on a local television show called "The Captain Jim Show" starring Ted Eckman as Captain Jim. Pittsburgh was having a huge celebration one year and had invited the cast of the new children's show "Sesame Street" to perform on a barge stage on one of our rivers. Well, the evening before the event, there was a HUGE storm; boats were washed away, tents were missing... it was a mess! The Sesame Street performers were already here in Pittsburgh, so the organizers decided to move their performance to the Civic Arena. Because it was a last minute change, it was difficult to get the news out (this was pre-internet!), and only about 100 people showed up to see them. It was a wonderful, intimate show! Afterwards, I met Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) coming out the back door. I introduced myself to him and he very graciously chatted with me. He ended up inviting me to visit him on the set of "Sesame Street" if I ever got to New York. With an invitation like that, I was determined to get to New York (which I did) and visited Caroll on the set. It was Caroll who introduced me to Kermit Love. Kermit was working on the puppets for a new puppet show shooting in New York called "The Great Space Coaster." He suggested that I audition for it. With his encouragement, I did just that, and landed the roles of Gary Gnu and M.T. Promises. This was my first television gig, and it gave me the experience and background I needed to later land a spot on "Sesame Street". It was on "Sesame Street" that I first worked with Jim Henson.

Me: Did you have to do an audition?

Jim: Yes, I did have to audition, but the resume credit of working on "TGSC" also helped.

Me: What was the first main show you worked on, Jim?

Jim: The first television show I worked on was a local show in Pittsburgh called "The Captain Jim Show" starring Ted Eckman as Captain Jim, but the first national show I ever worked on was "The Great Space Coaster."

Me: On "TGSC" you worked with Kermit Love, who sadly passed away. Henson named Kermit the Frog after Kermit Love, right?

Jim: Actually, it is NOT true. Kermit the Frog was named before Jim ever started working with Kermit Love. Because Kermit is such an unusual name nowadays, it's easy to imagine that Jim Henson must have been inspired by Kermit Love's name, but the truth is that back in those days, Kermit was not such an unusual name.

Me: Ohhhh. Do you remember the first time you met Kermit Love?

Jim: As I said above, I was introduced to Kermit Love by Caroll Spinney on the set of "Sesame Street" in the late 1970's.

Me: Jim, where are you from and where do you live now, sir?

Jim: I grew up in a small borough on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA called Mount Oliver. When I grew up, I moved out of the borough and into the big city of Pittsburgh. I have worked all over, including NY and LA, but have always maintained my home in Pittsburgh. It's a great city!

Me: Okay, let's talk about "TGSC", and we'll go back to the Muppets in a bit. You co-created the show with Kermit, Jim, how did you two come up with the concept?

Jim: I'm not sure how this bit of misinformation got out there. Neither Kermit nor myself had anything to do with the creation of the show. We simply worked on it. The show was created by Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal who had a company called Sunbow Productions. They had started out doing animated commercials for "GI Joe", "My Little Pony", and other Hasbro toys. This evolved into them doing full animated cartoons these products and more. Wanting to use characters they created themselves, they came up with "The Great Space Coaster". It was sponsored by Hasbro and Kelloggs and the show was often aired in the early morning hours as kids were getting ready for school. Keep in mind, this was the 1980s, and cable television was just emerging.

Me: Who owns the show now? Do you own the characters at least?

Jim: It's one of the heart-breaking aspects on being a puppeteer on a television show: you embody the character, but you never really own it. Television puppet characters are often created by a team of people (the designer who first imagines it, the builder who physically creates it, the writer who puts the words in its mouth, the puppeteer who performs the character, etc). That character is owned by the show, and you have no rights to use it outside of the show or even after the show has ended. In the past few years, I was helping out a local cartoon art museum here in Pittsburgh called the Toonseum by going to conventions and promoting the museum and tourism to Pittsburgh. It was amazing to me how many people remembered Gary Gnu and "The Great Space Coaster". People would ask for t-shirts of Gary and I would say I had no right to make them because I did not own the character. This brought up the question: who DID own the characters? After an online search, we found that TV Loonland in Germany owned the rights to the show and that they were interested in selling it. So, I ultimately bought the rights to "TGSC" some thirty years after having worked on it and it is in the keeping of a company I started called Tanslin Media. I am looking forward to pursuing all different ways that the show and its characters can be revived. A good way to keep up to date on our progress is to "like" our official facebook page: facebook.com/TheGreatSpaceCoaster.

Me: It was on for five years, which is a good time. Was it a good time? I bet you have a lot of fond memories of the show, Jim, what is the best one you have?

Jim: Just working on a show that was being seen nationally was a thrill for me! While I do have lots of fond memories, I think it was the overall impact of "TGSC" on my life that is the fondest memory of all.

Me: Where was the show filmed?

Jim: The show was shot in New York City, starting at Metromedia (channel 5) for the first season, at NBC for the second and third seasons, and at the Ed Sullivan Studios for the fourth and fifth seasons.

Me: Did you have anything to do with the casting?

Jim: No. Remember, this was my first television gig outside of Pittsburgh. Other than Kermit Love, I knew no one on the production.

Me: Let's talk about some of the characters, everyone who remembers the show remembers Gary Gnu. How did you come up with that character, Jim?

Jim: As I stated earlier, a television puppet character is often created by a team of people. I am given a script and the puppet, and my role is to bring it all to life. The first Gary Gnu puppet had a very small mouth, and since he was a No Gnewscaster, I felt he should have a sort of Walter Cronkite kind of voice and demeanor. One day, while we were shooting, the director kept asking me to perform Gary with "more energy", which was difficult to do because of the small mouth. Out of frustration, I channeled the character Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) from the movie Network (specifically, the part about "I'm as mad as hell and and I'm no going to take it anymore!") and Gary started ranting. Well, the director and producers loved it and wanted me to continue to perform Gary that way. Gary continued his rant and said he needed a bigger mouth in order to do that, and so when the second Gary was constructed, he had a much bigger mouth and the crazier, nuttier Gary was born. So Gary is essentially a mix of Walter Cronkite and Howard Beale... he could be a very sophisticated No Gnewscaster if his crew didn't constantly drive him gnuts!

Me: Was it hard to say words starting with n with a g sound? I bet that took practice.

Jim: It wasn't difficult at all, really. The only tricky part is that some words are not pronounced with the G sound (like "no" which we kept clean because changing it to "gno" seemed too confusing to kids), and that there were words that were pronounced with the G sound that didn't begin with the letter N (like "know" for instance).

Me: You also played M.T. Promises, which was a suit puppet, not a gloved puppet... correct me if I got the terms wrong. What character did you prefer to play?

Jim: M.T. Promises would be called a "full body" or "walk around" character and Gary would be considered a "Hand-in-Mouth puppet with Practical Hands" (some Hand-in-Mouth puppets have rodded hands, like Goriddle). It's hard to say which I prefer, because they are both a lot of fun but in different ways. M.T. has a lot more mobility on a set, but it is often much more difficult to see and it can get very hot inside! When performing a Hand-in-mouth puppet on television, you have a monitor to watch, so I feel I have more control over the performance because I can see exactly what my performance looks like on the screen. It's really amazing if you think of it... television puppetry is the only performing art form where a performer can do it and watch it all at the same time.

Me: I have a picture of you dressed as M.T., Jim.

Me: With all the characters you played, which one is your favorite?

Jim: That's a hard question. There are two that vie for that spot: Ben from "the Puzzle Place," and of course, Gary Gnu from "The Great Space Coaster!"

Me: Jim, I am going to be interviewing Noel McNeal. Is there anything I should I ask him?

Jim: Ask him how his character Leon from the "Puzzle Place" got his name!

Me: Okay, I'll try to remember that. Does the cast of "TGSC" keep in touch? Did you guys ever have a reunion?

Jim: The closest thing we ever had to a reunion was when a gentleman named Eric Greenberg who runs a podcast called "Just My Show" interviewed Emily Bindiger (Fran), Chris Gifford (Danny), Kevin Clash (Goriddle Gorilla) and Kenny Myles (Speed Reader) for his podcast. You can listen to it here: justmyshow.com/11-the-great-space-coaster-cast-reunion. I was unavailable on the day of the call-in, so I did a separate interview with him.

Me: Do you think they'll ever be more "TGSC" episodes made?

Jim: That is the dream! Unfortunately, television shows are costly to make, but I would certainly like to bring "TGSC" back for a modern audience!

Me: Was there ever talk of a movie?

Jim: The closest thing we ever got to a movie was "The Great Space Coaster Supershow." In general, movies are more expensive than television shows to make, so I guess it was just more economical to make one really long TV show compiled from previosuly shot episodes.

Me: "TGSC" had a lot of famous co-stars, like "The Muppet Show" did. Is there a favorite you had on the show?

Jim: Mark Hamill! If there were ever a new "TGSC", I would want him on it!

Me: Currently you work on "Sesame Street", right? What characters do you do on "Sesame Street"?

Jim: On "Sesame Street", there are a lot of background, incidental characters, like cats, chickens, talking hot dogs, etc. Those are the kinds of characters I played. Also, many characters need two puppeteers, one who performs the character's mouth and left hand (usually), and a second puppeteer who performs the right hand (this makes the characters seem more realistic rather than having a right hand that's just pinned to their body). I am often the right hand for Oscar the Grouch, so I get to perform side by side with Caroll Spinney. Because of my directing work on "The Puzzle Place", I was given the opportunity to be the first puppet performer to make the leap to director on "Sesame Street". I have directed on "Sesame Street" for more than fifteen years, now.

Me: You do Oscar when Big Bird and Oscar has to be in the same scene together, am I right? How do you do the voice?

Jim: Sometimes I do perform Oscar when Big Bird and Oscar are in the same scene. Usually, when Oscar and Big Bird are in the same scene together, Caroll will loop the voice (this means he will record the voice either before or after the show and it gets dubbed in) but another puppeteer will perform the character in the scene. I have performed Oscar on the "Sesame Street" float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but that performance is lip-synched to a taped recording.

Me: Hey, did you work on "The Muppets Go to Walt Disney World"?

Jim: Yes, I did!

Me: I have to tell you a story. I was working in custodial at Epcot at the time... I am currently at Star Tours in the Hollywood Studios... I have been at Disney for 25 years. Anyway, they were filming the Muppets Disney special and Jim Henson approached me and asked if they could use a trash can and if I would drag it to the top of the hill. I took the liner out, and did drag it to the top of the hill by the old Wonders of Life building. They filmed the scene with Gonzo and Camilla looking into the trash can and Jim said I can put the trash can back. That is one of my favorite stories in my 25 years at Disney. Anyway, were you there when all this happened?

Jim: Though I don't remember this trash can event, I was there when they filmed the show! As you might recall, the park was open and guests could watch the shooting from a close distance. It was wonderful for me to watch Jim Henson complete a take and when he had a moment talk to the guests who had gathered to watch. It always amazed me the brilliance of Jim Henson to be able to perform, direct and produce all at the same time, and still have the presence of mind to be conscious of his fans, to whom he was always kind and gracious.

Me: Yeah, it was crazy they were filming around the guests. Not long after that Jim passed away. Where were you and how did you find out he passed?

Jim: We all knew that Jim was very ill on the night he passed, and many of us were home praying for him when we heard the news.

Me: Did you go to his funeral?

Jim: Yes, I was there.

Me: I remember they did a TV special which was a tribute to Henson. Were you a part of that?

Jim: No, I was not.

Me: I bet it was hard for everyone. I remember the Muppets reading actual letters from fans, and I remember crying. I watched in on YouTube and still cried.

Jim: It was very touching and a wonderful tribute to such an incredible person.

Me: Do you watch those old shows?

Jim: Yes, I do still watch old episodes of Jim's work like "The Muppet Show", and I especially like to watch his appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. When I teach, I love using Jim's early work to illustrate many of the aspects of television puppetry and to impress them with Jim Henson's creative genius.

Me: Did you see The Muppets, the recent movie? What did you think?

Jim: Actually, I haven't seen the new movie yet. Every time I think of watching it, I somehow always end up watching the original "Muppet Movie" instead.

Me: Alright, let's talk about the preservation of "TGSC"... you are trying to save the episodes, right? Can you tell us what's going on?

Jim: As I previously stated, I recently purchased the rights to "TGSC". Along with those rights, I inherited more than a 1,000 large and heavy video reels of the episodes. These may be the last existing copies of the shows, short of people who may have VHS copies that they taped off the air. The reels I have are labeled only with a number and a date, and there are no logs to explain what is on each episode (if there were, I would go straight to preserving the ones with Mark Hamill!). You know how fast technology moves along... just think of how short of a time it takes for your computer or cell phone to become antiquated. Now imagine... these are 30 year old tapes... the television industry has moved WAY beyond them. It is difficult to even find the right machines to play these tapes anymore. We have found a company locally called The Media Preserve which can take the tapes and digitize them for storage on a hard drive. Unfortunately, the process is very expensive... it costs about $200 for every half hour or so. We did an Indiegogo fundraiser and raised $3500. For that amount, the Media Preserve was able to transfer about 20 episodes for us. There are 250 episodes in all... unfortunately, some have been lost as we do not have reels for them. The other unfortunate thing is that due to licensing fees, performance and music rights, and union restrictions, we cannot legally distribute or post these episodes. We are still looking for ways that we can get these episodes into a place where fans can watch them.

Me: Is there a website so readers could pledge?

Jim: We hope to do another Indiegogo fundraiser this year. The best way to keep up to date on it is to follow our Facebook page: facebook.com/TheGreatSpaceCoaster. There are several different Facebook pages out there that fans have made over the years, so be sure that you are on the official page: our avatar is the "TGSC" drum logo, and the picture on the top of the page has just me and Gary Gnu.

Me: There's 250 episodes you said, so how much money has to be raised?

Jim: A lot! Some episodes are on 2" video, and some are on 1" Type C video, so the cost varies from episode to episode.

Me: Man, I wish I can just pay for it all to be done in one go. It'll be hard to explain to my wife. How is it going so far?

Jim: It's slow going, because in the meantime I am working on other projects that take up a lot of my time. Our focus right now is on getting the Facebook like numbers up in the hopes that it will make networks take more notice of the show.

Me: Are any of the episodes on VHS or DVD?

Jim: "The Supershow" was the only video ever released on VHS. Some people have posted VHS copies they have of episodes they recorded off the air on YouTube. Like I said previously, we are looking for ways that we can legally share copies of the show with the fans.

Me: Jim, I know you are trying to save the episodes, but what about the puppets, and costumes? How are they? Are they well preserved?

Jim: When we purchased the rights, we got the tapes and a cardboard box. The box contained some promotional materials and that's about it. The puppets are long gone... even if they survived the dumpster, they were made out of foam, which deteriorates over time. In the puppet world, we call it "turning to toast" as the foam turns a toasty brown color and just crumbles away. Remember this show is over 30 years old. Television puppets just don't last that long...

Me: Jim, did you ever see "The Family Guy" when they did the spoof of "TGSC"? What did you think?

Jim: I only saw the portion of the episode that pertained to "TGSC"... someone posted a wonderful YouTube clip that compares the original opening and "The Family Guy" opening side by side. It is wonderfully done! Check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNFCzFZxR4E. I feel very honored that "The Family Guy" chose to pay an homage to a show I worked on so many years ago. It's great to be remembered! And their reference to the fish skeleton cracked me up!

Me: Alright, so, this year, which is the 7th year for this blog and the fifth since I started doing the interviews, I am asking random questions, Jim. Which temptation do you try the hardest to resist? 

Jim: LEGOs. I love LEGOs. I find it very hard to resist them!

Me: You and my son would get along great then. Jim, I was watching a clip of the show on YouTube and there's this one scene where you are called Yo-Yo and there's you... with a close up. I have a picture of that close up here.

Me: Have you appeared in front of the camera as yourself often?

Jim: Yo-Yo wishes he could remember doing it. After all, your honor, it was 30 plus years ago! LOL.  I have been on camera but not "often". Just little bits here and there. On "Sesame Street", many of the Puppet Performers, including myself, have appeared as background characters from time to time. Little know fact, while we were taping "TGSC" at 30 Rock, NBC, I was also working on "Captain Kangaroo". The costume designer for "Captain Kangaroo" worked on "Saturday Night Live". He got me in as an extra on "SNL". Many times I was a background character in a restaurant, movie line and other group scenes. When we worked on Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles 3, there was a whole scene that included the Animatronic Puppeteers (Rick Lyon, Gord Robertson, Noel MacNeal and myself). Unfortunately, I was only seen by the cutting room floor!

Me: Man, there's so much I wanna ask you... the Turtles movie, more Muppet questions, more "TGSC" questions. You have to come back again, Jim, when you start the pledge campaign up again. Okay, give all the websites, Facebook and everything you have got, Jim. I hope this was fun, and I have a million more questions for you, so please come back soon. I hope to do TGSC Month next year as well. We'll keep it alive, my friend.

Jim: Here are my pertinent websites: first and foremost, please "like" us: facebook.com/TheGreatSpaceCoaster and I have a temporary website for Tanslin Media at tanslinmedia.com and if you would like to check out some photos of shows I've worked on, go to the Photo Gallery section of my resume page: jimmartinproductions.com. Also, be sure to check out the original fan site tgscoaster.com run by super-fan Scott Hoy who has put a lot of hard work and dedication into creating a wonderful "TGSC" site!

Me: Take care, good luck, and "TGSC" Forever!

Jim: Thanks so much, Jason! Thanks for keeping "TGSC" alive! Good Luck to you and the Phile!

What a great interview. Man, I have soooo many more questions to ask Jim. Okay, that about does it for this entry. Thanks to Jim Mello and Jim Martin, and to Tanslin Media. Wednesday I go in to have my kidney stone removed, so wish me luck on that. The Phile will be back next Monday with John Lovelady from "The Great Space Coaster". On Sunday hopefully I will be at MegaCon, unless I get hit by an asteroid or something. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes and The Great Space Coaster Forever!