Classic Sesame Street: Telephone Rock
The irreverence and exhuberence in this classic Sesame Street video clip is such fun. I love it! (via Project Puppet)
Its no longer available :(
Archive for the 'tv' Category
Spitting Image puppets of Genesis
Speaking of the Man of Steel, here is a video of Land of Confusion, by Phil Collins and Genesis, from 1986.
Oh Superman where are you now
When everything’s gone wrong somehow
The Man of Steel, these men of power
Are losing control by the hour
As well as the music and the political nature of the song, it’s also interesting because it features puppets of the guys in the band, and a host of others – Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Thatcher, Gadafi, the Pope, Michael Jackson (still black!) and so on. The puppets are instantly recognizable as being made by Roger Law and Peter Fluck from Spitting Image, the renowned British satirical puppet TV show from 1984 to 1996′s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the puppets in the video had been made firstly for Spitting Image episodes. Wikipedia has information about the song and the video.
Jasper Morello on SBS this Friday!
The Gothia Gazette is reporting that The Mysterious Geographic Adventures of Jasper Morello, nominated for Best Animated Sort in the Academy Awards, will be screening on SBS on this Friday 10th March at 8.00pm. The DVD of Jasper Morello, including a ‘making of’ featurette and other award winning films by director Anthony Lucas will be in shops on March 15th. Don’t miss it!
Margaret Olley & Maxine McKew
Maxine McKew (7.30 Report) did a lovely interview the other night with artist Margaret Olley. Part of the charm was non-verbal, the smiling eyes, expressions, gestures, the unsaid knowingness, on each side. But this was my favourite part of the verbal :
MAXINE McKEW: You’ve said you paint for yourself. Is that right?
MARGARET OLLEY: I do. Who would you paint for?
MAXINE McKEW: So you don’t have a particular market in mind or?
MARGARET
OLLEY: Oh, perish the thought! No, the only reason you have an
exhibition…is really, that moment when they say “it’s up”.
MAXINE McKEW: The book also documents…some dark moments and one of them of course is your battle with alcoholism.
MARGARET OLLEY: Oh, yes. Whatever I do, I do it to excess. (Laughs). Whatever I do, I do it to excess.
(via Articulate)
I’m fond of Maxine McKew. She is an astute political interviewer, a feminist, and an excellent presenter, and then occasionally you also get to see her conduct a more relaxed personal interview like this. Another I particularly remember was a conversation with Yasmine Gooneratne, an English literature academic, about the rash of Jane Austen adaptations. It was obvious from twinkling eyes that McKew appreciated Andrew Davies’ 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Incidentally, the Gooneratne family run Pemberley House, an International Study Centre in Sri Lanka, which I think is essentially a retreat. I’ve always thought it would be fun to visit there. Thinking about the attraction now, I’m wondering if there is something about the look of it – perhaps a similarity with Natal? – that triggers some memory from my South African childhood. I only lived there until I was 7, and don’t think of myself as rememering much about it, but I was listening to J. M. Coetzee reading his South African book Boyhood on First Person recently, and was astounded at how evocative it was for me. I instinctively understood words that I had not heard since I was little, and could see again scenes that I had forgotten I knew.
Mr Squiggle – Who’s pulling the strings: The Art and Life of Norman Hetherington
Mosman Art Gallery is hosting an
exhibition titled Mr Squiggle – Who’s
pulling the strings: The Art and Life of Norman
Hetherington from Sept 3rd to
October 9th.
‘This exhibition explores the career of Norman Hetherington, the originator, creator and puppeteer of the popular children’s ABC program, ‘Mr Squiggle’. Norman Hetherington has lived in Mosman for over 40 years and made a significant contribution to Australian television history and culture. The exhibition presents a variety of original puppets, drawings, cartoons,
promotional material and memorabilia, and ABC television program segments.’
Associated with the exhibition there will also be performances at the gallery on Sunday 25 September, 11am & 2pm. These will be a short and rare performance by Norman with Mr Squiggle followed by A Package for Granny by Sydney Puppet Theatre and Puppetease by Ross Browning. Bookings: 02 9978 4178
Norman was recently interviewed on ABC Radio National’s The World Today. You can read the interview here, or listen to it by following whichever format you prefer linked at the top of that page. It’s refreshing to hear someone recommending fun so much! At the Puppetry Summit a few years ago Norman was kind enough to do an upside down squiggle (Mr Squiggle’s particular thing) for me and others. I come across it in my notebook every now and then and it makes me smile.
