Deadties, D-Day and Departures (Part Two) aka Follow that Bird

Last time we spoke of Deadites, D-Day, and duality (more or less). Today, I want to carry on that theme of duality as we look at two departures from the world of Sesame Street. The first is Big Bird. Big Bird reflects unbridled curiosity, unfettered optimism, and unquestioned loyalty. The second departure is Oscar the Grouch. Reveling in the discomfort of others and interested only in being left alone, Oscar may just be the anti-thesis of Big Bird. The man who has performed Big Bird for fifty years is retiring. And at the same time the performer who brought Oscar the Grouch to life these last fifty years is also retiring.

As you may know (or even may have learned if you watched the video above), the performer of Big Bird and of Oscar is one and the same. Caroll Spinney is finally stepping down from his dual role on the Street. Thankfully Matt Vogel will carry on as Big Bird and Eric Jacobson will perform Oscar.

I am truly excited by this news. Not because I wish to see Caroll leave behind these characters, but because the characters he played are being handed down thoughtfully and intentionally. Too often in the world of a Muppet fan the news of recasting is due to the death of a performer or a messy firing. Even in cases where the characters were being shared before the loss of the original performer, death still seems to mark the passing of generations within the world of Muppets. But not this time. This time we can celebrate the work that has been done with the celebrant joining in the festivities.

Serving God along side all of you, 

Just from further away

Jesse Letourneau

Recasting

1955-1990                                                          1990-2017

It has been a while since we talked Muppets on the site. And it just so happens there is Muppet news that I have thoughts on. It was announced on July 10th of this year that the current performer for Kermit the Frog, Steve Whitmire, would be stepping down.

Much of the noise around this announcement as boiled down to age old troupes of Creator vs. Corporation. And in my humble opinion there is no clear good guy in this announcement.  From what I have heard and read I believe both parties actions led to this divorce of artist from the business of the Muppets. And I am not really interested in declaring a winner. What follows are just some of my thoughts and reflections on the news.

Muppet performers are more than voice actors. While there are times where one person will puppeteer and a voice is dubbed over, the standard for the Muppets has long been that movement and voice originate from the same performer. This marriage of movement and sound leads to character. More than that it leads to a character. Fans of the Muppets often refer to the performer as the soul of the character. So when these characters change hands, they do more than change voice actors. A recasting for the Muppets isn't simply a matter of inflection or pitch that is changed, the character themselves undergo a change.

And yes, I did just use the words character, soul, and self to describe two half ping pong balls glued onto a scrap of green fabric. But that is what makes the Muppets so great. At there core the Muppets are a magic trick. I know that they are felt and foam. I know that there is a rod holding their arms up, and a human being manipulating all of it just below frame. However, like with all good magic, it is not a matter of suspension of disbelief or nostalgia or even a sense of imagination that causes me to care about these characters. It is the fact that I forget that they are just foam and felt. I forget that they aren't real. My mind is taken to a place where reality is bent and pigs can sing, bears tell jokes, and frogs can dance.

The first time Kermit was recast was in 1990 following the death of Jim Henson. Jim's death led to questions about the future of the Muppets. News then came out that the Muppets would continue. This led to the question whether the character of Kermit would continue. News then came out that Kermit would be recast. This led to the question of whether Kermit would be the same if someone else preformed him.

Now various Muppets have changed performers in the past. And for the most part, even when it is different, the trick is still pretty good. But this news in not merely about a new performer hoping to recreate the same magic. This is about Kermit.

If the performer is the soul of the character, then Kermit is the soul of the Muppets. And this reason is simple. Kermit was created whole cloth (if you will excuse the pun) by the man who created the Muppets. I am referring of course to Jim Henson. And to many fans, Kermit wasn't just a creation of Jim, but a reflection. Jim didn't find the character of Kermit. Rather Kermit reflected the character of Jim.

Steve's interpretation of Kermit was rocky at first. And fan debates about the quality of "Jim's Kermit" vs. "Steve's Kermit" continued for many years.  (and still do). For me personally, Steve's Kermit recently became simply Kermit. Character and performer had found their groove. In the midst of the changes brought to these characters over the last two plus decades, Kermit was just finally Kermit again.

And now we move to a new era of the Muppets. Soon we will see the third version of Kermit.

This transition in many ways mirrors my own. I too am stepping into a new role.

I am five weeks into my role as Coordinator of Ministries to Children, Youth and Families at California Heights United Methodist Church.

I am also stepping into the role of caretaker for my mother (her doctor is still trying to find the right balance of meds to keep her heart rate, heart rhythm, and blood pressure all in working order, while also working to maintain blood flow through the stint in her right artery.)

And like Steve, I step into these roles not as originator but as follower. At Cal Heights I follow the person who held the position before me. And in my role with my mother I follow myself. For once my role as son was to be cared for, and now it is to care for.

Next time I will reflect on where I have been and how I got here.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

Recasting Jim's charcters

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Solstice, Binge watch of 1970s stop-motion specials, or whatever else this month means to you!

--Serving Him alongside all of you, Just from further away,
--Jesse Letourneau

P.S. In defense of Baby It's Cold Outside (even the versions without Miss Piggy in them)

some borrowed words

Check here for some kind words on Jim Henson.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
 --Jesse Letourneau

more muppets and some Jesus

So its been a while since I have written.  There is so much swirling in my head these days, I don't know what I hold to, and I certainly don't know what to say/write.

I just came across this quote from Paul Williams (long time colaberator with the Muupets) about the Rainbow Connection:
"I think that was Jim (Henson)'s message.  I think Jim’s message was not that I’m special, but that you’re special."

This to me sums up what I am learning here at seminary.  Chrisitanity with all its doctrines and dogmas, all its creeds and creditentials, is basically about how we see the "other."

Do we see them as other, as alien, foreign to us until they speak rightly, act rightly, think rightly.  Is it only when criteria are met that we can fellowship with them?

Is the "other" the one without, the one in need, the marganilized, the one I have to help, because I have all the answers?  I must have all the answers, I seem to have all the resources... again do we have to make them like us before we can understand them?

Or is the other the one who is loved by God?

Is the other the one who is marked with sin and yet washed in His blood?  Is the other just like me?  Loved by God, yet feeling alone, confused and full of shame.  Does the other need the physical representation of God (you know the Church) to not just speak truth but show truth?  To accept their wounds, their dirt, their sin, their core.  To wash and heal, to bind and repair, but to do so without worrying how they got this way.

Is Christianity maybe not about me, but about you, and about how special you are?
For God so loved the Church the world that he gave his only son...

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

full article

The Muppets speak truth

A month ago I wrote a blog entitled The Muppets are Liars

It came from a place of beginning to heal from some past hurts. It came from a place of loving the Muppets but knowing that life is not like a movie, much less one we write.

Even, as I wrote the blog, I knew there was a part two. While the opening number of the new Muppet movie conveniently entitled "The Muppets" starts with a song that could easily be interpreted to be stating that things are grand when there is one by your side (and therefore not grand when you are alone). However the film's ending speaks of community, acceptance, and being stronger as a whole than as an individual (even paired individual) pieces.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE MUPPETS
(you have been warned-cause apparently spoiler warning are good etiquette here on the interwebs).

Act II of the Muppets ends with a song entitled "Man or Muppet." The two main characters must decide what they want most in life and then choose to pursue it. I first saw this film at a sneak peek in August, less than a week before leaving for Chicago to pursue what I want most in life.

A new Muppet named Walter is told that while he believes in other people that is the easy thing. Walter is admonished that eventually he will have to believe in himself. Now without getting into the idea that we are all okay and can make our dreams come true (I am looking at you Muppet Babies). There is the fact that if we believe that we can't do anything, than we won't.

In the middle of Act III The Muppets, despite kidnapping Jack Black as celebrity guest host for their theatre saving telethon and then loose their theatre and the Muppet name due to a maguffan of a clause in their 1979 Rich and Famous Contract.

At the films denouement, Kermit gives an impassioned speech about how it was not the name or the building that made the Muppets special. By telling all of them that he believes in them, Kermit lets all of his cast-mates and friends know that they are a like a family to him.

The finale has the entire Muppet cast sing a reprise of the "Happy Song" that began the film. Now instead of a a focus on family (Gary and Walter) or couples in love (Gary and Mary), the song takes on a new significance of community. The Muppets are what I like to call "found family." They are more than mere friends, they are family. There are roles of leadership and roles of support. Those in leadership look to allow everyone to find their voice. Believing in each other, believing in self, and becoming what they want to be have always been the themes of the Muppets and their found family.

Now where in ourselves should we look? Some will say to ourselves, or to God within us, or even the god in us. This particular blog post is not about the answer to that question (I'm sure everyone here knows my answer).

This blog post is to say that in a time where I am learning to follow my passions and believe in my worth, I am eternally grateful for the community that surrounds me here at North Park Seminary. Listening ears, open hearts, acceptance, encouragement, a hot dish brought to potluck, a game of pick up basketball, or even a smile. All of you have upheld me this semester. Thank you so much.



--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

The Muppets are liars!

It kills me to say this, but the Muppets are liars.

Let me back up a little.

My senior year of college was marked with some pretty melancholy moments. I know its not terribly unique to feel this way in your early 20s. Heartbreak and confusion of what the future held hung pretty heavy in my dorm room that year. My roomate and I even had this unspoken contest as to who could pin the most depressing song lyrics on our walls. It got pretty ridiculous, until one day I decided to go another route.

I put up the lyrics to a song from The Muppet Movie. The song is entitled "I Hope that Somethi' Better Comes Along." It is an upbeat little number sung by a frog and dog bemoaning the difficulties of relationships. For me that was the ray of optimism (and absurdity) that broke through the clouds of my little self centered world.

That fall turned to spring, and graduation was right around the corner. Soon enough our group of close knit friends slowly drifted apart as new jobs took us to new places and new lives and new marriages added new responsibilities. My roommate married, and together we celebrated that his "something better' had come along.

Here I am today, nearly twelve years later. And I find that melancholy is a pretty easy mode to slip into.

The link above is from the newest Muppet film (debuting Nov 23). One of the lyrics states, "Life's a happy song, when you have someone by your side to sing along." I can do several things with this lyric. I can bemoan that fact that I am alone (I'm not, but I am certainty not living the story I had envisioned I would be twelve years out of undergraduate school.). I can focus on the community that is around me (which I am trying so very hard to do. I always assume that no one wants to deal with my stuff, should have to deal with my stuff, or simply has there own stuff to deal with). Or I can do something completely else.

I cam realize that the Muppets are liars.

In the same movie where the frog and the dog sing of the woes caused by inter-species relationships, there is a much more famous song, "The Rainbow Connection." It is the song that opens the film. The Muppet Movie ends with what is essentially the second stanza of "The Rainbow Connection" known as the "Magic Store."

"The Magic Store" begins with these words "Life is a story. Write your own ending."

Part of me wishes that sentiment was true. I would love to take pen to paper and make my wishes and dreams come true. However, the wiser part of me knows that we do not write our own endings. God does. God is the author of this hero's journey I am on.

I can do many things as I look at the story of my life. I can look too far too deeply into the past and become stuck there unable to be effective here and now. I can do the same with the future.

But in this story it is the author who is omniscient and not I. I do not know what the future holds and honestly barely understand what the present holds.

I do not know why registration is such a difficult task for me to understand, or why my radiator hates me, I do not know why the school work can seem overwhelming at times.

I don't know when my something better may come along, I don't get to write my own ending.

But even without knowing those things, there is something I can do. I can be obedient.

I know one thing. And I am relatively sure of one thing.

God has made me to be a Children's Pastor. That is my call, that is my vocation, that is my core, that is my true self. I am relatively sure that North Park is the road to accomplishing becoming a Children's Pastor.

And so I push on. I obey. I do what I can to move through this course of education, and trust to God for the rest.

So my life can indeed be a happy song. Because I trust not in the plans I have, or in the ending I would write. I trust instead in God.

The Muppets may be liars. But my God is not.

So for now, for today, I will hold onto His plan and trust in His ending.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

It's time to light the lights

It’s 7:05pm and I get a call on my cell. Not having a hands free device I let it go to voicemail. 7:10 and the familiar chime of a received message beeps from my pocket. I am already ten minutes late, so I risk the ticket and pull the phone out at the next light. A voice comes from the phone’s loud speaker telling me that if I am not there by 7:15pm I won’t be let in.

I make it to the parking lot and park my Civic. Spurred on by adrenaline, I make the two hundred yard dash to the theatre in time to receive my wristband. The dark green piece of paper I attach around my wrist ensures that I will be able to experience something that I have never been able to do before. I am about to witness a big screen viewing of my childhood heroes the Muppets.

To make the evening even more special I am about to watch not just a simple rerun of one of the classic Muppet Movies. I am about to see a sneak preview of this November's sure to be break out film, merely titled The Muppets. And from this point forward SPOILER WARNINGS are in effect. (None plot specific)

There are original songs. There are a ton of cameos (I know big surprise), and many of them go by so quickly that the old cliché of blink and you might miss them actually applies. The puppets look great. The performances are wonderful. And Walter absolutely belongs to this world.

And now for the he big question: “Was it any good?” Yes, yes it was. It was all kinds of good. Will it bring throngs of new fans into the theatres for years to come? Will it spawn television shows, guest appearances on late night television, and scores of lunch boxes, backpacks, and watches adorned with singing frogs and dancing bears? That I don’t know.

I can tell you it was definitely aimed at the adult fan. This film isn’t as much an introduction of the characters to new fans as much as it is an exercise in asking us older folks, “Remember them?” The film’s central question- Can we go back to the way things were or is it time to move on and grow up?- is a question often echoed by those in their 20s and 30s, those old enough to have childhood memories of the Muppets. Using the Muppets as the cultural icon to ask this question in allegoric form works quite well.

I am glad the Muppets are back, and look forward to seeing the film again when hits theatres in November.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

train of thought

So random tidbits,

My car battery died yesterday, hopefully that is all it is and not the alternator (getting that checked out today).

I am in Occidental for a length of time that will require only one more haircut.

Obedience is hard, but it is easier than faith.

Ping pong balls only go missing on my days off.

From the outside it is possible to see what could be, but it is not easy from the outside to see what is.

I have learned more than I thought was possible this year.

There are days I feel like I have forgotten more than was possible.

I don't think I will have closure to my time here at Alliance, because what I have learned was only the prologue for what God has for me in Chicago.

I NEVER thought I would pursue being a pastor.

I never thought I would move somewhere without a job lined up.

I don't know what state I will be in, but I know where I will be Thanksgiving weekend (at a theatre watching The Muppets).

All the plans I once held dear

I now count as loss

Hoping/Needing/Always Needing to be taken back to the cross.

I never in a million years thought that from where I was I could end up here.

I have no idea how what I thought I wanted and needed didn't come to pass, and have no idea how much better God's plan for me is.

I need to find an excuse to drive the Gator one more time.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau

It's TIME to light the lights...

click the link to find out why I am so excited.

--Serving Him alongside all of you, just from further away

--Jesse "Gonzo" Letourneau

a few quick words on the Muppets

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of the passing of Jim Henson. Anyone who knows me, knows that the Muppets have a special place in my heart. I am not sure if I have every spelled out why that is, and at the risk of repeating myself, I am going to talk briefly of why the Muppets are so important to me.

December of 1989 my father contracted Leukemia. July of 1990 my father went home to heaven. The seven or so months in between are some the most memorable and impactfull of my childhood. One memory I have is watching The Jim Henson Hour with my family in Stanford.

During the illness my dad was an out patient at Stanford Medical. He stayed in an apartment with my mom, while my brother and I lived with our Grandparents. Children weren't allowed in the apartment as it was a part of Stanford Medical and was occupied solely with their patients (kids being carriers of all kinds of germs and such). The ritual was this, Mom drives down on Friday, picks us up, drive back to Stanford, spend Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning visiting at the apartment, drive back to Auburn, got to school on Monday.

Friday nights the family would be in front of the television tuned into TGIF on ABC. Among the programs was the aforementioned Jim Henson Hour. Things were for that hour like they had always been.

With my dad's condition worsening, Saturdays were often spent with my mom and brother in town, to give dad some rest. Sundays were spent driving. One of the precious few times our family was all together and things were normal were on those Friday nights.

Jim would pass in May, my father would return to his heavenly home in June. 1990 wasn't a good year for my childhood. Three or so years back I was at Disneyland talking with a good friend of mine. I shared with him how even today watching the Muppets takes me back to being a kid. He summed it all up nicely. "Everything is right with the world when the Muppets are on TV." We then went to go watch the Muppet 4-D Movie in Disney's California Adventure Park.

The weird thing is last year at this time I found myself reflecting on the Muppets more than usual. And the same thing happened this year. The last two weeks or so, I have had Muppets on the brain. It is probably coincidence as the date May 16 wasn't really on my radar until last year.

One More

I don't know how this blog became more about Muppets than about me, but to end out the year I just wanted you all to know that The Muppet Movie has just been announced as a brand new induction to the Library of Congress.
Ah, a bear in his natural habitat... a Studebaker... in the Library of Congress.

randomness

I have had Muppets on the brain lately. Figured out why, Monday was the 19th anniversary of the passing of Jim Henson.

I am "home" in Long Beach now. I missed my church here dearly, but realize that God clearly has work for me elsewhere, and saw several examples of what He wants to do/is doing in and through the ministries at Grace I left to go to camp.

Church attendance in Occidental has been super sporadic at best. Still need some reliable transportation, as my schedule doesn't really gell with available rides.

I have 300 pics on my camera, I plan on posting some of them shortly.

Memorial Day weekend at camp is going to be crazy busy. Please pray that we all survive, with our good nature in tact.

Only two weeks left of teaching, then I become summer staff. I am no fan of physical labor (maintenance, et al.) and don't do well in the heat. Please be praying that physically, emotionally, and spiritually that I not only survive but thrive this summer. Please pray that while my strengths and my gifts won't be utilized this summer like they were during the winter season, that I maintain a positive attitude of service. (and that I get more kitchen/program/cleaning shifts than maintenance shifts)

More Muppets

So, I have been giving a lot (too much) thought to Gonzo and how he has appeared over the years. Like any good decades old character he has undergone several changes in appearance. The most resent I like to call his "Disney-ification."

Outside of Kermit, most of the principal players on the Muppet Show underwent some pretty radical transformations during the show's (all too short) five year run. To say then, that Disney has no right to change the characters look would be unfair. However, the direction that the Muppets have gone since Disney bought the rights to Kermit and company, as been to a more rounded, monochromatic, almost Playschool like appearance. (In point of fact, the classic Disney characters (Mickey, Donald, Goofy) have undergone a similar metamorphosis.) It is a case of marketing (kids like bright colors and soft round shapes) dictating the characters' look, over the character of the character dictation the character's look.

I know that last sentence has a lot of "character" in it, but when dealing with the Muppets it is important to remember that they are first and foremost characters. They have back stories and deep seeded fears, they have strengths and weaknesses, they function as a (highly eclectic and highly unstable) family. To turn them into the "funny one," the "mean one," the "jock," and the "outcast" is to miss the point of what made Jim Henson's crazy characters work so well and be loved for so long.

Kermit's new appearance is the most egregious change brought to the Muppets. However, to Disney's credit they have brought him back to a more classic look.

Classic Kermit (Notice his "skull" is basically a hand) with a more football shaped head

"Disney-fied Kermit' with a almost perfectly spherical head.

And here is Kermit in the most recent Muppet Production ("Letters to Santa")

Notice we are much closer to the original football shaped head.

(Side Note: The Muppets and many other properties have been trying hard to produce a seminal Christmas film in the vain of A Charlie Brown Christmas. The reason Charlie Brown and friends have become a part of American Christmas is that CBS ran the special every year for decades on end. If you want kids to grow up watching your Christmas special, stop making new ones every five years, and simply rerun your show until everyone deems it a classic)

Despite the presence of various and radical changes, Miss Piggy adamantly denies ever having plastic surgery. You be the judge.

BEFORE

AFTER

However, what Disney has done to the pig (make her head as round as possible) seems a little extreme.

Disney-ification

Sadly, one of my favorite Muppets (who makes me smile on appearance alone) has undergone (in my book) the most unfortunate transformation of all.

Old school Fozzie

Disney-ification

I really hate the look of the current furry funny man.

So on to Gonzo.

When Gonzo was first introduced to the world, he was this little weird whatever. Not overly appealing in his appearance (or his "artistic acts").

1976

As the years went by Gonzo grew in size as well as physical appeal (relatively speaking of course)

1981

During what some fans have dubbed "The storybook years", Gonzo continued to grow in size, appearance, and in prominence. In 1992's A Muppet Christmas Carol, Gonzo took center stage as the narrator of the film.

narrator of classic novels and stealer of souls

After Disney bought the Muppets, Gonzo became rounder, softer, and more monochromatic.


Once ugly and predominately purple, Gonzo has morphed into a (somewhat) appealing and mostly blue.















I would be absolutely appalled at the transformation of the little whatever who was booed off the stage when he tried to eat a tire to the tunes of Korsakovo to the alien who is front and center of the recent Disney/Muppet outings, except for one thing:

Dave Golez, the man who has had his hand up Gonzo's tucus, since the first episode of the Muppet Show. Gonzo and Golez are the only character/puppeteer combo to remain in tact since the beginning. Golez/Gonzo are the reason that any heart, any humor, and since of nostalgia are part of recent Muppet productions.

So while I am not a fan of rounded heads and simple color schemes (these ain't the telletubbies) I do love me some Gonzo.

Below is a video of Dave and Gonzo

clicky

Just a Thought

PLUS

EQUALS

My Idol

For Camp we have to fill out bios to go up on the website.
One of the questions is who is someone you admire?

My answer was the Apostle Peter, because no matter how many times he failed, he never failed to try. And the Great Gonzo, for the same reason.

You can never exhaust God's love, you can never drain His grace, and you can't wander beyond His mercy. No matter what it is, there is a reason to get up, dust off, and move on.

Be strong and encouraged my brothers and sisters.

--Jesse Letourneau
Serving Him along side you, just from a little farther away.