Hi Ho Jim the Henson Here

It was on this day back in 1936 that one Jim Henson came into this world. Henson, as we all (should) know, was the genius puppet-maker and puppeteer behind the creation and voicing of many of the "Muppets" that appeared on TV's Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. 

Henson was best known for creating and voicing Kermit the Frog, that world-famous, lovable, singing and dancing little amphibian. When the young and ambitious Jim joined the crew at Sesame Street in 1969, he began a career co-building with Frank Oz (and others) a huge cast of colourful and fun characters. He voiced Ernie (Bert's easy-going room-mate), Guy Smiley, Herry Monster, and dozens of others. 

I still have fond memories of watching the early episodes of Sesame Street. Hey, I was there when the first episode aired! The baker who tries to carry increasingly large quantifies of food down the stairs, and always falls and gets covered in goop - a hard lesson in counting to ten. Or Grover the waiter serving incomplete alphabet soup. The Martians who discover the telephone on Earth. Ernie and Bert arguing over how bananas keep alligators away. 

A lot of musical memories from Sesame Street, too: the Mahna Mahna song. Johnny Cash singing Nasty Dan for Oscar the Grouch. Singers Stevie Wonder and James Taylor visited the 'hood, too. The Muppets sang Yellow Submarine and All Together Now (both Beatles songs)... the first time I ever heard those tunes! 

In the 70's, Henson put his magical touch on the highly successful The Muppet Show, where he voiced another wacky cast: Kermit (again), the Swedish chef, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Teeth, Uncle Waldorf, and Rowlf the Dog.

A string of Muppet movies were produced over four decades, and they are still as popular as ever. Sadly, Jim Henson passed away in 1990, but his legacy lives on. We all need Muppets in our lives, and the good people associated with the Muppet empire care enough to carry the torch on into this century. The merchandising is off the scale.... I still see kids and adults wearing T-shirts of Miss Piggy and Animal. And what little kid doesn't have an Elmo doll?

Probably EVERY kid's favourite book

(author: Jon Stone)

When I was young. one of my favourite books was The Monster at the End of this Book, Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover. This 1971 story by Jon Stone became the bestselling Sesame Street book of all time, and is to this day considered one of the top children's books around. Well-deserved high praise. Alternately funny and gently scary, this Golden Book is a classic, and the child-like Grover played no small part in the equation. Great fun.... I even read the book with my daughter when she was little, and it played a role in her reading development.

Between the various TV series and specials, movies, toys and books and clothing lines, the Henson empire has become second to none.... even Disney, since the Muppets are now part of that domain. Henson had a hand in (pun intended) developing characters that are known the world over, even decades after their inception. Even when he wasn't the creator, it was under his reign that many more popular characters came about. Think about it. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie and Bert, Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, The Count, Gonzo, Beaker, Animal, and Fozzie Bear.

Jim Henson touched so many lives, so many generations. We should never forget how he and his Muppets amused and educated us in our formative years. And how we were entertained as adults by the spin-off shows and movies. And how we shared our own childhood shows and characters with our own children. Sort of magical, isn't it?

A Heavy Metal Education

When I was a kid of around twelve or thirteen, talk among the guys in the schoolyard was often about the band Kiss. That was in the mid-to-late 70's, so it was absolutely relevant at the time. That was the beginning of my fixation with heavy rock. Sadly, I didn't really have anyone to look to for guidance in this area. None of my friends or acquaintances said much about anything besides Pink Floyd, Queen or Supertramp.

But through my first FM rock radio exposure and some blind-buys at the record store, I discovered stuff like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Angel. Most of my heavy metal (and very heavy rock, I guess) education came via Q107, the primo radio station out of Toronto, Canada at the time. Here, I kindled a love of musical things dark and loud... the New Wave of British Heavy Metal brought Motorhead, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Venom (just to name a few of the biggest bands of that movement). Ozzy put his personal footprint upon the metal landscape when he moved on from Sabbath and produced some landmark albums. Dio, who replaced Mr. Osborne, brought his own style and image to the Sab camp, reviving the floundering giant. I was and still am a huge fan of the Dio/Sabbath collaborations.

Judas Priest had been tearing a hole in the metal scene for a while, and by the time I was hip to this stuff, I was fastened to the radio as their Stained Class and British Steel albums made waves in the genre. And of course, Screaming For Vengeance was their answer to the NWOBHM that threatened the old guard. Priest survived and thrived accordingly. 

While radio continued to fuel my passion for heavy music, I began to collect the monthly rock music magazines Circus, and Hit Parader. Those publications became valuable sources of information for new and old metal, since I was the only kid in my crowd who liked heavy music so much. As I messed around on a guitar for the first time, I found that the guitar-related magazines were a big help, too. Guitar Player and Guitar For The Practicing Musician were my favourites during the 80's, and it was through these mags that I discovered less commercially known artists like Fates Warning, Joe Satriani, and Malmsteen.

And from the European continent (Germany, to be specific), came Scorpions and Accept, both exciting and influential groups who set the world on fire for a while. I was a huge fan of the Scorps for much of the 80's, and only knew the odd tune by Accept, though I more recently added a fine compilation of their Kraut Metal to my collection... all hail lead guitarist extraordinaire Wolf Hoffmann! And those Udo years really were the best. 

Naturally, being a Canadian lad, I became attached to the prog-metal of Rush (as far back as the late 70's) and even the slightly lighter rock fare of Triumph (my very first arena concert) and Max Webster (first "concert" ever... at my high school). During the 80's, we Canucks got a shot of catchy radio metal from upstarts Coney Hatch, Santers, and Killer Dwarfs. Helix, Kickaxe, Anvil, and Voivod were among the next wave of of rowdy homegrown rockers. I saw some of those guys at gigs.... great times. I found a lot of info on a lot of bands, old and new, here on our continent and across the pond, through the new-ish Kerrang magazine. 

Of the glam metal acts, only Van Halen endured for me. Right from their not-so-humble late-70's beginnings, I was hooked on their party tunes forged from Roth's exuberant call-to-arms and Eddie's searing fretboard mastery.

Interestingly, as a teen and young man, I found myself the "teacher" as I influenced the musical choices of my peers. Whenever I discovered something new, I'd share that music with friends. I wasn't always successful, but at least I opened up some minds to more extreme music. I remember how the gang would rock out on AC/DC but showed no interest in my taste for Iron Maiden, Motorhead, and Scorpions. Def Leppard was about as far as they'd go... and though Lep did fine work on their early albums, they were lightweights. 

As we neared the end of the 80's, I enjoyed the heavy-prog of Joe Satriani and found something to like about those new thrash bands called Metallica and Megadeth, who were near and dear to me for years. Enter the 90's, and I'd discovered the Sabbath-like dirges of Alice in Chains... some of my fave stuff from that era. I also dabbled in the prog-metal of Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Fates Warning. Good at the time but my interest was temporary. Thankfully, the radio and the guitar magazines kept me informed, as well as a new, somewhat like-minded metalhead friend. Plus there was this new thing called the Internet, which allowed me to search out new music and to discuss my interests with like-minded fans in metal discussion groups.

It took me a little longer to get into Savatage and Slayer, though I remember their music videos from back in the day. Savatage's Hall of the Mountain King album was on my radar for years (I saw the video for the title song way back), and when I finally heard that entire album, I quickly dug into their hefty catalogue of great music. And when I got around to Slayer, I checked out all their albums, and quickly decided that they weren't entirely to my taste, though they had some great songs here and there on their earlier recordings (Hell Awaits, Angel of Death, Raining Blood, South of Heaven, and War Ensemble, just to name a few). Sodom, the German counterpart to Slayer, was similarly good, if spotty.

I kind of let metal alone for the late 90's and early 2000's, probably not missing much, and when I came back to it, I was turned onto the black metal artists Carpathian Forest and Satyricon, plus the excellent Swedish proggy band Opeth. Oh, and the early albums (especially #3) of the very cool Danzig, who has found a happy place on my CD shelf.  

I guess the newest music I've heard that I love is that of Swedish band Ghost. Their three studio albums and one EP are in constant rotation on my player. Great melodic modern metal with a nice nod to their influences, Kiss and King Diamond. Who else? Oh, Havok is reviving the oldschool thrash style with a lot of fanfare. And I sort of like Airbourne, who actually do the AC/DC shtick better than the original Aussie boys themselves. At least Havok are a lot younger and can do the sweaty, shirtless look without shame.

The learning never ends. There is so much metal, old and new, that I'll spend a lifetime unearthing new bands and albums every day - and that's where the internet comes into play. So the fun never ends. Party on, Garth.

50 Years of Star Trek

It's hard to believe the phenomenon of Star Trek has endured for so long - fifty years! Well, then again, if James Bond can do it for even longer - why not? I guess the fact that Trek barely even retained a spot in the TV line-up for its shaky three seasons in the 60's (facing constant threats of cancellation) makes its now-legendary status even more impressive. The show didn't become a hit until the 70's, when in syndication it attracted its dedicated followers. Even the less fanatic viewers (non-Trekkies) discovered the fun and escapism in Kirk and Spock's intergalactic adventures. And those same folks today have fond feelings of nostalgia for the show.

I was just about the right age, getting close to my teens, when Star Trek began its 70's boom. I was enamoured by this bold "new" science fiction show which dared to tackle real issues that we Earthlings had on our minds (most notably, civil rights). Well, as a kid I was more concerned about seeing some phaser fights and monstrous aliens. But as I grew up and re-watched those old episodes, I understood the more adult themes presented in the show. 

Star Trek was and is more than a flight of fancy, a fictional diversion. It inspired and influenced people in the arts, sciences, technology, and more. Think about it. The first NASA space shuttle was named "Enterprise" after the famed vessel in Star Trek. 

How about the portable gadgets we use on a daily basis? Cell phones (especially the early flip-phones) aren't a stretch from Trek's communicators.... "beam me up, Scotty". Our modern commonplace iPad and other tablet devices were borne out of the ST: The Next Generation PADDS (personal access display device). How about Bluetooth headsets? Remember how Lt. Uhura wore a single earpiece as she sat at her communications station? 

The tricorders the Star Trek scientific staff used for sensing, recording and processing data became portable units in real life during the 90's. Then there are the computer floppy disks and USB drives we Earthlings have used; think about the small square data "cards" used in the 60's show - inserted into consoles... and in The Next Generation, they used small chips that held huge quantities of data, much like our USB drives today. Oh, and how about voice-activated devices, frequently used in Star Trek (the ship's crew verbally address computers to activate them, and then to submit and access information)? In our modern real world, we are surrounded by voice activated devices (the option is often, if not always, available) like smartphones, computers, cars, and other electronics. 

Old Star Trek books from my 70's fandom phase

The fictional starship's transporter used a GPS-like technology to locate far-away people and objects. We use GPS all the time in real life, on our smartphones, computers, and in our cars. Dr. McCoy's medical diagnostic beds were the inspiration for a university scientific team's construction of a sickbay that monitored patients for early signs of disease. Then there was the scalpel-free surgery performed by Star Trek's medical staff... and today we have ultrasound surgery that heals tumours and injured lungs.

And the holodeck on Next Generation? Our latest technology has blessed us with virtual reality headsets. We're getting there. Star Trek's universal translator has been developed into a usable hand-held unit for the U.S. military. 

Whether we know it or not, we are surrounded by Star Trek. Creator Gene Roddenberry's imaginative and prophetic show (and its subsequent movies and spin-off series) influenced and inspired many inventions, many more than I mentioned here. 

So raise your glass of Romulan ale and salute the greatest long-running science fiction creation of all time. Cheers!

Reading Habits... A Real Page-turner

Just today, I got to thinking about my reading habits. I love books and have been a consistently voracious reader my whole life. But there are little lulls here and there, sometimes following one or more lengthy, brain-busting novels. 

Homer's The Odyssey did that to me (though I did love it), as did Secret Wars by Gordon Thomas (great, and a modest length, but so loaded with names and dates and places.... I thought I left all that behind in school!) and Perdito Street Station by China Mieville (not heavy heavy, just mind-bending imaginative world-building). And James Joyce's Ulysses taunts me from the bookshelf; I started it several years ago, but set it aside unfinished in favour of a lighter, "comfort food" novel. I guess it just wasn't meant to be - at the time. Sometimes you just need a little breather like that. Someday, I'll tackle Ulysses again. And thankfully, I've learned I'm not alone in my struggle with that book; a friend told me he dealt with it the same way. 

I think what got me to thinking about all this were my hours with Cormack McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses this morning. When I awoke, the sky was murky gray and sheets of rain were pelting down. I ate a small breakfast and brewed up some tea. That tea was a signal to my brain that I was going to sit myself down and finish up this book. Don't get me wrong, I love All the Pretty Horses... in fact, this is my second reading of the novel, and I know I'll revisit it again down the road (or trail, considering the subject matter). 

And I did sit down with my tea and the sound of rain spattering my windows as I followed the adventures of John Grady Cole as he trekked through Mexico to return home in Texas. I finished the book and now look forward to my next literary excursion. I even transferred my favourite old, tattered, yellow Post-It bookmark from the McCormack book to my next choice. I actually own a few very nice store-bought bookmarks (a silly Garfield one with a fuzzy tassle from the 80's, and a fancy artsy one), yet I acquire and cling to crappy little scraps of paper for placeholders. Whatever.

On deck is a bit of a guilty pleasure (well, I'm sure it will be once I've actually read it), American on Purpose, the memoirs of TV personality Craig Ferguson. Just a light and funny diversion before I address something more substantial, perhaps Nick Rankin's Ian Fleming's Commandos, the real-life stories of the James Bond creator's exploits during WWII. Or The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Revert... a supernatural mystery I've read and enjoyed before. 

So, yes, a rainy Sunday morning is often inviting for a long and leisurely reading session. On the flip-side, I also find that a sunny weekend afternoon can be equally suited to a good book. I'll open up the windows, sip a cold drink, and immerse myself in a story.

I used to, when the mood struck me or I was so captivated by a book, that I'd spend an entire evening in my comfy chair, feverishly flipping pages to see what happens next. But in recent years, with a job that demands a very early wake-up call, I have not had the stamina to keep my eyes open for long that late in the day. After dinner, I'm usually ready for a TV show or two, or a movie, then it's lights out. I put this down to tiredness after rising early and a long day at work, plus on some days, a six to eight kilometre run immediately after work. Yes, I think I earn the right to vegetate in front of the tube for a couple of hours on weekday evenings.

It isn't often that I become so absorbed in a book that I feel I must read it all in one or two sittings. But it does happen on occasion. When I was a teenager, and even in my twenties and thirties, I used to start a book after dinner and read well into the small hours of the morning in order to reach the final page. During my teen years, I'd zip through several books a week, like Michael Moorcock's Elric saga. Crazy. But my reading speed and stamina aren't what they used to be. In fact, I would much rather take an easy pace so that I can better savour a well-told tale. Not always, but usually. 

For example, the book The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, is one that I love to pore over unhurriedly, soaking up the details and the creeping dread atmosphere. I find I can more fully appreciate a novel this way. Sure, there are quick reads, like the Lawrence Block mysteries, my favourites being the Bernie Rhodenbarr "Burglar" books. I can race through those easy-to-digest stories, enjoying the ride immensely. It's good to mix it up with a light read now and then to let the brain recover from heavy engagement with a daunting tome.

I own books at both ends of the spectrum, but I suppose most of them fall somewhere in the middle. My shelves are jam-packed with crime fiction by the likes of Michael Connelly and Jo Nesbo, just to name a couple of recent favourites. Robert B. Parker, Patricia Cornwell, and Lawrence Block series are in their too, not to mention my spy thrillers by Len Deighton and Ian Fleming. 

The winter time here in Canada is more conducive to reading a lot. It's a bit tricky to find time in summer, when I find myself dedicating weekend afternoons to watching the Toronto Blue Jays play ball. I'm not a sports nut by any stretch, baseball being the only pro sport I follow.... and even then, only the occasional Jays game. But like I said before, a rainy Sunday morning sets the stage for some book fun.

Autumn sets the stage for more indoor activities, namely those enjoyed in an easy-chair with a book. For instance, come October, I always feel compelled to haul out a collected works of Edgar Allan Poe that I've picked at a little at a time over the years. Just a story or poem or two each year, leading up to All Hallow's Eve. And if my heavy horror movie consumption that month permits, I may try to squeeze in some more seasonal fiction, such as The October Country, a collection of short macabre tales by the master, Ray Bradbury.

Winter in this country can get downright nasty, though in recent years, the weather has been more moderate. The worst days are fewer and it's a bit easier to get through the cold and snowy season. I'm not a winter person... never have been. I hibernate. Sure, I make a short walk to and from work, and I pick up groceries within my neighbourhood. Pop out to a pub occasionally. But other than that, my world shrinks significantly. My movie viewing and book reading increases dramatically once December hits. Then four or five months of frigid, messy conditions. So I just stay in with my home entertainment: shelves and shelves of movies, books, and music. Not bad at all for someone who is quite content to be a homebody. 

In fact, I'm sort of looking forward to a miserable Canadian winter so I can plug into my fave books and movies even more often. No baseball or clear running paths to distract me.

Cue the Laugh Track... TV Comedy Classics

As I laugh until it hurts over my favourite comedy shows these days, I realize that very little on actual television is truly funny any more. I mean, my favourite TV comedies of recent years completed their lengthy runs and are now off the air. Programs like 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm (I hear it's coming back, though), Californication, and The Office (NBC). I barely watched TV sit-coms after that little crop went kaput. 

Three of my favourite things: Star Wars, Tina Fey, and eye-rolling.

All together on NBC's 30 Rock.

Some shows of the 2000's started off strong then lost steam as they overstayed their welcome, like Community, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, The King of Queens, That 70's Show, Scrubs, and Two and a Half Men. All gone now.

Lately, I've gotten into some good newer shows, but they aren't even on TV; they are Netflix (streaming internet) productions. I guess this is a sign of the times.... TV is dying and internet entertainment is growing exponentially. Viewers the world over are jumping on board, many cutting the pricey cable services while they're at it. 

I dropped cable a few years ago and haven't looked back. Occasionally I miss the odd thing about having that archaic yet nostalgic medium pumping into my home. Like the Turner Classic Movies and other movie channels, the Today show on weekend mornings, catching the traditional format news, and tuning in to the occasional made-for-TV movie (like the Jesse Stone crime series - which has since migrated over to Netflix... yay!).

WKRP's on-air DJ Dr. Johnny Fever.... the aliens have landed,

the aliens have landed!

I'm not in any way affiliated with Netflix nor am I accepting any money for plugging the "network", but I have found several series to love as much as, if not more than, what cable TV offered. The best I've seen so far is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, brought to you by Tina Fey (of 30 Rock fame) and her comedic crew. A little while back I enjoyed Netflix comedy/dramedies like Lilyhammer, Derek (Ricky Gervais at his best, I think), and Master of None, The fun and slightly dramatic Flaked (with Will Arnett) caught my attention, too, as did Love (with Gillian Jacobs). 

Oh, and I've also discovered TV shows of the 2000's that were later made available on the web service... like Weeds, Freaks and Geeks (the best show ever cancelled?), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project (though it's gone downhill quickly), and The IT Crowd. I got into the British series Spaced a few years back, and loved Simon Pegg and his pals doing Big Bang Theory UK style. 

And now I ponder some of my favourite comedy shows of all time, somewhat in order of preference. It's tough to rank nostalgic oldies against newer gut-busters. Some entries feel a bit out of order, but I've at least tried to put my most-loved picks near the top of the list. Enjoy:

30 Rock (numero uno, without a doubt)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (a close second)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (good ol' Larry)
Frasier
Seinfeld
Newhart (and The Bob Newhart Show... all comedy gold)
Fawlty Towers (I may need a defibrillator on hand next time I watch this)
WKRP (so under-appreciated back in the day)
Freaks and Geeks (hey, that was me!)
Everybody Loves Raymond
The John Larroquette Show (dark, biting humour almost unequalled in TV)
Derek
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Futurama (way better than I expected)
Spaced
Mr. Bean (pantomime never gets old)
Big Bang Theory
King of Queens (a dopey guilty pleasure)
Community (early seasons are hilarious, but the quality drops over time)
Rules of Engagement (this one flew under the radar, but I loved Warburton's style)
The Simpsons
M.A.S.H. 
Arrested Development
Californication
The Larry Sanders Show
The Office (NBC)
All in the Family 
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Happy Days (I could re-watch the whole series now... well, up until Fonzie jumps the shark)
Get Smart (I'm pretty sure I'd still love this... as a kid, I wanted to work as a spy for Control)
Cheers
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Home Improvement (dopey but likable)
Malcolm in the Middle
The Muppet Show
Fernwood Tonight (Martin Mull in his early TV satire days)
The Cosby Show (yeah, I know, but it's still funny, right?)
Kids in the Hall
Three's Company (what can I say? It's obvious....)