Muppets House Band. Photo: Gab Archive/Redferns
Thirty-five years ago a revolutionary new show called The Muppet Show premiered on television. It had a rock ‘n’ roll, counter-cultural spirit –including its own psychedelic house band, replete with a Keith Moon-ish drummer — yet it was structured like an old-timey vaudeville production. It trafficked not only in sophisticated cultural parody but also in broad slapstick. And its stars were a glammy-yet-piggish diva, a long-suffering, sweet-natured straight man and their group of zany, big-hearted friends. For children of a certain age it was more than just an evening’s entertainment; it was an introduction to pop culture and pop music. There were many iconic performances that took place on that stage beneath the withering stares of perpetually un-amused hecklers Statler and Waldorf, many of which featured the biggest musical stars of the era (1976-1981, though it has had a longer shelf life thanks to video and DVD). To honor the show’s big anniversary, the recent tribute compilation dubbed The Green Album and to prepare for the upcoming Jason Segel-penned movie (which is slated for a Thanksgiving release), Hive is celebrating five of the Muppets’ must-see musical moments.
1. Johnny Cash: “Jackson”
It’s weird to see the Man in Black so giddy with enthusiasm to be singing with puppets, but he manages to still look cool fronting Lubbock Lou and the Jughuggers (one of a couple of puppet jugbands to appear on the show) and fussing with two different harmonicas that he’s pretending to play. (What’s the term for lip-synching the harmonica playing?) Though Cash is best known for the version of “Jackson” he recorded with his wife, June Carter Cash — as immortalized in Walk the Line — he’s got pretty good chemistry with Miss Piggy too. [Watch here.]
2. Alice Cooper: “Welcome to My Nightmare”
Alice Cooper, with his theatrical, cartoonish presentation was a perfect match for The Muppet Show’s outsize performance aesthetics. He hams it up with his entrance from within a coffin, sings to and with a skeleton, flourishes his red-and-black cape all the while performing this title track from his 1975 solo debut with a ghostly Muppet band. Sadly we can’t imagine that a man in thick makeup, dressed as Dracula, dancing with ghosts and singing about nightmares would be allowed on a children’s show today. [Watch here.]
3. Paul Simon: “Scarborough Fair”
The Muppet’s musical performances worked best for the many audiences it had to please — parents, small children, stoned teenagers — when they were big theatrical set pieces with lots of puppetry (not just solo performances). By those standards, Paul Simon’s “Scarborough Fair,” with its sprawling Renaissance Faire setting, is one of the show’s best. It takes the folk standard and its historical instrumentation (yes, Simon is playing a lute) and bleeds it of its seriousness with help from Miss Piggy’s vocal contributions, which seem to get more shrill as the song goes on. [Watch here.]
4. Buddy Rich vs. Animal
In this drum battle extraordinaire, Animal, the crazed, flailing, caveman-ish percussionist of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, takes on Buddy Rich, the big band drummer once billed as “the world’s greatest drummer.” It takes quite an energetic man to tire out the manic Animal, but about a minute-and-a-half into this video, the violet-haired Muppet gives up, panting, a casualty of Rich’s elegant, dexterous and swift style. We still remember when this episode, from the show’s final season, aired; never was a 64-year-old jazzman so popular in pre-school. [Watch here.]
5. Elton John: “Crocodile Rock”
To anyone who watched last year’s Grammy Awards, Elton John’s Muppet Show costume must look awfully familiar. And while we love Cee-Lo (and can’t resist the sight of his puppet back-up singers censoring themselves), we prefer the Rocket Man’s performance, if for no other reason than the super-literal, slightly surreal singing crocodiles. Besides if ever a man was born to play a peacock, it’s Elton John. [Watch here.]
