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ToughPigs at 20 Episode #5: Anthony Strand · Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com

0:06
Hello, and welcome to tough pigs at 20, a muppet fan podcast from
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tough pigs.com. This is the series where we're
0:14
looking back on the past, two decades of the website, for
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Muppet fans who grew up featuring interviews with the
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writers and artists who helped make it happen.
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Our Guest today has been a valued member of the tough, big
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steam since 2007. He's the author of over 100
0:28
articles Hosts of the Movin, right, along podcast, and owner
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of one of the most remarkable memories for obscure pop
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culture. We are extremely proud to
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welcome, Anthony strand of the podcast.
0:40
Hello Anthony. Hi Joe.
0:43
Hey, how are you buddy? I'm good, I'm good.
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I don't feel like saying that I have.
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This remarkable memory is just setting me up for listeners to
0:53
be. Like I remember more things than
0:55
he does. That guy makes mistakes on his
0:57
podcast all the time. But, here's the thing.
1:01
You, you do have a remarkable memory for, for Muppet stuff.
1:06
But like, what people don't know, is like, the all the
1:08
conversations that you, and I have about movies and comics and
1:13
things from the 1940s, or whatever.
1:15
It is, like, you are able to just like pull the stuff out of
1:18
your brain and I am consistently in.
1:21
Awe of the way your brain works. Well, thank you.
1:25
Thank you. I'm, I'm consistently in awe of
1:27
your charisma, and he's with people.
1:29
So thank you. Thank you, what a team.
1:36
Let's but let's talk about this website that we both work on.
1:39
It's called tough pigs. It's a muppet fan site and how
1:42
did you join it? Love.
1:43
It was your, what's your story behind your joining tough pigs?
1:47
Well, I was a regular on the tough pigs Forum beginning in
1:52
about 2003. I think I had been a muppet
1:55
Central guy as a team as a as a cruelty and That on the internet
2:00
all day. Weren't we all?
2:03
What was your screen name on my central?
2:06
My screenname on Muppet Central was simply Zoot, and I signed
2:10
you nabbed Zoot. I nabbed a suit.
2:13
And I signed all of my posts. Crazy, man.
2:17
Zoot classy. Thank you.
2:21
Yeah. But then, when Danny started
2:23
tough pigs, took me a while, but I eventually defected over to
2:27
tough pigs. As did so many of us in those
2:28
days, And I was just a fan. I was big tough pigs fan from
2:32
day one. Of course, I read every every
2:35
article and then well because then you and I got to be
2:39
friends. Me and Ryan got to be friends
2:41
independent before you guys took over the site.
2:44
Yes. And I can tell that Ryan and I
2:46
did a tape trade in about 2000. That's how we became friends.
2:50
And one of us included a reference to a night, at the
2:54
Opera, the Marx Brothers movie in the email list of what we
2:59
wanted to trade. And then the other one is like,
3:01
oh, you like the Marx Brothers to?
3:03
We have other common interests. Let's be friends.
3:05
So that's what Ryan and I became friends and then you you were on
3:10
the Forum starting in about the same time as me 2003 issue.
3:13
Is that about right? Yes, I joined, I joined in 2003
3:17
and then I became very active closer 2004.
3:21
But yeah, that was that was. Yeah.
3:23
And then I don't know. I probably said something about
3:26
Comics or you said something about comics on the Forum.
3:29
It was just like, oh, we have another common interest.
3:31
So let's be friends because I read, I remember specifically we
3:35
were on AOL, Instant Messenger, right?
3:38
It was, I was wimbley marks that you are, DJ Johnny paranoid,
3:42
correct. And, but I don't remember, like,
3:47
I think, I messaged you like, hey, like, following up on
3:51
whatever you said about Batman or whatever, and you're just
3:53
like, yeah, I'd love to have someone else to talk comics with
3:56
and then that just never stopped and we've been talking about it.
4:00
Ever since it literally never stopped and I know we have to
4:03
talk about topics but what I think people might find
4:06
interesting and might not is that you and I over the last few
4:09
years we've been doing some some comic book book club stuff.
4:14
We read through all of the flash from the 1985 to 2000 something
4:20
2004. Yeah 9 I guess.
4:23
Yeah like that was a lot of flash.
4:26
A little too much. A little too much.
4:27
Some would say. There's a little too much Flash.
4:29
Shhhh and we are currently reading rereading 52 because
4:33
we're both DC Comics guys, and that's fun, right?
4:36
But that's what we do. We learn book club, this stuff,
4:38
you know, yeah. All the time, like, it's still
4:40
gorgeous. Now, look like a 18 years of
4:44
friendship that came here, right?
4:46
Right. They did the math right.
4:47
No, that's yeah. There's a yeah, that's about
4:49
right? Yeah, yeah.
4:50
And and we're still talking about the same crap.
4:54
Well, but but but that's what I was gonna say.
4:57
I feel like this is all tough pigs because I would, I would
5:01
not become a writer for tough pigs.
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If I wasn't such good friends with both you and right.
5:06
Like, that's, that's how it happened.
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You guys, took over the site and it was just like, oh, Anthony.
5:11
That guy, that guy can talk, that guy knows some stuff.
5:14
Let's get Anthony to write for this rate.
5:16
I imagine like, I mean, did we? Well, that's the question.
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Did we approach you? We must have.
5:21
We might because it because I probably wrote reached out to a
5:24
bunch of people to be like, hey, we're doing this thing.
5:26
Who wants to write, write my memory of it was that At.
5:30
Yeah, it was like this email from one.
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I don't remember who one of you that said, like, hey, we're
5:36
taking over tough pigs and we want to get like a team of
5:38
writers together. Do you have any interest?
5:41
Yeah, that's not in being part of that team, you know?
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Because I I certainly wasn't going to be like, hmm, I have
5:48
opinions about The Muppets that are equal to others.
5:51
Let me let let me, you know, be be wise, you know?
5:57
Because I'm I don't think I'm, I don't think I'm better than
6:01
anyone else. Joe Anthony, you're 100% wrong.
6:05
It's amazing. How wrong you because my
6:06
brother-in-law. Bernie says yeah here because
6:10
not only do you do you actually Have good opinions.
6:12
You're a great writer. You're a funny writer.
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I love it. When you come to me, you say,
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hey I have an idea for this ridiculous thing.
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Can I write it? And I'm always like, yes, you
6:22
don't need to ask, just do it man.
6:24
I can't wait to read that thing. It's gonna be so good.
6:27
So, speaking of that, I want to, I want to go back in time to
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March 15th, 2007, when we published your very first
6:34
article, do you recall what it was?
6:36
Okay, so I think my first article is the tough pigs.
6:41
In November 9th, 1970 thing, one correct, which is my cranky
6:45
review of the Sesame Street, season 2 premiere written as
6:49
though. I'm a fan Who Loved season one
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and don't want Sesame Street to change.
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See like, that's what I'm talking about.
6:55
That's a brilliant idea. Who else would think of that?
6:59
What a great idea. Like you're talking to happen.
7:02
Yeah, good. Well just there's the old school
7:07
DVD set had come out recently at that time.
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And season 2 premiere has a look at the main thing was in the
7:16
first episode. Ernie doesn't have a shirt on
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which I know isn't the whole first season.
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I think it's just that one sketch, but season 2, I'm just
7:23
like, oh I watched it, I'm like, oh, I'm so mad.
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They gave Ernie a shirt, Sesame Street is changing too much.
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So that's that was where the whole idea came from.
7:33
Was that the idea that I would watch the season 2 premiere and
7:37
just be like everything's bad. Um but I do One regret about
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that article. What's that?
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Which is that the season 2 premiere has Bill Cosby in it.
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And I just talked about Bill Cosby.
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Like, he's a cool guy in that order.
7:52
Oh yeah, we didn't know. Yeah, yeah, we didn't know.
7:54
So if you go back and read it listeners, sorry, it really was
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2007. Yeah, so I don't know.
8:02
He was very it was very 2007. Well, I think it's a great
8:07
article, it's a great concept. It's the kind of thing where I
8:09
think we even discuss like doing more in that vein later on, but
8:13
it was just like, you nailed it and in the first one, we don't
8:16
want to just repeat the prank. That was the that was the thing.
8:19
I remember trying to come up with something for like, Muppet
8:23
Show season 2 and like, you know, doing something about how
8:26
I just love Hilda and droop, and George the janitor and stuff.
8:29
But like, there was no Way to make it a different joke.
8:33
Right. Yeah.
8:35
The right? You are.
8:36
You've already written that article, you can still find and
8:39
replace. Yeah, that's it.
8:41
Exactly. So you have a, I wrote on some
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of my favorite articles that are kind of in that same vein that
8:51
they're just like, weird, weird articles and the concepts are so
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good and I'm so glad that we get to put them on topics.
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I'm going to tell you about some of them.
9:00
The first, the first one I wrote down was actually not a tough
9:03
pigs article but it was It has been moved to the toppings
9:07
website, since we took over the Muppet mindset and that is your
9:12
weekly Muppet. Monday article.
9:15
Four Legions weekly member Wednesdays.
9:17
We gleam of it was easy. Wednesdays.
9:19
Yes. Yeah.
9:20
What was that? What was it?
9:23
Weekly Muppet Wednesdays for the gingerbread bed?
9:26
Oh yes. Well, so, was this article that
9:28
you wrote for my phone rings. So, Muppet mindset used to do
9:31
this feature called weekly Muppet Wednesdays.
9:33
Where every Wednesday, it was just like today's featured
9:37
character is Fozzie Bear and then had all these categories
9:41
who is Fozzie Bear? Why do the Muppets need Fozzie?
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Bear was part of it, which which is fine when it's Fozzie Bear,
9:48
right? But then eventually it got to be
9:50
like Angus, mcgonagle. The argyle gargoyle of gargoyle
9:53
is Gershwin, right? So it's like, why do the Muppets
9:56
need Angus McGonigal. And you can feel Ryan Dozier in
9:59
those days or whoever it was eventually just kind of
10:02
straining to say why the Muppets needed some joke character,
10:06
that's in one episode. The Muppets obviously don't meet
10:10
and that's what inspired that article was.
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I was just like, what if I did a dumb one-off character and like,
10:15
took it seriously as though they were the most important Muppet
10:19
of all time. So, I chose that.
10:21
Your bread men because the gingerbread men from the Don
10:23
Knotts episode. They sing the song, Sweet?
10:26
Gingerbread man. Frank Oz does this very strange
10:29
vocal feel like I'm made out of gingerbread, right?
10:33
Um, I don't people make fun of it.
10:35
I love it. I love how we do.
10:37
Obviously I love, I love it. Yeah, I love it on.
10:41
Ironically, I think it's such a fun number but it's also weird.
10:45
Right? The best sandwiches.
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Yeah, the backup dancers are just full body, gingerbread man,
10:49
with no moving mouths, whatever. Oh, yeah.
10:52
So I decided that they were a very successful group who had a
10:56
early peak in the 60s. And then some low times, had to
10:59
come back in the 70s, mid to late 70s, which is when they
11:02
went on The Muppet Show, I think sparked by The Muppet Show.
11:05
If I remember, right? That was kind of what launched
11:07
their big comeback was, this course, triumphant, son of a
11:10
bitch. Oh naturally broke up.
11:11
And and then I, you know, I signed all of them different
11:16
things, one of them became an actor and was in was in, I
11:20
think. Said he was in Robert Altman's
11:22
fortunes cookie and and Terry gilliam's, The Brothers Grimm or
11:27
something like that. One of them.
11:33
One of them did a, did a do X Album which was singing with.
11:38
I think I said, Martha Stewart, G Kerr, and the Swedish Chef
11:42
among other culinary Giants or something like that.
11:46
So it's dumb. It's but but I'll say this,
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that's my favorite thing I've ever written about the Muppets.
11:51
And like worthwhile, like, I mean, that's a good, that's a
11:54
good thing to put in your cat, but my favorite thing about that
11:56
article, aside from how hysterical is, is that we never
12:02
really talked to Ryan. Do sure about this, but I think
12:05
he just kind of posted it thinking, like, oh yeah, you did
12:08
all this research about the gingerbread men and like,
12:10
there's no, no sign. That's that, that's not true.
12:14
No, you don't think I'll go back and read it.
12:17
Go back and read it. He says like this week's In 10
12:21
hilarious article is from Anthony, stir something like
12:23
that. We are not aware like
12:25
compliments my yeah. Okay.
12:27
But well, I like to think that should I should I should
12:31
apologize to Ryan? Maybe I think, you know what?
12:34
I'm going to say the other thing.
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The other thing I ever wrote for a muppet mindset was on the
12:40
occasion of Sesame. Street's 45th anniversary.
12:42
He wanted to get 45 people to say, their favorite Sesame
12:46
moment and I didn't know the extent.
12:51
Don't like when the article came out it has a million Delgado.
12:53
In it, it has like a bunch of people who work on the show.
12:56
I don't remember who, but a bunch of puppeteers actors from
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the show. Ya later.
13:01
See ya. I thought it was just gonna be
13:03
like you and Ryan. And you know, Michael were
13:05
moved, who wrote for wrote for the mines, you know, I thought
13:08
it was like that type of I thought it was over and part of
13:11
it was like that we were pepper. Look, friends were peppered in
13:13
there, right? Yeah.
13:14
Right. There were plenty.
13:15
There were playing fans, but so I decided just because I thought
13:18
it was funny to do a fake. Sketch to submit a fake sketch
13:23
as my moment and right. Ryan row invented years ago, a
13:30
David Redmond character named. Craig monster.
13:33
Whose catchphrase was why? Yes, I do have some gum and I
13:39
was obsessed with this, like, so, I decided that it would be
13:43
Craig monster and Dougie Doug accidentally making a gum bubble
13:48
that like blows the roof off of the around.
13:51
Corner set or something. I don't remember some, it's
13:54
English those things were it's so specific and yet it's like
13:57
well, how are you going to check?
13:58
How would you know, right so that's what I put and it was in
14:05
there with like alongside all these like, real moments from
14:09
from Yasmin Aires and I feel like I'm definitely confusing
14:13
those two stories and that is exactly what I was thinking of.
14:15
And that's the one that I think. I think Ryan just put it in
14:18
there. And yeah, it made me look like
14:21
An idiot. I feel but oh well.
14:22
Well, but nobody knew, except for us.
14:24
You know what I mean? Right.
14:25
Nobody like pressure, people were like Craig monster.
14:27
I remember that guy, but, hey, I didn't watch the around the
14:29
corner days, so who knows? Yeah, no it's perfectly
14:33
plausible. Yeah, but I love how the life of
14:36
Craig monster and how, like, like, Brian Roe had like drawn a
14:41
picture of him. So we knew what he looked like
14:42
and he looked like, like, just like an or like a basic.
14:46
This is a Sesame Street monster, but he's got a hat.
14:49
Yeah, like a strong like a straw boater.
14:51
Andre. Yeah, exactly.
14:52
Like he's running for mayor and the turn of the century and we,
14:58
I still have like Ryan. Drew a picture of a man is still
15:00
on my fridge somewhere. And you approach, David Rudman
15:05
about, I did it. Did so, David Redman was in
15:08
Columbia, Missouri in 2010. He signed our copy, the 40th
15:13
anniversary, book signed my mother Christmas Carol laser
15:15
disc, which was a thrill, I asked him if he would sign it by
15:19
Peter Cratchit. And he said, which ones Turk
15:21
ratchet, did I play him? And I said you did.
15:24
And trust me. Yeah, but okay.
15:26
Peter Cratchit has two lines or something, right?
15:29
Um, it smells so good mother but it's good.
15:39
That was good. Redmond needs to watch his back.
15:41
You're gonna take over. But no.
15:45
I asked him if I could get a video of him saying, why?
15:48
Yes, I do have some gum and he was just like, no, I don't know
15:52
where that's going to end up and I'm like, you know what fair so
15:56
yeah, didn't have a but what a big great one.
15:59
I just wanted to like I just wanted to send it to you and
16:02
Ryan in that moment. Yeah.
16:03
You know, right. But he doesn't know you it,
16:04
right? He like he doesn't know yet.
16:06
Right? I understand.
16:06
Yeah, yeah. Oh good.
16:09
Oh good. But that's hysterical.
16:10
All right, so let's move on to some of your other favorite
16:13
topics articles. You wrote an open letter to Bill
16:15
prady. Yes, I did.
16:20
So and open letters, but I just want to say about it is it was
16:24
hard for me to find this article because the title of the article
16:27
is an open letter to Bill Brady. And that is not what the article
16:31
is about, but sorry. But please, please explain what
16:34
this was, but that was part of the joke, because the idea was
16:38
that the it's presented. As though the premises, here's
16:42
some ideas, I have for the Muppets 2015, you're bringing
16:45
them up its back. Here's some ideas.
16:47
I have But my only idea is that it still makes me laugh.
16:54
Only idea is that the character durwood Clapper.
17:01
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Clapper The Muppets My Muppet
17:15
Show mobile game. Yes, it was a game on your other
17:19
way. You can play on your phone with
17:21
the Muppets. Yes.
17:22
Playing music. And you like by Muppets and then
17:24
they you place them, then they play music and they make these
17:26
really catchy, large songs. All when they play all together,
17:30
right? And this game existed for like,
17:32
less than two years. Yeah, but it was around for a
17:35
blip. Yeah.
17:36
Right. But it had a bunch of original
17:38
characters along with, you know, you don't get the good ones
17:41
here, you know? Get?
17:42
Uncle, deadly right away, right? You get durwood Clapper, And
17:46
durwood Clapper. All he does is like clap in
17:48
Rhythm every few seconds and he Stomps sometimes and he Stomps,
17:52
right? And so an open letter to Bill.
17:54
Brady is me begging him to include durwood Clapper in
17:58
Muppets 2015. And I make a bunch of
18:00
suggestions of like the ways to incorporate durwood Clapper into
18:04
this Muppets in the real world, premise and others we have so
18:09
many questions. Like how many claps does he
18:11
know? My favorite one was what happens
18:14
if durwood unleashes Super clap. I believe that that's it.
18:19
And I also propose that he should meet up with his hero.
18:22
Daryl or yeah. John Oates from Holland oats?
18:25
Yeah, for sure. Can I also, one thing I just
18:28
love about the idea of door wood Clapper.
18:30
It's like they didn't like they designed like this Muppet.
18:33
That looks so interesting and unique like durwood Clapper
18:36
looks like an anything Muppet. Who's like, like a roadie for?
18:40
I don't know. The Dixie Chicks.
18:41
There's something like he's just like, he's wearing a hat.
18:45
And yeah. Yeah, another t-shirt
18:48
undershirts and in like, you know, and Boots like, you know,
18:52
like workers boots, like that's it, he's the he's the dullest
18:55
looking character and all he does is clapping stomp right
19:00
here with clever. But so let me say, let me say
19:03
one more thing about My Muppet Show as long as we're talking
19:06
about it, sure do it. The other great thing about that
19:09
game is that Rizzo's repeated phrase was Rizzo, Razzo Rizzo
19:15
risotto, What? Yeah, we sing that every time
19:20
risotto comes up in conversation, sure us to as an
19:23
active. Yeah, after and actually, that
19:26
game, like, was brand new when I was visiting you in the summer
19:31
of 2013. Oh, really, if I remember,
19:33
right? You and Roz, like both
19:35
downloaded that stupid game onto your phones at the same time
19:38
because it like came out while we were there or something.
19:40
Oh, that's cool. Yeah, and also like I, if people
19:43
aren't familiar with the game, I recommend going on.
19:46
And doing a search for it just because people have uploaded
19:49
like the final, like what the final songs sound like, when you
19:52
have all the characters together, they're surprisingly
19:55
catchy, they're surprisingly good.
19:58
So, you know, it's fun here, the characters voices, and, or some
20:01
of the characters voices. They didn't even get everybody.
20:05
They got funds. I heard the door is.
20:08
Oh, that's right. They got they got Eric Jacobson.
20:11
He's in there. But yeah, but not in anything
20:13
that isn't Matt Vogel in there. Doesn't doesn't 80s robot
20:16
talking that thing. I don't remember.
20:18
I do Berettas in there because you get, you get dr.
20:21
Teeth going. Oh yeah.
20:23
Alright, I will do a whole podcast about this stupid game
20:31
someday but good, let's move on. Alright so another one you wrote
20:34
was the definitive ranking of the jokes and Elmo says boo.
20:38
Okay, yes that is a, that is a article with an audience of two
20:42
and it's you and me correctly. And if I remember, right, Both
20:46
of our wives were just like this is nothing like what happened,
20:49
read it? Yeah.
20:51
And but yeah, so there are so, if you haven't seen, Elmo says,
20:56
boo. It is a Halloween special,
20:58
direct-to-video special from the 90s and the premises that Elmo
21:01
goes over to the counts Castle to tell him some scary funny
21:05
jokes. It's always that some scary.
21:08
Funny jokes are funny scary jokes and throughout the
21:11
special. There are 15 the count of
21:12
course, counts them, 15 funny, scary joke, So, I ranked them, I
21:18
rated them on a scale, I didn't like rank them, 2015, 13, each
21:22
chronologically and rated them for both funniness and
21:25
scariness. And the thing was that like the
21:29
ratings keep getting higher and higher until it's like Infinity
21:32
out of 10 on the less because it's just it's so funny.
21:36
And but I'll say this about almost as boot miss.
21:39
My daughter, iris is six and a half now she loves all those
21:42
terrible jokes still. I mean you say you Say, what's a
21:46
ghost? Favorite dessert.
21:48
And she's just like blueberry pie, you know?
21:51
Yeah, that's good stuff. So yeah, she's the audience.
21:54
Well, and also like this is something that you and I both
21:57
love about articles that we write and and read on topics is
22:01
when when we lose the premise halfway and we have, you know
22:05
what, it doesn't matter like nobody's reading this, it's
22:08
fine. And then it's not makes it
22:10
better well. And that actually do you mind,
22:12
if I bring up a specific piece, then Do you want me to wait
22:17
until you bring it up? No, you bring it up.
22:20
So a lot of my favorite things that I've done for tough pigs,
22:22
are things that you and I have collaborated.
22:25
Yeah, because we've done a lot. I mean, I don't know.
22:27
Maybe you're gonna bring up the, like, the election.
22:30
We do the tough pigs election. Yeah, let's let's talk about
22:32
those for sure. Yeah.
22:32
Okay. What's that started way back in
22:35
2008? When you know when I was, when I
22:38
was what we were both new to the site real for sure.
22:41
Yeah. You guys have been running it
22:42
for like a year and a half or something.
22:44
Yeah. Um We decided that we were going
22:47
to run a tough pigs election and have readers vote on it and that
22:51
remind me the first one was it was red and Gobo on my end and
23:00
then Ernie and Bert. At first it sounds right and he
23:06
should wash it. Find out definitively.
23:08
I'm looking I'm pulling up tough pigs election archives.
23:11
Let's see. Yeah, 2008 was Gobo and red
23:15
versus Ernie and Bert. Gotcha.
23:17
So when we did for articles, with each one, like arguing for
23:22
our candidate and against the other person's candidate, and
23:25
then we've done it every every 40 years since last year's a
23:29
little different, we kind of took more to low-key approach
23:31
because yeah, it didn't feel like a fun election.
23:34
So right neither of us were in a mood to like right, right to
23:37
articles each about like oh what if Harvey knee-slapper was
23:41
president? You know.
23:43
Yeah. So, but it's been really fun.
23:47
I'm glad we do it. Um, but so that is one, but I
23:51
think our crowning achievement as collaborators was the tough
23:54
pigs. Great Muppet.
23:55
Casting call roof series of art, what what what a thing we did
24:03
talk about an audience of to this was something that we
24:06
specifically wrote knowing full, well that no one was going to
24:11
care. And we put a lot more time into
24:14
it than we should have by which, I mean, any time at all and of
24:18
course, you put more time into because you made all the images.
24:20
You always make sure I didn't Photoshop all this.
24:22
Yeah, like right right? Well, and even even, we talked
24:25
about the gingerbread men. You made all my album covers and
24:29
stuff. Oh, that's right.
24:30
Batman article, you made parodies of like, of like War
24:35
bye-bye, you two. That was called warm and it is
24:39
like, Abbey Road and it was called a crummy road and it was
24:42
yeah. Um Darkness on the it was like
24:46
Darkness on the edge of town by Bruce Springsteen but it was
24:48
Darkness on the edge of the pan. Why not something I don't.
24:52
Anyways, you made all those forests and Was I going to say,
24:59
oh yeah, so so the casting call you made all the you
25:01
photoshopped, all the images which is, which is so much of
25:03
that article, right? Yeah, but but what I loved about
25:09
that was we decided going in because people love to do like,
25:13
what if Muppets were in The Princess Bride, what if Muppets
25:18
were in Batman Returns or whatever?
25:21
Right? Yeah, so, we were kind of, like,
25:23
poking. Fun at like, people love to do
25:25
this casting thing that we have little interest in.
25:27
So we are going to like Let It devolve over the course of a
25:32
dozen articles and it's a bit of a nephew to fans, which is not a
25:38
fun thing but at the same time it's like it makes us laugh.
25:40
So right right. Well well and the thing was it
25:44
so it started out pretty straight, right?
25:46
The Muppet movie is just like Seth Rogen has Fozzie Bear or
25:50
what. Yeah, right.
25:51
Yeah. And then by the end, literally,
25:54
the last one is Muppets Most Wanted Casting volumes of Now,
25:59
That's What I Call Music as the characters in moments.
26:03
And what's on that was I remember that was always my
26:06
intention was I always wanted this to end with Now, That's
26:08
What I Call Music. I don't know why I glom onto
26:11
that, but I thought it was such a random and ridiculous thing.
26:14
That's how we have to. Yeah, but we also like it was
26:16
gradual. It was like, we went from We
26:19
went from like actual casting and then gender bent casting and
26:22
then casting characters from like the 1960s or whatever.
26:26
The silent era. I don't know what it was it was
26:28
definitely do need and and, and actually, that's what I was
26:31
going to say earlier when when you talked about my memory for
26:35
various things. When we because the The Follow
26:39
That Bird one was I think Muppets.
26:42
Take Manhattan. We did the 80s, right?
26:44
Like that was all. Yeah, yeah.
26:45
Yep. You're right Follow.
26:46
That Bird was was then the Antara and I remember like all
26:51
the rest we've been brainstorming and just like
26:53
bouncing ideas off each other and then we got to that silent
26:56
era one and I was just like no no Ernie and Bert have to be Max
27:00
Linder and Harold Lloyd and you were just like, sure whatever,
27:03
who cares? Yeah, but you you go for with
27:05
it. Well, it was silver.
27:06
We did one. For one of the movies was Great,
27:09
British Bake Off. That was my pick another
27:11
Christmas carols. Great British Bake Off of course
27:12
because it's the most British. Yeah, and that makes sense.
27:15
And I have watched the show but I don't remember every Who was
27:18
on that show. I was just, I was just really
27:22
excited to get Nadia in there as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
27:26
I think Nadia was the Ghost of Christmas Past.
27:30
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah.
27:31
And I found a picture of her kind of making like a little
27:34
face. Right?
27:35
What she did on that. Show all the time.
27:37
She did. Yeah, it was perfect.
27:39
But yeah. So like it was just like it.
27:41
Got it. Got ridiculous.
27:41
It's got silly. The only thing that I regret is
27:44
because I always had I was stuck on ending with Now, That's What
27:49
I Call Music. People were making a guesses as
27:53
to what we're going to end with gu.
27:55
We would go out with a bang and people were having better ideas
27:58
than ours and it's like, well, I don't want to steal your idea.
28:02
We already kind of know what we're doing, but like I know
28:04
Matt's Oberman one of our other topics writers.
28:06
He suggested that we were going to be doing tough pigs writers
28:09
as the Muppets and I'm like, that's a cute idea.
28:12
But no. And then someone I don't know
28:14
who on the internet thought that we were going to be casting.
28:18
Movies, as the Muppets, and I'm like, oh, that would have been a
28:22
really good method. Good way to end.
28:24
Yeah, but we didn't do that, right.
28:26
Well and and like talk about an audience of to I'm looking at
28:30
this. Now I had forgotten that what
28:33
was from space. We did the Ford Golden Girls
28:36
over and over as every care. Yes that was and then said about
28:39
that and and then ended with Dorothy's ex-husband Stan Lee as
28:45
as like somebody as Andie MacDowell or something, right?
28:48
I don't remember perfect. Um, but but I'm gonna drop
28:51
signed was the cartoon gargoyles.
28:54
Which is like a show that certainly has a cult following
28:57
but not a huge one. It's not Batman, the Animated
29:00
Series but little it we were at this point picking things that
29:06
we were we could collaborate on you know, like I didn't I didn't
29:10
want to do another another silent era because it's like
29:13
Anthony you just do the work and then let me know what to
29:15
photoshop. Well it's like somebody got was
29:17
like we both love that show. Yeah.
29:19
Right. Like what Google's would you
29:20
least like have a conversation and we could you know, we could
29:23
pick stuff together and have fun with it.
29:24
Get some ideas here. Yeah, yeah.
29:27
So that was what it was. It was what do what are you?
29:29
And I specifically interested which is really like the thesis
29:32
of anything we write on topics. It's like what am I going to do
29:34
that? That will entertain me and then
29:37
hopefully there's another me out there who's reading it right?
29:41
And and then the Muppets the movie, The Muppets, The the 2011
29:45
film, The Muppets, we did DC Comics characters, which doesn't
29:50
seem that under which it doesn't seem that and I cannot pronounce
29:54
the word obscure. Day.
29:55
Which doesn't seem that obscure until you actually look at the
29:58
article and it's like, brother power to the geek has gone toe
30:03
and Comet the superhorse as Rolf.
30:05
So yeah. Like like that one too.
30:07
We were just like what's the most ridiculous?
30:09
What's the most obscure dumbest? You did conjure up from that,
30:14
but the DC and cycle but DC dictionary super dictionary.
30:19
Yeah, that character you cast this is Miss Piggy.
30:22
Of course, everyone knows. Is that that's obvious, but
30:26
yeah. So that was also that one
30:27
remember specifically like it was going to be click Beatty.
30:30
It was gonna be like DC Comics and Muppets like let's see, like
30:32
people can be like, oh yeah, curb its Superman and, you know,
30:35
Fozzie's Batman. He's not at all right?
30:40
And and then you have to click on it and be like, who is
30:43
Brother power, The Geek and Chunk we got, we got Chunk in
30:48
there as yeah. Buddy, Little Bear.
30:50
We love Chunk. We read The Flash.
30:52
We're able to put magic tissues the flesh.
30:55
That book should have caught being called the chunk.
30:57
He would have that would have been way better in the yeah.
31:00
When it preferred. All right.
31:02
Anyway, so I'm not the only person that you've collaborated
31:05
with. You've done a lot of
31:05
collaborations with with our buddy, Ryan row as well.
31:08
You did a series of reviews of Jim Henson hour with him.
31:12
It's pretty good. Yes.
31:13
Which was a delight. Like I think Ryan and I are
31:17
maybe the two biggest fans of the Jim Henson our in the world
31:22
ever like yeah it's not a show people.
31:24
And time thinking about know, except for my, except for Ryan.
31:29
And I and even like, you know, we've talked about, you know, we
31:33
we have a podcast together now which we did not at that time,
31:37
right? So like we've talked about like
31:39
is there any way? Do we have any excuse to cover
31:42
the Jim Henson our and I don't think we will because it's so
31:45
movie focused you know but I don't know.
31:48
Well maybe we'll see you just love anything's possible.
31:52
Yeah that's good. And then you also, Not to
31:54
mention your series of very special Henson specials that you
31:57
did where you collaborated with everyone, everyone.
32:00
Yeah, which was fun. That was just conversation style
32:03
pieces about a bunch of different specials from like
32:07
tales of the Tinker D Frog. Prince all that stuff, those
32:10
fairy tale ones. And the reason I wanted to do
32:12
that was because back in the Golden Age Danny and usually
32:16
kind in did a lot of conversation style pieces about
32:19
Christmas specials mostly. And there are so many Muppets
32:23
specials that are not about Chris.
32:24
This and we had not really covered any of them.
32:27
So it felt like we should, and I don't know.
32:29
It was fun sit around Spain, boat Muppet, Musicians of Bremen
32:32
with Matt Wilkie, come on. That's great.
32:34
Yeah, that's fun stuff. Well, I know you've been
32:37
thinking about doing another season of that, and I'm hoping
32:39
that you that you find the time because I'm looking forward to
32:43
reading and participating in that.
32:45
I got you I got you written down for things, that go.
32:49
The muffins video. Hello!
32:52
No, I'm just kidding, I'm just I so I then of course continuing
32:59
the conversation about collaborating, you and Ryan have
33:02
a podcast. So we've already interviewed
33:05
Ryan about moving right along, movie podcast, but I would love
33:08
to hear your perspective of how that got started, what we?
33:14
I'm sure, Ryan said, all of this, we talked about it for
33:17
years, like we have we did a test episode which was about
33:23
good grief, the comedian's, a bear.
33:24
Are in like the fall of 2015 or something.
33:28
Just to see if like the format would work, if we had enough to
33:30
see about two minutes of them up and content, and we didn't start
33:34
releasing those episodes until December of 2017.
33:39
So like that's how long we were talking about it and it was
33:43
always just like, that'd be a fun thing to do.
33:46
We love them, we love the movie, we could talk about that, but it
33:49
never really came to anything. And then all of a sudden, one
33:52
day Ryan was just like, all right, let's do it.
33:55
Let's let's start doing it will get a bunch of episodes, but,
33:57
you know, in the can and will release a podcast through tough
34:01
picks. And so, we did and It's been
34:04
really fun, I'm really glad we're doing it, you know?
34:07
But we're almost done, I suppose, by the time this is
34:10
out, we'll be done with with either be done before we almost
34:15
done. Yeah, we're not looked at the
34:17
calendar, but yes, it's this, this will be near the end of
34:21
Muppets. Take Manhattan, right?
34:22
Right. Right now as we're recording, we
34:24
have three episodes left from upstate Manhattan.
34:26
Incredible. Yeah.
34:28
Which is why I lied to me that we've made it through the first
34:29
thing. We've had some incredible guests
34:31
on the show, you know and I mean like we had Michael frith on
34:36
Craig Sharon, Stephanie de Bru's.
34:38
Oh Leslie. Kerr are Rudolph but also like
34:42
my mom. That's right.
34:44
Ryan's, brother and sister but also just a lot of like writers
34:51
and other podcasters that we admire, you know that we've
34:55
never would never have gotten the chance to speak to accept.
34:59
They wanted to come on our show, you know II know you're a big
35:02
fan of Will Harris who Writes for the AV club, the church, the
35:05
most of the most of the random roles he came on the show.
35:08
What a delight to talk to that guy, you know, love it.
35:11
Yeah, for example, for example, Eric Adams from the a.v. club is
35:14
one of our most famous economist.
35:15
Yeah. My mortal.
35:16
Yeah. Joe's.
35:17
Joe's Nemesis. Right.
35:19
But it's always always a delight to have him on and I just maybe
35:22
shouldn't be singling out individuals but no.
35:25
But that's that's it. But that's a good example of.
35:27
Just like the type of folks that you have and and and again how
35:29
fun and in varied it is, you know, it's not I think will be a
35:33
different. It would Very different pocket
35:34
screws, just you and Ryan every week just kind of like the
35:36
capping and sharing some opinions, but every episode
35:39
because there's someone new, it has a completely different vibe
35:42
and has a completely different tone, the conversations going
35:47
completely, different directions and I'll so I said this many
35:51
times, I'm going to say it one more time.
35:52
It's my favorite podcast. I love listening to it.
35:55
I love being on it. It's the best.
35:58
I'm so, so pleased with what you guys have created.
36:01
Thank you. And actually, we should say, you
36:03
actually Lee. I mean you've you've got to be
36:06
our most frequent guest, I think.
36:08
I think so. Yeah.
36:09
Because because, like, we had a guest drop out recently that
36:14
just couldn't get the scheduling to work.
36:16
So I asked you I was like hey do you want to come on the podcast
36:19
tomorrow? And you were just like, sure,
36:20
man. I may have said, sure, man.
36:23
But internally I'm going. Oh God.
36:25
Yes, let me do this then I over-prepared, I was so excited
36:31
that right? I did, I brought so many.
36:34
He's down, it was great. That's fine.
36:35
That's fine. Yeah, and of course, like I like
36:39
I say it's fun to get to talk to these people that we don't get
36:43
to talk to, you know, wouldn't get to talk to otherwise.
36:47
But when we have you on or Danny, you know, or or you know
36:51
like Matthew or you know like anybody who's like part of the
36:53
family, It's it's always it just feels like we're sitting around
36:58
talking about Muppets, you know? Yeah, that's great.
37:01
That's what these podcasts should be.
37:02
I mean, well, these podcasts, I mean, like, that's what they
37:04
should be is like, we're just we're just buddies and we're
37:06
talking about things we love like that should be fun.
37:08
And you know and and and chummy, right?
37:13
Oh, oh, and speaking of you your last appearance on the podcast
37:16
and collaborating and Ryan you and I for no reason, okay?
37:23
Years ago Ryan Decided that he needed to defend the honor of
37:29
Muppet beach party. Oh, great.
37:34
And then we decided that we needed to throw Muppet beach
37:38
party in the mud and stomp on it, a bunch of times for no
37:42
reason. Like, no, no, no one was talking
37:45
about it. There's no, there's no.
37:47
There's no ongoing movement, beach, party discourse.
37:51
But Ryan said some mildly nice things about it.
37:55
And you and I decided we just couldn't let that stand.
37:59
Well, the interesting thing that you you pointed out was Ryan
38:02
said I don't know if it was in the article for it was on the
38:05
topics for him. If anyone disagrees feel free to
38:07
feel free to say something? And we were like, well yeah, we
38:11
disagree. And so we'll say something and
38:13
we trounced it we were just we really did like and like, well,
38:19
it's like I feel bad for Ryan because he took it personally,
38:23
and we told him many times, this is not a we're not.
38:26
You are wrong or your opinion is wrong.
38:28
We're just saying we have an opposite opinion and we were
38:31
really stupid and funny article about about how we disagree.
38:36
I think he's, I think Ryan's come around.
38:38
I think, I think he gets it. Well and, of course, we're I
38:41
mean, we Ryan's like our brother like that's absolutely.
38:44
I think I think it's fair to say that.
38:45
That's really true. Yeah, and you know we didn't we
38:50
love Ryan more than we hate. My VIP beach party but it's
38:53
true. So we don't, we don't Love him
38:56
enough to not trounce mother beats party, like you just
38:59
sometimes you just gotta say, what's true about album?
39:04
My big beach party. It's true.
39:07
And I wonder like, what that if the whole thing was flipped, if
39:10
you and I said, like, Hey, we're going to write an article about
39:12
how much we came up at beach. Party would Ryan go, but I love
39:14
that thing. So I'm gonna write a
39:15
Counterpoint to explain why I like it.
39:17
You know, like you go both ways. Yeah, I wouldn't have been as
39:20
mean as we were. No.
39:23
Right, right. I'm speaking.
39:24
Speaking of mean can Can I bring up one of my favorite mean
39:27
things I've ever written? Yes of pigs.
39:30
I'm so we do a lot of reviews and you guys do a lot of things.
39:34
Like, I don't, I've never done nearly as many as you and Ryan,
39:38
and I think you expect, you end up writing.
39:40
What both of you guys have written so much more than me,
39:43
but I've written enough that sometimes it feels like.
39:48
Well, I got to think of something to say about Muppet
39:51
Sherlock, Holmes, number three, you know, especially back when
39:54
back on those comics. Coming out, you know, we never
39:57
use everything. Yeah.
39:58
And it's just like okay Roger languages Issue Number Nine, the
40:03
other better. And I like that.
40:06
That Muppet Show comic book I really do.
40:09
Oh fryer. It's but it was really hard to
40:11
come up with something right. Thank, you know, everyone comes
40:13
a point where it's just like yep, fake songs.
40:16
Yep. That's hospital is in this one
40:19
in, you know? Yep.
40:20
But one thing that I was assigned to write or a volunteer
40:24
to write was the Book, The Power Of The Dark Crystal, the first
40:28
two issues, this was in, I don't know. 2015 ish.
40:35
I don't know if you listen to several years before the TV show
40:38
came back. Yeah, right.
40:39
And I read this thing and it was like thoroughly adequate like
40:46
there's nothing offensive about it but it was also just nothing.
40:51
It was like what if the crystal broke again?
40:55
When and what if the gelflings heads were on fire?
40:59
And they were called fire Ling's?
41:02
And the art was just this like, waxy garbage, you know.
41:06
And I was just like, I was just like, I need to eviscerate this
41:09
comic because it's garbage and no one should waste their time.
41:12
Like like no one should waste their time.
41:14
Reading a perfectly adequate unmemorable comic.
41:17
That is not worth anything Grand.
41:21
And once it was rather, it be either really good.
41:25
So you could praise it or really bad so you could could slam it
41:28
but adequate right hard, right. But so I wrote this This like
41:32
very mean article, here's here's the here's the last paragraph.
41:36
Look nothing about power of the Dark.
41:38
Crystal is terrible, but nothing about it is very good either and
41:40
there's no reason for it. So thoroughly mediocre comic
41:42
book that only exists because people remember a thing from the
41:45
80s. It certainly isn't worth your
41:47
time or your money. And so many of the reviews that
41:52
we write a tough pigs are like, it's good that Muppet stuff
41:55
exists. He he, you know what I mean?
41:58
Yeah. Like like let's keep supporting
42:00
and spending money and spending time on Muppet stuff so that he
42:02
may give us more Muppet stuff and hopefully that will be good.
42:05
Right? Exactly.
42:07
And that that day, I just didn't want to do it man.
42:09
I just did not want to yeah to like encourage anyone to waste
42:14
seven minutes reading powers of the Dark Crystal, you know?
42:19
You probably saved a few people from from that that punishment.
42:22
So well done. I hope so.
42:24
I hope so. I hope so too.
42:25
I hope yeah. But on the other hand we get to
42:28
review stuff like tale of sand. Yeah.
42:31
You know, musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow you and I did a
42:34
conversation style piece about that one Turkey.
42:37
Hollow the comic when it came out, great.
42:39
I remember. And that's good.
42:40
That's, that's funny. I should we read that?
42:42
Yeah, it's really fun. I should read it to my kids
42:44
actually. I bet they'd like it.
42:45
Yeah, that's right. That's great.
42:48
Well I I want to talk about one more thing.
42:49
This is not a tough big thing, but it's a fun thing that you
42:51
and I did together that is Muppet related.
42:54
That I don't know when else we'd get a chance to actually talk
42:58
about it when he went to Jerry, Jules house.
43:03
Okay, yeah, we sure did. So you were over here in the
43:07
summer of 2017. You came to visit me in st.
43:11
Paul. Yes.
43:12
Where I live and so Jerry juhl, grew up in st.
43:15
Paul, as I don't know if people know that I was going to say as
43:19
everybody knows, but no nobody knows that.
43:21
Why would the unless they live here?
43:24
So I was like, I got to find Jerry Jules childhood home.
43:27
I gotta find it. So, I remember looking at the
43:30
1940 census, And finding his parents names and there was
43:37
their address listed and I put it in Google maps and the house
43:42
was like a mile and a half from my house and great Jewel grew
43:46
up, right by my house. And I looked on Zillow at the
43:50
house, the house was built in 1926, so it's the same house.
43:55
So I was like, we gotta go get a picture and Cherry Jules
43:58
childhood home. Well and I love that like the
44:01
librarian in you like did all this research.
44:04
Like you really you really covered your tracks to make sure
44:07
this is not just where it was, is not this, this is the real
44:10
house, you know, we may not be sure, that's the same color, we
44:13
don't know who lives there now. But right.
44:16
Yeah, but we do know that whoever lives there now may have
44:19
seen two dorks jump out of a car and like pose excitedly on their
44:23
lawn. I'm so curious if anyone was
44:26
watching us in like why are these guys just getting a photo
44:29
taken with this Random House in the suburbs, right?
44:33
Right. But by is great, we did it.
44:35
That's that's where the legend started, that's where I don't
44:39
know, let's say the the secret society of pooh-bahs, that's
44:42
where it was born. Maybe maybe there were things in
44:45
that house, that directly inspired the farmhouse in
44:49
Muppet, family Christmas. I hope so.
44:51
I hope so maybe in the backyard, he had a talking snowman.
44:57
We're talking trash Heap. But you said, when you said
45:02
something Muppet related, that is not tough pigs.
45:05
I thought you were going to say the video we made about.
45:08
Hey cow, I see you now. Wow.
45:10
Yeah, that was the thing we did which I'll explain explain what
45:14
that was. Okay.
45:15
So hey cow, I see you now is a very, very long sketch in the
45:20
first episode of Sesame Street. It's like six and a half minutes
45:23
long of just like eternity for Sesame.
45:26
Yeah. This like of this like dreamy
45:27
music and like footage of cows and people on farms and it's
45:32
like like it's like lullaby music and then this voice, this
45:39
voice just goes cows. Have you ever wondered where
45:43
they came around a dozen he says milk have you ever wondered
45:48
where it comes from? Have you ever wondered where it
45:51
comes from before the carton? And I've always been obsessed
45:56
with this. I still am like it did some dumb
45:58
joke about Joaquin. Phoenix's Oscar speech involving
46:02
they also for the site. Yeah.
46:03
Recently this year. Yeah, but you have that cow.
46:07
Puppet, listeners, might know you and Ryan's immensely popular
46:11
topping the cow video series. Beloved, I would say goodbye.
46:17
Someone started a half-hour Christmas special.
46:21
All right, I love it, love it. Um but Your cow character is
46:27
sitting next to me as myself and I'm saying the actual lines,
46:32
right? Milk is made in the body of the
46:34
cow or whatever. And you as the cow are just
46:37
saying sarcastic things, right? She has a warm friendly animal,
46:41
the cow. And then you say, your mom is a
46:44
warm friendly animal. Yeah, not the best thing we've
46:48
ever written, but it was really fun to make and then our friends
46:51
had other puppets, that would pop in from the sides and they
46:54
would all go away. Cow, I see you.
46:57
Now then disappear again, right? And first of all, if you search
47:02
for, hey, cow. I see you now on YouTube.
47:05
We remained the second result after the actual Sesame Street
47:09
sketch. And since 2007, that video has
47:13
somehow, we racked up over 2,000 views.
47:17
Why why? Why why would anyone watch it?
47:21
But anyways, will link to it in the show notes and please watch
47:24
it. It's my favorite thing I've ever
47:25
done. For sure.
47:26
Yes, that's hysterical. Well, Anthony, I could easily
47:30
talk to you for hours and hours and hours about tough pigs, and
47:33
Muppets and cows. And Now, That's What I Call
47:37
Music. But let's let's wrap this up.
47:41
As we as we go out, I would love to know from your professional
47:44
opinion. What would your ideal next
47:47
project before the Muppets? Realistically speaking, what
47:51
should they be doing next? What should the Muppets be doing
47:55
next? While the Muppet Show family.
47:57
Yeah. This is going to make me seem
47:59
like such a curmudgeon, do it. Well, but like, but like,
48:03
partially, my answer is, like, I don't know, retire in 1992, but,
48:10
but it's also been. It's like, I mean, I don't know
48:13
though because I loved Muppets, Most Wanted.
48:14
Like, honestly ideally, I would love to see James, Boatman make
48:19
another movie and next dollar. Like yeah, I think, I think that
48:22
is Especially Muppets Most Wanted.
48:24
And, and to a lesser extent, the, the 2011 movie, but it's
48:28
like the best thing they've done since Muppet Christmas Carol, by
48:31
so far. Yeah, yeah, I agree with them.
48:35
Yeah. I mean, I've said this before,
48:37
but when, when I was on the red carpet for Muppets Most Wanted
48:39
and we met James boban and I asked him like, so, are you
48:41
gonna do a third one? And he was like, I would love to
48:44
do like, this was our homage to the great Muppet.
48:46
Caper next, I would love to do an o matic.
48:49
The Muppets Take Manhattan, and do something in New York.
48:51
And I'm like, yes. Yeah, it sounds amazing.
48:55
And, you know, I still hold out. Hope that James bobin will
48:58
somehow become like, you know, some huge name director.
49:02
Look, we're willing to love that Alice in Wonderland movie.
49:04
He made her something and then the right eye is diseased going
49:08
to be like, what do you want to do next?
49:09
Whatever you want? Like we're on team.
49:11
Boban needs to be like, I want to finish the trilogy.
49:14
Third, that's that's the best chance we have.
49:17
Yeah, well, I remember when his Alice in Wonderland sequel,
49:19
because Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, was it huge?
49:23
Hit its garbage movie. It's, it's Dreadful.
49:25
Yeah, I never saw so much money so it's I think it's Tim
49:29
Burton's worst movie, which is really saying something.
49:31
Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
49:33
But so when the signal was coming out, I was like, well,
49:35
that's a Surefire hit, right? Like that's going to make
49:39
boatloads of money, and then it didn't, which made me feel good
49:43
for the Judgment of the public, but bad for James Bowman.
49:45
Right, right, right. And then I saw that, I talked to
49:50
Nick stole her about the sun on an earlier episode of Podcasts
49:53
on this channel, about the Dora, the Explorer movie, which I
49:57
don't? You saw.
49:58
It's really good. It smells like, it's really fun.
50:02
Yeah, like some it's a surprisingly fun movie and I was
50:05
literally watching it going. This is what the next Muppet
50:07
Movie should feel like not knowing it was written by Nick
50:10
Stoller and directed by James bobin, right?
50:12
And I don't know how successful that movie was, but that seems
50:15
like the kind of thing was like. Yeah, keep doing that.
50:17
You know, like make your make your Niche and then hopefully,
50:21
hopefully Muppets will follow Right.
50:23
Well and and I obviously, I would love them of his to have a
50:26
good TV show. That the problem with this is
50:30
that, I mean, we've you and I have talked this to death.
50:33
I think that both of the last two were so bad.
50:37
Like, right. Muppets now to Me, Muppets now
50:40
is the equivalent of Power Of The Dark Crystal.
50:43
Like it's nothing? Yeah, it's a show that
50:46
essentially doesn't exist, right?
50:48
Right, there's no reason to ever revisit re-watch, you know?
50:53
Be real like we're fine we've moved on but I also respect the
50:57
idea of like the Muppets could potentially make a new TV show,
51:00
that's very good but if it's like hey we need a new TV show,
51:03
there's no reason for us to think that it's going to be
51:05
anything different than the 2015, sitcom or Muppets now in
51:11
you no sense of quality. You know, they have to kind of
51:14
re prove themselves to us, right?
51:16
Well, and that's what I remember.
51:19
The other thing about, and I don't mean that like James
51:21
Bowman is the second coming of Geri Jewell.
51:23
Cool or something. I don't mean to say that but it
51:27
definitely seemed like he understood those characters.
51:30
Yeah, you know, way that most of the creative teams of the past
51:35
20 years or so have not. Yeah.
51:39
You're 100% right? Yeah, I don't know.
51:43
And again like part of me feels like it's so sad to see like
51:49
just hang it up. Muppets are done.
51:51
Go home. But but I don't know man.
51:55
Nothing lasts forever. That's true.
51:59
But maybe they do you don't. You don't know that for sure?
52:05
No no. All right well Anthony this has
52:07
been a pleasure. It's Pleasure to talk with you.
52:10
It's a podcast with you to geek out with you.
52:12
It's great. Would you like to tell people
52:15
where they can find you somewhere on the internet?
52:18
Sure sure. So you can always find me on
52:20
moving right? Along Muppet movie, podcast from
52:24
this very website, tough pics.com can hear me yakking
52:26
away for more of this if you want way too much of this until
52:35
you resent my existence, please check out along.
52:39
Um, what else? I don't have a tough pigs.
52:41
The only real social media. I'm doing anymore is, is
52:44
letterboxed the movie review website, where you just like
52:48
log, whatever movies you watch, and then be like, hey, I saw,
52:53
you know, Doris Day in the glass, bottom boat.
52:56
It was adequate if you want to see me saying that regularly.
53:01
So, what's your, what's your letterboxed?
53:02
My letterbox is Zippo Marxist, classic like that, like the
53:07
least The Marx Brothers. Yeah, great.
53:12
Well, thanks for that, Anthony. Thanks for being here.
53:14
Everyone. Please make sure that you're
53:15
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53:18
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53:27
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53:35
Go ahead and give us a nice review and a good rating on this
53:38
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53:40
super cool. And you know what?
53:42
We'd like that more than your money.
53:43
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53:46
other, just give us some positive reinforcement.
53:49
That sounds that sounds nice and stay tuned for more tough
53:53
things. That 20 will be back with
53:55
another guest next week and keep on reading topics.
53:58
Thanks everybody, goodbye.